Loudpocalypse (WIP)

[blogpost]Possible stealth-edit at line 631. Tell anyone, and your loved ones will die in their sleep tonight, possibly.[/blogpost]

It was just an average day in Royal Woods, Michigan, much like the previous with its beautiful sunny skies only sparsely dotted with fluffy white clouds. The temperature was just right, too; though, maybe a windbreaker would be nice to have during the slightly windy afternoon— according to yesterday's newscast, at least.

The residents of the Loud House were woken up about ten minutes before their alarms could do so by the blaring noise of an air raid siren in the distance. Naturally, they simply dismissed it as a call-to-arms for volunteer firefighters and tried to salvage the remaining precious moments to get more sleep. The synchronized ringing, however, was quick to put an end to that idea.

After the usual daily morning process of getting dressed, brushing teeth, and making oneself tidy and presentable in the bathroom mirror, the siblings gathered in the kitchen in preparation for breakfast. Fluffy golden pancakes, two sunny-side up eggs, and a few strips of bacon adorned each plate; except for the baby, who was given a single egg and some nicely-sliced fruit. While they didn't think much about it at the time, they were going to deeply miss such a luxury, no matter how mundane it seemed.

"Boring, boring, also boring..." Lana grumbled as she flipped through the TV channels. There was nothing good on yet! Some uncool sitcom or whatever where they pretend to be doctors, a rerun of a cartoon she only liked a little bit, a black screen with text, black screen with text, same screen— wait a second, why is it only that now? "What's going on? What happened to the other stuff?! It's just more of that test or whatever they play every night!"

Her siblings gathered around and closely watched the television screen, all leaned in forwards to give their completely undivided attention.

"This is an ongoing message from the Emergency Alert System," The announcement began in a synthesized female voice, before a male's voice spoke over radio chatter. "Attention all viewers, repeat, attention all viewers within the United States of America and bordering countries! This broadcast has been set on repeat for all U.S.-affiliated regions to spread awareness of an outbreak of a highly infectious disease currently spreading through the state of Michigan."

"Highly infectious disease?" Lori blinked, exchanging increasingly worried glances with her younger siblings.

"According to the Center of Disease Control, hereby abbreviated CDC, the rapidly spreading pathogen has been considered a threat to both the Americas and the rest of the world, estimated to possibly reach pandemic proportions if not adequately contained."

"Panda-what?!" Leni gasped, clenching her head in her hands. First the polar bears needed help, and now the panda bears? Weren't they going green enough already?!

"As per emergency containment procedure, the CDC, United States Armed Forces, and the Canadian Armed Forces have combined efforts to effectively cordon off both peninsulas of the state of Michigan to ensure the pathogen spreads no further. This blockade shall not be lifted until all three parties involved have declared the area safe and secure, forming an agreement to do so with permission from the acting Commander or Director of each and every party."

As if they weren't already, everyone's mouth was agape in both pure shock and utter disbelief. They were still hoping that it was just a horrible prank being pulled on them, only for the listed date on the screen to shoot down their early-stage denial. Unfortunately, it was not the first of April.

"Until then, all residents within the state of Michigan are encouraged to stay in their homes at all costs. Repeat, DO NOT venture outdoors unless absolutely necessary. DO NOT attempt to leave or cross state or country borders until the situation has been handled and the virus has been contained. Repeat, DO NOT attempt to leave the state of Michigan! Armed forces have been ordered to shoot all infected ON SIGHT! Information about the widespread pathogen is still being collected, and briefing shall begin momentarily."

The radio feed cut out, and the true weight of the situation came crashing down on the children. Stay indoors? Don't leave the state? The army's here? While a few of them didn't quite grasp the reality of what had just been said, those who did clearly showed it on their faces. Lisa seemed especially stricken with shock, having since dropped her clipboard. Lori swore she had heard the prodigy mumble, "What hash science wrought?"

"Are... Are we going to be alright?" Lincoln asked his older sister. Of course Lori would know, right? She always knows how to look out for everyone, so clearly she'd know that for certain!

"I... I don't know, Lincoln," Lori shook her head, dropping down to one knee before him to meet at eye level, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But, I promise you that as long as I'm here, nobody's getting hurt, got it?"

"You're the best, Lori..." Lincoln simply hugged her, at a loss for words. He had read about situations like this on the internet, but having it actually come true was a completely different experience! But, if Lori can still say that everyone would be fine, who cares what some guy on TV says?

"Ooh! Guys! Mister TV is talking again!" Leni announced, effectively pulling their eyes back to the screen.

"We have just received an update from CDC officials. A recent analysis has determined that an estimated 85% or more of the population residing in the Southern Peninsula has been infected with the virus. The in-state military establishment of the National Guard reserve has also been compromised by infected personnel, and is deemed NOT safe. All able-bodied healthy individuals are advised to stay indoors at all times, with all possible entrances barricaded. Repeat, DO NOT go outside until all three parties have permitted you to do so!"

"As for the pathogen itself," The man continued to speak, "It is believed to be neither airborne nor waterborne, for now. It has, however, been confirmed to transmit via contact with or ingestion of the bodily fluids of infected individuals. Therefore, and I repeat, DO NOT go outside your home, and DO NOT come into contact with any of the infected populace without proper protection! The streets are not safe, the stores are not safe, and the borders are not safe. ONLY your home is safe! In the event your home is breached by the infected, prioritize acquiring a firearm and aiming for the head. I repeat, AIM FOR THE HEAD! Shots to the heart or other sections of center mass have proven much less effective, if not also inefficient!"

"If we get any more information, you'll be the first to know about it. Until then, be smart, and stay safe, Michigan," The broadcaster finished. The synthesized voice spoke once more, "This has been an announcement from the Emergency Alert System," and before they knew it, the bone-chilling black screen with a red banner was replaced by a professional cooking show.

The distant siren sounded off again, holding its call. That definitely wasn't somebody forgetting to turn the stove off this morning. If only...

Lori had disappeared along with the emergency broadcast, heading upstairs and slinking into her room without a sound. As far as she was concerned, Big Sis had some work to do.

Even if that man on the television warned against going outside a handful of times, it didn't stop her from searching through her closet. After sorting through the rack, she eventually came across her old drill sergeant uniform. Well, they suggested wearing as much protection as possible, so it would just have to do. She changed into the shirt and slipped the dark green jacket on, dropping down to the floor to pull on the glossy black boots from the set. The shorts were a bit too puffy for her taste and a millimeter too short to be walking around publicly while maintaining dignity, not to mention how much they would lower maneuverability. Realizing she had left a good portion of her legs exposed to the elements, she reluctantly took her boots and shorts off to put those bloody floral leggings on underneath, which she had tried so hard to keep as far back in the closet as possible. Taking a look in the mirror, she looked... Like a strange mess, but at least a mess that was much less likely to become accidentally infected. "...Maybe I'll take the aviators, too."

Satisfied, she sneaked back down the stairs, hugging the wall as she made her way towards her parents' room. Only Lucy seemed to notice her, but nodded her head in compliance once Lori held a finger up to her lips. She silently shut the door behind her and glanced around the room before going to open the closet. She knew Dad had always kept a functional sidearm just in case, but where could it possibly be hidden? Her eyes peered about, until spotting something odd on a small stool in the closet's corner. Atop it was a pacifier, a small vial of some chemical substance, one of Lola's pink pocket mirrors, a plastic container filled with dirt and mud, and some black nail polish. Five items, five little ones! They were the perfect diversions! "Bingo."

