Yesterday's Gone: Season One Part 55

Mary said, "Maybe, but I think we'll be able to manage. We have a ton of stuff in cans, and as long as the population is as small as we think it might be, grocery stores will have plenty. We'll just need to stock up when we can."

"Are you worried?"

Mary smiled at Paola. "Yes, of course, but I also think were going to get through this." She shook her head. "No, I know we're going to get through this." She stopped spreading peanut b.u.t.ter and set the knife on the bar, then reached across the counter top and kissed Paola on her forehead. "I promise, everything will be fine and I'll always make everything taste as yummy as I can."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Mom! You could make anything taste good, even if we have to start eating squirrel!"

"I don't think we'll be eating squirrel any time soon, at least I hope not!" Mary looked at Luca's plate. "You're not eating anything, sweetheart," she said. "Just tell me what you want. I'll make you anything I can."

She leaned across the bar but Luca only shook his head and said nothing.

Mary's voice dropped to a whisper and she put her hands over Luca's. "It's okay," she said in a nice mom voice. "Everything will be fine. Are you worried about your dog?"

Luca nodded.

Mary smiled. "How about I make a delicious meal for Dog Vader and something else for you? I'll put his food in a doggie bag and yours on a tray, then you all can eat in the kitchen with him. Or," her voice dropped even lower, "if he's stopped barking, you can bring him out here and he can eat next to you on the bar. Sound good?"

Luca smiled and said okay, then made small talk with Paola while Mary gathered food for the boy and his dog. c.o.c.ktail wieners and canned ham for Dog Vader, Mac N Cheese and chips for Luca.

"Thanks, Mom. That was really cool of you," Paola said.

"Thanks, Mrs. Mary." Luca said.

"Just Mary," she said, pushing the lunches across the counter.

"Do you want to come with me to get Dog Vader?"

"Of course!" Paola said.

They crossed the lobby and entered the kitchen, but Dog Vader wasn't inside.

"Lord Vader!" Luca called.

Nothing.

"Where do you think he went?" Paola asked.

Luca looked around the room. Dog Vader wasn't sleeping, and he wasn't hiding. The freezer door was sealed, but the door leading outside looked like it was open a crack.

"Look!" Luca pointed at the door.

"I see it," Paola said, her tone making his sad spiders start to crawl.

They heard noises from the other side of the door.

No barking, no growling and no whines. Only the sounds of tearing, like reams of paper being pulled apart, punctuated by splashes from something thick and wet, and... chewing.

"Do you want me to go get Desmond?"

Luca shook his head and started walking toward the door.

"Are you sure?" Paola repeated.

Luca didn't answer, just kept inching toward the door a half-step at a time until he stepped outside to find his dog.

Outside, Luca didn't cry. He couldn't; the horror was too much to react in any way other than stare.

Dog Vader was in a dozen pieces, with everything from his head to paws getting torn, chewed and mangled, before being cast to the concrete in bits of meat and b.l.o.o.d.y fur. Two of the monsters were fighting over what looked like Lord Vader's front leg, while another was crouched on its knees, dipping its face into the dog's guts.

Pools of blood ran from Vader to Luca's feet.

The monster who was eating Dog Vader's stomach, stopped, then looked at Luca and smiled, revealing dozens of sharp, blackened, blood stained teeth. It suddenly shot up to a standing position. It was at least seven feet tall.

Paola screamed. "Come on, Luca, we have to go now!"

Luca stood frozen.

Paola wrapped both arms around him, pulled him into the kitchen, then slammed the door behind them and slid the lock closed.

"Mommy!" she screamed.

Luca sank to the floor and cried.

EDWARD KEENAN.

Ed opened his eyes to a new visitor.

Two people were in his room, Sullivan and someone new. The new man was short, older, with graying curly hair and dark, brooding eyes beneath thick dark gla.s.ses. He wore a long-sleeved light blue shirt with gray slacks.

Scientist. Name is Williams.

Wait, how the f.u.c.k do I know that?

"h.e.l.lo Mr. Keenan," said Sullivan. "How are you feeling today?"

Today? A day has pa.s.sed?

"This is Mr. Williams. He'd like to ask you some questions."

"Great, my favorite game," Ed said, as he pondered how he knew the man's name. "And I'm still waiting for answers. Where is my daughter? Where is..."

s.h.i.t, what is her name?

