days gone by ; h.s

Day 0

I woke up to the sound of birds and the sunlight creeping through my window, warming my pale legs. It was only two days after I had graduated high school, and the weather in San Fransisco had warmed up greatly, but there was still a gentle breeze that had settled itself here for the past week.

I slid out of my bed, my feet hitting the hardwood floor. My red painted toenails stood out against the light colored wood, and also against my white feet. I let out a groan of annoyance, because I realized I should have gone on that trip to Cabo over spring break. Or at least hit up the tanning bed.

I left my room and rounded the corner, finding the house eerily quiet. I shook my head and looked at the clock on the wall. 11:29 A.M. Surely someone should be awake by now? I walked beside my sister's room, peeking in to see her sitting on the floor, playing with a tub full of her dinosaurs and dolls. I gave her a smile, continuing my trek to the bathroom.

Once I got in and did my business, I stood back up and looked at myself in the mirror. I decided I probably should do something today, so I turned on the water and took a quick shower.

I combed through my hair, sliding a towel around my body, I went back to my room and threw on a ripped pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I went back to Cain's room, peeking in. "Are you hungry, bub?" My 4 year old brother just looked at me, shaking his head.

I nodded at him, walking over to the staircase and making my way to the kitchen. I instantly smelled burning and my head shot to the stove, seeing a pile of black in a pan. The stove was still on, so I ran over, turning it off. I grabbed the pan off the stove, lifting it up and looking at it. It looked like the remains of eggs, just completely charred. I figured my father had tried cooking, he wasn't really that good at it.

As I went to sit the pan in the sink, I saw a note stuck to the Keurig.

Hey sweetie, your father is staying at home with you all while I go to the store! Love you!
Mom

I peeled off the note, reading it a few times. As I was pouring myself a glass of orange juice, I noticed the back door was standing wide open, a leash lying in the entrance. I cautiously stepped outside, careful not to fall down the steps.

The air was still, not breezy like it had been the last few days. A certain scent that I was not familiar with lingered through the air. It smelled like.. death.

My eyes scanned around the yard, the grass patchy from the absence of rain and the swing set looking dirtier than ever. Picking up the leash from the ground, I shook my head and walked back into the house, shutting the door behind me. I kept it unlocked because I assumed my dad had left it open when he went to the garage or something. I guess that's where I get my clumsiness.

Of course, I loved my parents dearly. Since I've always been a "good child", they constantly leave me to take care of Cain. I was only 17 but I already felt like I had spent years being a mother.

Returning to the fridge, I pulled out a few eggs and grabbed a new pan from cabinet above the stove. I rubbed butter in the bottom of the pan to melt as I waited for the eggs to cook. I made just enough for the both of us, along with some toast for myself. Grabbing the glass plate and Cain's favorite plate with Monsters Inc. on it, I made my way back upstairs to give Cain his food. I sat down on the floor beside him, helping him eat as I was helping myself.

Shit. I knew I should have asked my mom to pick up some tampons while she was out but I had totally forgotten to leave it on the fridge. I ran to my room, almost stumbling over my own feet as I grabbed my phone. I pulled up my recent calls and re-dialed her number from the list, putting it up to my ear.

"The number you are trying to reach is no longer available. Please hang up and try again."

I curiously pulled the phone away from my ear and made sure I had the right number. I tried calling once more, receiving the same message. I huffed and tried calling my dad's phone, then my aunt, then my best friend Val, receiving the same message. I threw my phone back on my bed, we normally had problems with our cellular carrier.

I walked back into Cain's room to see him standing at the window, pointing at something. I picked both of our plates up and walked over to stand beside him. "What is it, bub?"

"Daddy!" He giggled out, pointing towards our father standing by the swing set, leaning over something on the ground. Finally.

I went back downstairs, sitting the plates in the sink before pulling open the back door. "Dad! Can you call mom for me?" I couldn't tell what he was doing but he was leaning over something in the grass.

Assuming he didn't hear me, I walked outside and got closer to him without getting off the concrete. "Dad, I can't ca—." A grunt escaped his lips as he stopped what he was doing. He slowly turned around to face me, his eyes sunken in, his face yellow and pussy, his teeth black and red from blood.

Amber, our dog, was lying in front of him, her insides spilled out as my dad was gnawing on her.

He was... eating her.

Two weeks passed. Two weeks of being holed up in this house. The electricity went out about a week ago, the only thing keeping us connected to the outside world was the small trucker radio my dad liked to keep in the garage.

In those two weeks, nobody had been seen outside of Cain and I, and my father still wandering around in the backyard.

We were running out of food and I knew we wouldn't survive very long here. I listened every day for voices. Voices that were no longer there. The announcer came on the radio every day at 2 PM, his voice becoming weaker each day. After a week, nobody was heard anymore but I still listened.

I needed a glimmer of hope that somebody was going to be out there willing to help us.

~~~~~

Hi everyone! The cast list and story cover is a mess, but I just wanted to get this posted to see if anyone would be interested in me continuing.