Lockdown Lamentations

Huffing slightly as he pedalled, his ears flopping like wings, Jonas careened down the street in his hoodie and sweatpants, the boy's backpack stuffed with books. As usual, the 10 year old beagle had managed to cut it dangerously close with his morning rituals, glancing at the clock tower peeking above the trees in the distance as he grimaced and pedalled harder, giving his bell a quick ring to warn the pair of grannies walking in front of him as he sped past. The young canine had been in the exact same situation, only minutes away from being late for school, dozens of times just that month already, but he never quite learned his lesson from cutting it so close. Jonas couldn't help it if the warm shower felt good enough for him to slightly lose track of time every now and then after all, but thankfully his mom and dad were always there to give him a helpful heads up by way of a knock on the bathroom door. Speeding up the slightly hill that his school was perched on, shoving his bike in the rack and clicking on the bike lock, the puppy sprinted through the school yard, hanging onto his bag with one hand as he panted, spotting a chubby panda waving for him while holding the door open,
"C'mon, Mr. Williams is gonna be pissed if we're late again!" 
Caleb had been one of the cub's closest, if not only, friends ever since he started school, the pair always sticking by one another since neither had a very easy time making friends with anyone else. Slipping through the door and panting out a thank you to the panda, Jonas and his friend jogged through the school hallways to make it to their literature class in time, just barely getting in before the teacher closes the door on them, giving the two latecomers an unimpressed glare. Still out of breath, the two boys took their spot near the side of the class, away from everyone else except a lone cheetah girl, her books and notes already splayed out on her desk as she gave a giggle at the huffing and puffing duo, smiling up at Jonas as he gave a shy wave, 
"Hey, Hailey."
"Didn't you say you were gonna set your alarm to wake you earlier?" 
"Well I did, but…" 
Taking his seat next to Hailey, Caleb sitting down next to him, Jonas couldn't help but to blush slightly and lose control of his tongue as the cheetah grabbed his arm under the desks, holding his hand for a brief moment before their teacher began the lecture, forcing him to quickly dig up his notebook before he missed something. 

Just barely managing to follow Mr. Williams' million-words-a-minute lecture while enduring the occasional distraction from his panda friend on one side and his girlfriend on the other, Jonas was free to enjoy the rest of his school day with slightly less stress than the close call of his first class, spending most of the breaks in between classes to chat about anime and games with his two classmates. Their usual conversation topics were occasionally swapped out for the hot new rumours on everyone's lips, about some disease that was apparently spreading on the other continents, though none of the trio spared much thought for the sickness, besides some playful fear mongering from Caleb about the first handful of patients that had emerged in the country in an attempt to tease Hailey. With his day passing uneventfully, Jonas biked back home in the afternoon, his stomach giving a small grumble at the door as soon as his nose picked up the mouthwatering scent of his mom's cooking. Putting away some linen, Madison heard the door opening and turned her head to see her son stepping in, leaning down to give the cub a kiss on his forehead, smirking as he rolled his eyes with a laugh and nudged her away, 
"Mom, seriously, don't do that. I don't wanna bring friends here if you're gonna embarrass me."
"Oh, well then I've got to stop. Wouldn't want to not meet your girlfriend~" 
Blushing, the boy grabbed his bag and headed for the stairs as the woman shouted out after him, 
"Oh, I washed your jeans and the shirts in the laundry, please don't forget to put them away, again. You've got a closet, so use it instead of just leaving all of your clothes lying all over the room honey!" 
Heading upstairs, the cub saw his father coming out of the laundry room, a stack of shirts in Alec's arms as the man pushed open the door, 
"Hey, finally got home. Good day?" 
"It was pretty good."
"Your mother p-" 
"Clothes on the desk, I know, I'll put 'em away."
"Good boy."

With both males heading into their respective bedrooms, Jonas shoved his backpack next to his desk before immediately turning on his heels, far too ravenous for his mother's cooking to care about the stack of clothes sitting next to his laptop. Running down, the beagle followed Madison into the kitchen, getting a snicker from her as she handed him some plates, 
"Since you're that eager, you can help me set the table."
Doing as ordered, Jonas set down the plates, keeping his eyes on the meal bubbling away in the oven the entire time. He wasn't sure how exactly his mother had the time to both perfect her cooking and still spend so much time at her job, but he was more than happy to enjoy the spoils of her cookery nonetheless. Both of the boy's parents spent long days at their jobs actually, with his dad loading and unloading planes at the city's airport, while Madison was a nurse at the hospital. It was fairly rare for the young canine to get home with both of his parents having already arrived earlier, but the occasional longer day at school and the fairly dynamic work schedules of the pair did lead to it every now and then. Setting down glasses for him and his mother, and grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge for his dad, the pup sat down to patiently await the delicious meal, his tail wagging as he licked his chops. 

