[100 days] day 2: 315, the end
the doors to the street are left wide open, like mouths gasping for air. every breeze that passes makes them flutter, some slamming shut and the noise echoes for miles around. it's silent save for the creaking whine of a wheel slowly turning, a child's bike fallen to the pavement outside another empty house just the same as the one next door.
whirrclick
in the back curve of the cul-de-sac, one engine is still idling, the ominous rattle of an engine close to running out of gas. still waiting, doors wide, for its passengers to return, to drive away.
inside the house behind the bicycle, the tv drones, half static until the wind blows just right and a snippet of the same newscast that's been playing for two weeks repeats.
whirrclick
"please remain calm. there's no reason to panic. please stay inside your homes. this will pass." the tv fades to static again as the wind calms, another door slamming closed. the putt putt of the engine begins to fade as well, keys still in the ignition as the gas finally runs out. still the wheel of the bicycle creaks in the wind, spinning endlessly.
"remain calm. there's been a meeting called of world leaders in washington DC to come to an agreement about what needs to be done as we move forward in these times. please remain in your homes."
another door. no sounds for miles around. even the power begins to flicker. the silence is deafening, crowding in around the empty cars and homes until the air is thick with the need for sound, for life.
and it begins. softly at first, but from everywhere, like a lion's roar. the tinny whirrclick of them, returning to gaze at the land. searching for any signs of life left. and when the shadow passes overhead, nothing is left.
"remain calm."