𝗔𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝟮𝟰𝗧𝗛, 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯 ... 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙.

oliver leaned against the glass of the window, watching as the cityscape melted away, transforming from taller buildings that towered high into low houses and quiet streets. he recognised some of the houses as they drove past, his mind filling in the missing details as he tried to occupy his mind from the distressing events that had happened just a few hours ago, back in the city. a small, neat house with a red door came into view — mr and mrs. eldridge's house; a couple who often waved at his father and him when they drove to school. then the house with the blue shutters, where a school friend of his, called maxwell, lived. their car still sat on the drive and their curtains were drawn closed. then, there was a small pop—up ice cream van which sat on a patch of grass, a place he and his father frequented for, and then the park — its swing set swaying in the wind.

it felt like they were moving through a ghost town.

the conversation in the car drifted over him — muffled and distant. his fathers voice filled the car, along with the siblings', though oliver didn't try to make sense of the words. simon and izzy mentioned something about their plans, about what they thought was happening in the city. there was talk of the new seekers they'd heard, with words like "infection" and "evacuation" floating in and out.

oliver tuned it all out, letting all their voices fade into a low hum as he focused on the chancing scenery. every so often, hector would turn to him to give him a smile, and a firm squeeze on his shoulder, or a pat on his knee. each time, oliver would smile back, but it was small.

the car rumbled on, and oliver's eyes grey heavy, lulled by the soothing repetition of the road, the gentle buzz of the engine and the comfort from his father. oliver let himself drift, closing his eyes against the darkening light. he hoped he'd wake up, and it would all be some bad dream.

oliver blinked, slowly waking as he felt the car shudder to a stop. he rubbed his eyes, trying to shake the sleepy haze that clouded his eyes. his gaze landed on a house just across the street — his house. relief washed over the boy.

hector turned toward him, giving him a gentle smile before reaching over to unbuckle his belt. hector then climbed out of the car and walked around to oliver's door, opening it and helping his tired son out. the buzz of a window caused hector and face the driver's door as the glass rolled down to reveal simon's smiling face.

simon stretched out his hand. ❝ take care. keep your dad outta trouble, yeah kid? ❞ he said, firmly gripping hector's hand as he shook it. ❝ good luck out there, i hope things settle down soon, ❞

hector nodded. ❝ thank you — for everything. you guys didn't have to help us, but you did. i won't forget it, ❞

izzy, leaning over from the passengers seat, gave them a small wave. ❝ good luck you two. stay safe, ❞

hector stepped back and he nodded at the siblings. he pulled oliver away from the vehicle as it pulled away. simon and izzy waved until the car turned the corner at the end of the street, a faint sputtering of the engine fading as they travelled further.

hector took a deep breath. he looked down at oliver and ruffled his hair before squeezing his shoulder with a firm, comforting grasp. ❝ let's get inside, ❞ he said softly.

hector guided oliver across the road, looking left and right before stepping into the road. they crossed past the gate, and up the cobblestone path. hector glanced at the grass that brushed at his legs. the lawn was a little overgrown — he'd meant to cut it yesterday, but a pile of papers he had to grade had eaten up his whole day. he'd barely had a chance to sit down with lisa and oliver throughout the whole day too.

hector shifted his grip from oliver's hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out his keys. he fumbled with them, his fingers clumsy from exhaustion. finally, he found the right one and slipped it into the lock, giving it a twist until he heard the soft click of it unlocking. he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

the house was darker than he expected. thick shadows blanketed the walls, and there was a deep stillness that unsettled him. usually, even if lisa had a rough night, she'd have the living room lamps on, or soft music on to fill the quiet. but all he could hear was the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. the curtains were drawn tightly shut, and the blinds blocked out the light of the fading afternoon.

hector frowned, worry creeping over him. ❝ lisa? ❞ he called out. there was no reply.

he glanced at oliver, who was staring back at him with wide eyes. ❝ why don't you wait here a second. i'll go check on mom, alright? ❞

oliver nodded. hector ruffled his hair and then headed toward the stairs, slowly. the stairs creaked with each step he took. his mind flickered back to the day before. lisa hadn't been feeling well — first, just a scratchy throat and a mild cough. by last night, it had turned into a slight fever. she'd brushed it off as a bad cold, joking that it was a teacher's curse to catch whatever germs the kids brought in.

he reached their bedroom door, hesitating before he knocked lightly. ❝ lisa? ❞ he called, gently. ❝ honey, i got oliver from school. they kicked us all out early, ❞

silence stretched on, broken only by the sound of his own breathing. tentatively, he pushed the door open, the dim light from the hallway casting a faint glow into the room. the bed was unmade, the blankets tangled and tossed aside, as though she'd been restless in her sleep. the air was thick, carrying a faint, odd stale scent that made him wrinkle his nose.

his gaze swept over the room, finally settling on lisa's figure by the window. she was standing with her back to him, her frame rigid, as though she were straining to look at something through the closed blinds.

