Yesterday's Gone: Season One

“if he’s stopped barking, you can bring him out here and he can eat next to you on the bar. Sound good?”
    Luca smiled and said okay, then made small talk with Paola while Mary gathered food for the boy and his dog. Cocktail wieners and canned ham for Dog Vader, Mac N Cheese and chips for Luca.  
    “Thanks, Mom. That was really cool of you,” Paola said.  
    “Thanks, Mrs. Mary.” Luca said.  
    “Just Mary,” she said, pushing the lunches across the counter.  
    “Do you want to come with me to get Dog Vader?”
    “Of course!” Paola said.
    They crossed the lobby and entered the kitchen, but Dog Vader wasn’t inside.  
    “Lord Vader!” Luca called.
    Nothing.  
    “Where do you think he went?” Paola asked.  
    Luca looked around the room. Dog Vader wasn’t sleeping, and he wasn’t hiding. The freezer door was sealed, but the door leading outside looked like it was open a crack.  
    “Look!” Luca pointed at the door.  
    “I see it,” Paola said, her tone making his sad spiders start to crawl.  
    They heard noises from the other side of the door.  
    No barking, no growling and no whines. Only the sounds of tearing, like reams of paper being pulled apart, punctuated by splashes from something thick and wet, and... chewing.
    “Do you want me to go get Desmond?”  
    Luca shook his head and started walking toward the door.
    “Are you sure?” Paola repeated.
    Luca didn’t answer, just kept inching toward the door a half-step at a time until he stepped outside to find his dog.
    Outside, Luca didn’t cry. He couldn't; the horror was too much to react in any way other than stare.  
    Dog Vader was in a dozen pieces, with everything from his head to paws getting torn, chewed and mangled, before being cast to the concrete in bits of meat and bloody fur. Two of the monsters were fighting over what looked like Lord Vader’s front leg, while another was crouched on its knees, dipping its face into the dog’s guts.
    Pools of blood ran from Vader to Luca’s feet.
    The monster who was eating Dog Vader’s stomach, stopped, then looked at Luca and smiled, revealing dozens of sharp, blackened, blood stained teeth. It suddenly shot up to a standing position. It was at least seven feet tall.
    Paola screamed. “Come on, Luca, we have to go now !”
    Luca stood frozen.  
    Paola wrapped both arms around him, pulled him into the kitchen, then slammed the door behind them and slid the lock closed.  
    “Mommy!” she screamed.
    Luca sank to the floor and cried.  

    * * * *

EDWARD KEENAN

    Ed opened his eyes to a new visitor.  
    Two people were in his room, Sullivan and someone new. The new man was short, older, with graying curly hair and dark, brooding eyes beneath thick dark glasses. He wore a long-sleeved light blue shirt with gray slacks.
    Scientist. Name is Williams.
    Wait, how the fuck do I know that?
    “Hello Mr. Keenan,” said Sullivan. “How are you feeling today?”
    Today? A day has passed?
    “This is Mr. Williams. He’d like to ask you some questions.”
    “Great, my favorite game,” Ed said, as he pondered how he knew the man’s name. “And I’m still waiting for answers. Where is my daughter? Where is...”
    Shit, what is her name?
    Ed’s head was fuzzy. The pregnant girl’s name was on the tip of his tongue.
    Tongue... Tuh... Teagan!
    “Where’s Teagan?”
    “I’m afraid we had to move her somewhere ... safer.” Williams said in a slight British accent. “As for your daughter, she’s nearby. Don’t worry; we’re taking great care of her. We told her you were receiving a few medical tests and some treatment, so she isn’t too worried.”
    “How thoughtful of you,” Ed said. “Where are we? Where’s Teagan? What’s the danger here?”
    “In due time, Mr. Keenan. It is Mr. Keenan, correct?” Williams said, peering down at his clipboard and flipping to the next page.
    “Yes, Edward Keenan.”
    “And you’re certain of that?”
    “Of course,” Ed said, annoyed, rubbing his temples raw.
    “Are you okay?” Williams asked.
    “Just a headache, it’ll pass.”
    “Do you get headaches a lot,” Williams asked.
    “What are you, some kind of doctor?”
    “Actually, yes,” Williams said, “you can say that. Now, about those headaches. Do you get them a lot? How long have you been getting them?”
    “I dunno, on and off most of my life. Migraines, a doc told me. Used to be worse when I was younger.”
    “Do you have any other symptoms?”
    “Is this a