worms
Originally uploaded by chromatophobe
Annabelle sat in the chair looking at the rain through the window. She knew that there would be no going back now. This was the start of the rest of her life. The rain had changed everything. As a shiver ran up her spine, she pulled the rug that her grandmother had crocheted for her a little tighter around her shoulders. Tucking her feet under ample bottom she pulled the rug so that it stretched around her knees. Today was really the first day of the rest of her life. The rain had not fallen for so long she could hardly remember what the sound was when it had started to fall, but then she was taken right back to her childhood. She could remember how every year it rained for months and stopped for months, and then over the years, it gradually slowed until it stopped altogether.
Annabelle knew that she was now going to have to make some big and quick decisions as to what she was going to do to save herself and those around her who were unable to save themselves. She didn't even really know what she was up against, however, she knew that it was going to be a tough battle. She needed to clear her head. Her inclination was to nestle into the comfortable old armchair, pull that rug around her and fall asleep to sound of the rain, however, that could possibly be the most dangerous thing that she could do.
Annabelle looked out the window. In the far distance through the heavy rain she thought she saw some movement. Her heart leapt. Her hands were shaking. What did she need to get organised. She had gone over this so many times in the past decade at the compulsary six monthly Community Safety drills that she had attended. She could hear the sirens ringing in the distance, the same ones that rang during the drill. Annabelle jumped up out of her chair and flew into the laundry, changed into her safety clothes and grabbed the large container of Anti-Worm Mixture that everyone had been supplied with. It was all coming back to her now, as though she was a robot. She took the dispenser out of the container and tipped a cupful of the mixture over the top of herself. She would now hopefully invisible to those worms that were coming. She had to move quickly now. There were the two elderly neighbours that needed to be taken care of and the perimetre of her house that had to be dealt with.
Annabelle went through the motions just as she had always been instructed to do, starting with pouring a track of the Anti-Worm Mixture around her own house. It was no good getting the others if her own house was unprotected. Once her house was safe, she ran as fast as she could. She had pulled a plastic bag over her head so that the mixture didn't wash off while she picked up the neighbours. Annabelle tripped over a big lump on the path that hadn't been there before. Her gloved hands hit the ground as she saved herself. Freak out! That was George from next door. She could see that he already had worms coming out of his ears. They moved quicker than it had ever been explained to them. Annabelle threw up in the bushes. She had to move quickly. Maybe she wouldn't be able to get to Maude in time. She checked herself for worms like they had explained to her. They only went to where there was skin or orifices or open wounds. Her socks were tucked in to her pants, gloves on & sleeves were tucked in, and scarf around her neck so that only left her head. She couldn't see any on her gloves so she brushed her face and head just in case. Then she ran as fast as she could to Maude's place.
Maude opened the door to Annabelle in the most welcoming of ways. She had her container of Anti-Worm Mix ready to go, but was too frail to put it around the perimeter of the house. She really needed Annabelle to help her. When she saw Annabelle, she broke down in tears and fell to the ground. There really was no hope. Annabelle fell on top of her as the worms, that had initially been so tiny on her glove, had now grown so quickly once they had begun to feed in her eyes. They would begin their new life now in these bodies, these human vessels. This was their world now.
Thanks Pip for the theme for this weeks theme of "Rainy Days" for words and pictures! Join in & play along.
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