"We advise you all to lock your doors, windows, and to only go outside when it's dee-"
Laury throws the remote on the sofa after turning off the TV, letting out a sigh as she slightly begins slouching, rubbing her hands frustratedly through her tinted brown hair. Her fluffy ears break her hands smooth run, causing her to stop. The room was suffused in shadows, occasionally glistening with the blinding headlines passing by on the road outside. These were a lot less common now, given the current climate. She makes her way over to the window, putting her icy hands on the chipped wood and taking a gaze down at the street.
Ever since the horse outbreak nothing had been the same. There wasn't a single indication of life outside. Anybody moving between places did so by car, clearly a tonne over the speed limit to avoid an unfortunate encounter.
Horses. Laury could not stand them. Growing up in a highly religious family, the anti-horse ideology was planted in her mind from an early age, and this continued through adulthood. Society was filled with cats (like Laury herself), dogs, rabbits... but there were two types that were outcasted, forced to live within cages to be judged by society; horses and geese. Their gargantuan noses set a feeling of fear within the pit of her stomach. Their hooves, long legs, incredible size all caused a feeling of unease.
This sense of unease was felt by most of society, aside from a small portion of activists campaigning for equality for the two outcasted species. Laury and her family were definitely not a part of them. Horses and geese were forced into cages, which eventually urged a set of horses at a zoo a few streets away from Laury to break out, threatening everybody living in the area.
A low rumble rips Laury away from her thoughts, her vision refocusing on the dimly lit street outside of the glass. It's been days... She thinks, I need to eat something. She couldn't take it for much longer. Who expects a horse outbreak? Laury was definitely not prepared. There's no food in the kitchen as she expected to be able to leave her house to retrieve some. This situation would be a lot easier if she had a car, but after moving away from her parents, she sadly had to live without.
That's it. Laury thinks. I'm gonna do it.
Without giving herself time to think, she grabs her yellow raincoat and sprints down the stairs, exiting the front door and hesitantly making her way down the street. Specks of water were littered across the concrete and still falling from the sky currently, making her fluffy ears twitch slightly before she decided upon putting her hood up. Her footsteps echo across the street. She hated it being so lonely and quiet. Where did the cars from earlier go?
Something was wrong, and she knew it.
Her head begins turning, thinking of a possible explanation for the lack of life. Even from her window, she saw a car pass by every few minutes or so. No... She thinks, hastily grabbing her phone from her pocket. She looks behind her... too far to turn back now.
Laury grabs her earphones and puts them in each ear, turning on the radio and paying attention.
"... And several being spotted around the High Street area, so we advise everybody to avoid passing through."
She rips her headphones out of her ears. No... no way. Her hesitant walk breaks out into a sprint. She didn't know when she started crying, it must have been sometime during the broadcast, but her vision begins getting blurry from her sobs.
Laury tries to wipe her eyes as she runs, put she abruptly feels a harsh grip on her wrist, pulling her into a dark, empty alleyway. She blinks a few times, trying to see the figure in front of her, but her tears continue to run down her pale face like waterfalls. She's slammed against the wall, a harsh slap erupting to the right of her. Her eyes follow the sound... A long, brown hooved arm.
