Whoever wrote horror movies needed to take more time to build the silence, not just the screams or scares. The real insanity came from the long hours that stretched as your mind took over, thinking of the worst possible outcomes. Because when the silence sat in, so did the gravity of the situation. No matter what we did, we couldn't control the fact that something was invading our town and it was no longer funny, or something 'that'll pass so we can go back to normal'.

The Eye was here, and there was no sign of it letting up.

The rest of the day passed by very slowly as I sat outside my home, Leon not letting me leave the area with how crazy everyone was acting. I wanted to be mad at everyone, but also, how could I blame them? This was all insane. And I was terrified too. I honestly don't know how I'd act if it was on someone's else's porch.

I'd probably think they're connected to it, somehow.

The thought made my stomach churn every time it entered my mind. I couldn't blame everyone for how they looked at me, and yet I hated how I could do nothing about it. Except for do what Leon said, and let it show up on someone else's doorsteps. I refused to go inside until it was necessary. Around dusk, Leon finally made me enter the home, his wife Trish having shown up with some chicken noodle soup. I had to admit, it was a nice break from everything. She warmed it up with the propane grill outside, and it was the comfort food I needed.

We had entered the house through the back, since a giant freaking eye statue was in front of my main door. It still hadn't moved it's head to look at me again, and the hairs on my arms and legs rose every time I looked at it, ready to see it move.

It made me wonder if I had just made it up, like the panic got to me. Yes, maybe I overreacted and it'll be gone in the morning.

Leon agreed to cover the windows and doors with curtains before I entered the home, so I wouldn't see the eye staring into here. Something about that just freaked the shit of me, making me shudder at just the thought of it.

Everyone slept outside my house like they did the previous nights in the other locations that it had appeared at, setting up tents, sleeping in their cars, or just sleeping in cots on the ground. The glow from their fires and lanterns emanated a golden light through the curtains, the red of the Eye only a dull hum compared to this morning, reminding us it was always there.

The worst part was seeing it's silhouette outside the door through the curtain that Leon has put up with thumb tacks. The light from the fires made the shadow of the Eye dance through the curtain, so of course, I basically never looked at it. I tried to imagine it as something that was taboo, like spotting a person naked in the street and avoiding meeting their gaze at all costs.

The thought barely made me smile, as not even my own internal jokes could cheer me up.

We shut all the windows so no one could hear us talk, and Trish went to take a shower after our dinner. I sat next to Leon on the couch. There was something about his presence that made me think of my dad, which just made me feel like a small child. I began to cry, overwhelmed and exhausted, although I didn't look at him or ask for any comfort.

"You okay?" He asked.

"It's a lot to take in, and I just feel safer sitting next to you, I guess," I said through a quiet voice.

He patted my back. "It's alright, Andrea."

"It's not though, It really isn't," I stammered through a sardonic laugh, looking at him. "Sorry, I don't mean it like that. I just mean...this isn't good, Leon. No matter what, that Eye is right on my deck, looking in here. This is the opposite of 'okay.'"

He looked ahead at the TV that didn't work, his hand sliding back to his knee. I had never seen him look so much like an average man, his eyes no longer putting on a brave expression. He started to look like the rest of the town with how unraveled he seemed, and that made me nervous. He said, "I don't know, honestly. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to talk to these citizens. They're only going to get worse. I mean, at some point, as we aren't getting any shipments."

He placed a hand on his face and breathed into it as he pulled on his cheeks. "This is cluster fuck."

I hated this. If it got to Leon, then we were all truly screwed. "Well, what's your best theory?"

He threw his hand on the couch, shaking his head. "Either aliens or a fucking government thing. Our government has a lot more resources than they ever let on. This could be a test, or something."

I couldn't tell which would be the worst outcome. If it was our own government, that felt like we'd never win, as they'd surely rig this for failure. Then again, it also meant it was man-made, so surely it had a weakness? Unless it's not manmade.

I looked at the ceiling and muttered, "Half of the town thinks it's the devil."

His expression grew grim. "Yeah, and more are sleeping at the church. If this gets biblical, they'll start acting like people did during Salem Witch trials." He looked at the windows. "At least the curtains are drawn. It's nice to get a break from them always looking at me for help."

