>>>>[[[[NOTE:
DAY 1]]]]<<<<

I opened the door of
the utility room and crouched inside, pulling my fox tail in after
me. I grinned as I closed the door to the cramped space. My little
sister was scared of this tiny room, but it was a perfect hiding
place for me.

At 18, maybe I was
getting a little old for hide-n-seek. But as my little sister Kaylee
loved the game, I took it as my solemn, brotherly duty to pamper her.
The age gap between my cute foxy sister was 8 years, and in theory I
should be a teen who despised silly kids. I didn't care. I loved her
and got to watch her grow up. If I didn't seem cool to my classmates,
that was their problem.

I hid a snicker
behind a paw as I heard a distant, “Ready or not, here I come!” I
could hear her poking around the house. After a few minutes, my legs
and tail were cramping. I was getting a wedgie, but there was no room
to shift. I could wait – she would find me soon. Her face would
light up with victory, paired with a hug.

There was no light
here. Mom had made sure long ago by sealing the door edges with
rubber that dug into the carpet. My sister had been pleased there was
a barrier between the scary room and the house. Kaylee had never
complained about it again. This was the darkest room in the house; I
couldn't see my paw in front of my face. I was crammed against the
laundry machines and the water heater, under a shelf. I knew the
upright vacuum was parked across the little space from me, it was
always there.

I held my breath as
I heard my little sister wander near. She will find me, I thought,
gotta brace for a hug!

A door slammed. A
crash from somewhere in the house. I heard my mom's voice, “Kaylee?!
Tyler?! Where are you?”

Her voice was
desperate. Something was wrong. I heard my sister run off and with a
groan tried to drag myself out from under the shelf. Mom never
sounded desperate. She was the most resilient fur I knew. Something
was really wrong.

“Tyler! Get here
immediately!”

Paired screams
etched my darkness. One high, one not so high.

I was halfway to my
feet when something... hit.

That was the only
way to describe it. There was no shaking of the ground, no roar of an
explosion like in the movies. Something was happening. My skin
crawled as the air seemed to vibrate. There was a strange hum in the
air.

I heard strange
sounds. Bumping and clattering.

It was completely
dark, and my shoulder now leaned against a vibrating door. I had
staggered in my half-crouch to lean on it.

My head was humming
too. Not just carried vibration from the door. Couldn't think. Just
searing vibrations that I could feel everywhere. It seemed to
interrupt every budding thought, going on and on. I was mindless,
frozen against the door.

The world trembled
ever so slightly and ever so terribly. Time was meaningless, thought
was.... Well there was no thought. Only sensation. Unending.

And it stopped.

It ended, and the
stillness was just as terrible.

I fell to the floor,
the vacuum tipping and landing on me. But the moment was gone. The
stillness was normal... but I didn't move. The world didn't vibrate.
There was solid floor beneath my cheek. The vacuum hose shifted down,
making me flinch. Otherwise, I was still immobile, not wanting to
move.

I slowly came back
to myself. I felt numb and detached. I groaned and pushed myself to
sit up, pushing the vacuum away. Sick and dizzy, oh yeah, and numb
too. I rubbed my paws on my face, but they felt distant. My fur was
standing on end all over my body, making me prickle with sensation
every time I moved.

I was Tyler. I
nodded to myself, agreeing. I lived here with my....

My blue eyes snapped
open in the dark. Dizzily, I groped my way up the washer and
struggled to find the door handle. Desperation slowed me more than
the shakes my paws made.

“Kaylee!” I
yelled. “Mom! What was that? Are you all right?”

There was no answer.
Maybe they were worse off than I was. I finally found the little
handle and wrenched the door open. I had to get to them.

I stumbled out into
the hallway and closed the door out of habit. Hide the scary away.
Maybe Kaylee was right, that room was dangerous. I felt I'd barely
survived in there. I leaned against the wall, trying to hold upright.
I looked down the hall. Empty.

“Mom?”

No response.

I walked slowly down
the cramped back hall where the utility room sat next to the garage.
Slowly, because my legs felt stiff and hard to move. My paw trailed
the wall for balance. Sunlight was brightening the next room.

“Kaylee?”

No response.

“Answer me! Where
are you? Are you alright?”

