It was completely frozen.
The woman was still talking to me a second ago. She suddenly stopped moving halfway through the word "Have a nice day". The same expression remained on her face, and her hands froze in mid-air; she stood there like some kind of strange mannequin behind the counter.
She stared at me accurately, but when I looked at her hollow brown eyes, she didn't seem to see me. I've been waiting for her to come back to life and give me change after she said her words, but as time passed by, I began to realize that she would not move. She didn't do any crazy tricks to me.
She was hit immediately and could not move at all.
This is the most disturbing thing I have ever seen, and all I can do is look at her dumbfounded. I continued to stand there, not because I thought that no normal person would want to continue to stand there, but simply because I was so scared that I could not move. I didn't lose consciousness suddenly like the woman opposite, but when I looked back at her, I couldn't move at all. I finally closed my mouth. This was not because I recovered from the surprise of holding me tightly, but because the corners of my mouth started to drool, and my jaw was sore from looking at her for a long time.
Although I did a small shut-up gesture, I couldn't do other gestures anymore. I can't put my outstretched arm on the counter. I couldn't close the open hand that was still waiting for my change in the woman's hand. I definitely didn't intend to touch that woman in order to get it back.
I don't care how much money I have now, I will not touch her, if I want to get the money back, I must touch her frozen hands. In order to get back what belonged to me, I actually had to pry away her clenched fingers, because it was obvious that if the woman moved again, she would not move again soon.
When the hair on the back of my neck stood up, I trembled at the thought of this. I know there is no one there, but I can't get rid of the feeling of someone standing behind me, staring at me closely. I don't know how that woman's hand will feel; it may still be hot because she had just frozen a few minutes ago. Even if she is still standing, even if I don't know if she is really dead, in my mind, her hands are still cold and wet like those of a dead person.
My outstretched arm twitched suddenly and jumped. It was not the pain in my stiff arm that eventually caused me to pull it back, but the small twitches that almost made me touch her. This thought makes my stomach feel as if there are a hundred bugs crawling around in it. My arms fell weakly on my sides, and my mouth opened again.
This is the first time I blinked. Then, I closed my tearful eyes and prayed that everything would return to normal. When I opened my eyes again, it was gone.
I slowly raised my hand and waved it in front of her unblinking and blind eyes. She was blank like a slate. I thought maybe I should hit her, maybe pinch her, but it brought me back to the way I had to touch her. Throw something at her? I glanced at the gum in front of the counter. This is a soft object, but hard enough, it will attract someone's attention. Maybe this will wake her up, but I don't think it will be useful, and I can't bear to throw things at this defenseless woman. It looks as bad as stealing candy from a child.
I took a small step back, looked around the shop, and swallowed a lot of saliva. Although it is not very crowded, there are rows of souvenir clothing (those that are no longer sold well, at least not sold to tourists anymore, because we rarely have such clothes now) and candy counters. It's easy to recognize everyone. Mainly because they are also motionless like rocks. I doubt that throwing things at them will not work.
The shop is surprisingly quiet. I also didn't hear any movement on the street outside. Driving was banned a month ago (I know the reason now), but I didn't even hear the buzzing of bicycle tires or the heavy footsteps of people passing by. The whisper of conversation has disappeared. The streets sounded as lifeless as the shops now appearing. The hum of the air conditioner in the store made my hair stand up even more, because in this disturbing silence, the sound of the air conditioner seemed a little unnatural.
I turned to the door, but the curtains were closed, blocking the summer sun. It is impossible for us to know whether other parts of the world have been affected like this store. I tried to believe it did not, this store is an isolated incident, but I know it is not. A cold wind that had nothing to do with the air-conditioning equipment rushed straight down my back. The room swam around in front of me, blurry, and fear almost strangled me to death.
It’s cool in the shop, but I’m sweating. I can barely breathe, I try to gasp in the air, but my lungs don't want to cooperate. The nausea entangled me, burning all the way to my throat. My mouth was full of saliva, it felt like I was sucking a copper coin, but I still held it back. This is the scariest and scariest thing I have experienced in years, but I can't vomit in this store. This seems to be more wrong and degrading than the environment I am in now.
But I can't breathe. I know. I can't breathe, but the more I gasp, the less I can get into my lungs. I need fresh air, I need to leave this shop. My bag is still on the counter, but I don't want to grab it. I believe my mother will forgive me for not bringing the cow home.
My mother!
When my chest contracted, my heart was beating like a jackhammer. Another burst of nausea came to my heart. I managed to take a step back awkwardly. Is my mother the same as these people? Is she one of them now, or is she like me? Is there anyone like me? Am I the only one? Why can I move, but they can't move? What happened to them, what will happen to me
This thought made my adrenaline rebound violently, and I was shaking because of its influence. I glanced at those people again. They are still frozen. In the past five minutes, none of them have moved. I don’t even see them breathing, but they have to breathe, right? Are they dead? Will they still move
These questions flashed through my mind quickly, and my head began to spin. These questions have been bothering me, but I don't have a single answer. I can't even understand the answers of any of them. Although I don't want to get close to that woman anymore, I know I have to grab the bag. If my mother is not like this, then I would have to give her the cow. If she is...
I closed this idea, there are too many things to deal with now. This situation is bad enough. I rushed forward, grabbed the bag, and pulled it off the counter. The rustle of plastic makes my teeth very uncomfortable. I gritted my teeth and took a step back, holding back a scream. The woman was motionless, her hand still reaching for my change. When I waved a hand in front of her, her warm brown eyes didn't even flicker. I can't help but want to see if she still breathes, if she still has a pulse, but despite my best efforts, I still can't let myself touch her. I am ashamed of my cowardice, but this thought is really disgusting.
My eyes kept staring at the figures, and I moved cautiously towards the door. I don't know what they would be like if they were resurrected. The images of every zombie movie I have seen fill my mind. I imagined them coming back to life and tearing me to pieces while they tried to attack my brain and sex. A shudder tore my whole body.
When I reached the door, I pulled down the blinds and peered out at this seemingly peaceful day. People falter or lean on the storefront. Some people stopped in the middle of the conversation, raised their hands, or looked up at the sky. A man and a woman were riding their bicycles on the road when a strange cold happened. They are now lying on the street with their limbs stretched out, their feet awkwardly wrapped around the collapsed bicycle. In this peaceful rìzi, the only movement is the wheel that is still spinning slowly. Neither of them tried to get rid of, they just planted face down on the asphalt. The blood dripped from the man's nose, forming a puddle under his feet. The woman's face was hidden by the brown hair draped over her shoulders.
I tried my best to summon the courage to walk on this desolate street. Can no one else move? I can't be the only one. This kind of thinking is almost as scary as being a frozen man.
If I get frozen, at least I won't be alone, maybe I don't even know what happened. Or maybe, calmly, I do.
I removed my shaking hands from the blinds. I can't stay here, I have to move. I have to go to my family to see if they are safe. Gradually, I opened the door carefully. The small bell above made a soft and harsh sound in the silence. I cowered in the noise, curled up like a tortoise, waiting for something to attack me. Everything is still.
My eyes turned to the sky involuntarily. When I spotted the ship hovering over Boston, a cold current quietly passed through my body. It is sixty miles away, but its ominous presence feels strong, as if it is just overhead. I shudder at the thought of this matter, and shudder at the thought that although they spoke of peace, they eventually exposed themselves and that there was no peace at all. Since they came here, I have begun to doubt, although I have never doubted such a thing.
Who can do it? (To be continued) (End of this chapter)