Stuffed after binging on his mother's cooking, the little beagle spent the rest of the evening watching TV with his parents, nuzzled against his mother's side, too tired to care about how childish or embarrassing it might've been to enjoy her hand gently stroking his back. With sunset approaching, Jonas finally headed into his room, spending a bit of time on his laptop before diving into bed, wanting to be rested for Saturday. Waking up and enjoying a hot shower, the cub gobbled up a quick breakfast and shouted out his goodbyes before grabbing his bike, heading towards the arcade near the centre of the city, having made plans to hang out with his friends there. Shortly before arriving, the cub spotted Caleb, hopping off of his bike to walk alongside the panda as the pair chatted. After a few minutes of talking about optimal strategies for the game they played together, and about upcoming movies, Caleb quieted for a moment before opening his mouth again, 
"So… are you and Hailey like… you know, dating?" 
Feeling his cheeks getting red, Jonas looked away, 
"I mean… I think so? We haven't really talked about it, but… I'm pretty sure we're together."
Snickering for a moment before getting back to lighter topics, the pair soon arrived at the arcade, spotting the tiny cheetah waiting outside, waving her to join them. The trio stepped in, spending a few hours roaming the place, with Jonas and Caleb competing or co-oping the different games while Hailey mostly watched from the side, not being as big of a fan of gaming, though she didn't mind partaking occasionally. With the several sodas taking their toll on him, the panda slipped away into the bathrooms for a moment, letting Jonas and the girl enjoy a brief moment of privacy. The pup sat down next to Hailey, leaning over to see what she was sketching in her notebook, noticing that she was drawing him in an anime-esque artstyle, his green eyes staring up from the page, 
"Wow, that's really good!" 
She nudged him with her shoulder, 
"Shut up, you're just saying that to be nice."
"No, I'm saying it 'cause it's me, but all badass and stuff~" 
The pair both laughed as the feline glanced over her shoulder at Jonas, their gazes lingering in one another's eyes for a moment before she suddenly leaned towards him, kissing him on the lips. The smooch was awkward and lasted less than a second, their very first kiss, but it still made the beagle stare at her in shock as they both blushed, trying to come up with something to say as she grabbed his hand. Before either cub could say anything, Caleb appeared from behind the corner, making a finger gun towards Jonas, 
"Ready for round two? You're gonna get rekt this time~!" 
Jumping up to his feet, the puppy cleared throat and hoped that his flushed face wasn't too red, 
"Oh, uhh… y… yep, let's go!" 

With the weekend behind him, Jason geared up for school once more, actually managing to get his fur dry and his clothes on in a reasonable time for a change, stepping downstairs with his bag slung around his shoulder. He spotted his mom also preparing to leave for her work, shaking her head and giving a soft sigh as she shut off the news on the TV, her ID badge swinging around on her chest as Madison gave her son a quick hug to send him off for the day, though he tried to squirm out from her squeeze as quickly as he could, still wanting to cast off the childish mushy gestures since he was almost nearing his 11th birthday already,
"Have fun at school, honey!" 
"Thanks, you too!" 
"I'll certainly try…" 
Hopping on his bike and taking the opportunity to actually enjoy the pleasant views since he wasn't in a rush for a change, the beagle rode along the little footpaths, admiring the golden colours settling in as the trees slowly began turning yellow, playing a game of guessing what everyone he passed was up to. Passing a small newsstand, the cub spotted the front page of just about every magazine telling the exact same story, big bold letters yelling about how the new disease seemed to be spreading rapidly, the name and picture of its first fatal victim in the country plastered on the front page of one newspaper. Pedalling faster to get past the stand without having to look at the news for much longer, the boy focused his attention to the beautiful blue skies instead, taking in the fresh air as he rounded the corner towards the school. Parking his bike and heading in, he found his two friends hunkered down at the corner of the hallway, waiting for the class to begin, both looking slightly more dour than usual with the panda trying to focus on a comic book while Hailey had her snout buried in her phone. Jonas waved at the two, settling down next to the cheetah as she sighed, scrolling endlessly, 
"What's got you so down?" 
"This disease…" 
"What about it?" 
"It's just… there's this article that says th-" 
"Oh, there's an article that says we'll all die tomorrow because of a solar flare. And another that says that a meteor's gonna smash into earth. They just wanna make you panic 'cause it'll give 'em clicks, it'll be alright."
Staring down at the screen for a few seconds longer, pondering the canine's words, Hailey finally gave a cautious smile as she put her phone away, giving Jonas a hug, 
"Thanks for that~" 
Slightly unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do, the beagle returned the hug with an awkward blush, glancing up at the smirking panda before their teacher came along, letting everyone into the classroom. 