Smoothing my red fox
fur, I managed to stand straight. Kaylee would be scared to see me
this puffed up. I don't think I'd ever been so fluffed in my life. I
was getting more terrified with every new step. The kitchen came into
view... nothing. It was empty of my family.

The digital clock on
the stove was off. Happened every time the power went out. I tiptoed
through the kitchen. Was anything still wrong? Why was I creeping
through my own house?

My nostrils burned
with a strange smell. Whatever it was was making a stink. I was
halfway across the kitchen when I turned back and snatched a knife
from the drawer.

“Is anyone there?”
There was no answer. “What was that anyway?” I said, more to
myself. I breathed deeply, steadying myself. Then I remembered that
Mom and Kaylee had been screaming before. The memory echoed in my
mind.

Hurrying forward, I
gained entrance to the dining room, but seeing nothing there, I
continued. My steps quickened to the family room, where a comfy couch
and modestly sized TV were the main features.

I entered, the knife
shaking out of my paw and falling to the floor.

I'd found them.

They were lying
together, limbs thrown about in awkward angles. A large figure and a
small one. My eyes blurred with tears and I sank to the floor next to
them. My voice whined and raised higher in wordless expression. I
reached forward and touched Kaylee's shoulder.

“Kaylee, it's ok
now. It's over. Get up, please get up,” I begged. “Mom, help me
get Kaylee up,” I whimpered, reaching and grasping her paw.

I didn't want to
look at their faces. The blurred glance I'd seen had been more than
I'd ever wanted to see. I glanced up at my mom, wanting to see
reassurance. All I saw was the confirmation of my first impression.
Her lips pulled back forming a snarling look on her red and white
muzzle. Her eyes wide and panicked, filled with fresh tears and
strange fluids. Froth and blood mixed with vomit seeped from her
muzzle. Blood and fluid came from her ears.

Kaylee was.... I
couldn't bear to look. From the corner of my eyes I could tell she
must be the same. I couldn't see her like that. I didn't want to
acknowledge it. I'd never seen Kaylee even show her teeth to anyone.
I couldn't see her like that. It was just not like her.

The terrible smell
came from them. But I didn't care. I gathered up my cute sister in my
arms and rocked her gently. Holding her head to my shoulder. “It's
ok now, Kaylee. You don't have to cry. You found me. I'll play
hide-n-seek again.” Without looking, I pushed fingers against her
lips, easing the grimace away.

Something wet
dropped to my shoulder and neck, and the terrible horror of it all
crashed back down. I knew that wetness had come from Kaylee. My
sister sank limply out of my arms. Then I struggled to my feet.

“HELP!” I
screamed, then ran to the phone nearby. I punched 911 into the
receiver and clutched it close, just repeating “help” mindlessly.
It took me a long moment to realize the phone was silent. Not even a
dial tone. Not even the empty air sound.

I rushed out of the
house. My friend Eric lived two houses over, he would have a phone or
know what to do. I rushed over, my desperation pushing me faster. I
needed help.

His door was
unlocked, it always was and I rushed up the stairs to his room.
Empty, damn it. Where was he? I stumbled down the stairs and skidded
on my paws into the dining area. He was there.

But he was lying on
the floor next to an over-turned chair. His raccoon face clenched
with snarling silence too. Scattered remains of a late breakfast lay
on the table and beside him, still steaming. He'd always gotten up
late in the summer. Ordinarily, I would have joined him later to play
console games all afternoon.

“Help,” came my
faint whisper. Again, “Help?” Where was help? Where were the
ambulances? I walked slowly back outside, skirting past his prone
mom. A different numb feeling came over me.

In my mad rush
before, I had missed it. A car had crashed and was burning steadily.
Some fur had collapsed in the sidewalk. Before, I must have jumped
the body without realizing it.

I clenched my eyes
closed. This was a dream, right? I would wake soon and get ready to
take my sister to the park.

Eyes open, the scene
remained the same. The grief hit. They were dead. All of them. Maybe
everywhere. I was alone. There was no one. It was dead silent, even
the birds were quiet. The Matterson's feral dog Diggy was lying still
on the ground across the street. No sound of cars. No sirens.

Just silence. Just
stillness.

No, a butterfly left
a flower for a new one.

