Bird Box

An Escape into a World of Blindness and Terror

Malorie keeps her eyes on the road ahead. She's trying to reach safety. She mustn't look around. A single glance could cost her her life. Out there, strange creatures live. Anyone who sees them goes mad. They harm their loved ones. They harm themselves. Malorie looks up from the steering wheel and sees houses with windows covered by blankets or wood. She places a hand on her stomach, where a new life is growing. She is alone. Her sister is dead. Her parents are dead. She has no one. Does that place, that sanctuary she's looking for, even exist?
Something moves to her right, and she catches it out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't look at it. She closes her right eye. A bird flies too low, almost crashing into the windscreen. Malorie screams, closes both eyes, and then opens them. As she does, she spots the street she's looking for. 273 Shillingham.
She closes her eyes and slams on the brakes. She gets out, carefully making her way to where she thinks the front door is. She's right. She drops her suitcase on the porch, feels the bricks, and finds the doorbell. She rings it. No answer at first. Despair begins to set in. Maybe this is the end. Has she driven so far—dared to venture into the world—for nothing? She rings the doorbell again. And again. And again. No answer. She pounds on the door in desperation…