❝ darling? ❞ he said again. he stepped forward. lisa didn't turn to face him.

he took another cautious step, his eyes never leaving her. ❝ honey, are you alright? ❞

slowly, she turned, her movements stiff and unnatural, her head tilting just slightly as she faced him. in the light, he could barely make out her face, but he saw her eyes — dull, unfocused, and somehow vacant, like she was looking past him, through him.

❝ lisa... ❞ hector whispered, his voice catching in his throat.

he took a shaky step back, his instincts screaming at him to get away.

but she moved too, mirroring his step, her gaze locking onto him in a way that sent a jolt of terror through his body. he's seen that look before — on the streets, in the eyes of the people stumbling and swaying, like the one that attacked someone in the city.

❝ no, ❞ he breathed out. he didn't want to accept what he was seeing. this was his wife, the woman he loved, the mother of his son. but her face... her face was pale, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on her place, her lips parted as though she was about to speak, but no words came out — just a groan that slipped from her throat.

his heart broke in an instant, and hector took another step back. ❝ lisa, please... it's me. it's hector, ❞

but she only moved closer, her arms reaching out, her fingers curling and bending toward him. there was no recognition in her eyes, no spark of the woman he knew, cherished and loved.

hector stumbled back out of the room, legs wobbling as he tumbled back into the hallway. he stood at the top of the stairs, his hand wafting in the air to grab at the wall, to balance himself. he felt weakened.

oliver stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at hector as he continued to hazily hobble back. ❝ dad? is everything okay? ❞ he whispered.

hector forced himself to move and turn away from the woman who had been his wife for years now. he held the banister tightly. ❝ oliver, we... we need to go. grab your bag quickly. shove things in it then run over to the neighbours please, ❞ he said, voice strained in an attempt to hold back the crippling fear.

❝ what about mom? ❞ the boy whined, his face pale.

hector swallowed. ❝ grab your damn bag! fill it with whatever food you can carry. and then get over to the neighbours. don't come back in here, no matter what happens, ❞ hector barely registered his own voice as he barked out the orders to oliver. he only saw the flash of oliver's nod before his son turned and dashed toward the kitchen.

the house felt like it was closing in around hector. he couldn't tear his eyes away from lisa.

hector's back hit a wall, and he stumbled over, his hands bracing against the floor as he tried to scramble backward. the weight of his wife's body came crashing down, her cold hands clawing against his chest, pressing him into the hardwood. the air shot from his lungs, and he spluttered, gasping as he felt the strange, unnatural strength in her grip. his mind reeled, unable to reconcile this ravenous creature with the woman he'd loved.

he thrashed beneath her, his legs kicking and his arms straining as he pressed his hands against her chest and shoulders. his fingers dug into her thin blouse, feeling the dampness of her skin, but he couldn't stop her. his heartbeat thundered. he managed to twist his body and let out a desperate yell while doing so, planting his feet against the floor for leverage, and he shoved hard against her chest.

lisa's body pitched backward, her arms flailing as she tumbled down the stairs. hector could only watch, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as she hit each step with sickening force, her limbs twisting at angles that were all wrong, her body landing at the bottom with a damp, broken thud.

he swallowed, bile rising in his throat as he looked down the stairs. lisa lay sprawled on the floor, one arm bent grotesquely beneath her, her head twisted. and yet, as he watched, her hand jerked up, clawing at the air, her eyes fixed somewhere beyond him. a sickly moan escaped her.

hector staggered to his feet and bolted toward their bedroom, grabbing clothes from the wardrobe and shoving them into an old hiking bag. his hands shook as he stuffed in whatever he could find — shirts, pants, anything he thought they might need. he slung the bag over his shoulder, his mind racing. they couldn't stay here. they couldn't linger.

he tore down the stairs two at a time, his gaze fixed straight ahead as he leaped over lisa's broken form on the floor. her fingers twitched, stretching out as he passed, and he forced himself not to look down, focusing instead on the front door.

once on the lawn, he turned. through the gaped open doorway, he could still see lisa's hand rising weakly, clawing at nothing, her fingers curling as she struggled in vain to move her shattered limbs. her mouth opened and closed, releasing faint, gurgled sounds.

hector turned and bolted across the lawn, where oliver stood, wide—eyed, clutching his backpack.

❝ dad? ❞ oliver's voice quivered as he spoke. hector knelt in front of him, grasping his shoulders.

❝ were leaving, kiddo, ❞ hector whispered, fighting to keep his voice steady. ❝ we're going to find somewhere safe to go. we'll see if the eldridge's will have us for a few hours... while we gain our breaking, ❞ hector said, staring up at the sky. it had darkened greatly since their arrival, and as much as hector wanted to leave, to keep oliver safe, he knew that doing so in the dark would be dangerous.

oliver stayed quiet and took his fathers hand, stepping off the lawn after him, leaving behind the house, and the memories — now shattered remains of the life that seemed so far away.