It was a beautiful
butterfly. It hurt, so lovely.

Why? Why was it like
this? Wasn't there anyone left?

“Hello?” I
called. Then I screamed a long, “Helloooooooo-” that ended in a
pained yip. I wiped my leaking eyes with the bottom of my shirt.

I sucked in a
shuddering breath, then fled. To my house, my stairs, my room; the
only safe place in this madness. I collapsed on the bed, fully
clothed, sobbing and shuddering. My black paws curled together in
front of me, knees drawing to my chest, everything curling inwards.
Only my red fur was visible, showing nothing of my vulnerable,
white-streaked belly peeping beneath my shirt. Hide it away, make the
world leave.

I don't know how
long I was like that. I just cried and whimpered and shuddered with
sobs until I slipped into exhausted sleep.

***

Barely conscious...
my eyes snapped open. I glanced at my clock. It was digital though
and was simply dark. Not just a power-out. It was real, attested to
by my stinging eyes and crusty cheeks. I eased off my bed, onto my
feet. Was it terrible of me to say I felt better than I did before?
Several hours had passed, the sun shone from a lower angle. I was
only too steady on my feet as I left my room.

Downstairs, I found
them still lying there. But there was no need to look closely. I knew
they were gone. I knelt and briefly touched the paws, but they were
long since cold. A lamp and a few toys had fallen around them, so I
picked them up. Things seemed distant, even more in the silence.

So thirsty. I
wandered away into the kitchen. I poured a glass of water and drank
it down, then paused and downed another one. After rooting around in
the fridge, I pulled out some sandwich meat and made a sandwich. I
forced myself eat to it at the table, even though the thought of food
turned my stomach. My mom would've thrown a fit if I wasn't eating
right - always wanted me to grow big and strong. My head sank to the
table and I sighed. Couldn't leave them there. I couldn't.

They were gone. Dad
was, who knows where, on a business trip. Where was it this time? I'd
lost track. They were dead. Only I was left.

I needed to bury
them.

Bury my family?
Impossible. I couldn't. They were... are my family. But I was the
only one who could. I was the only one there. I needed to take over.
I couldn't wait for Dad to show up. He'd always told me to take
responsibility of the family protection. He hadn't been very kind to
any of us, so I think telling me that had been to clear his own
conscience for his constant absences. Now, had I failed? It didn't
even matter now. They were lying uncared for. I knew that the dead
began to smell and rot. How long did that take?

I stonily gathered
sheets from the upstairs closet and threw them over the bodies.
Grabbing a shovel from the garage, I headed out to the far corner of
the back yard. I started digging.

Wait. These weren't
pets I was burying. But there was nowhere else. I couldn't take them
to a graveyard. I didn't even know where one was nearby. Grandma was
in one, but I didn't know which one or how to get there.

Home. If I buried
them here, they would always be home. They belonged here, together. I
would know where they were, and they would never be among strangers.

Insect sounds were
back. A few birds called hesitantly. The hole was growing steadily. I
made it fairly deep, but it was exhausting work. I went back in for
more water. I got water out, but the pipes sounded weird - all
stuttery.

While I dug, I kept
seeing their faces. The horrible snarl in death on the faces of
everyone I'd seen. Every once in a while, I'd yell and scream for
help and when my grief overwhelmed me.

And then there was
just the digging. More digging... and more until my shoulders and
back hummed with activity. Shove...scoop... toss. The rhythm
distracted me. There was nothing but me, the dirt, and that worm I
just saw.

The sun was very
low, and my progress had been scattered with little breaks. I didn't
know if it was deep enough, but it would have to do. It was only
about waist-height, but it was better than leaving them out like the
others.

The others. Eric.
The Mattersons - even their dogs. I felt I should bury them too. All
of them? And who else? How about the neighborhood? The numbers were
overwhelming. What else was there to do? It didn't look as if
University would start in the Fall.

The summer evening
taunted me as I went back inside and fully wrapped my Mom. It was
distressing work, shifting her weight, cringing when fluids seeped
through the sheet. I added my own, unhappy fluids too. She was hard
to drag out to the back. I'm not a bulky fox, even by general fox
standards. I never felt weaker than that moment, just trying to drag
her out. I did it, though and went back for Kaylee.

