BLACKOUT

One

I breathed heavily, wheezing. The room I sat in was dark and gloomy. It reminded me of the interrogation rooms similar to the movies. A light hung above me lazily as I looked around. I was handcuffed to a polished wooden table. Across the table was an empty metal chair. There was a single door ahead of me and a small security camera in each corner of the room.

I winced as my head began to throb. The chronic pain was only becoming worse. I clutched my head in an attempt to ease the pain, yet it was constant and did not fade. This was not how I would image my death. I really hoped to outlive this interrogation, just long enough to see my daughter again.

All of a sudden, the door began to creak open. An officer walked into the room and sat in the spare chair across from me. I recognized her when she captured my Lily and me from the hunter's cabin. But I felt I knew her from somewhere else ... She leaned back and greeted me,

"Hello Dr. Dahlia Cassidy," I interrupted,

"Is my daughter okay? Does Mr. LIFE have her?" She shook her, no, thank God.

"I do not like being interrupted, Dahlia. Your daughter is safe, for now. There is only so much I can do. If you can explain your situation, I believe I may be able to help you." I nodded my head in compliance. Anything to save Lillian, I will do it. Especially to get her away from him. I took a deep breath.

"Well, I'll start it off like this: It was beautiful outside contrary to what was about to happen ..."

- - - A Few Hours Before - - -

I woke up with the sunlight seeping into my room through the drawn curtains and closed blinds. I stretched and yawned while I slipped on the slippers at the edge of the bed. I grabbed my bathrobe hanging on the back of the door as I exited my room. I walked down the hall into the kitchen.

Groggily, I found my way to the cabinet which held my coffee mugs. I picked a random mug with a plain yellow exterior and placed it under the Keurig. Behind me, I heard Lillian entering into the kitchen as Buddy follows close behind. She yawned as she sat down at the island. Buddy laid down next to her. I glanced over at the sink, stilling holding the dishes that I had asked her to take care of yesterday.

"Thank you for doing the dishes, Lillian." I sarcastically told her. With a smirk she replied,

"No problem." I turned to look at her. She stared back at me as I gave the look: Please do them now. She gave an exasperated sigh as she got up off of her chair.

"Fine." I turned back around to tend to my coffee. I took it off of the coffee machine onto the counter as I began to gather the cream and sugar packets. I turned to Lillian as she turned off the sink.

"Can you turn on the radio?" She nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself as she adjusted the knobs on the old radio. At first, it created a crackly noise, then it shifted to music. I began to hum along as I finished my coffee. I brought up the mug to my mouth to take a sip the sweet smell lingered. I took a sip as I began to walk towards the island counter.

Lillian began to take out two slices of bread. I set down my mug and walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed the egg carton. I went back to the cupboard which was above the stove. I began to prepare to make eggs for Lillian and I. All of a sudden, the radio began to fizz. I was about to ask Lillian to adjust it, but she was already next to the radio. She was bent over and concentrated on replacing the white noise. She twisted one of the knobs left and the other right when voices began to emerge.

"This just incoming live from the White House, an address about the outbreak of a new hyper virus." Lillian stared at me with wide eyes as I motioned to her to turn it up. I turned down the stove while the egg was cooking. With a louder and more affirmative voice, it filled the room,

"As some of you may know, there has been a release of a virus. The authorities have named it Nigrum Ex, otherwise known as the Blackout. I have come to address the nation to confirm that there has been an outbreak, but do not panic. Authorities are in the midst of containing the virus and have advised everyone to head to their homes and remain in them. Blackout symptoms may include dizziness, fever, nausea, hallucinations, headaches, unconsciousness, and maybe even death. It is still very early to tell what the true symptoms are." I stared at Lillian and began to smell the burnt egg behind me. It startled my senses as I turned away to deal with the charcoal egg. Buddy trotted over and sat at my feet, begging. The radio continued on,

"Authorities have been alerted in all areas to figure out plans for their areas to contain infected civilians. If you think that you or anyone in your area may contain the disease, call the authorities to detained them in a safe and healthy environment. Quarantine all infected citizens to make sure you and your loved ones do not become infected with the Blackout." The voice is replaced by a female voice,

"The president and or the authorities in your area will continue to update the surrounding community when there is new information to be released to the public." The woman began to speak, but I told Lillian seriously,

"Please turn it off." I turned around to her. Silence seeped into the household. She looked at me with wide eyes, panic was written all over her face. I tossed the burnt egg to the ground for Buddy as I placed the other eggs on a plate. I turned off the stove, removing the rest of the noise. I stayed silent as I grabbed the toast off of the toaster. I motioned for Lillian to sit down at the island counter. I placed one of the plates in front of her as I sat next to her. She looked up at me and asked,

"What is going to happen?" I masked my fear with determination.

"We will do exactly as they said, remain calm and stay indoors." She continued on as her fear continued to spread.

"But, are we going to be safe? What if one of us gets the disease? What are we going to do then? What if we run out of food or our electricity stops working? What then?" I placed my hand gently on her back and brushed away her tears.

"Lily, please look at me." She gazed terrified of the list of possibilities that became longer in her head. I was more of a logical thinker. Just sticking to the facts presented in front of me.

"All of those scenarios are what ifs. Darling, we will be fine. We are safe inside here and we will stay calm. Okay? We will be okay." My mind slowly wandered as well. Would be okay? Could I promise her this? Of course, I couldn't. Promising something that I didn't have much control was silly and unrealistic. I pushed aside the thoughts. If I followed that thought-process, I would have become just as frightened as she.

"Let's eat our breakfast and continue out our day, just as we were going to." She nodded her head as she wiped away any trace of tears. I turned to face my plate. The eggs had cooled down, but still, had traces of heat. Buddy laid at our feet as we ate in silence. I stared out the window across from the island counter.

Everything outdoors seemed normal. It was bright. The grass was green and the trees were tall. The sky was a bright baby blue with hints of clouds. The road was silent most of the time on any given day, yet especially then. The other houses that surrounded us stood tall. A light breeze blew the grass and the tree branches.

I finished my meal before Lillian did. I took my plate and placed it on the floor for Buddy. He happily licked the scraps. I walked over to the doorway. I double checked the locks on the door and the surrounding windows around the house. I could never have been too careful, right? I headed back to the kitchen where Lillian has placed her dish down for Buddy. She looked up at me. More tears have been wiped away from her eyes. It made me sad to see her upset. I had always wanted the best for her, no suffering or pain. Out of the blue, she had asked me,

"How did dad die?"