With the puppy and Caleb both doing their best to keep Hailey entertained and distracted throughout the noon, Jonas' school day went by rather quick, barely even registering in his head before he was already up on his bike once more, feeling a slight chill in the air as he rode towards home, zipping his hoodie up all the way and pulling the hood on. Getting home, the boy shook off the autumn cold from his bones as he stepped inside with a slight shiver, making a note to grab a beanie for the next day as he walked in. He could hear the news playing on the TV, most of it about the sickness predictably, peeking around the corner to see his dad sitting in front of the television, a bottle of beer in one hand and the remote in the other. The man stood almost deadly still with just his chest rising and falling, a gloomy look on his face as he stared at the newscaster reading out the most recent infection numbers, only occasionally moving to bring the half-full bottle of amber liquid up to his lips for a swig, another empty bottle sitting by his feet. Feeling slightly tense about the situation, understanding full well that his dad liked the occasional bottle of beer but not knowing the man to down several bottles in the middle of the day, Jonas gave Alec a quick nod before heading upstairs and into his bedroom, opening his laptop. Before he was able to open up a chat to see whether his friends were online yet, the boy heard his mom coming home, about to head down with a smile on his face to greet her when he stopped at hearing his parents getting into a spat, 
"Hey, sorry I got home a little later than I promised, pretty busy at the hospital."
"You're gonna take some time off, right? You can't be in that place when this thing hits us in force." 
"They're already understaffed as is, they're gonna want all hands on deck if there's a big outbreak. And I can't just leave my friends to handle it alone."
"Honey, it's dangerous! Did you look at the news, there was a case just a single city over! What if you get sick, what if you bring it back here and you get Jonas sick!?" 
"Alec, calm down. I'll be fine, I'm not taking any time off."
The man raised his voice, 
"Calm down?! Maddie, you could die from this shit! Y-" 
"Stop yelling, and calm down! I'm not leaving my coworkers to deal with this. My job is to help patients, that's the end of it!" 
Standing at the doorway in slight shock, having never heard his parents getting more than slightly annoyed at one another, Jonas stared at the floor as he listened to Madison stomping up the stairs and marching into their bedroom before slamming the door shut, leaving only the low, constant drone of the news in the background. Sitting back down in front of his laptop, still on edge, the cub closed the chat and instead opened up the browser, feeling too odd to chat with his friends, instead needing some time alone. 

Right from the beginning, the Wednesday morning seemed downright grey, a thick blanket of ashen clouds drowning out the rising sun, leaving the city streets looking much more lifeless than usual, not helped by the lack of people on them. The usual pairs of grannies heading to do their morning shopping were absent, the newsstand was shuttered with just a single sign taped to the side saying that it'd be closed until further notice, even the birds that'd usually brighten Jonas' bike ride to the school were nowhere to be found. With an uneasy feeling brewing in his gut, the beagle pedalled on, peeking up at the skies every now and then with a frown, annoyed that the heavy clouds neither seemed to want to disperse nor start pouring rain, choosing instead just to hang over him and make him hold his breath in anticipation. His mom had already left for the hospital before he'd woken up, the cub barely even saw her the day before with Madison taking off before sunset and coming back late in the night, crashing into bed the second she stepped into her home, too tired to do much more other than to kiss her son goodnight. The boy's dad had left early that day as well, with some big quarantine plane at the airport requiring all hands on deck to get it through as fast as possible, though Alec was left to wonder exactly how much his services might be needed in the upcoming months or maybe even years, as air traffic was already on a huge downturn. Arriving at the school, Jonas locked up his bike and headed in, an eerie quiet lingering in the air as he walked down the hallways, his footsteps echoing all around even as big groups of kids surrounded him. The usual cheery and loud shouts of the school were replaced with quiet mumbling, most cubs keeping their eyes to themselves, even the teachers seeming much more stilted than usual. At the beginning of the week, the students had still been gossiping about the disease running amok around the world, but now everyone mostly avoided the subject, trying not to think about it. Whenever the illness did come up, the kids would whisper of videos of people falling dead on the streets, of army men in hazard gear rounding everyone up onto trucks, some of it even happening in their country rather than just some faraway land. The situation was finally starting to hit home for most, and no one could keep their minds off of what was going on, even if they tried their best. 