Lori must've been close, though all she could find was more of Dad's ties and a stack of his lame jigsaw puzzle boxes towering up to chin level. There didn't seem to be anything of value here— which is EXACTLY what the elusive and cunning "Jigizzy" would want people to believe! She eyed the boxes, in search of another clue. Night Skyline, Town Square Extravaganza, Snowy Delight, Motorist Mayhem, Lush Fields of Iceland... Aha, "Cubicle Vista: A Wonderful 5,000-piece Puzzle"! Only a masochist or Dad would even LOOK at something as boring as that, let alone put it together! Or, does that imply that Dad's a— nevermind. Lori carefully separated the box from the stack and carried it over to the bed, placing it down and opening it up. Lo and behold, there wasn't actually a puzzle in this box; a sacrifice a loving father had to make in order to protect his family.

This puzzle "piece" was a bit different than some recycled cardboard. Inside the box was a simple handgun with a small flashlight attached beneath the barrel flanked by three magazines, one of which appearing to be battle-ready. There were also several boxes of ammunition and a holster for the gun itself placed on the same side. Lori recognized this weapon immediately, for Dad had taken her to the range about a year ago to shoot it, much to the dismay of her mother. Her fingers instinctively found their way around the grip, and it luckily still fit her hand pretty well. Her free hand grabbed up the magazine and brought it up for inspection.

"Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen..." She counted each bullet out. That's strange; the magazine can hold up to fifteen, so why are two missing? Lori glanced between the pistol and its ammunition for a moment, pondering over the number.

"Thirteen... Thirteen— us plus them makes thirteen!" She gasped at the sudden revelation, catching herself before she could accidentally drop the gun. "No, that literally doesn't make any sense at all. It's just a coincidence, why would Dad want to—"

Well, it IS likely true that there isn't anything worse for a caring father to do than to have to watch his children suffer...

"No, no! That's ridiculous!" Lori shook the sickening thought away, beginning to add in the missing cartridges. "Just ignore that nonsense and focus on the task at hand," she mumbled to herself as she proceeded to fill the last two magazines.

"Just pop one in, pull back the slide until it clicks, and release!" She could hear his voice drilled into her head from back at the range as she loaded and slipped "The Puzzler" into its holster. Well, good thing Mom keeps spare belts, however Lori still needed to tighten it to almost the final hole. She'd be a liar if she said she wasn't impressed by that waistline. Nonetheless, she slipped the extra magazines into a coat pocket, returned the box to its original spot, and left the room.

"ATTEN-TION!" Lori commanded, blowing her whistle. Her siblings immediately obeyed her call, some of them even diving over the couch to line up in front of her! She just couldn't help but have a good chuckle at that. "Works every time."

"Ma'am, permission to speak, Ma'am!" Lincoln piped up, maintaining his salute.

"Permission granted. Make it quick, Private!" She nodded, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Ma'am, what is the occasion, Ma'am!"

"I am a firm believer in the phrase 'no family left behind' and shall therefore search for Mom and Dad! UNDERSTOOD, PRIVATE?" Lori stepped in and stared him down, baring her teeth.

"Ma'am, understood, Ma'am!" Lincoln quickly replied, averting his gaze only for it to set upon the holstered firearm on his Commanding Officer's belt. "Ma'am, why do you have a gu—"

"Your permission to speak has hereby been REVOKED, Private!" Lori interrupted him, taking a step back to get a better look at her pale-faced, inexperienced crew. "AS FOR THE REST OF YOU! While I am gone, I require at LEAST two of you to guard ALL possible entrances at ALL times! And one of you MUST be checking EACH and EVERY window down here as well! AM I UNDERSTOOD?"

"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!" Came a simultaneous chant, with the exception of Lola, whose arms were folded in blatant protest.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Lori held a hand up to her ear as she glared at the little princess. "Either my ears aren't what they used to be, or SOMEONE is acting out of line here!" Her eyes swept the lineup again, and now Lisa had disappeared without a trace!

"And WHERE did Lisa run off to?! I never dismissed anyone! LISA, FRONT AND CENTER!" Unfortunately, the prodigy was nowhere to be found, nor did she respond to the summons.

"I don't know where she went!" Lola stared at the now empty space between her and her baby sister Lily in surprise. Nonetheless, she returned fire and locked eyes with her superior. "But it's not important! I'm coming with you, Lori!"

While the sentiment was sweet and heartfelt, Lori still had to put her boot down as the acting head of the family. "I'm sorry, are YOU challenging MY authority, Missy? You'd best stand at attention if you don't want to be cleaning the latrine with your pretty pink toothbrush! Understood?"

"No! Not understood!" Lola shouted back, shaking her head. Her fellow sisters and brother-in-arms silently gasped at the protest; just the thought of disobeying their commander was enough to give a man haunting nightmares for as long as they lived!

"Latrines it is, then! Got any other smart remarks to make, sweetheart?!" Lori faked her fuming rage as she continued to stare the girl down. "If I hadn't forgotten my crop upstairs, you'd be redder than a tomato right about now!"

"W-Well, I don't care about your stupid crop!" Lola huffed, her voice cracking as she struggled to hold back tears. That voice and glare was getting to her. In a swift motion, she rushed forward and tightly wrapped her arms around her older sister's legs. "I... I don't want you to get hurt, so let me go with you! Please!"

"And I don't want you to get hurt either!" Lori calmed her voice to its natural tone, giving her eyes a moment to relax after the intense staring contest. Bringing a hand forward, she gently petted the princess' head. "And the rest of you, too. BUT, I've got to do what I gotta do, so stay put! Got it, Lola?"

"I'm sorry, Lori, but I don't think I can let you do that either," Lincoln butted in, lowering his raised hand and rolling his shoulder. "And I'm pretty sure everyone else thinks that, too."

"Yeah, dude! Family's gotta stick together! You even said so yourself!" Luna backed him up, going in for a group hug followed by the rest of the lineup.

Lori had feared this turn of events, but accepted its inevitability nonetheless as she returned the multiple embraces. "...Fine. I need all of you to go take some inventory around here, then."

"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!" Came a resounding affirmation. God, she loved her siblings.

The group hug broke shortly after and everyone dashed off in every direction, except for Leni, who seemed to just be standing there, staring at a wall.

"Leni, what are you doing? I said to go take inventory, like, checking if we're running low on something!" Lori asked, lightly tapping her sister's shoulder.

"What? Oh! I AM taking inventory!" She cheerfully replied, pointing at the wall. "See? There's one, two, three, four pictures of us right there!"

Again, Lori should have expected this. "Uh, good job, Leni!" She congratulated her on a job well done, proceeding to push her towards the stairs. "Now, I need you to go put on your driving outfit! I heard it's going to be extra sunny out there today, so I don't want you getting sunburn!"

"Extra bright?! I need my sunglasses!" Leni gasped and nodded her head before dashing upstairs. "Thanks, Lori!"

"No problem, sis," Lori rolled her eyes and sighed. Well, at least she'd be appropriately covered.