Ed's head was fuzzy. The pregnant girl's name was on the tip of his tongue.

Tongue... Tuh... Teagan!

"Where's Teagan?"

"I'm afraid we had to move her somewhere ... safer." Williams said in a slight British accent. "As for your daughter, she's nearby. Don't worry; we're taking great care of her. We told her you were receiving a few medical tests and some treatment, so she isn't too worried."

"How thoughtful of you," Ed said. "Where are we? Where's Teagan? What's the danger here?"

"In due time, Mr. Keenan. It is Mr. Keenan, correct?" Williams said, peering down at his clipboard and flipping to the next page.

"Yes, Edward Keenan."

"And you're certain of that?"

"Of course," Ed said, annoyed, rubbing his temples raw.

"Are you okay?" Williams asked.

"Just a headache, it'll pa.s.s."

"Do you get headaches a lot," Williams asked.

"What are you, some kind of doctor?"

"Actually, yes," Williams said, "you can say that. Now, about those headaches. Do you get them a lot? How long have you been getting them?"

"I dunno, on and off most of my life. Migraines, a doc told me. Used to be worse when I was younger."

"Do you have any other symptoms?"

"Is this a f.u.c.king physical?" Ed asked, agitation growing. "I told you my name. Said I'll cop to whatever you want. Toss me in lockup; throw away the key. I don't give a s.h.i.t anymore. Let's get on with it already."

"Why would we want to lock you up?" Williams asked.

Ed stared, confused. His head felt like it was going to crack from the growing pressure. His vision blurred and for a moment, Williams had become two rather than one. Ed squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, then opened them back to minor blurring.

"Are you serious?" Ed said. "You don't have any idea who I am or what I've done?"

"No. Why don't you tell us."

"Everything, from the beginning," Sullivan added.

"My name is Edward Keenan, I work for The Agency. Well, I did, until something happened."

"The Agency?" Sullivan asked, "You mean the C.I.A.?"

"Yes. Well, a division within it, which you probably never heard of. If you want to know more than that, you'll need to speak to my superiors. a.s.suming any are left out there. By the way, while we're in the Q & A section of this game, mind telling me what the h.e.l.l happened out there to everyone?"

The two men stared at each other for an uncomfortably long moment.

"What do you think happened?" Williams asked.

"Jesus Christ, can't you people answer anything?" Ed sighed, rolling his head back.

"I was on a plane," he said, trying to remember exact details, but his thoughts grew fuzzier as the pain in his head intensified. It sounded like bees were buzzing behind his ears.

"When?" asked Williams.

"When what?" Ed asked, confused.

"When were you on the plane?"

"I don't know, a few nights ago. Late Friday, early Sat.u.r.day morning."

Williams flipped some papers on his clipboard, then said, "On the 15th?"

"Yeah, I guess." Ed said, thoughts slurred like he was drunk or something.

The two men exchanged another glance. Though his head was pounding and the men who grabbed him were with the government in some capacity, Ed no longer thought they were Agency. At least not his division. Their confusion seemed suddenly sincere. Knowing that made it easier to comply and answer their annoying questions.

"I fell asleep. When I woke, the plane had crashed and I somehow survived. When I went to see if anyone else had made it, there was no one. No bodies, no survivors. It was like I was the only one on the plane when it crashed."

"Then what?" Sullivan said.

"The world was a ghost town, no matter where I went. I grabbed a truck and started to drive. That's when I ran into the girl, Teagan. She said she was in the back seat while her parents were driving home from vacation. Something happened, she said, this black cloud or something in the car, and the next thing she knew, her mom and dad vanished."

"Vanished? Can you elaborate?" Williams asked.

For a moment, Ed was drawing a blank, as if someone had deleted the memory from his head. And then, the next moment, it was back, in full clarity.

Ed continued, "One second there, and when the cloud disappeared, so did they. Anything more, you've got to ask her. Like I said, I wasn't there. And I didn't see anyone on the plane vanish, though I a.s.sume they did, because I was sleeping."

"What else can you tell us about yourself, Mr. Keenan? Are you married?"

"Yes."

"And your wife's name?"

Ed paused for a moment, not sure why it was important. But the intel wasn't cla.s.sified, and their split was public record in the Agency. "Julie. We split a few years ago."

"And Jade is your daughter?"

"Yes."