Sparkles by Day

There was silence in the gardens behind the tennis courts, well, relative silence to its one occupant of note. He slunk between the bushes, pausing here and there to cock an ear to better pick out any movement in the vicinity above the city's remaining hum. Going was slow. In years past the area had provided opportunities to feast on eggs and birds but now pickings were slim and he hadn't fed for several days.

It was many nightfalls since a flash and a bang in the distance had knocked him off his feet. All around muted screams had filled the night as he struggled to reorientate. The expanse down the hill had been altered beyond all recognition so he headed into these very gardens to crouch in their familiarity as the rush of activity grew. By the following nightfall all was still save the odd cat darting back and forth, trembling and erect. The humans had all taken flight.

His hearing had recovered in time but even while food remained abundant he grew weak and now every hour was a struggle. He longed to eat. The bags in driveways had all been ripped apart and the air hung rancid with anything remaining. The birds had long since left, not that he would have been capable of catching one anyway. The cats he wouldn't even attempt.

When he next awoke there was a commotion on the other side of the square. He had slept where he fell and the strain in rising almost defeated him. Through the bushes and fencing he could see a large green vehicle from which emerged several figures in bulbous white suits covering every inch of their bodies. They passed from house to house kicking doors down. Spotting an opportunity he circled around and entered one of the buildings through which they'd already passed. The smell was sickening as he padded up the path but he entered nontheless. The house itself was the source of the stench. Every inch of the inside reeked.

In a room at the rear he found a cage and inside it a pile of fur. The wire gate swung loose and he nosed inside to grip the dead rabbit and drag it out. It too stank but there was no alternative. With a rip and a grind he tore at its soft underbelly, taking his first mouthful of flesh for weeks. The blood tasted strange and crawled with maggots that he shook away until the effort was too great. A second mouthful churned his stomach even as it went down and he rested his head on the cold floor, just for a minute.