After a thorough fifteen minute search of the house, Lori blew her whistle again and summoned the household. The young scientist was still nowhere to be found, however. "Lisa! Come down or we're leaving you here!"

"Then please do, I have much more work to undertake!" Lisa called from somewhere upstairs, most likely her room. "Analysis, statishtics, chemishtry!"

"Alright, fine! Just make sure to check the doors and windows—"

"Duly noted, carry on with your dangeroush and risky adventure!"

"Okay, good..." Lori grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she focused on the group before her. "Now, what did you guys find? At ease, by the way— for real, this time."

Lynn hesitantly lowered her hand and relaxed her stance. "Well, we're doing pretty good on tennis balls, and there's a few jugs of water in the basement!"

"And we still have an a-peeling banana and pie supply!" Luan added, with a chuckle.

"We've got about a week worth of leftovers in the fridge, and enough stuff to make more," Lincoln reported, maintaining his salute just in case.

"We've got our stuff, bro," Luna shrugged, "And we still have that bike-powered generator down there in case we need it."

"Well, we've kept a ton of food for the pets!" Lana conjured and proudly presented her pet lizard Izzy from seemingly nowhere. Then again, it wasn't the first time the child had hidden small critters in her clothing.

"And I can't find my driving smoothie!" Leni pouted, adjusting her goggles. Why have the suit without the delicious beverage that goes with it?

"You can make one when we get back," Lori nodded towards the door. "Good work everyone. NOW, you will all march SINGLE-FILE to the van, get in, and FASTEN your seatbelts! Am I understood?"

They didn't respond to her in time, so she gave them an encouraging "Go, go, go! Forward, march!" just to be sure.

"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"

The siblings boldly marched out the door and towards the van with Lori following closely behind, watching her surroundings like a hawk with a hand on her gun. Bring it on, mysterious infectious disease; she's ready and waiting for you!

Once everyone was properly buckled in, Lori popped the key into the ignition and started up the van. It was only rare times like these where she would truly appreciate seeing the fuel gauge shooting up to its highest possible point over the meter. Before pulling out of the driveway, she gave her phone one last check.

Well, that was odd; Bobby still hadn't even sent her a text ever since the emergency broadcast was issued on the television!

"Is something wrong?" Lincoln asked as Lori put her phone away and began to back out.

"It's nothing, Lincoln," She simply shook her head as she shifted into reverse and turned the steering wheel, staring off into the rear-view mirror. "Let's go find Mom and Dad."

The roads of their parents' daily commute were seemingly untouched by the currently unfolding events. Only a few other cars dotted the pavement every now and again to breathe life and purpose into it once more. If anything, it was the exact opposite of rush hour— that is, until they had approached the city limits. Suddenly, the asphalt gradually began to vanish before Vanzilla as the traffic dramatically grew denser and denser, the now constant honking of horns serving as its greatly delayed harbinger.

Curious as to the reasoning for this unexpected crowding, Lori ordered Luna to switch the radio on and change the stations for her. The command was just, as declared by one of the sacred rules of "Frontsies": "Thee who possesses frontsies shalt change thy station at thy driver's will!"

With a roll of her eyes, Luna turned the dial as she surfed through the frequencies, stopping for a brief moment when her favorite Mick Swagger track started to play. A glare from a rather unamused Lori quickly snapped her out of the zone, and she reluctantly continued to browse through the broadcasting networks.

Eventually, she had come across the right one, as that familiar voice began to speak again.

"Repeat, DO NOT attempt to leave the state of Michigan! Armed forces have been ordered to shoot all infected ON SIGHT!" Oh, the initial broadcast must've been set to loop. Luna went to spin the dial again, only for the voice to unexpectedly change script. "The state lines of Michigan and the Canadian border are NOT safe! There is NO active evacuation plan at this current time! Until further notice, NOBODY is being permitted to leave EITHER peninsula by military OR CDC personnel!"

Lori glanced up at the hanging freeway signs as they passed by, taking note of the other route markers. These people must still be trying to leave the state, even after they were strongly advised against the decision. The man had suggested that quite literally every inch of the border would be blocked off by now, so how were they expecting to leave?

The next mile of traffic was even more congested, thanks to a number of panicked people flying down the road and into other motorists, slowing everyone else to a tedious bumper-to-bumper crawl. Eventually, Vanzilla escaped the sea of white-knuckled drivers through an exit, and the residential streets ahead were all clear.

After an excruciatingly long period of silence, someone finally spoke up when the van suddenly came to a stop. "Are we there yet?"

"Nope, not yet," Lori shook her head, honking the horn and rolling down the window. "Some jerk's standing in the middle of the road."

A man had stumbled onto the street and stopped only a few feet in front of them, staring off to the other side of the road as he froze in place, standing there motionless.

"HEY! Get out of the way, idiot!" Lori stuck her head out the window and shouted at him, the horn continuing to blare as she held it down. What's this guy's problem? Is he drunk or something? Did he somehow manage fall asleep standing up?

Slowly, the man craned his head around to face her. He didn't say anything; he just stared at her with those soulless eyes of his. His body eventually turned with him, revealing a mixture of blood and vomit splattered on a once plain white dress shirt. At least that didn't exactly rule out him just being really, really drunk, right? Lori retracted her head back into the van and quickly rolled the window back up, peering into the overhead mirror to confirm that her brother and sisters had just seen the same exact thing.

"Wha... Guys? What's going on?" Leni mumbled as she woke up from her beauty nap, lazily rubbing her eyes as her head remained rested on Lincoln's shoulder. "...Are we at the mall yet?"

"Um, nope. Not yet, Leni," Lincoln lightly petted her head as he continued to stare straight ahead. "I'll tell you when, okay?"

Cautiously, Lori honked the horn twice more, watching the man's face for any reactions. He still stood his ground as he stared at them, much like a showdown from one of those old cowboy movies Dad tried to get his kids to watch. His expression was blank and emotionless, and any signs of body language were practically nonexistent.

"Hey Lori?" Luna glanced between her sister and the suspicious man. "I think we should just, like, go around him. This might be one of those traps they set up in really bad neighborhoods..."

Lincoln, however, recognized the strange behavior like the back of his hand and shouted, "That's not a man, that's a zombie! Just drive, Lori!" This was exactly like that one comic book series that had him sleeping with the lights on for almost a week!

"A zombie, Lincoln?" Luna rolled her eyes as she turned back to face him. "Dude, this is the real world. Not every 'highly infectious disease' is a mega-zombie virus, bro!"

As if on cue, the man suddenly broke into a full-fledged sprint, quickly closing the distance between them as he slammed himself against the windshield. An ear-shattering wail came from his mouth as he began to bang his fists on the glass, eliciting screams from everyone inside as well. "AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Lori's grip tightened on the steering wheel as she glanced between the man and her gun. She was strongly considering using it until she remembered the little ones were still in the back seats; they didn't need to see OR hear that just yet. Instead, she slammed her boot down hard on the accelerator. "Everyone, hang on tight, NOW!"

Vanzilla was quick to charge forwards at full speed, releasing an intimidating roar from its engine as it pulled the man along with it. It only took seconds until its prey was inevitably sucked down and crushed beneath the powerful wheels of the gas-guzzling beast, the bumps causing the vehicle to wildly swerve shortly afterwards as Lori reduced speed and struggled to stay on the road.

