Extinction Event¹ ━ FTWD

CHAPTER 7: A World Gone Dark

EXTINCTION EVENT

chapter seven; a world gone dark

[ season 1, episode 3; the dog ]

NIGHT 03

The house was dark when they arrived.

It wasn't particularly imposing — about one story, painted a sandy beige, with white windows dotted around, sparingly enough to be safe, but artfully placed to let in as much natural light as possible.

Cast iron numbers—2043—were nailed beside the door, with each number descending slightly. She supposed it was meant to be charming — a nice, cozy little home away from home in the heart of Los Angeles. An escape.

Tonight, Heather could only look at the modest ranch house with worry.

Headlights bounced off darkened glass panes, but gave no indication as to what could be lurking inside. Katie turned the keys in the ignition to turn off the car, the comforting hum of the engine cutting out and leaving them in anxious silence as they stared down the house.

Heather rubbed at her fingertips, watching as the blood flaked off on her pant legs like paint chips. Now, distanced from the initial event, they felt as inconsequential as paint chips, completely unlike what they actually were. It was almost impossible to reconcile the events of the day as one cohesive narrative — this wasn't her blood, but it didn't feel like someone else's, either. Was she really the same girl who got on a plane yesterday night? And those people...were they ever even human? It felt strange. She felt strange.

Anxious for a distraction, her fingers turned to card through Holly's fur, only to wince as she watched the lab lick at the chunks of blood and skin still matted on her lips and whiskers, as if it were the crumbs of a particularly good dog treat and not the desiccated remains of someone who was once a living being.

It brought to mind something one of the true crime shows Meghan used to watch with her reported about pets eating their owners dead bodies; When the owner died, the cat or dog would often attempt to wake them by licking their faces, and when they found no response, they'd escalate by nipping or biting. However, the taste of blood and flesh would win out over their domestic instincts, and they'd begin to eat them.

Holly had no issue with what happened that night. Heather only wished she could adapt half as fast.

"We have the keys, right?" Meghan's voice cut through the silence where Heather's thoughts ran rampant. Quiet, but at the same time, far too loud.

Their mother nodded. "In my bag," she responded.

Meghan nodded back, as if satisfied with the information. The family sat in silence once more, neither willing to make the first step towards the imposing place. In the end, it was Meghan who spoke again.