Jonas walked to the usual waiting spot, his two friends already standing there, waiting for him, neither saying a word or even doing much besides looking up from the floor and giving him an acknowledging nod, a harsh fluorescent light humming above the trio as he slouched down against the wall next to the pair. Ever since the news started getting worse by the hour, Hailey wasn't sure whether she wanted to cling onto her phone 24/7 or toss the damn thing out of the nearest window, but either option left her teetering on the edge as a nervous wreck, losing hours of sleep to ceaseless thoughts of what might happen to her or her family if any one of them was struck down by the illness. Even Caleb was having a hard time pulling off his usual carefree schtick, the dire mood of the entire city pulling the panda down to the same level as the rest of the kids, his head hanging down and his hands tucked in his pockets, the thought of spending hours talking about games as usual with his friend somehow feeling wrong and downright childish with everything that was going on. With none of the three cubs feeling like starting off the conversation that morning, the trio just stood in silence, the closeness of their friends good enough as they waited. A minute turned to two, then ten as students began to wonder where exactly their teacher was, another dozen minutes going by before Mr. Williams finally appeared from the teacher's lounge, the look on his face telling everyone that something was up as he opened the classroom door, waving for the kids to get in, 
"Everyone, inside and in your seats, silent please, there's going to be an announcement coming soon."

The hushed whispers in the classroom quieted down as soon as the ding of the intercom rang out, the voice of the superintendent echoing out across the entire school, 
"Good morning. I apologise for the interruption, but I've just been given an order to halt all activity here, as the city is going into lockdown. Stay inside of your classrooms, all of your parents have been contacted and you will be picked up soon. I cannot say when exactly school will resume at normal capacity, but at least for the time being it'll be cancelled until the situation improves. I'll be in active communication with your parents, and will inform you of any information and changes as soon as I'm made aware of them, thank you."
The classroom stayed silent in shock for a few moments as the sound of the intercom turning off made Jonas flinch, a light murmur soon turning into louder chatter as someone pointed to the parking lot outside, tens of worried parents already pulling up to come collect their children. The door opened and Mr. Williams called out one of the students, ushering the cub outside and ticking off the name as a waiting parent grabbed the kid, another shuffling nervously up in line. Only a few seconds later, Caleb was called up, his dad collecting him from the door as he shot a look towards Jonas and the girl, 
"I'll… I'll hit you up online I guess…" 
Hailey and the beagle waved to the panda before she turned to Jonas, visibly shaken, 
"What's gonna happen?" 
"It's… it's probably just a precaution thing, the school's gonna start in a week or two again, I-" 
Before the boy could finish, his girlfriend was called up as well, her mother fidgeting as she grabbed her bag and reluctantly left, mouthing a silent goodbye to the canine. 