Once they turned a corner, Lori detached her pair of aviators from her shirt with a free hand, flicking out the arms as she slipped them on, fueled with confidence. "That's right, that LITERALLY just happened," She grinned, as her siblings just sat there in their seats, awestruck by their brave older sister's performance.

"Oh my gosh," Lana began, actually pinching herself to ensure that she hadn't just imagined the previous event. "That was awesome!"

"Still think that wasn't a zombie?" Lincoln smirked at Luna's face, her mouth still wide open in disbelief.

"That was absolutely phenomenal," Lucy remarked in a monotone, giving her sister a thumbs-up in the mirror. "I am speechless. Gasp."

"Was that it?" Leni asked as she sat up, letting loose a much-deserved sigh of relief before scolding Lori. "Lori! What did I tell you? You KNOW I don't like haunted houses! That scared the corn out of me!"

"Corn?" Lincoln glanced up at her, confused. She must have picked up the wrong magazine again...

The van came to a stop by the curb directly outside the dentist's office, and Lori double-checked the door locks before unbuckling her seatbelt. It was just a couple of hours past twelve when they had arrived, having left the house somewhere around noon.

"Listen up! All of you will STAY PUT in this van, and under NO circumstances will you unlock these doors for anyone BUT me, understood?" Lori commanded them after blowing her whistle, turning back to stare her siblings down and ensure they were paying attention. "I SAID, am I UNDERSTOOD?"

"MA'AM, UNDERSTOOD, MA'AM!" They shouted, sitting up straight in their seats and saluting to circumvent the low roof.

"Good. Now, if I don't come back in five minutes, DO NOT go looking for me, got it? Just leave me behind and help Leni drive you guys home," Lori nodded and instructed them as she swung her door open. "Luna, you're in charge until I get back. Make sure NOBODY leaves or enters Vanzilla without MY consent."

"You got it, Boss—" Luna began, until the elder sister glared at her. "I-I mean, MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"

"That's more like it," And with that, Lori stepped out and shut the door behind her.

She slowly approached the entrance of the stand-alone dentist's office, stepping as silently as she possibly could against the pavement in her riding boots. Her surroundings outside were completely clear, which only further worried her as she spotted Mom's car among the very few still parked in the lot.

Her suspicions were fully piqued once she discovered the glass door was forcefully opened, its glass pane having been shattered into large, easily avoidable shards on both the asphalt outside and the shiny linoleum inside. Cautiously, she stepped through the frame, drawing her pistol from its holster and aiming it around as she cleared the waiting room.

Something seemed strangely off about the room to her; maybe just how deserted it felt, compared to how busy it usually was whenever she was forced to visit.

Suddenly, a strong, repulsive odor assaulted her nostrils as she came close to the front desk, sending her reeling away for a brief moment. It was terrible— even worse than the one time trash was piled up everywhere in the house after Lincoln went on his chore strike! Curious as to its source, she flashed her gun around the area behind her again before pacing around to the other side of the desk. There was nothing on the floor, but there WAS a vent mounted on the ceiling above it, further emitting the horrific stench.

Unless something had crawled up into the vents and died, it must have been coming from another room. So, with a deep breath, she pushed forward through the archway and into the operating room, stopping dead in her tracks and gawking as she observed the terrifying sight before her.

The surrounding walls were carelessly doused in streaks of dried blood and bits of dirt, the scuff marks and assorted dental paraphernalia scattered on the once sterile floor tiles showing signs of struggle towards the back of the room. Interestingly, there was an exit door in the corner of the far wall, seemingly propped open by something.

However, it wasn't the dirty floor or bloodied walls that frightened the elder sister; what she saw before her was a completely different sight to behold. An orange-haired girl about her age laid limp on a dental chair, her mouth locked agape even in death as blood leaked from a vicious bite wound on her neck. Holding in the urge to vomit, Lori took only two steps closer to get a better look, her weapon held low. The teeth marks were too big to have come from any animals common to the area— no, they seemed familiar, almost... Human.

Slowly and carefully pacing past the girl, Lori spotted a much older brunette woman splayed out face down on the floor with a similar chunk of flesh missing from her neck. Being thankful for not having enough from breakfast to empty all over said floor, she kept her distance from both the corpse and the puddle of gore that had since formed.

Moving to the back, Lori discovered what was holding the emergency exit door open: a person's arm was caught in the door from outside. There were three bodies, and she didn't quite recognize them except for the orange-haired girl. Apparently, she was a regular to the place, always coming in for a free cleaning in lieu of brushing her own teeth thanks to her expensive dental plan. Outside of that, she didn't know much more about her, as she didn't attend the same school as her, as hinted by the fancy school uniform. Either way, Lori just couldn't help but grumble, "Prissy..." under her breath.

Suddenly, her ears picked up a soft gurgling noise emanating from beyond the bathroom door on the far side of the room. As she tread closer to its source, the sound changed to one very similar to chewing, accompanied by almost synchronous low grunts. Something was in there, and it seemed to be eating something, but what?

Lori leaned against the door and shifted her weight as she gradually pushed it open, holding her pistol up to her face with a finger on the trigger as more and more of the private restroom came into view. She halted her advance the moment her eyes caught sight of movement, straightening out her arms as she prepared to take aim.

At first glance, she saw a man in the far left corner, down on his knees and hunched over as he chowed down on something. Much too overzealous to see someone in this place who was still alive, she considered calling out to him get his attention, until her brain continued to process the image before her. His clothing was excessively wrinkled and soiled, his coal-colored hair was an absolute frizzled mess, and the walls of the corner were defaced and splattered with blood.

Strangely, and much to Lori's dismay, the man had somehow taken notice of her, arching his head straight back to stare her right in the eyes as his nostrils flared. A trail of blood drooled out from his mouth as it opened, flowing down and trickling into his cold, lifeless eyes. He didn't seem to react to it at all, not even blinking at the potentially blinding obstruction; hell, there was even a dental pick lodged deep in the man's right eye!

If one thing was for certain, it was that that being in the corner was no longer human. Especially so when the "man" shakily stood up from his kneeling position and turned around, revealing the blood-drenched front of his cream-colored v-neck. As his body moved out of the way, Lori finally figured out what he had been feasting on: a fourth dead body in the corner, having now fallen over after being released from the monster's grasp.

She didn't get enough time to get a good look, however, as the man disrupted her with a loud hiss. She kept her gun raised, pointed directly at his head as she made a final effort to communicate with him. "Don't move!"

The former male said nothing and stepped forward, licking his crimson red teeth with an equally bloodied tongue.

"I said don't move!" Lori shouted, her finger tightening around the trigger in hesitation. "I'll shoot...!"

Without any visual cues at all, the creature simply charged towards her, its grimy hands grasping out for her as he growled and screeched loudly.

Bang.

The man fell right on his face, arms slipping out to his sides as he hit the floor and slid forward. Lori swiftly stepped out of the way, continuing to focus her aim on him as she moved to the back of the room to put more distance between them. The beast made no more movements or sounds, leading her to believe that it had since perished. Watching closely for a whole minute just to be safe, she caught her breath and turned her back to him as she went to get a look at the body in the corner.

