still day 2
Nov. 1st, 2007 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smackenzieHalf of your street suddenly going missing made for a very strangely quiet afternoon. It was so quiet that Marya was starting to think that maybe more than half the population was gone. Maybe it was more like three-quarters. Even Cujo and Cujo II were quiet, although it was more likely that they were inside with the little old lady than that they had disappeared too.
Just to be sure, Marya knocked on the little old lady's front door. She heard barking on the other side, which was a good sign, and then the door opened a crack, which was also a good sign.
"Hi," Marya said. "I just wanted to know you were still here."
"Oh, I'm still here," the little old lady said. She sounded almost angry. "They're not coming for me!"
"Who?" What happened to Gone, vanished, poof?
"It's a terrorist plot, they're saying. The news says the president's hiding in his bunker, and he wouldn't be doing that if it was safe, now would he? My daughter lost her neighbors on both sides - they worked for the State Department." The little old lady nodded knowingly.
"Are your grandkids ok?"
"Scared to death, poor things. Both of them. They're with their mom, though, that's the important thing. I told her to come up here but she's afraid to leave her house."
Cujo and Cujo II came up behind the little old lady and started trying to get out past her. Oscar started trying to get in. Marya hauled on his leash to keep him back, and the little old lady turned around to apparently shove her dogs out of the way.
"You get back in the house," she told them. "I don't want you disappearing on me too."
"Where is everyone?" Marya asked. "I've been up and down the street and it feels like a lot of people are gone." And how could terrorists steal a man out of his bathroom without his wife knowing? she wondered, but she didn't ask that out loud.
"That's what the news says too. I got CNN on, they're updating every ten minutes. I'd ask you in, but the dogs."
"That's ok. I gotta go home and see if anyone called me back. I can't connect half the time, it's really weird. It's a little scary."
"Terrorists, I'm telling you," the little old lady said. "The first thing they do is cut off the phones so we can't talk to each other. They're isolating us. Well, I won't be isolated. If my daughter won't come to me, I'll go down to her."
One of the Cujos started barking and the little old lady turned around and yelled "Stop it!" into the house. The dog shut up. Marya was impressed.
"You go on home," the little old lady told her. "Call your father and your grandmother. Stock up. Some people are saying it's the Rapture, but I don't believe in that fundamentalist hoo-ha. It's terrorists, I'm telling you. You be safe, ok?"
"Ok," Marya said, thinking Holy crap, this woman's lost her mind. It wasn't terrorists, she was sure about that. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it wasn't some political plot.
She really wished she did know, though.
She checked her email again when she got home and found a couple of replies to the messages she'd sent earlier. One of her cousins, the bass player from one of the bands she'd played with, a fellow drummer, a coworker, one of her roommates from college, the ex who kept calling her. The ex had also left a message on Marya's voice mail. Marya called her back and couldn't believe it when the call actually went through.
"Oh my god I've been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday," gasped the ex, whose name was Cassandra.
"I called you back," Marya said. She sat down on the couch and patted the cushions next to her. Oscar jumped up on the couch. Marya rubbed his ears and the top of his head while she talked. He was a very soothing presence. "Well, I tried. I think there's something wrong with my cell."
"I'm freaking out, everyone's missing, I'm so glad you're still alive."
"Me too. Do you know what's going on?"
"Not a clue. No idea. Nothing. I'm only getting one channel on my TV and I can't get online at all and my building is almost empty and I'm afraid to go anywhere and ask someone." She sounded like she was starting to panic. Marya took a deep breath in sympathy.
"The last I heard, the news was saying half the world's population, but I think it's more than that. It feels like more than that."
"What do we do? Marya, listen to me. If it's the end, and we're all going to die? I just want you to know I always loved you. Karen was... she wasn't you."
"I don't want to have this conversation now. I don't care about Karen. I care about my dad and grandma. And you, ok." She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. The channel she'd been watching before was static now, and the channel she finally found was scrolling a message across the bottom. Cass was talking but Marya interrupted her. "Hang on, Cass. Shut up a sec."
"What? Are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm still here. There's a state of emergency - we're supposed to conserve water and power. What's going on?"
"Oh god, it IS the end. What if we're being invaded? Or it's the bird flu. What if someone poisoned the water? What if it's anthrax?"
"Jesus, Cass, it's not anthrax. Or the bird flu. People are disappearing, not getting sick and dying. Do you want me to come over or something?" Although privately Marya hoped the answer was no. Cass had broken up with her - the aforementioned Karen had been a big factor - but Cass was also a bit of a drama queen and after a while Marya was just glad she was gone. She wasn't exactly looking to repeat the experience now.
But she had loved Cass once, and Cass had loved her, and if Cass needed to be with someone, well, Marya could do that for a little while.
"No, no, it's ok, Spike's coming over - remember her?" Marya didn't. "I needed to know you were still alive."
"I'm alive. I'm going to try the grocery store and see if I can get water and stuff, just in case it stays crazy. Maybe there will be more people out. Be careful."
"You too."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come over?"
"I'm sure. You didn't like Spike."
"I don't remember her."
"Well, you didn't like her. I'm glad you called, Marya. I'm glad you're ok."
"Me too. You too. You know what I mean. I'll call you later, ok?"
"Thank you. Yes. Goodbye."
"Bye."
Marya hung up, turned off the TV, and looked down at Oscar.
