38 Days

The teacup rattled. Allison looked out the window and saw yet another grey military vehicle trundle pass. It had been many days since they first started to appear at regular intervals. The news said it was something to do with a pandemic of some sort in a far-off country. She shook her head. There wasn’t a chance it was coming here, not with the strict regulations and policies put in place. Wailing. She groaned and rose from the armchair. What did he need now?

26 Days

Thrum. Thrum. A near-constant humming. Helicopters and planes alike roared overhead. Allison cradled her 4 week old baby, humming a lullaby. She didn’t know there were this many planes in the world. Surely they didn’t need so many vehicles to deal with whatever was happening. The news said the pandemic had spread to several countries whose names she couldn’t pronounce. Maybe it’ll die down soon.

19 Days

Click-clack. Click-clack. Click-clack. Marching soldiers, synchronised and unending. Allison stared out towards the line of mottled green and grey motion, mesmerised. Her baby gurgled, hungry. She broke her focus and tilted the bottle towards his mouth. Maybe her husband would be somewhere in the troops. The news had become less reliable; many channels were all speculating different things. But one thing was in common, something bad was happening.

12 Days

Bing-Bung. Ding-Dung. Calming music wafted from the open television. The president had just made a speech concerning the commotion in distant countries. He said it wouldn’t affect this country, and for everyone to continue as normal. Allison sighed. She had stockpiled many piles of toilet paper and food in case something was going to happen. Maybe nothing was wrong after all. She looked outside. Quiet. The most quiet it had been since the marching soldiers. She dozed off, smoothed by the long fingers of sleep.

7 Days

Birds chattering and leaves rusting. The scene outside was picturesque. Allison appreciated the view with her son, breathing in the alpine air. The new stations were panicking now. Many reports of strange bird-like creatures approaching the mainland and massacring anything in sight. Apparently it had already eradicated the foreign military and was rapidly spreading towards all countries. But Allison wasn’t inside when they broadcasted a national emergency response. Her home was atop a hill and her neighbours had already left. Allison exhaled. It was time for lunch.

1 Day

Maybe it was time to start whittling away at the mountain of canned food tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. Allison bent over and ran her gaze over the labels. Creamy pumpkin soup sounded good. She approached the counter and filled a pot with water, clicked it onto the boiler. Milk will have to do for her baby. Perhaps a touch of honey. As Allison reached up to the cupboard, she heard a muted rumble in the distance. Curious, she looked out the window and looked up.

It looked like birds.