With the desks on both sides of him empty, Jonas sat in silence for half an hour as the classroom around him was deserted one by one, his turn finally arriving among one of the last as his dad peeked inside, waving him over. Slinking out, the boy followed Alec to the car, sitting in the back and sulking the whole way home while his father told him about the announcement that had been given out. The entire city was on lockdown, and all non-critical activity was out of the question to reduce the risks of the disease spreading, which meant that the boy was basically stuck inside of the house until it was lifted. Having barely had the time to even talk to his friends that day before they'd all been dragged right out of the school again, Jonas wasn't exactly happy that he wouldn't be able to see Hailey or Caleb face to face for the foreseeable future. He could chat with both online of course, even talking to them in a video call, but it definitely wasn't the same as actually hanging out in person, wishing he could be there for them both, to reassure Hailey and to brighten up Caleb while they all struggled through. Alec had been allowed to go home for the day to pick up his kid from school, and he'd also called his wife, wanting her out of the hospital as soon as possible as the number of infected surged all around the city. With nothing left to do but to wait, the car pulled up in front of the house, both beagles stumbling inside just as the grey clouds above finally split open, a deluge of water pouring down from the skies. Neither male could properly settle down, pacing around for hours until the front door opened once more, both greeting Madison with a hug as the tired nurse smiled and hugged the pair back, wiping her brow with a soft smile as she turned to her husband, 
"I'm sorry, I can't hang around here for too long, I came to pick up some stuff before I head back to the hospital."
Going from relieved to enraged, Alec took a step back, staring at the woman for a few seconds before he could get a word out of his mouth, 
"Back to the hospital? I thought we already talked about this?!" 
"Yes, yes we did, and I already made it very clear that I'm gonna be doing everything I can the last time we talked about it!" 
Unable to handle the anger between his parents, Jonas slipped away into the kitchen, sitting down with his hands over his ears as the two adults screamed at one another some more, concluding with Madison leaving for the hospital once more. Seething furiously, Alec stormed into the kitchen to grab a pack of beer from the fridge, marching into the living room to watch the news as his wife pulled out of the driveway. 

In just an hour and change, Alec went through the beer and changed to something that had more punch in it, already seeming slightly tipsy as he reached for the liquor cabinet, grabbing a coffee mug to act as his shot glass while he sat in front of the news, stewing and listening to reports about how fast the disease was spreading, with the first confirmed patients already hitting the city's hospitals. With his father getting drunk and his mother away at the other end of the city, Jonas sat in the kitchen for some time, holding back panicked tears as he squirmed uncomfortably, the strained situation both at home and in the world around him feeling like a thousand tons on his shoulders. With no one to feed him, the little boy poured himself a bowl of cereal for dinner, sighing in between spoonfuls of the sugary snack as he heard the cork of the liquor bottle opening in the other room. Though the cereal wasn't exactly what the beagle's body was after, and certainly nowhere near as delicious as his mom's cooking, it was at least enough for the cub's belly to stop growling as he stepped out of the kitchen, intent on spending the rest of his first evening of quarantine doing some gaming to get his mind off of everything. Alec spotted him sneaking towards the stairs however, the man's eyes still staring at the TV as he shouted out at his son, his words slightly slurred,
"It's bedtime, go to sleep." 
"D… dad? It's n-" 
"I said go to sleep!" 

With the clock not having even struck half past six yet, Jonas was sent to his room with his tail tucked between his legs, a flurry of emotions ranging from anger to sorrow raging in his heart. Since the sun hadn't even set yet, the pup had no intention of trying to go to sleep, instead sitting down in front of his laptop and opening up the chat he had with his friends. For the first fifteen minutes, only Caleb was online to chat with the beagle, leaving Jonas to fret until Hailey finally joined in on the conversation as well. None of the three had a handle on what exactly was going on, what their future might hold, or when they'd even be able to see each other again, but talking with his friends did at least make the canine feel slightly more at ease. Staying off the video chat to keep the noise down and keep his true level of worry a secret, Jonas stayed hunched over the screen for an hour before he heard the TV turning off and stomping footsteps coming up the stairs, quickly slamming the laptop shut and diving into bed, pulling his blanket over his clothes just as his bedroom door creaked open. Trying to breathe slowly with one eye open, the boy could see the shadow of his dad cast into his bedroom as Alec stood at his doorway, staring at him and quietly muttering something for a few seconds before walking off. Hearing the bed springs in his parents' room giving a hard squeak as his father dropped into bed a few minutes later, Jonas tossed off the blanket and carefully closed the door, sitting back in front of his laptop and typing a message to his friends with a sigh, 
"Sorry, had to go afk for a few minutes."