"Wanna go to the store?" she asked. She knew he couldn't hear her but it made her feel better to talk to him. "We're going to the store. If we're lucky, we'll see some more people."
words: 1139
total words: 2719
Just to be sure, Marya knocked on the little old lady's front door. She heard barking on the other side, which was a good sign, and then the door opened a crack, which was also a good sign.
"Hi," Marya said. "I just wanted to know you were still here."
"Oh, I'm still here," the little old lady said. She sounded almost angry. "They're not coming for me!"
"Who?" What happened to Gone, vanished, poof?
"It's a terrorist plot, they're saying. The news says the president's hiding in his bunker, and he wouldn't be doing that if it was safe, now would he? My daughter lost her neighbors on both sides - they worked for the State Department." The little old lady nodded knowingly.
"Are your grandkids ok?"
"Scared to death, poor things. Both of them. They're with their mom, though, that's the important thing. I told her to come up here but she's afraid to leave her house."
Cujo and Cujo II came up behind the little old lady and started trying to get out past her. Oscar started trying to get in. Marya hauled on his leash to keep him back, and the little old lady turned around to apparently shove her dogs out of the way.
"You get back in the house," she told them. "I don't want you disappearing on me too."
"Where is everyone?" Marya asked. "I've been up and down the street and it feels like a lot of people are gone." And how could terrorists steal a man out of his bathroom without his wife knowing? she wondered, but she didn't ask that out loud.
"That's what the news says too. I got CNN on, they're updating every ten minutes. I'd ask you in, but the dogs."
"That's ok. I gotta go home and see if anyone called me back. I can't connect half the time, it's really weird. It's a little scary."
"Terrorists, I'm telling you," the little old lady said. "The first thing they do is cut off the phones so we can't talk to each other. They're isolating us. Well, I won't be isolated. If my daughter won't come to me, I'll go down to her."
One of the Cujos started barking and the little old lady turned around and yelled "Stop it!" into the house. The dog shut up. Marya was impressed.
"You go on home," the little old lady told her. "Call your father and your grandmother. Stock up. Some people are saying it's the Rapture, but I don't believe in that fundamentalist hoo-ha. It's terrorists, I'm telling you. You be safe, ok?"
"Ok," Marya said, thinking Holy crap, this woman's lost her mind. It wasn't terrorists, she was sure about that. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it wasn't some political plot.
She really wished she did know, though.
She checked her email again when she got home and found a couple of replies to the messages she'd sent earlier. One of her cousins, the bass player from one of the bands she'd played with, a fellow drummer, a coworker, one of her roommates from college, the ex who kept calling her. The ex had also left a message on Marya's voice mail. Marya called her back and couldn't believe it when the call actually went through.
"Oh my god I've been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday," gasped the ex, whose name was Cassandra.
"I called you back," Marya said. She sat down on the couch and patted the cushions next to her. Oscar jumped up on the couch. Marya rubbed his ears and the top of his head while she talked. He was a very soothing presence. "Well, I tried. I think there's something wrong with my cell."
"I'm freaking out, everyone's missing, I'm so glad you're still alive."
"Me too. Do you know what's going on?"
"Not a clue. No idea. Nothing. I'm only getting one channel on my TV and I can't get online at all and my building is almost empty and I'm afraid to go anywhere and ask someone." She sounded like she was starting to panic. Marya took a deep breath in sympathy.
"The last I heard, the news was saying half the world's population, but I think it's more than that. It feels like more than that."
"What do we do? Marya, listen to me. If it's the end, and we're all going to die? I just want you to know I always loved you. Karen was... she wasn't you."
"I don't want to have this conversation now. I don't care about Karen. I care about my dad and grandma. And you, ok." She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. The channel she'd been watching before was static now, and the channel she finally found was scrolling a message across the bottom. Cass was talking but Marya interrupted her. "Hang on, Cass. Shut up a sec."
"What? Are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm still here. There's a state of emergency - we're supposed to conserve water and power. What's going on?"
"Oh god, it IS the end. What if we're being invaded? Or it's the bird flu. What if someone poisoned the water? What if it's anthrax?"
"Jesus, Cass, it's not anthrax. Or the bird flu. People are disappearing, not getting sick and dying. Do you want me to come over or something?" Although privately Marya hoped the answer was no. Cass had broken up with her - the aforementioned Karen had been a big factor - but Cass was also a bit of a drama queen and after a while Marya was just glad she was gone. She wasn't exactly looking to repeat the experience now.
But she had loved Cass once, and Cass had loved her, and if Cass needed to be with someone, well, Marya could do that for a little while.
"No, no, it's ok, Spike's coming over - remember her?" Marya didn't. "I needed to know you were still alive."
"I'm alive. I'm going to try the grocery store and see if I can get water and stuff, just in case it stays crazy. Maybe there will be more people out. Be careful."
"You too."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come over?"
"I'm sure. You didn't like Spike."
"I don't remember her."
"Well, you didn't like her. I'm glad you called, Marya. I'm glad you're ok."
"Me too. You too. You know what I mean. I'll call you later, ok?"
"Thank you. Yes. Goodbye."
"Bye."
Marya hung up, turned off the TV, and looked down at Oscar.
"Wanna go to the store?" she asked. She knew he couldn't hear her but it made her feel better to talk to him. "We're going to the store. If we're lucky, we'll see some more people."
words: 1139
total words: 2719
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-11-02 04:00 pm (UTC)Sorry.
EEEEE creepy and I LOVE the line "Some people are saying it's the Rapture, but I don't believe in that fundamentalist hoo-ha."
:D
no subject
Date: 2007-11-10 02:31 am (UTC)