One Day at a Time - (Season One)

Chapter Eleven: Camouflage Uniforms

Morning came almost too quickly.

The Clark household was rife with life as the residents moved around in preparation for the rest of the day. Marty had woken up to the dulcet sounds of the German Shepherd's whining to go out, she'd only let out a low groan before accompanying the dog into the backyard and watching him do his business.

One eye on him and the other on the newly dug grave in the yard. Naturally, that was when the walking corpse -if what Nick said was true- stuck on the other side of the fence decided to make an appearance. It snarled as it stuck its hand through a broken part of the fence, uselessly reaching for them. The dog growled menacingly and barked at the dead-looking woman but didn't get any closer; thankfully, he stopped when she shushed him and firmly told him to get back inside.

The dog looked properly chastised as he passively padded up to her, the sun reflecting off his dirtied fur. That was the moment she remembered that the dog had been through a... difficult ordeal the night before. Marty decided to at least rinse off the blood that was now matting his fur.

Alicia was kind enough to show her where the hose was in the garage. Of course, that was when Lukas woke up and decided that he wanted to help bathe the doggy too. Marty only sighed but let her little brother join her as she gently rubbed out the hardened blood, or paint as she'd told him when he got concerned. Besides, his adorable giggles as the dog shook his wet fur, sprinkling his face with water were positively heartwarming... she caught more than a few soft, indulgent grins shot in their direction by the time they were done and had rejoined the chaos inside.

"What's the doggy's name, Marty?" Lukas asked her as they walked into the kitchen, where everyone was grabbing a quick breakfast before they'd set out.

"Pingu." Mrs. Clark piped up as she handed Lukas a grilled cheese sandwich, "The dog's name is Pingu. I'm not sure where they came up with that name, but..." the blonde shrugged in a 'what can I say manner.'

"Like the penguin!" Lukas chirped excitedly, beaming up at the woman, "I like it!"

"A penguin?" Chris questioned in disbelief, a bemused expression on his face.

Lukas nodded resolutely before looking at her, "Yeah! Pingu! Right, Marty?"

"That's right." Marty agreed, "Just like in the show." at the confused looks, she explained, "It's a British TV show about a family of penguins," She sat down and smiled gratefully when Mrs. Clark offered her a sandwich as well, "The main character's name is Pingu."

"Yeah!" Lukas enthused, positively tickled pink at the discovery that the dog's name was shared with one of his favorite cartoons, "And his baby sister's name is Pinga! They're really cute! But not as cute as you, Pingu!" the six-year-old promised the German Shepherd, licking his fingers as delighted giggles peeled out of his mouth. "Marty, can Pingu come camping with us? Please!"

Marty sighed, rubbing her forehead... it's not like she was going to abandon the dog after his family was probably- maybe murdered the night before, and the possibly-dead were up and walking. She wasn't a monster. "Alright, but he's gonna sit next to you in the car."

"Yay!" Lukas cheered gleefully as he took a 'monster bite' of grilled-cheese, "Can I go play with Pingu?" he asked with his mouth full as conversation started up again around the table.

"After you finish eating." Marty said pointedly, "And not outside."

Lukas bobbed his head, scarfing down the rest of his breakfast before sliding out of his chair to play the equally excited dog. At least he would have some sort of company while they hid out in the desert. She was not looking forward to Lukas's realization that he wouldn't be seeing Rudy for a long time. Marty was also starting to really feel like their lives would never go back to normal, especially after what happened last night.