I lifted the sheet
and stroked her fur. She had been so proud when her baby fur had been
replaced by her fine, red coat. The color was lighter than mine, and
I always thought she glowed. Especially when the sun was very low,
like now.

I scratched her ears
one last time and gathered her up in my arms. She was still little
enough that I could do this. I carried her out back, and her headfur
tickled my nose. It smelled like Kaylee. I tried to ignore the stale,
lingering scent of her fear and the stiffening of her little body. It
was Kaylee; I always wanted to remember how she smelled. I laid her
in the grave, next to Mom's wrapped form and smelled my mom too.

With a last silent
goodbye, I covered the grave and went inside.

It was getting dark,
and the power was still out, the phones still dead. When I tried the
faucet, the water was out. Guess those water pumps are powered too. I
grabbed another sandwich from the warming fridge and made myself eat
it as is got dark.

I pulled out the
camp-lantern from the garage, but any battery I found was dead. My
sister and her paw-held games. I didn't want to hunt in my car for a
flashlight. I was too tired, so I stumbled through the darkness to my
bed.

***

>>>>[[[[NOTE:
DAY 2]]]]<<<<

Another beautiful
morning. Another stretch, and a realization that all was not well in
the world. I had dry cereal and moped around on the couch for a
while. From the garage, I found a few two-by-fours and took my
frustration and grief out on them with a short knife. All
productively, of course, and I went out back to shove them into the
fresh dirt.

“Margaret Evans &
Kaylee Evans

Loved Forever”

It was rough
lettering, all jagged on the edges, but clearly readable.

I was satisfied. Now
there was emptiness. I had no purpose now. What was there to do? I
sat at the table, thinking. Sagged at the table, actually.

I might just as well
die now. At least I'd perish with my family. But the more I wandered
that way in my mind, the more I seemed to sink into nothing. Can't do
that. Need to find purpose; survival was a good place to start. I
could just imagine Mom scolding me for not taking care of myself.

I would need more
water. We had a few sports drinks, and bottled waters; I would need
water soon now that the pipes were dry. I could always get some from
Eric's house. His mom wouldn't mind, right?

I shoved away from
the table and went two houses down. The fur in the sidewalk was
gathering flies today, so I skirted him. Eric was still on the floor
gathering only a few flies so far. I felt bad leaving him there, so I
grabbed a throw blanket from his couch and covered him up. I could
bury him later when I got things settled.

I had my arms full
of bottled water – Eric's mom, the health nut – and was leaving
the house when my ears twitched. Something... I almost couldn't hear?
I looked around. Nothing. I looked up.

Damn.

The sun was high,
must have been midday. But the light... rippled? That wasn't quite
right. I looked down around me. In the distance I could see something
falling. Well, it looked like it was falling.

Something was
cascading down to the ground, translucent and glowing. A continuous
vertical ripple that dropped, adding another ripple. Like a curtain
of light being dropped and showing pleats or whatever Mom always
called them. And then another curtain dropped across in front of it,
building layers.

I didn't know what
it was. Two guesses.

It was back. Again.

Gasping, I forgot
about the clustered water bottles I juggled and streaked for the
house. No water came with me as I traded water for air and grabbed at
it, trying to go faster.

There was only one
safe place I knew, the “scary place” that I'd never wanted to
return to. I didn't know if I'd make it, the strange light was
approaching so fast. I dived for that door with the little handles
and threw myself in, closing the door firmly and gripping the handle
hard shut. Again, it was pitch black in here.

And it hit again.

And it was a
terrible, wrenching sensation. Vibrations everywhere, so very small.
Like a scream in my mind raking claws across any thought, I again
became nothing. And it seemed to last forever.

And then it wasn't.
It simply stopped, again. And the backlash as my mind couldn't handle
the silence, just as jarring.

I was on the floor,
crammed between the washer and the door. At least the vacuum hadn't
fallen on me this time.

I lay there for a
while, gathering myself. Then I started crying, just a silent,
helpless crying. It was too much. I couldn't do this. It was too much
for any fur. I needed help for me this time. I couldn't take this
alone. I couldn't be here with the gazing, dead eyes, with the snarls
and sneers on the dead muzzles. I knew them, knew their names and
their pets' names. I grew up with them around me.