An older woman in her thirties or forties laid there on the floor. Her hair was blonde, and she was wearing a pink top with white cuffs and collar— wait a minute, that sounded AND looked familiar. Those eyes, too... She couldn't mistake them no matter how hard she tried! Lori cupped her hands over her mouth and gasped as she came to the bitter revelation, being wary to hang onto her firearm this time as she dropped down.

"M-Mom...?"

Indeed it was her mother, having suffered a similar fate of a violent gaping wound on the side of her neck, which was most likely the creature's preferred method of attack. Lori could even see some of the now exposed bone upon closer inspection, and she wanted nothing of it as her eyes began to water. As much as she wanted to keep it together, she just... Couldn't. She pulled her dear mother into her arms and held her tightly as tears began to flow, her head rested on the less bloody shoulder.

She didn't want to let go, but eventually her phone rang to alert her that three and a half minutes had passed since she left the van. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one to be snapped back into action. The presumably dead man began to stir, a low groaning coming from his throat as he struggled to get back up at a snail's pace.

Lori was quick to get a grip of herself, beating the beast to the punch as she jumped up and, with a click of the trigger, planted yet another bullet in its skull. She wiped her eyes with her free hand after ensuring it was clean enough, toughing through the ringing of her ears as she approached the downed monster.

"Why, you dirty little...!" She snarled as her mood shifted from grief to anger, using all of her strength to stop herself from emptying the whole magazine into the creature's limp body. It wasn't killing people because it was hungry, now was it? No, it only went for the throat, for a quick kill! The absolute, LITERAL—!

Lori took a deep breath and shook her head as she mentally counted to ten. She couldn't afford to be breaking down right now; she still had work to do. Her mother may be gone now because of that freak of nature, but she couldn't let her petty emotions endanger the rest of her family. So, with a sigh, she took one last glance at the now deceased beloved before she finally trudged out the room— but not before punting that monster's head as hard as she could.

"Has anyone seen Lori yet?" Lincoln asked as he peered out the window, his hands planted against it. "How long has it been?"

"About four minutes or so, bro," Luna stared at the clock, counting with her fingers. "Might wanna call it soon..."

"Call what?" Leni piped up, looking right over Lincoln's head as she seemingly scanned the perimeter.

"That Lori's not coming back, dude," Luna blinked, feeling like she had just repeated herself. "Didn't you hear what we were talking about before she left?"

"Oh! We don't have to call Lori!" Leni smiled as she pointed towards the building's entrance. "She's like, right there, see?"

"Wait, WHAT?!"

Indeed, Lori had finally returned from her journey inside the dentist's office, seemingly unscathed as she opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

"Oh hey, Lori! For a second there, Luna thought that you weren't gonna come out!" Lincoln greeted her, with a chuckle.

"What? HEY! No I wasn't!" The rocker was quick on the defensive, throwing up her hands.

"So, uh, Mom wasn't in there? I saw her car parked over there still, so..." Lincoln asked his older sister, scratching the back of his head.

"No, Lincoln, she wasn't," Lori provided him an answer, her voice faltering just slightly on the last part as she turned the key in the ignition and fastened her seatbelt. "She's... probably somewhere much safer now."

---

Lincoln couldn't help but raise a brow at that response. He knew something was up, but he just didn't have enough evidence to even begin questioning her!

The journey was silent once again as the van cruised down the highway, the traffic having noticeably lightened up after the initial flood of motorists looking to escape. The radio was turned back on, the man's voice looping that same cautionary warning to stay indoors and not even dare tread near state lines, lest one find themselves being fired upon by armed militia.

"Lori?" The boy tried to get the driver's attention, shifting his weight off the door as he sat up straight. His sister Leni had taken to the comfort of his shoulder again, which he didn't really mind, especially if it meant he was able to sit in the Sweet Spot.

"What is it, Lincoln?" A peculiarly annoyed Lori answered, flicking the turn signal on as she moved to overtake a car in front of her.

"Uhm, where do you think Mom went?" He asked her, nervously fiddling with his shirt's buttons as he caught a glimpse of her face in the rear-view mirror.

"I don't know, somewhere," She simply shrugged, holding the steering wheel with one hand as she handed her phone over to Luna with the other. "Maybe she tried to leave and she's stuck up there with everyone else."

"Should we go get her?"

"No, she's gonna be fine over there, it's pretty safe and secure from what I've heard. So, that's one down, now we've got to go find Dad."

"Alright then..." Lincoln stroked his chin, befuddled by the vagueness of her answers. How could Mom have managed to make it that far without using her car? As he pondered over it, he only became more suspicious of her when he spotted a blood stain on the inner upper arm area of her jacket's sleeve.

"Yo, Lori!" Luna interrupted his trail of thought before he could mull over it any further. "Bobby just sent you a text, dude!"

"WHAT?!" Lori nearly swerved off the road as she glanced over to her designated co-pilot. "Well go on, read it!"

"Alright, ah..." Luna held the phone out so her older sister could unlock it with a finger before pulling up the message. "Let's see... Oh, there we go!"

"A-hem! Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-dooo!" She cleared her throat, singing a few scales before Lori glared at her. "Alright! From Bobby one minute ago: 'Sorry babe, RA said I couldn't talk to you so I had to hide from her, xoxo'. Oh cool, he even threw in some love for you, sis!"

"Okay, then send him back this," Lori growled as she returned her gaze to the road, "What the LITERAL heck, why?!"

"Sure thing, sis!" Luna nodded, proceeding to type out the phrase "wtLh why" and sending it. "You wanted the 'L' capitalized, right?"

"Um, Lori?" Lincoln tried to get his older sister's attention back, his attempt unfortunately falling on deaf ears as the phone produced a pinging noise. He went to reach out for her, only for Leni to grab his arm and hug it tightly as she stirred in her sleep. He probably wasn't getting that back anytime soon.

"Hey, Lori! Hey! Hey! Lori! Lori? Lori!" Luan called out to her, snickering like a madwoman.

"What is it, Luan?" The elder sister groaned, while Luna pulled up yet another text message.

"Heehee... RA-n't you glad I didn't say Lori again?"

"LUAN, I SWEAR TO—!"

"Got another text from Bobby 'ere, sis!" Luna interrupted her before she could sully the ears of the innocent youth in the back seats. "'Can't talk right now, got-to-go, frowny-face, talk to you later, heart you forever'."

"THAT'S IT?!" Lori snapped, carelessly cutting off the poor driver of the sedan trailing behind her. "Fine, I can play that game too. Call him."

"Straight to voicemail, sis. Might be off now," Luna simply shrugged at the dial tone.

"Hey, Lori...?" Lincoln made one more attempt.

"Not right now, twerp."

"But—!"

Lori shot him a gaze of boiling fury, the overwhelming volcano of anger and annoyance putting a quick end to the failed inquiry.

"Yo, Lori, weren't we supposed to go find Dad, too?" Luna asked in lieu of the now frozen stiff Lincoln.

"Yeah, why?"

"...His office is across the street, sis."

"DARN IT!" With a pained groan, Lori planted her hand to her forehead as she took the nearest exit. How in the world did she forget that? That was LITERALLY impossible!

