I tossed and turned in my bed, my skin drenched in cold sweat as I dreamt of the events from the day before.
A box of limited edition Halloween cheerios. My dad gulping them down happily. His shriek. The look of shock on his face as he realized that the cheerios were infatuated with the unknown parasites that we had heard about on the news. My dad falling to the ground, only to rise, his flesh bubbling and his once loving face split in a maniacal grin. A terrifying replacement of the person who had once been my father. Dad crawling towards me, foam dripping from his mouth. The scream of, “BRAINS,” before he collapsed onto the floor. There, he lay, arms and legs bent awkwardly, eyes blank and staring. Dead.
“DAD!” I awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly and smacking my head on the bedpost. My eyes watering in pain, I massaged my head and got up, walking towards my bedroom door.
“Mom!” I called downstairs as the aroma of her morning coffee drifted up towards me. “Mo-om!” I yelled, “ I was wondering if we could get out of the house today. I know we’re on lockdown, but I figured it would be nice to get some fresh air. Dad would have wanted it…” My voice trailed away sadly as I became lost in thought.
Snapping out of my reverie, I stomped downstairs. Why hadn’t my mom responded yet?
As I reached the kitchen, I saw an empty cereal bowl sitting on the counter, the last dregs of cold milk still sitting on the bottom. An open box of Halloween Cheerios sat beside it, illuminated by the meager ray of sunlight seeping through the closed windows. Suddenly, from behind me, I heard a soft moaning of “brains…” Mom.
