Blake stood in the kitchen, sipping on a water bottle as Scarlett stood beside her fixing something for them to eat. With the power on, Scarlett could cook with the stove so she decided to make some noodles and canned soup. Iris sat across from the kitchen counter, facing Scarlett as she cooked. "How's Jack?" Scarlett asked, her voice coming out soft. "He's not doing well... We don't know how much longer he has left." Blake sighed, looking down at her hands. Scarlett sighed heavily, she knew that Blake was taking this pretty hard. She knew that it must have been even harder for his parents, Penelope and Jamie were sitting upstairs with Jack, while Jeremiah had gone outside to sit on the porch for some air. "How's Penelope and Jeremiah holding up?" She asked, "They're trying to hang in there as best they can." Blake grabbed a few snacks from the pantry, "I'm gonna head back upstairs and sit with Penelope and Jamie. They've been up there for a while and I know they both have got to be hungry by now." With that, Blake walked out of the kitchen and upstairs. "Do you think Jack is going to turn into one of the 'Infected"?" Iris asked, her eyes reflecting the sadness she felt. She had gotten to know Piper and Jack in the hours that they had been traveling together, Scarlett looked at Iris and knew that she couldn't lie to her.
"I won't lie to you, Iris." Scarlett shook her head.
"You're old enough to understand all of this... I don't know if he's going to turn... I've seen what happens to someone bitten but not scratched so it's not certain if he will turn. All we know is that he might not last the night." She sighed. Iris looked down at the counter, taking in Scarlett's words.
"...Thank you for not lying to me." Iris said, "My mom thinks it's best not to tell me what is going on when things are bad but I always figure it out for myself. I may be 10 years old but I can easily tell when something bad is happening. I don't want to be kept in the dark about things like this. With the state of the world now, I'm gonna have to grow up a lot faster than other kids my age." Iris fiddled with her hands.
"You shouldn't have to grow up so fast... Your mom is just trying to keep your innocence."
"This world is no longer a place where a child can be innocent... It's too dangerous now." Iris pointed out, and Scarlett sighed in response. "Iris, it's true. This world has changed in ways none of us could have ever imagined. Innocence, it feels like a luxury we can no longer afford." Iris met Scarlett's gaze, her youthful face marred by a seriousness that belied her age. "But if we pretend everything is okay, then what happens when something really bad happens? Like with Jack? How can I prepare for what's coming if I don't know the truth?" She clenched her fists, determination flickering in her eyes. Scarlett sighed, rubbing her temples as if trying to ease the tension that had settled there. "You're wise beyond your years, Iris. It's a blessing and a curse. You see, when I was your age, I thought the world was full of possibilities. I had dreams… but now—" she paused, swallowing hard, "now I have to think about survival. About whether we eat tonight or if we find a safe place to sleep."
"What about hope?" Iris asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is there still hope in this world, or is it all just darkness?"
Scarlett hesitated, the question cutting deeper than she'd anticipated. "Hope… it's hard to cling to sometimes. But I believe it exists, even in the smallest forms. It's in the friendships we forge, the kindness we show to one another, and the moments of laughter we can still share. Trust me, we'll get through this." A silence fell over the kitchen, Iris reeling from the reality that they were all facing at the moment.
"You know... I never got to ask what you and Blake did before all this happened." Iris spoke, breaking the silence that had befallen them she wanted to ease the tension of the earlier conversation. Scarlett sighed, looking up at Iris. "Well... Before all of this, Blake and I attended college in New York. Blake was sleeping when we first caught wind of what was going on, we had classes earlier that day. I was home after working my usual shift at the cafe on campus." Scarlett explained, "We were just living our normal lives..." She sighed, "When the news broke out, I woke up Blake and the two of us packed up the car. We almost didn't make out, the 'Infected' had already reached our apartment and was attacking people in the parking garage where we were. Blake... Blake wanted to go help the person who was being attacked but I stopped her. It seems that no matter what I do, she is always going to want to help others." Logan walked into the living room area, Piper trailing in after him as Liam walked into the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Liam looked at the pot, smiling as he took in the scent of the soup. It reminded him of his childhood, his smile fading as he remembered that he and Logan were the only survivors in their family.
"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Iris quipped.
"Well, yes... In a sense. Yes, helping people is a good thing. You know... Blake was studying to become a lawyer."
