Anxiety - Chapter 3 [Horror]

After several years...

Sarah had the garage open for four hours now, and there she was, repairing another broken android someone brought to her. A machine that did basic cleaning, small and weak, just like all of them.

Her brown hair had grown long and shiny, yet, she just used a normal pony tail to hold it up. Although she was working, she wore a black shirt and blue jeans.

Comfortable enough, she was at the family business, there was nothing to worry about.

Outside, people passed by with their gadgets and devices, looking at the smart buildings and add holograms.

There, in the workshop, full of tools and metal, she kept focused on the android, her arms were full of black and purple substances.

Suddenly, another young woman stood in front of her.

Seeing the sign that said "we repair androids and household devices", that woman asked Sarah:

"Hello... are you in charge?"

Sarah looked up, she saw the woman for a second, her hair was pink, just as her skirt. She was also a little chubby. However, her friendly colors didn't match her serious and somewhat unsettling expression.

Sarah said hi with her hand, smiling, and nodded.

"Great!" The woman said, with a soft voice and a very brief smile.

The women didn't say anything else, just stayed there, seemingly thinking about something.

Sarah waited for a long time, hoping that she would say something else.

Still, when nothing happened, Sarah looked down and kept working, thinking the woman may need space to remember whatever she was going to say.

Just when a blue liquid started pouring out from the android, scaring Sarah, the woman said:

"Hey, so... have you worked here for a long time? I don't remember seeing you at all"

Sarah looked up again, a bit troubled with the problem in her hands. Again, she nodded.

"Weird..." the woman said, looking aside, smirking. "You see, I'm the manager of the Pink Health condominium... you know, I organize the daily antidepressant intake of this area, and I have never seen your face in my life! Do you know why that may be?"

Sarah still looked at her calmly, with a much more serious expression. However, she didn't say anything.

"Are you mute?" The woman asked.

Sarah stared at her, and then looked down at the android again, ignoring her.

"This is the core activity of our society!" The woman said, now hysterical, "you know that, right?"

Sarah looked disturbed, yet, she kept working.

"Do you buy the pills by your own or what!?" The woman said, loudly.

Sarah kept ignoring her, thinking she may calm down.

Suddenly, the woman started breathing heavily, as if she was going to give birth.

"This is madness!" The woman said "the most demanded engineer in the whole town violates the law!"

People passing by started staring at them.

Her breathing became more and more loud.

A grouo of women and men got close to her, and some in the back screamed: "Anxiety attack!"

The woman collapsed, apparently.

Sarah got up immediately and went outside with all of them, her straight look still didn't show fear or nervousness.

Focused on the woman, Sarah pressed the button to close the doors of the workshop and pulled out her phone to call an ambulance.

Sarah didn't talk, though, she used a number system to guide the operator.

Everyone was comfused and scared, but nobody asked the reason of her 'anxiety attack', everyone just assumed it was for something personal.

Several people gave her the pink pills right away, and, moving slowly, the woman took them.

Sarah looked at everything with a bit of an unsettling feeling, trying not to stare for too long.

The ambulance got there quickly. The paramedica took the woman away and asked her what happened before closing the back doors of the car. The woman screamed:

"That girl! She's shaming everyone by refusing to go to the daily antidepressant intake, acting like she doesn't need it... she even ignored me! I felt so attacked..."

The paramedics and the rest of the people were shocked, some gasped and asked "What's wrong with you?"

Suddenly, Sarah was being pushed against the wall by several people. Many were screaming at her: "you aren't so tough now, are you!?"

She looked around to see how could the scape, but she couldn't leave the house alone, there were her parents.

However, when everything seemed lost, someone within the crowd said:

"For real! Those programs are the only thing that has helped me cope with my anxiety... even when I thought i wanted to die... it helped me"

The focus turned on that person, another girl with purple hair and glasses.

"You were thinking to die?" One of them asked to the girl. Others joined and said: "If you need to talk to someone, we are all here for you"

"T-thank you..." the girl said, trying not to smile.

"I also tried to kill myself many times... but that pill gave me hope" one boy said, who was nearby the girl.

"Dude!" Another guy said, "how? Why? You're so very brave..."

Without realising, everyone was saying to one another how much their anxiety hurt them, showing their scars on their arms, etc...

The ambulance took of without saying anything, as they had to go. None of the people that were there noticed it.

Sarah stood there, looking at everyone with confusion.

She took a deep breath. Then, silently, started moving away of the crowd, mixing with the people and then walking out.

Quickly than it should, she was out of their sight and focus. She entered to her house, which was literally there, and closed the door with locker.

However, what she didn't realise is that the woman who visited her was still looking at her with hate.

After she closed the doors behind her, Sarah closed her eyes in relief.

"Sarah? What's all the commotion outside?" The voice of her now old dad made her focus on the present again.

He, walking slowly, with his hair completely gray, got close to her, concerned.

Sarah just looked at him with a tired expression and shaked her head.

"Are you sure its nothing?" He said, " I saw you closed early"

Sarah smiled at him, comforted by his voice, and nodded.

She put her arm on his shoulder and looked at him with confidence, trying to assure him that nothing would happen.

He smiled back, imagining what had probably happened, and moved forward.

"Do you want something to eat?" He asked.

She laughed, surprised.

"I'll take that as a yes" he said, laughing too.

They both went inside and kept the day happy.

Eventually, everyone went home, and the silence filled the streets around them again. The sky turned black and the night arrived.

Sarah was sleeping on her bedroom, while the moon highlighted her broght hair through the window. The wind moved the trees and kept the admosphere at peace.

Yet... this peace was suddenly interrupted when Sarah heard something fall very loudly. The noise came from the livingroom.

She immediately woke up and got up from her bed. Stumbling a bit, she walked towards the noice, which was downstairs.

Half way the stairs, she saw the lights on, and heard the voice of a young man.

The man was saying "There you go! Now everyone's going to love me! I'm so excited..."

A chill went down her spine. She felt in her gut something was extremely wrong.

"Oh! Shoot..." the man continued "how could I forget about your daughter? I bet you wanted me to kill her first, didn't you? Don't worry! She'll join you, just a sec"

Sarah gasped, but quickly put her hand on her mouth. She tilted her head to see what was going on, and she succeded.

There was her father, lying on the floor, covered in blood, completely pale. In front of him was the young man, also covered in blood, looking at her dead father with an enthusiastic and innocent smile. His eyes were red and shiny, and he was tall and muscular, with messy hair and a beard, dressed with a black shirt and blue jeans.

Tears came down her eyes, but, without thinking, her insctins kicked and she ran upstairs.

At the very moment she started going up, the man said:

"Hey! wait up!"

Sarah runned as fast as she could to her room and locked the door. She heard the man come at her at an inhuman speed.

She got near her window but, the seconds she took to open it, the man broke the door in pieces and said:

"Stop! I won't let you run away"

Sarah stopped, looking down. Her eyes were wide open and looking for something to pull between him and her.

"Come on! Look at me!" The man said.

She slowly turned to him. She was sweating and breathing with difficulty, although, it was barely visible.

The man, with blood on his plastic and shiny eyes, looked at her with a smile and said:

"This will be the happiest day of your life! Don't you want to rest in peace at last?"

Sarah, confused, just looked at him in shock, trying and starting to understand why he was doing such things.

"Oh, I know... She told me you may feel unworthy of such gift... You don't have to feel that way! Let me tell you, just close your eyes and trust me, the fun will start in a second"

Sarah, with tears running through her eyes, scared, shocked, was looking at him while still thinking what could she do...