Locked Away [10k Z Nation]

1

"Dad, where are we going?"

"The backyard, you'll understand soon sweetheart, I promise."

"What's going on? I'm scared Dad! Dad?! Answer me!"

"Open the door and be quiet..."

The suspense and fear in his eyes made me shut my mouth and open the door without asking any more questions.

He led me to the treehouse we had built for my sister over the last 5 years. Not to brag, but it was pretty badass... It didn't have windows, but we had a weird form of plumbing my sister and I had created as a joke, but it turned out to be semi functional, provided you didn't have any shame.
And books, it had at least a hundred books we had collectively stashed up here through out the years. He gestured for me to climb the rope that to the sizable metal box we built around the limbs of a pretty humongous tree that had been in this neighborhood, according to the neighbors, since before any of them had lived here. I familiarly climbed the rope and opened the door, waiting as my dad pulled himself up.

"Dad what the Hell is going on?"

"You're gonna listen okay, stay up here. I'm sending help as soon as I can, but you need to stay in this treehouse. I've added some things, like there's canned food and a ton of gallons of water. We can figure out a way to collect rainwater when I come back. I'm going to pick up your sister from school, but I will be back, you hear me? Cody?!"

I was crying by then, as you can imagine.

"Dad please tell me-"

"The apocalypse is real dammit- Listen, I don't have time for this, I've already put clothes up there for you and your sister, be safe and I'll see you soon."

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and climbed back down the rope so fast you'd think he just jumped 10 feet to the ground.
He ran back through the house and I heard his car start up.

It's been 2 years, and I haven't seen him since.