Staying up to chat with his friends until late in the night, Jonas finally passed out in his bed slightly after midnight, waking up at almost midday, groaning quietly as he listened to the eerily quiet street below his window, peeking out to see just a single car driving through. The beagle would've been overjoyed at the idea of getting time off from school at just about any other occasion, but the fighting between his parents just left the boy feeling ill to his stomach this time, still feeling down from last day's events. And even if his mom and dad were in perfect harmony, the cub still wouldn't have been particularly happy, the lockdown leaving him with very little to actually do. He certainly couldn't go out with his friends anywhere, and none of their parents were willing to risk having other kids over, leaving Jonas completely isolated as he stepped out of his bedroom, dressed in his boxers. Sneaking downstairs, the boy spotted the handful of empty bottles of beer left by his dad the night before, hurriedly stuffed into the garbage by Alec in an attempt to at least slightly clean up the place before he had to leave for work with a horrible hangover. The man hadn't however thought about what Jonas could have for breakfast, forcing the puppy to once more reach for the box of cereal with a sigh. Though the meal was at least slightly more fitting this time around, it still didn't leave the dog any more happy about it, starting to get fed up with the chocolaty cereal. Shortly after putting away his bowl, the boy heard his phone ringing, seeing that it was Madison and quickly answering it as a slight smile finally crept onto his face,
"Hey, mom!?" 
"Hey sweetie, how are you doing? Probably enjoying your day off, huh~?" 
The cub didn't feel like bumming his mother out, glancing off to the side as his shoulders dropped slightly, 
"Uhh… yeah…" 
"Well, I won't keep you for long, I'm just having my lunch break, finally. Had to stay here all night, been pretty busy."
He could hear her voice sounding slightly less clear than usual, Madison stopping to let out a few muffled coughs, but he wasn't sure whether it was just because of the long working hours, 
"So… you're coming home soon?" 
"Well… I… I'm gonna need to stay here for at least this night as well, it's so busy here. But don't worry honey, it's just for a bit longer. Could… you tell your father that? I can't get a good signal here and I barely have time to even look at my phone anyways."
Jonas wasn't sure why it fell to him to reveal her decision to his dad, but just hearing Madison's voice was enough to brighten his day slightly, the pair chatting for a few more minutes until she seemed to get distracted for a few seconds, a handful of shouts coming from the background, 
"I'm sorry sweetie, I've gotta go again, it's another rush of people coming in. I promise I'll call you again in the evening, love you!" 
"O… okay, love y-" 
Before he could finish, the chilling sound of the disconnect tone rang in his ear, the weight of the world starting to crush him from all sides again as he stared down in dismay, infected by the same worries that his dad had for his mother. 

Trying to make the time pass by chatting with his friends some more and playing some games on his computer, even spending an hour trying to hone his drawing skills in a vain attempt to catch up to his girlfriend's level before giving up, Jonas waited for the day to crawl onwards at a glacial pace, feeling like he'd been doing something for hours just for him to notice that it'd barely been ten minutes. The boy kept his phone right next to him at all times, waiting for his mom to call him as she'd promised as the afternoon turned to evening with no sign of her call, the lock on the front door finally clicking open near half past five. Perking up to attention, Jonas peeked downstairs to see his dad stumbling in, not drunk but still annoyed and dismayed at how everything was turning out, and more than a little shaky from the passing hangover. Alec flopped down onto the sofa with a groan, watching his son carefully walking down the stairs as he sighed, resting his eyes for a moment as he stretched, 
"Is your mother home yet?" 
"No. Mom, uhh… mom said that she was gonna stay at… at the hospital for a bit longer…" 
"What!" 
Immediately jumping up from his seat, the man shouted furiously, making the cub recoil back as he lunged for his jacket, rifling through the pockets and pulling out his phone, mumbling in anger the entire time, 
"What the fuck is she thinking, she's just gonna abandon us here!? How the hell does she even expect to do anything at the hospital after two days of nonstop work? What, is she sleeping in her car?" 
Dialling Madison, Alec paced around the living room while Jason sat down at the steps to watch, leaning on his knees and trying to stay calm as his dad grew increasingly annoyed at the constant tone coming through the phone, finally ending the call after trying to reach her for a minute, 
"Fuck it, I'm just calling the hospital, they can put her on the phone!" 
The man tried to get through to any number he knew for the hospital, every single one of them far too busy to let him talk to anyone, stopped in his tracks before he even had the chance to demand his wife get on the phone with him. Frustrated and worried sick, his head pounding from the combination of his hangover and stress, Alec finally grunted and tossed his phone in his pocket, grabbing his jacket and waving for his son to follow him as he headed for the door, 
"I can't get through. C'mon, if we can't call your mother, then we're just gonna have to go to her, and she can explain herself to our faces!" 
Unwilling to try to talk his dad out of the plan with the man in such a state, and more than a little eager to actually see his mother again, Jonas followed Alec, staying silent as he ran through the sprinkling rain to hop inside of the car. 