I was beginning to
panic. I needed to flee. I left the utility room, went to the door
and stopped.

The glass was...
wrong. It looked strange, like it was frosted and the frost was
receding and pulling into itself and disappearing. It was hot
outside, so regular frost was impossible. It actually looked
different, not like frost at all.... It had depth – within – the
glass.

I left through the
door, keeping my eyes on the glass. I carefully exited, looking for
the light curtain, but there was no sign. As if it had never existed.
A sunny, summer day. I saw a bottled water in the grass, and grabbed
it, but it was “frosted” inside also.

What the hell?

I held the bottle
unsteadily and watched the “frost” ripple inwards. That was too
weird. It floated in the center of the water and the receding, frosty
branches drew inwards, fluidly moving with the water.

There were a few
dead birds this time as well, lying underneath trees. Once again, the
world was dead silent, eased as the bugs and remaining birds started
making their usual fuss.

I dropped the bottle
and went back inside, grabbed the keys to my “test vehicle” and
slipped into the garage. My dumpy little car that I was still
learning to drive waited and I jumped in. I closed my eyes and just
hoped it would start with the key.

It started. Yes, it
was alive! My Frankenstein car. My rust-bucket patchwork covered
little monster. Great on gas, always starts, never have to wash it.
Mom said I could use it for my, well my early learning period. When I
was a reliable and safe driver, Dad would get me a nicer car, like a-

And that was the end
of that thought as I pulled a CD player and mini FM transmitter from
the metal glove box and turned loud, obnoxious music up too loud.
Thought were gone as I pulled away from the house.

***

It was great, as
long as I didn't look at the bodies everywhere. The wind in my face,
no traffic, no lights. Stop signs were meaningless decorations now. I
just drove in one direction, just heading away.

And I got lost.

Hey! I was new to
driving. I'd gotten practice with my student license. I'd been
planning to get my real deal next week. I thought I'd headed in one
direction, but in a big city, sometimes streets shifted or merged. I
was distracted by all the cars I had to drive around. Even on the
sidewalk! The bodies were starting to smell, and after a while my
nose adjusted. I still didn't want to get close enough to check
stench level. My little Frankenstein car did great, just taking every
bump and new direction with tried-n-true joints.

I tried to
backtrack, but just got turned around. I was even closer to downtown
Furnonn than before, when I pulled over at a gas station. Guys don't
ask for directions, right? Well I didn't have a way to call for help
and couldn't be anywhere “unsafe” now. Just in case that- that
thing happened again. No. When it happened again, I needed to have a
bolt-hole. Like a rabbit, I smiled. No longer a fox, I was the
rabbit.

I poked around in
the gas station and grabbed drinks, all non-perishable. I raided the
shelves for snacks and gave the station manager behind the counter a
quick sorry. The rabbit said nothing, only grinned evilly in death.
No maps there, well, not that I found. There might be one behind the
counter, but I didn't feel that brave. Outside, it was even quieter
than my home in the suburbs. Hardly any insects. Rarely a bird, and
none of them sang. Without all the furs going about their business,
it was just a paved-over waste.

Back in the car. At
least I had some supplies now. I wouldn't starve, though I might die
of malnourishment if I lived off these things. My mom would've had a
fit if I lived off these. Same thing at the next gas station, though
they had a lot of jerky. I couldn't even look at the attendant
though. She had damaged her face in the thrashing that seemed to
occur with... that thing. I couldn't look and left quickly.

I was in a section
not far from downtown where older office buildings and a few
industrial buildings sat. How was I going closer to the city, not
further away?

The third gas
station rendered a map of the city and surrounding area. Even a few
road atlases. I'd left my car playing music, needing something to
escape the too-silent downtown. I opened a map on the hood and
munched on junk food, trying to figure out where I was. The CD
stopped and the silence crashed in again. I dove into the car for the
player attached to the mini FM transmitter. I just started it over
again and lowered the volume to just background noise. I needed to be
able think to figure this out. It started on one of Eric's favorite
songs, “Your howl echoes in my heart.” Ever heard a raccoon try
to howl?

I got out of the car
and turned. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. I turned away
out of habit. Just some stranger-

Wait. Some fur was
walking towards me!