T-shirts.

Today was your shift at the supermarket. It's a simple, quiet life, and you're happy with it. You're slightly deaf and completely mute. After the accident when you were seven, your vocal cords were completely disconnected and your hearing was damaged, but you can still hear a little. You walk out the back door to the backyard to throw out the cardboard. You step into the dumpster and see it. Under a single dim lamp, two... well, not two anymore. One lies on the asphalt like a broken doll, and the other squats next to him. His black-gloved hand holds a dark knife. Horror rises like an icy wave from somewhere in the gut, freezing a throat that never made a sound anyway. You try to carefully, stealthily step back, but a shard of glass crunches treacherously under your foot.

The stranger freezes instantly. His back tenses, and then he turns his head sharply and unexpectedly. You see his face—young, with sharp features and eyes that don't reflect the light. His lips curl into a smirk, and he rises to his feet. You don't wait a second and break into a run, dashing back into the dark store, weaving between the shelves like a cornered animal.

You crash into the wall at the entrance to the utility room, frantically searching your pocket for the keys to the door, when someone's hand, with inhuman strength, grabs you by the scruff of the neck and throws you backward onto the cold tile. The impact knocks the air out of your lungs. Mikey stands over you, blocking your only escape route.

• Gotcha. I don't need any witnesses.

You gasp for air, trying to prop yourself up on at least your elbow, making a trembling gesture with your fingers that means, "I won't tell anyone." A shadow of confusion flickers in Mikey's eyes, then a realization.

• Ah... you're mute? That makes it even more interesting.

Mikey slowly squats down right in front of you, the knife spinning right next to your face.

"You know," he says almost thoughtfully, tilting his head to the shoulder. "I feel sorry for you. I'll give you a head start... five seconds. One."