Quickly clipping his seat belt on and bracing himself, the boy watched anxiously as his dad careneed down the streets, taking full advantage of the tiny amount of traffic with most of the city locked down. Letting his foot give the gas pedal some love, gripping the wheel and gritting his teeth the entire journey, Alec made it to the hospital in record time, forced to leave the car near the very back of the parking lot, with most of the spaces already filled up as a sea of vehicles stretched out from one end to the other, a line of honking and impatient cars waiting to either drop off or collect people at the front of the hospital. Jogging through the light drizzle of rain, the cub's arms covering his head in an attempt to keep try, the two beagles ran through the parking lot and over to the hospital entrance, a constant flow of people coming in and out keeping the automatic sliding doors open at all times. Scared that he might get swept up by the tide of people flowing in all directions, Jonas huddled behind his dad, following in the man's wake as Alec elbowed his way through the crowds, digging past the mass of people in an attempt to make it through the narrow choke point, starting to feel very claustrophobic before the canines eventually made it past the doors. Inside of the hospital, the situation wasn't any less chaotic however, with doctors, nurses, police, and civilians dashing all around, a path occasionally clearing through the crowds as a team of medical personnel sprinted through with a bed, wheeling a patient in critical condition from one section of the hospital to another. The entrance hall was buzzing with a constant hum of loud chatter, bouncing off the stone walls and the high ceilings as the frantic crowds yelled out in a single muddled cry, the sounds of countless panicked people all mixing into one incomprehensible note that made Jonas whimper, the loudness and the packed space disorienting him as he tried not to lose sight of his father, fearing that falling behind by just a few steps would be enough for him to get separated and become lost, unsure of whether he could scream loud enough for Alec to hear him if that were to happen. Determined to make it to his wife, the man pushed his way through the crowd, struggling towards the nurses' station that he knew Madison was stationed at, reaching a hand back for Jonas to hold as he panted with unyielding perseverance. 

Squeezing past the crowd and getting over to the nurses' station, the throngs of people thinning out slightly, both beagles leaned on the desk, with Jonas having to struggle on his tiptoes to properly peek inside. His dad knocked on the protective plastic barrier covering most of the gap, causing a nurse busy with paperwork to spin around to face the two canines. The cub recognised the nurse as one of his mom's workmates, having met her a couple of times while visiting Madison at work. He could feel his heart skipping a beat as soon as he saw the woman's face turn pale the second she noticed who was trying to get her attention, quickly motioning towards a side door and pulling the two males inside of the staff area, the rumble of the crowds outside muffled slightly as she tried to find the right words, occasionally glancing down at the young kid, 
"Madison had… she… she's fallen pretty ill…" 
Jonas saw the woman's lips moving as she and his dad exchanged a few more words, though he couldn't make any of them out, the thump of his heart growing louder in his ears as Alec grabbed his shoulder, pulling him along. The dogs were led to a wing converted for critical care, the hallways changing from crowds that'd easily crush the little boy to ghostly abandoned, only medical staff allowed to roam them. The staff had likewise transformed into otherworldly creatures, most of them donning heavy protective gear that left very little recognisably human features present, the heavy rustle of bright plastic filling the echoing halls as they ran from room to room, thick tubes sprouting up from their head and running into a hunchback, every breath accompanied by the whirr of machinery. Even their faces were mostly hidden, only a small visor on the front letting their true forms peek through, the thick plastic shield and the overbearingly bright lights leaving their eyes and muzzles shadowed by searing glares as they dashed past the frightened cub, his eyes watering up with panicked tears as he felt his vision slowly closing into a tunnel. The nurse led the two over to a tiny room on the far end, pointing towards a window as Jonas quickly ran up to it, his stomach sinking and twisting as he saw a group of the alien-looking staff crowded around a bed, one stepping back to reveal his mother lying on it. Madison was lying completely still, beautiful as ever and almost serene, only her chest just barely rising and falling as a machine next to her moved with her, tubes running down her throat and into her veins, slowly corrupting her angelic body into the same monstrous beings crowding her. Jonas slammed his hands against the window, pounding on it as he screamed his mother's name in an attempt to wake her from her slumber, breaking into uncontrollable sobs as soon as his dad pulled him away and knelt down to embrace him, shaking and shivering as he buried his muzzle into Alec's chest. 

