The alarm on my nightstand starts ringing and I quickly sit up. Thunder roars as the rain smacks against the roof and I can do is wipe my face from the cold sweat. With a sigh, I turn off the alarm, my new apartment's smaller than a normal bedroom, music starts blasting through the cheap floors below me. When I get to the bathroom, I look around it's dimly lit corners for black splotches, then I have to check the lidless toilet for anything odd. Finally I can do my business and hope one of those tendrils don't kill me in an unspeakable way. A flush a day keeps the demons at bay. As it swirls down into the pipes, I feel like my life's gone down the same direction.

With a speedwalk to my shelves, I get dressed into a tarp lined suit and get on my long rubber boots. My hands ache in pain, damn old bones. I open my door as someone new gets higher than a kite outside his open door. My neighbor opens up her door and locks it, she looks my way, "Hey, Kremen!" Oh, here we go. She walks over as I try to walk away. She follows and holds her broken glasses up, "Kremen, my insurance left me out to dry. Can you..." I shake my head, "I can't do any more freebies." I roll my eyes as she keeps following me, "I know that. I'm just in a terrible spot. I can't see without them. I can't do my work." I stop and hold my hand out, "If I do this for you, you owe me." She hesitates, but eventually rests them in my hands. "Uh, thank you, Kremen. You don' know how much this means to me." "Uh-huh." At this rate, I've left my apartment unlocked, there's nothing much left to steal.

Just like everyone here, I have to leave this safer haven and be at the mercy of the elements and demons. I push the door and a gust of wind slams it shut. "God blessed!" With a reckless tackle, the door swings open and the hinges crack slightly. With a step down, my boots are half submerged. Blocks upward and I frown at the office front, cheap glass won't cut it, so I've got plywood covering the windows and door's openings. Torn awning from the rain. First thing I do is check the toilets. With a quick flush on each, I unscrew the door's wood panel and flip it around and screw on the open sign.

My young assistant opens the door and smiles, "Good morning!" I wave, "Morning, Fern." She walks past and gets ready to start the day.

A soldier barges in with a box and black eye, tosses his glasses like they grow on trees, "They broke, I need another pair." I sigh at his torn uniform. "What can you give me?" He slams the box on the table, it's full of high end items, top shelf brews and cigar boxes. I reach towards the box and he quickly yanks one cigar box and slams it on the table, "This for a pair." I sit back in my chair and wipe my face. God blessed. "My regular guy gave me a pair for just one of these cigars. But I need this pair yesterday. I think you can make that happen." With a scratch of the head, I take the box and glasses.

As I check the prescription, he starts talking, "Hey, did you see a big devil dog running around anywhere?" "I haven't, why?" He knocks on his vest, "We're warning everyone of those terrorists still at large, but also that beast was seen in the area." I bend the glasses frame, "I hope you guys clean the sewers out soon, there was a huge scare where I'm staying last week." He huffs, "We have the sewers under control, eventually we can reclaim some of the worse off areas." I sigh, "Hey, when can you guys give us some proper housing, I'm tearing my hair out. I can't live like this for much longer." He smiles as I start bending at his old pair's metal frame, "All I can really say is we're doing the best with what we have. Speaking of, half of that box is you saying I never gave you these." I wipe the severely scratched lenses with a cloth and set them down on the counter, "Like you said, I'm doing the best we can with what we have." He looks down and then up, "You just gave me back my old pair!" I smile, "Put them on and tell your boss I need my shipment."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He smiles, "You are making a bad decision, Doctor." I lean in, "I don't have any more materials and my shipment has been delayed twice now!" He shakes his head and laughs, "It's out of my hands." He puts his glasses on and he frowns, "I can' see through all these scratches!" I lay a broken tool on the table, "Without much supply-." He punches me across the jaw, I fall back into my chair as Fern shouts, "Hey!" The soldier yanks the box full of stuff and shouts, "Damn cheapskate!" She takes a knee as the door slams, "Are you-" I wave and she looks under the counter, "You shouldn't lie to a soldier." I move my jaw around, "We need to stretch our supply. They're leaving everyone out to dry!" She shakes her head, "I don't like it." She looks down at the paper he left, "These are the terrorists that crashed that transport?" With a quick glance, she turns to me, "I hope they catch them." I sigh, "Fern, I want you to take off for today. I need to do some math." She frowns, then nods, "Ok. I'll be here tomorrow."

I wave her goodbye, as she slams the door shut, I lean on the counter. God, please can you deliver us from this nightmare? Give me some way to- The door opens and I call out, "We're closed." I look up, an old dark skinned woman smiles at me and I jump in my skin. She's one of them- the terrorists. She shivers from the rain as that orange haired boy in that odd black jacket comes out from behind her round frame. "Hi, my boy needs glasses." I point at him, "He's white." She sighs, "I can hear he's white, what of it?" I squint, her eyes are off, she's blind? How is she a threat? I grab for the electric tool under the desk and she calls out, "We need your help." With a quick motion, I lift the cutter, "Get out!" She works her hands into her walking stick, "Thank you for your time." The boy steps out from behind her and holds his hands out, then stumbles. "Sir?" I lower the cutter, "I said get out!" He shakes his head, "We helped take back America from the monsters and escorted the Governor of Texas." I sigh, "Kid, I don't care. Leave before I report you." He stomps forward, "We need help, sir." The old woman nudges the kid, "Jack, come on-" They both turn and start walking. "Kid!" They both turn around, "I'll make you some glasses." The woman nods. "What can we do in return?"

"Nothing you can do. I'm going to be out of business soon anyway." I wave and they follow. I sit the kid down and he fights me, "I need to check your eyesight. Peek through these." I push his head in as he can't see at all. Farsighted. I flip through the refractor lenses, "One or two?" "Two." The old woman speaks up, "Kremen, your assistant is coming back. Can you hide us for a moment? The door opens and Fern walks in, "Hey I forgot-"

I walk up front and scratch my head, she holds up- "My lipstick." I smile, "Date night?" She looks away, "Yeah." She peeks past me, "Are you seeing someone right now?" I cross my arms, "Nope." She walks towards the exam room and I get in her way, "What? Is it your date night too or something?" I quickly answer, "It's a private client." Stars shine in her eyes, "I can keep a secret." I shake my head, "They paid for their privacy." She smiles and starts walking out, "Alright, have fun with your date, then." She closes the door and when I get back to the room, they're already gone.