Sarah woke up around seven am as usual and got ready for a busy day of shopping. The plan was to meet her best friend Carolyn down at their favorite coffee shop and start from there. When Sarah grabbed her purse and opened her front door was when she noticed the silence. Not a single sound or movement of anything as she stepped out onto her front stoop. No birds chirping, no breeze blowing, and no traffic moving. Her next door neighbor Bob was even bent over and reaching for the newspaper.
“Good morning Bob,” Sarah called out.
Bob didn’t respond or move, just like everything else.
“What is going on?” Sarah looked around.
As she scanned the street, Sarah walked over to her car and climbed inside. She was still unsure but she knew that she was meeting her friend downtown. Sarah turned the the key in the ignition on but nothing happened. No sound whatsoever came from the car. Not even a click or a groan. Sarah tried the ignition one more time and still nothing. No click, no motor sound, no nothing. It was completely quiet.
“I guess I’d better call Carolyn and let her know that she’ll have to pick me up,” Sarah dug in her purse for her cell phone.
When she found her phone she tried to turn it on but nothing happened.
“What is going on, this should be fully charged,” Sarah pushed the power and volume buttons.
After about a minute or so, Sarah gave up and put her phone back into her purse. She then opened her car door and stepped out. I guess I have to walk, she thought. Sarah noticed that the cars in the street hadn’t moved any. The people in the cars hadn’t moved either. The feeling of fear and panic suddenly rushed over her as she glanced around. She seemed to be the only one moving and maybe even alive. Sarah looked up into the sky and saw a jet airplane that was also completely still. She glanced across the street and saw the neighbor kid and his dog. And before she said anything, she noticed that the dog was just hanging in mid air like it jumped up and then froze in that position.
“What is happening? Why has everything stopped like this? And why am I still going?” Sarah glanced around as she walked down the sidewalk.
Not a single bird was chirping or flying. Not a single car engine was running or moving. Sarah walked down the sidewalk, glancing around, and heard nothing. It was eerie to not hear a single thing or see anything move. She even noticed that the heals on her boots weren’t even making a sound on the cement. I wonder if Carolyn will even be at the coffee shop, she thought.
The coffee shop was about two miles down the road and Sarah knew that it would take some time to get there since she had to walk. She observed people at a bus stop who were completely still and quiet. She even noticed how one person had stopped in mid step while getting onto the bus. Another person along the way had dropped some of their apples out of a ripped grocery bag. One of the apples hadn’t even hit the ground yet. This is really spooky, Sarah thought as she walked around the person.
As Sarah walked towards Mel’s garage she knew that there was usually noise coming from there. The noise of the air gun’s, tools dropping, and men talking and laughing. But there was nothing, it silent, completely silent. Sarah even peeked inside and the men that were there were completely still. Sarah hurried down the sidewalk and looked at how the traffic just sat still like it did in a traffic jam only quieter, and no movement from anyone. A shop owner was standing in front of her store with what looked like a painter pointing up at her sign. But as Sarah walked past, they didn’t move or say a word.
Confusing thoughts ran though Sarah’s head. Am I dead? Is everyone else dead? Did we enter some kind of time warp? Or am I just dreaming?
“Ouch,” Sarah pinched her arm, “no, I don’t think that I’m dreaming.”
Sarah finally made it to the coffee shop and rushed inside. Carolyn was already sitting at a table.
“Carolyn,” Sarah ran over to her.
Carolyn didn’t move or say a word. She was just like all the others. A few people were in the coffee shop but no one moved or said a word. Sudden fear of being completely alone with no one to turn to hit Sarah. She felt Carolyn’s arm and she was cold as ice. Sarah started to cry.
“What am I going to do? What kind of life is this? No sounds, no living people, no friends.”
Sarah sat down on the chair across from Carolyn and looked at her blank stare. Her best friend was there physically, sort of, but not alive. This must have happened after I got out of the shower, Sarah thought.
“You wouldn’t be here if it happened any sooner,” Sarah looked at Carolyn.
“Did I hear anything unusual while I was in the shower?” Sarah thought for a moment.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Tears ran down Sarah’s face as she reached across the table and touched Carolyn’s hand. Sarah sat there for hours with her best friend. What else was she to do? Life on earth just stopped. She had no one at home either. She couldn’t even call anyone. It was as if her life stopped too but she was still alive…
Or was she?
The End
I hope that you enjoyed this story. It was something I felt like writing after watching the old classic movie, “The Day The Earth Stood Still”. If you enjoyed my story please let me know for future reference. Thank you for reading and have a great day.