In dead silence, the two canines walked out of the hospital hand in hand after Alec spent a few more minutes asking the nurse about his wife's condition, going across the storming parking lot and sitting in their car, Jonas' eyes still streaming while the dad stared at the grey concrete hospital, watching the lights in the windows flickering like stars as people ran back and forth in front of them. Madison was in a dire condition, having caught the disease a few days ago most likely, keeping her worsening state hidden until she collapsed in the middle of her shift, quickly put under sedation as her coworkers battled to keep her alive. Alec turned to his son, gently putting a hand on the sniffling cub's shoulder as he spoke, his voice steely with a tiny hint of unnerved anxiousness,
"Do you wanna go home?" 
"N… no!" 
"Good. Neither do I." 
Staying in their car, the beagles camped out the entire night and the following day in front of the hospital, taking naps in the back seat and getting snacks from the nearby gas station as they waited for any signs of improvement. Alec kept visiting his wife almost every hour, but Jonas couldn't bear to go see her again, staying huddled in his seat as he tried to choke down his tears, getting paranoid whether he might've been able to help Madison if he had just mentioned her being ill the moment he heard it over the phone. The boy's dad kept himself focused on just getting through the endeavour, drink not even entering his mind as he tried to stay calm to help Jonas, hiding his fear and guilt to make sure the cub wouldn't worry even more. Jonas noticed how much more gentle the man seemed, and how his father hadn't touched alcohol at all, but his every waking moment, and his nightmares, were still consumed by fear for his mother. 

After staying camped out in front of the hospital for three days, with his father stopping giving him status updates on his mother's condition at the end of the second, Jonas was shaken awake by the man in near hysterics, yelling for him to come. Running behind his dad as fast as his stiff legs would let him, the canines rushed inside and to the all-too familiar window, a few other staff crowded around it, parting like the red sea to allow the beagles to come to the front, a few tears shed amongst the nurses and doctors. Jonas watched someone pulling out the final IV lines from Madison's arm, another turning off the screaming machinery as she laid perfectly still, lifeless and cold, her closed eyes staring up to the heavens. Too shocked for the realisation to have fully hit him, the boy watched Alec breaking down, falling to his knees and screaming his wife's name as tears ran down his face, letting his son see him crying for the first time that either dog could remember. Almost as shocked with his father's outburst as he was with his mother's passing, Jonas glanced back over to her just in time to see a pure white sheet lowered over her still face, her blank expression hidden away as he finally understood that he'd never again hear his mom calling out for him, that she'd never again hold him in her lap, that he couldn't even speak with her for the last time before she passed. Suddenly praying to once more experience the cuddling and petting that he'd thought was so childish before, Jonas pressed his forehead against the glass and cried a pitiful whimper, his legs nearly giving out from under him. 

Sitting in some cold and quiet waiting room for hours, Jonas just cried and wiped away his tears until the arm of his hoodie was fully soaked through, the door finally opening as his dad stepped in, both of their eyes red from exhaustion and tears. The pair walked to the car, driving to their home in dead silence, the radio staying shut the whole time as Alec pulled in front of their home, stepping out and shambling inside without once looking behind him to make sure his son was following. Still in shock, Jonas watched his father immediately heading for the liquor cabinet, pulling out a bottle and shuffling to the usual spot on the sofa, uncorking it with a pop and taking a heavy swig with no need for a glass or a mug. Leaving his dad to sit in silence, the pup walked to his room, his legs shaking with every step, only barely getting him up the stairs. His laptop was still open, the chat window flashing to inform him that he had waiting messages from his friends, but the cub ignored it and walked straight to his bed, laying down with his head propped up on his pillows. He glanced slightly to the left of his laptop, seeing the carefully folded stack of clothes that his mom had washed still sitting there, untouched, grim anguish creeping into his soul as he burst into wailing sobs once more, letting the fur on his cheeks grow damp as he cuddled his blanket, desperately trying to imagine that it was his mother, her warm and inviting arms embracing him once more, hugging him tight as she whispered how it'd all be alright into his ear, how she'd always be there for him, the young boy's illusion breaking the moment he opened his eyes, leaving him all alone.