I went quit, feeling guilty that he was here. I said, "Leon, I...well, I have to let you know that I drew the curtains last night—all of them—and woke up to them all open. This thing can do more than just move."

He leaned his head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling, flatly saying, "Fuck."

"What if it is targeting me?" I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest.

He didn't have an answer, which spoke to how desperate this all was, and to how desperate he was. Quietly, he said, "Just get some sleep. We'll deal with this in the morning."

I managed to say goodnight to Trish, who looked just as tired as Leon before I went to my room. Leon and Trish slept out in the living room. I left the door open and lit a bunch of candles so I didn't have to sleep in the darkness. As I lied under my sheets, I let myself cry even more just for the sake of it. I didn't wail or anything, but it was like the stress of the past week mounted until that moment, and I just needed to release it all.

Tomorrow morning felt like it was a trial date for me, and I'd either wake to find the Eye still out there, or somewhere else. And if it was still on my porch, then I might as well just walk off of a cliff myself to save me from the agony of having to be persecuted by the masses. Hell have no fury like the devil, or an angry mob desperate for answers.

At some point, I had nothing left to cry and just laid there, staring at my ceiling, accepting this reality. I felt empty of concern, especially with a nose so swollen that I couldn't breathe through it. Whatever happened, would happen, and I'd have to just deal with it.

At some point, with no real transition, I fell asleep.

On the outside of the town, Roy Hockins paced as he stared at the dark fog, twiddling a cigarette in his fingers. He had quit smoking two years ago, but damn did he need one now. He could feel the nicotine in his hand, his fingers fidgeting as he just wanted one hit. He had gotten reports that the military was starting to show up. But the magic of whatever Coveness was inside that town turned those men away when they got too close, her magic working against those who didn't wear their pendants.

Roy was used to the military. His Consortium worked closely with the Generals, their information as top secret as extraterrestrial files. Many others from government organizations—ones that the civilians didn't even know existed—wanted to know more about the paranormal world that threatened them all, and pecked at his shadow like a hungry carrion bird.

But he kept them out for now. If I have to fucking deal with them right now, I will definitely start smoking again.

Whatever was going on could not be influenced by outside opinions. He needed to think straight, as the clock was past the Doomsday hour. At least, this had gone on for too long.

They were losing.

Which meant he knew what they had to do.

"Get me Jackson," Roy said to the man standing next to him, flicking the smooth, fresh cigarette onto the ground and stomping on it.

The man left without a word and Roy debated on if he had done the right thing by tossing the fresh, unlit cig. He ran both hands over his head, fucking hating what nicotine did to him, and yet in a desperate need of the calm that it could bring him. Not long after, the tall, dark haired man named Jackson appeared, a five o'clock shadow darkening his jaw line.

Jackson was in his late twenties with buzzed hair, wearing the leather jacket that he always wore. The young man squared his shoulders, speaking confidentially. "You finally sending me in?"

"You're really dumb enough to want to go?" Roy asked, placing his hands in his pockets, the car lights around them casting harsh shadows on Jackson's face.

"We need answers, Roy, and we all know I am the least susceptible."

Jackson was the grandson of a Coveness, one of the rarest stories about his father escaping the clutches of the dark, evil magic. It wasn't rare for a Coveness to produce offspring, as that's how their magic flourished, but it was rare to hear of any of them escaping. Especially a male, as the witches liked to use them for breeding before killing them like some twisted black widow.

Jackson was the most immune to their curse out of all of them due to his blood relation. Roy sighed. "We can't lose you. You're like the beekeeper that an get close to the hive and not get stung. I don't like this plan."

Jackson nodded, looking at the fog that caught the rays of the cars, the light disappeared like it hit a dense wall. "I don't like it either, but it has to be done.

Roy groaned, but gave a single nod, his pulse racing. "Fine. Go in. Find whoever is the target of the Coveness and try to get him or her out. That's the only way to stop this. We don't have much time."

I woke up that morning, aware of something very bright in my vision. My head was pounding, and I groaned as I rolled over.

Then my eyes shot wide open as I realized the light that burned through my vision was red.

When I open my eyes, I let out a blood curdling scream as the Eye was standing right next to my bed, looking directly down at me.