Within the following hour, Vanzilla reached its next destination, eliciting a low purr from its engine as it slowed to a stop and stretched its... Wheels?

Lori wasted no time whatsoever as she ran through the "Five Minute Rule" with her siblings again, disembarking shortly after and hastily pacing towards the doors of the high-rise building.

The interior was dimly lit, the main ceiling lights having yet to be fully turned on for the evening; however, there was just enough brightness to keep the darkness away.

This was already beginning to feel like a bad omen, especially with the handful of dead former humans sprawled across the floor. Well, at least the doors weren't as broken this time.

As she cleared each room on the ground floor only to find them devoid of life, Lori began to ponder over the fairly upsetting thoughts in her mind. What if Dad was gone, too? What if the others found out? What if Luan starts calling everyone Batman?

She lowered her guard for a brief second and paused. Not the Batman jokes— she can already imagine them!

"Our parents are dead? Guess we'll just have Two-Face it! Hah! Get it?" Luan's voice burned through Lori's mind like a corrosive acid, making her cringe at the potentially bleak future set out before her.

With a sigh, she walked over to and ascended the stairs to the next floor, immediately taking note of the barricades set up on said floor. The top of the stairs was blocked off by two desks, which she hesitantly climbed over.

The hallway was noticeably brighter this time around, but that wasn't much of a concern to her at this point.

The body of one of the terrifying monsters lay in a bloody mess not too far from an open room, a discarded fire extinguisher off to the side being the most likely weapon to have brought it to its end. Lori cautiously approached the corpse, prodding its side with her boot to confirm it was dead before proceeding into the new area.

As she stepped past the doorframe, she could have sworn she felt something get caught on one of her boots. Before she could react to it, however, an airhorn sounded off! A man stirred out of his apparent daze in the far corner, bringing up an aerosol can in one hand and a zippo lighter in the other.

"Score one more for Puzzle Loud..." She heard him grumble, as he lined up the impending buffet of fire.

"Wait!" Lori pleaded, her weapon raised as she prepared to return fire. "I'm not one of those things!"

"Huh?" The man paused his assault upon hearing the awfully familiar voice. The girl's appearance was fairly recognizable to him, too: it was a striking resemblance to a certain someone really special to him! If only his mind wasn't so foggy right now. "Alright, hold on just a minute now! You're..."

Lori slowly lowered her pistol as she took a step closer, just in time for her to make the connection with a gasp.

"...Dad?"

"Lori?" The man put his hand to his forehead. How could he almost forget his firstborn child? As she began to make a dash for him, he preemptively halted her with a shaking extended hand. "Don't get too close, Hun. I'm not feeling too hot right now."

Lori reluctantly resisted the urge to embrace her still much alive father: it was a miracle! Tears were brought to her eyes by the simple sentiment, and she tried extra hard to remain strong against it, especially in her Dad's presence. "I... I thought I lost you...!"

"Not just yet, sweetheart. Daddy's still got a trick or two up these dusty old sleeves," He gave a much needed lighthearted chuckle as he glanced over to his arm. The sleeves in question were pulled up, revealing a forearm curiously bandaged with gauze. "Unfortunately, not this one..."

"What happened to your arm?" Lori was quick to ask, taking another step towards him, this time without being stopped.

"Well, did you see my handiwork outside?" Dad smirked, playfully flexing his muscles. "I've still got it, but it looks like Mr. Chompy over there somehow took a bite out of me."

"That's okay, Dad, we can just have Lisa look at it, and—"

"No, Lori. You know I wouldn't dare risk getting all of you sick, too," He cut her off, glancing down towards the pistol in her hands. "Is that 'The Puzzler'?"

"Nobody could enjoy a cubicle puzzle, not even you," Lori nodded proudly, cracking a grin.

"Smart thinking, dear. So... Is she okay?"

"What? Yeah, everyone's in the van—"

"No, no, I know that your brother and sisters are perfectly fine under your watch. Is your mother alright, though?"

Lori suddenly fell silent and simply shook her head. She just couldn't come up with the words or courage to tell him the atrocities she had witnessed in that dentist's office.

"Oh, I see..." Dad's expression turned to one of defeat, gesturing towards her with his other hand. "How many bullets are in there then, Lori?"

"Thirteen, why?"

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," He let his eyes fall down towards the floor, "Your father wasn't feeling too happy when he put those in..."

"Wait, were those... For us?" Lori asked, dumbfounded as she ejected the magazine to double-check it, sliding it back in afterwards.

"I don't think I could live with any of you getting hurt by those 'things', Hun," Well, at least he was honest. "Well come on, give me it please."

"What do you mean?"

"Just give me the gun, Lori," Dad shook his head, holding out his hand expectantly. "I don't want you to see this next part..."

"B-But Lisa can fix it!" Lori whined, the firearm shaking in her hands. She was reaching the point of becoming hysterical rather quickly. "Lisa can fix anything!"

"Not this time, honey. Just give me it, please." Dad remained calm, even in the face of death.

"No! I-I'd rather do it myself...!" She blurted out, furiously shaking her head as her vision blurred from the tears in her eyes.

"Okay then, sweetie," Her father reluctantly obliged, letting his arm fall back to his side. "At least promise me you'll close your eyes..."

"F-Fine..." Lori nodded along, closing her eyes after hesitantly lining up with his head. She was on the verge of completely losing it; all she wanted to do right now was to run off and hide in her room for "literally forever"!

After what felt like an eternity, her finger gradually tightened around the trigger. She was almost there, almost free...

"DAD?!" Came a simultaneous gasp from her siblings. How they all managed to walk up behind her without being detected was an absolute mystery.

"What are you doing here?!" Lori quickly snapped back into action, despite her eyesight being more than compromised. "I told you to stay in the van!"

"Sorry Lori," Lincoln began to explain, scratching the back of his head. "We all waited five minutes, and you didn't come out, so we went looking for you."

"What? But I told you guys to leave if I don't come back, Lincoln!"

"W-Well, it was Luna's idea!"

"Hey! No it wasn't!" Luna threw up her hands, aghast. "Why do I get the blame for all this?!"

"And I wanted to see what a panda-demic looked like!" Leni rather enthusiastically remarked, glancing around the room. "I still haven't seen any pandas, or 'demics'!"

"Dad!" The little twins shouted again as they pushed to the front, making a beeline towards him until his raised hand stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Don't get too close, you two. Daddy's a bit sick."

"Well, at least Dad's okay, too," Lincoln pondered to seemingly himself, folding his arms and tapping his chin in deep thought. Dad shot a look to Lori, and she simply shook her head.

"Well, aren't we gonna go back home now?" Lynn asked, stretching herself out as she prepared for a mad dash to the front seat.

He went to shoot her down with the horrible truth, but the many looks of deep concern and unconditional love before him froze his jaw in place. Ah, kids, both the bane and light of a father's existence. He knew that arguing with them wouldn't get him anywhere, so, with a sigh, he accepted the inevitable.

"Yes, Lynn. We're going back home."

Dad was barraged with a plethora of questions from the doors of the office building to the van, being able to only partially answer each one as he struggled with a headache "as painful as a 10,000-piece puzzle painted all white". With his insistence, he was seated in the front seat, with his hands tied behind his back with an extension cord.