"Really?" Logan asked, Piper tried to climb up on the bar stool but had some trouble. Logan grabbed her by the waist, lifted her up, and sat her on the stool. "Yeah." Scarlett nodded as Liam stood beside her, "See, Blake has always had a knack for helping others and even defending those who were falsely accused of crimes they didn't commit." Scarlett chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she placed another pot on the stove with the soup contents inside. She wiped her hands on the dish towel, turning her attention back onto Iris and the others. "I remember when we were 12, Blake's mom had taken us out to go shopping at the mall. The three of us were in one of the stores when this girl just a few years older than us was accused of stealing a pair of pants. No matter how much the girl denied the accusation and told the store owner the truth, the adults weren't listening. So Blake did an investigation of her own, it turns out one of the other employees had misplaced the pair of pants that was hanging on another rack way in the back of the store. When Blake revealed this, the store's manager wouldn't bother apologizing for accusing the girl and Blake jumped to her defense. She even threatened to call the store's CEO about the incident. That was enough for them to apologize. They even let the girl take a whole outfit home for free because of that." Jeremiah overheard the conversation, coming in from outside, and headed upstairs to check on his wife.
"Blake must have really been scary for a 12-year-old." Liam chuckled.
"Oh, she was." Everyone turned their head to see Clark walking towards the kitchen, he was towel drying his hair.
"How could a 12-year-old be so scary?" Logan questioned.
"She has her ways. I'm telling you, Blake was evil." Clark stated, setting the towel down dramatically as if he were revealing a great secret.
Liam raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Evil? Like, 'I'll steal your lunch money' evil or 'I'll summon the undead' evil?"
Clark chuckled, grabbing a water bottle. "More like she could make you cry just by looking at you. I swear, she had a death stare that could turn ice cream into soup. But you know, she was also kind of impressive. I mean, I'm still terrified of her, and I'm twenty-one now." Scarlett just chuckled and shook her head, "You're so dramatic, Clark." She giggled, and Iris laughed at the face Clark made. "I'm not being dramatic. She was terrifying. I don't even know how she managed to scare Connor and Lia when they're several years older than me." He said. "Oh come on, she can't be that scary anymore," Logan said, crossing his arms as if challenging the idea. "Just wait until you see her with a hairbrush in one hand and a can of soda in the other," Clark said with a smirk. "You wouldn't stand a chance." Logan just shook his head in disbelief, "Hey, guys. What are you talking about?" Blake's voice sounded from behind Clark, who jumped and turned around quickly. Logan, Iris, Piper, and Liam started laughing loudly at Clark's reaction as Scarlett checked on the food.
"Oh hey, Blake." Clark smiled nervously, he sent the four kids who were laughing a glare.
"What's so funny? What were you guys talking about?" Blake asked, looking at Logan. "We were talking about-"
"Nothing! We were talking about nothing!" Clark quickly cut in, he glared at Liam. "Okay.." Blake said, still looking confused. Before she had the chance to ask Scarlett anything, she heard screaming coming from upstairs.
"No! Penelope!" They heard Jamie scream.
"Stay here!" Clark said, looking at Scarlett. Blake and him immediately rushed up the stairs, heading to the room where Jack had been isolated. "Penelope!" They heard Jeremiah shout, and thuds coming from the second floor could be heard. Piper whimpered, scooting closer to Logan who was still standing beside her. Iris looked at Scarlett, her eyes mirroring the same fear and anguish. Scarlett turned the stove off, put the pots to the side, and wiped her hands with the dish towel. "Logan, Liam. Stay here with the kids." Scarlett said, she left the kitchen swiftly and ran up the staircase. When Blake and Clark arrived, it seemed that time froze on its own. Penelope was throwing things across the room, breaking all sorts of pictures and glass objects while Jamie was trying to stop her. Jeremiah stood in front of the couch, staring at Jack's body in shock as tears slipped down his face. "Penelope, please." Jamie grabbed Penelope's arms, pulling her into a tight hug as Penelope just sobbed into her. Her knees buckled, Jamie, catching her swiftly and carefully lowered her to the floor.
"My baby." Penelope sobbed. Scarlett came rushing into the room, stopping in the doorway behind Clark and Blake both of whom were staring at Jeremiah.
"Jeremiah?" Clark called.
"He's gone." Jeremiah said, his voice coming out low like a whisper.
"What?" Blake asked, she looked from Jeremiah to Jack, who was completely still, and his eyes were closed. She had hoped she heard him wrong but with Penelope's cries, she knew that he must have been telling the truth.
"Jack's dead. My son is dead..." Jeremiah broke down in tears, as Blake, Clark, and Scarlett took in the news they just received.
"Oh, my baby boy." Penelope sobbed. Jamie hugged Penelope tightly, looking at Clark who was now looking at her.