Ch.6 Another day

 Oliver was walking through a park trail, enjoying a nice summer day. The trail wrapped around a small lake, where people would come to feed ducks.

 "Are you hungry?" The voice of a young girl called out from behind him

 Turning around, he saw a young girl wearing a white sun dress. The girl looked around the same age as Amelia.

 "What?" he replied in surprise. "Are you here by yourself?" He looked around in confusion. She was alone, and the old couple sitting at the pavilion had disappeared, along with the young couple he had just passed. The park suddenly became ominous as there was no sign of any people or animals. 

 "Are you hungry?" She asked again. Oliver looked at the girl strangely.

 "Uh, no, I'm fine?" I replied.

 "Really?" she asked doubtfully.

 "Uh, yeah?" Oliver replied. Oliver felt something strange, something just felt wrong about the little girl. He tried to step away, and while he did step away, he failed to make any distance from the girl, even though she hadn't moved an inch.

 "Well, I'm hungry!" She screeched and pounced toward Oliver as her eyes became a vivid red with an elongated pupil, her ears became more prolonged and pointy, and her jaw became wider and protruded from her face like a short muzzle. Her pretty white sun dress was suddenly covered in blood and small chunks of flesh. Her sharp and jagged teeth filled my view as she clamped her teeth over his face. He tried to move, he tried to scream, but it felt like his body failed him, and he felt helpless. Oliver woke up with a fearful gasp, labored breaths, and flailed in panic.

 "Wh- where?" Oliver asked himself, looking at an unfamiliar place.

 After a few seconds, he starts to recall the events from yesterday. Oliver takes a few slow, deep breaths to calm down, coming to terms with his new reality. Now covered in a cold sweat, He laid back on the ground and spent several minutes staring at the ceiling as he took long, deep breaths. Oliver only got up when his aching body begged to be released from the hard bed and the cold that started to creep on them after the fire died out. He groggily started the fire and prepared food for them in the kitchen when her sudden screams made Oliver jump in fear.

 "Khaaaa!" she cried. "Nooo! Mom! Dad!"

 Rapidly turning towards her, he could see her flailing her legs and arms on the couch.

 "Amelia! It's just a nightmare! Amelia. Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" He grabs her arms and calls her name.

 She wakes from her nightmare, and her eyes reflect fear and confusion before recognition. She calms down as she realizes it was just a nightmare and covers her eyes as she cries.

 "Stay here. I'll get us some food," Oliver said gently.

 "Ok," she replied with a small voice, runny nose, and red-puffy eyes.

 He returned to the kitchen a few feet away to make breakfast or gathered things to make breakfast together. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, he saw something he almost couldn't believe. The kitchen has a window with a clear view of an open area followed by some woods, and in that clearing is a squirrel the size of a bulldog with a black horn. It looked around for a few seconds before running back toward the woods. Before it went too far, a second giant squirrel appeared beside it without a horn, and they ran off into the woods together. Excluding its horn and physical size, it seemed like you would expect from a squirrel. 

 'The world is completely different now. As far as I know, the monster's squirrels' behavior patterns and anatomy could have completely changed.'

 Pushing the thought out of his mind, he focused on bringing the food to the living room so they could eat more comfortably. Amelia sat silently on the couch again and quietly accepted the food that Oliver gave her. He put his plate on the coffee table beside hers and attended the fire before eating breakfast.

 "Thank you," Amelia whispered gratefully.

 "You're welcome," Oliver replied warmly.

 'Thankfully, there is plenty of firewood left over from the owner of the house, whatever happened to him.'

 Oliver and Amelia finished their meal quickly and sat next to each other in complete silence.

 'It's probably too soon for her to converse, and I don't even know what I would say.'

 Oliver collected their dishes and left them in the sink, not bothering to wash them. Oliver returned to the storage room and packed the backpacks with some dry foods, toiletries, and whatever wouldn't fit inside the duffel bag. 

 "Amelia, I want you to take this," Oliver said as he handed her the small pocket knife he found. 

 He used the larger pocket knife to show her how to use it, and she took it reluctantly. 

 "This is also for you. It has some food, water, and toiletries."

 "Are you ready?"

 She nodded reluctantly and grabbed Oliver's hand. As he walks out the front door with Amelia, he notices the old pickup truck in the driveway and decides to look. 

 'A truck this old might be unaffected by an EMP. If this is an EMP.'

 As he walked around the truck, he saw the empty truck bed. He let go of Amelia's hand and opened the driver-side door as it squeaked. He sat in the driver's seat, noticing a dusty smell. He lowered the visor, and a pair of keys fell into his lap.

 "It has keys!" he exclaimed excitedly. 

 However, his excitement quickly dies when he tries to start the old truck several times with no response.

 'Vehicles must be another modern convenience that was too good for us lowly mortals,' he thought mockingly.

 "Haaaaa," he released another sigh and realized it would become a habit in this new world if he continued to survive.

 In frustration, Oliver took the keys and threw them as far in the distance as he could. Before calming down, he paced next to the truck and looked under the front hood, hoping it could be a disconnected battery. After using the extent of his limited knowledge and showing no results, he shuts the hood in frustration. Oliver calms down when Amelia grabs his hand, and they leave the old cabin behind.