"Phew, it's getting a little hot in here, don't you think?" He broke the sudden moment of silence, wishing he could fan himself off.

"But it's like, seventy degrees in here, Dad," Luna responded from the seat behind him.

"Really? Are you sure you didn't mix it up with ninety, dear? It's like I'm at Aloha Beach with all of you!" Dad was now visibly sweating, his moistened forehead glistening in the light.

"No, it says seventy-two," Lori took her eyes off the road to check the thermostat.

"Hey! Eyes forward are the core words, Lori!" Be it rain or shine, his parenting skills were always on point.

"Sorry, Sir..." She rolled her eyes, "Anyway, it sure isn't ninety in here."

"Then can someone who isn't busy being a responsible driver turn it down a bit, please?"

"Sure thing, Dad!" Luna gladly obliged, climbing over the arm rest of the center console in order to reach the dial. "Sixty-six good enough for ya'?"

"That should be enough. Thank you, dear," He weakly smiled at her, nodding his head.

While Dad was hopefully much more comfortable, his children scooted just a bit closer to eachother in the back seats. For the kids, it was a very small price to pay to have their father back and be able to head back home after being cramped up in the van for so long. For Lori, however, it meant that she could go to sleep tonight knowing she had saved at least one life today.

"Is something wrong, Lori?" Lincoln asked rather unexpectedly. Apparently, a tear had fallen from her eye.

"What? No, Lincoln, I think the sun just got in my eye," She quickly dismissed him, shaking her head. Her hands may have been tainted, so she couldn't just wipe it away, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.

"But it's almost sunset, Lori!"

"Well, then my allergies might be acting up a bit, okay?!" She raised her voice at him in a frantic attempt to backtrack.

"Okay, okay, sorry..!"

---

"If you're an aberration and/or horrible mishtake of science driven purely by primal instinct, nobody'sh home!" Lisa shouted in response to a knock at the door.

"Oh, I'll SHOW you a horrible mistake of science if you don't open this door, Lisa!" Lori shouted right back, banging her fist against it thrice more.

"Fair enough," The bite-sized genius strolled down the stairs and unlocked the front door, glancing up at her older sister as she held it open for her. "We'll just have to set up code words for everyone some other time."

"Then let that be mine," Lori scoffed, rolling her eyes and folding her arms.

"Actually Lori, I believe a better code word for you would be 'I am an adolescent homo shapien with a fairly fifty-fifty chance to be currently undergoing mens—'" Lori's hands shooting out and gripping her throat wasn't what stopped the inconceivably smug Lisa; instead, it was the sight of her dreary father being led into the house. "My word, speaking of men, what hath afflicted the household patriarch?"

"What happens to little scientists who try to get smart with me," Lori growled under her breath as she walked past her. It was the wrong time, the wrong place, and there were way too many witnesses.

"One of the zombies bit his arm," Lincoln explained, in place of his father wincing from an increasingly staggering head pain.

"Hm, what a coincidence, if such a concept exists. I wash looking forward to studying this outbreak," Lisa nodded along, "I can keep him adequately contained in my quarters with both myself and my associate Lily."

"Putting a baby in the same room as a potential zombie? You're crazier than I thought, Lisa!" Lincoln scolded her, wagging his finger.

"'Potential zombie'? Are you suggeshting that I am incapable of diagnosing and curing a simple disease, Lincoln?" The genius folded her arms. Without a response, she huffed, "That'sh what I thought. Now, if there are no further objections, please follow after me, father."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Hun?" Dad asked her on the way up the stairs, "Maybe the basement would be a better option?"

Lisa opened the door to her room, and Dad was forced to hold his tongue. On the baby's side of the room was a fairly large glass containment cell, with two hazmat suits hanging from the wall, the second much shorter than the first.

"Lisa..." Dad began, his eyes widened in awe.

"Yes, father?"

"Why is there... That, where Lily's crib should be? And WHY, is it there?"

"Have you ever seen Lily contract nasopharyngitis anywhere near as often as the majority of your children do?"

"I-If you mean a cold," Dad scratched the back of his head as he struggled to get those gears turning again. They seemed to be slowing down just a bit too fast for a bona-fide Puzzle Expert! "Then no, I haven't."

"In that case, behold the 'magician's secret', dear father," Lisa casually presented it, walking over to pull a clipboard down from the wall. "Though, I've grown rather fond of labeling it 'Applied Lisa-Science', as first coined and shuggested by Lincoln,"

"So, you're going to put me in a glass box and poke me with needles like a sick zoo animal?" He narrowed his eyes at her, until the headache returned at full force.

"Well, if that's how you see the process of establishing and maintaining a quarantine, then 'yes', father," Lisa shrugged, pulling the reinforced glass door open. "Though, 'needle-poking' can be kept to a minimum if you'd desire such."

"Poo-Poo!" Lily suddenly piped up, sitting up in her crib.

"Stay right over there, Lily! Don't climb out of your crib!" Dad urged the infant, quickly backing himself into the glass cell. "Alright, close the door, Lisa!"

"Would you not prefer having your wrists unbound, father?" The young genius questioned him curiously. "I'd hypothesize that to not be comfortable in the slightest—"

"No, no, it's okay, Hun! Just close it, I'll be fine," Dad hastily denied the offer, shaking his head. Those last words, however, began to repeat over and over again in his mind as the door sealed shut.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the house, a rather nosy Lincoln had his ear pressed up against the door of his oldest sister, eavesdropping like a pro; well, as much of a pro as reading numerous editions of Ace Savvy can make someone.

"Oh hey, Lincoln! What are you doing?" Leni scared the living daylights out of him as she casually sauntered up behind him. "Why are you hugging my door?"

"Uh, hey, Leni..." The boy regained his sense of awareness as he quickly thought up an excuse for his admittedly suspicious activity. "Ah, well... Your door was being really nice to me today, so I, uh, decided to hug it, yeah!"

"Really? I thought I was the only one who hugs doors!" His sister seemed to buy it as she turned and walked away, humming to herself.

"WAIT!" She suddenly shouted out, having already made it to the staircase. "You didn't glue yourself to my door by accident, did you?!"

"What? No, Leni, I'm—" Lincoln struggled for another excuse, in vain.

"OH NO!" She dashed over to him, wrapping her arms around him as she effortlessly pulled him off the door. "It's okay! I'll help you, Lincoln! ...Wait, I don't see any glue here!"

"Uhm, that's because it's... Invisi-Glue?" Lincoln looked up at her to see if she had fallen for it again.

"Oh, okay! I think I stepped in that once! It was all over the floor in your room, and—"

"NO LENI, IT'S NOT THAT!"

"Really? Then what is it?" She tilted her head as she placed him back down on his feet.

"Okay, fine, I was spying on your room, okay?" Lincoln huffed, lowering his head in shame. " I'm sorry, Leni, I... I thought I heard Lori crying in there."

"Crying? Lori doesn't do that! She just gets a lot of things stuck in her eyes!" Leni cheerfully reassured him, shaking her head. "I think it's because her eyelashes are too short!"

Without any warning whatsoever, the door swung open, and Lincoln turned around to find a puffy-eyed Lori standing in the doorway.

"What's going on out here?" She stared between the two, with a sniff. "And what are you two doing?"

"Oh hey, Lori! I was just telling Lincoln about how I stepped in—" Leni began, only for Lincoln to quickly cover her mouth with his hand.

"Heeyyy, Lori!" Lincoln greeted his older sister, wearing a phony grin from ear to ear. "Are you, uh, feeling alright?"

"Just peachy, Lincoln," Lori furrowed her brow and folded her arms: this could LITERALLY only mean one thing. "What do you want?"

"Well, I just wanted to know if you're okay is all... It sounded like you were upset, and—"

"Oh, that," Lori nodded as she leaned back and peered into her room, her gaze soon setting upon her phone resting atop her nightstand. "...Bobby didn't call me back yet, that's all."

"Oh, okay then, Lori. ...Well, uh, it's almost dinnertime— AUGH!" Lincoln's proposition was cut short by the unsettling feeling of something licking his hand! "Ew, Leni! What the heck was that for?!"

"Sorry Lincoln! Your hand was there, and I was there, and... I dunno!" Leni simply shrugged, with a smile. "You've been using my soap! I knew you'd like it!"

"WHAT?! NO!" Lincoln yelped, frantically shaking his head. Did it just get twenty degrees hotter in here?

"Well?" Lori cleared her throat, grabbing their attention again. "Is that all you wanted? Can I go back now?"

"Oh, well, like I said, I could really use some help getting dinner ready for everyone..." Lincoln half-asked her, scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, fine, I'll be out in a minute," She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, disappearing back into her room shortly after. "Go tell everyone else to come down, too."

"Sure thing, Lori," He nodded his head, taking Leni's hand as he lead her down the hallway.

In the improvised, yet still exceptionally phenomenal laboratory down the hall, science was taking place, as per usual. The great scientist and proprietor of the lab in question was busy at work, processing the readings of a freshly-extracted and tested blood sample.

"Intereshting," Lisa observed, as she continued down the page of results. "Father, if memory serves the both of ush correctly, you were only exposed to the virus via one or more bites to the arm, correct?"

"Let me think for a second, dear," Dad placed his hands to his forehead, his hands having only been unbound after a good couple minutes of strong insistence. "...Yes, it was just my arm. Stung pretty bad, too, in fact."

"That took more than a second, father, even if it wash not meant in the literal sense," The young scientist raised a brow towards him. "Have you been experiencing abnormalities while undergoing cognitive functions?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I think I—"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Remain outside, quarantine may have been compromised!" Lisa shouted to the visitor, as she returned to inspecting the vial of bodily fluids.

"Lisa! Dinner's going to be ready soon, come on down!" Lincoln called out to her, having received the cautionary warning not to enter.

"Silly Lincoln! That's not Lisa: that's another door!" Leni lightly petted his head, prompting him to roll his eyes.

"Sorry, but due to current circumstances, I will unfortunately be unable to attend," Lisa responded to him, as she continued to read the printed-out readings. "Do feel free to leave a portion adequately refrigerated for my later consumption, however."

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked her, before giving a shrug. "Alright then, I'll set some aside for you."

"You have my gratitude, Lincoln," Lisa nodded her head, as she prepared yet another syringe.

While Lincoln thought little of his sister turning down his offer as he continued over to the next room, unbeknownst to him, it would soon come to mark the beginning of a rather unfavorable turn of events.

---

At first, the missing presence of the in-house scientist was barely noticeable, at best being offhandedly remarked for only a brief, short-lived moment at the dinner table, only to be swiftly stomped out by more idle chatter. Nobody, not even Lori, had a single lingering suspicion, until the foil-wrapped meals began to pile up in the fridge.

The young prodigy, on the other hand, had been consistently busy over the course of the current and previous day, in a constant struggle to keep her beloved father's illness at bay. With her eyes half-lidded and forming bags, she paced back and forth from one wall to the other as she strained herself to comprehend the results of yet another test.

"Inconceivable..." escaped her lips, as she tried to piece the numbers and words together. Alas, the longer she stared at the page, the more its contents devolved into nothing more than meaningless blotches and symbols.

"Hun, are you feeling alright?" her father asked, the constant footsteps having triggered his headache, awakening him in the dead of night; it was actually rather surprising to him this time around, given that it had nothing to do with how bright the room's lights were.

"Yes, yesh, I'm... Fine," Lisa mumbled between yawns as she took a seat at her desk. "Should you not be preoccupied with 'recharging the Puzzle Matrix' at the current moment?"

"And shouldn't you be dreaming about a laboratory filled with only the world's greatest minds right about now, dear?" Dad retorted, idly poking at the freshly-applied sterile gauze wrapped around his now one-day-and-some-hours-old wound.

"Newton's still on lunch break," she rolled her eyes, ignoring the agitated growl of her stomach.

"Did you even sleep last night?" Dad raised a brow, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Your cells are being mutated as we speak, father," Lisa effortlessly dodged the question like a fired blank on a Hollywood set as she compared the recent readings to a previous one. "Its growth is remarkable! It'sh resistant to antibiotics, doesn't seem to respond to temperature extremes or interaction with common viruses in a controlled environment, and its spread— it's almost unstoppable!"

"So, what you're saying is, there's nothing you can do about this?"

"Besides delaying the process for as long ash humanly possible, I'm afraid that is all that can be promised, father."

"Oh, alright then..." he lowered his head to think it over for a moment, glancing back up at her shortly after to continue on, with a sigh. "Well, that will be your choice to make: all I care about is whether or not the lights of my life are safe and sound. Speaking of which, when did you last eat, Hun?"

"Curioush," Lisa stood up and walked over to him, eliciting a yawn as she once again cleverly evaded another question. "Thish whole time, you've managed to avoid using my legal name in any form of communication. Do you happen to still recall it, father?"

"What? Of course I do! It's... It's..." Dad trailed off, along with his constantly slowing thoughts. Did you really forget your own daughter's name? C'mon, Puzzle Loud!

"Well?" Lisa awaited a response, flipping to a blank page on her clipboard as she detached an ink pen from the clip.

"Lee... Lise... Elise..." he mumbled, deep in thought. His daughter locked eyes with him as he frantically searched his brain from top to bottom for the answer.

"Intereshting," she nodded after a while, with just a hint of disappointment in her voice as she scribbled something down on the paper. "In that case, do you still retain ANY knowledge of the names bestowed upon your children?"

Coming up with not even a shred of the answer left in his mind, Dad lowered his head in utter shame. In that special little spot where all eleven of those wonderful names used to be stored, there was now only an ever-growing void of nothingness.

Could he even be considered their father at this point?

Lisa seemed to understand his silence, however, as she pulled the sheet of paper from her clipboard and cracked the glass door open just wide enough to slip it through. Written down in print for his convenience were the names, all beginning with an 'L', ordered from oldest to youngest.

"I'm sorry, I just can't seem to... Wrap my head around anything right now," he apologized, as he read through the same names that he himself took part in brainstorming. The horrible revelation caused a few tears to form in his eyes: how in the world could he forget their names?

"One of the virus' symptoms appears to be a form of retrograde amnesia, which is the inability to recall—" Lisa began to explain, until her father's loud retching interrupted her as he vomited on the floor.

"Hm, looks like vomiting's another one now. Interesting..."