It's a Kid's World
1.1: The Big Vanish
A young boy was running as fast as his little legs could take him, terrified for his life. It was night, it was dark, and it was dangerous.
Seemingly abandoned by the likes of his parents in the middle of a family trip into the woods, the poor child could only flee from any signs of danger that he could sense.
All alone, his survival instincts were put to the test as he was faced with the task of avoiding all kinds of foul beasts and deadly hazards that the forest had to offer.
But while he ran and hid, and cowered away, the boy had to ask himself "where did mom and dad go? Why have they left me out here all alone?"
Just as it seemed like things couldn't possibly get any worse, the boy suddenly thought he could see something, in the corner of his eye. Something rather gruesome…
Earlier that day…
It was Saturday morning, the Loud family got up early for a planned family day out. As usual, getting everyone ready in time was easier said than done…
"Alright, kids! We're leaving in 15 minutes! Everybody be ready and waiting in the car by then!" Lynn Sr instructed.
Of course, the Loud siblings were rushing around manically as they struggled to meet the demand made by their father. Lola was taking far too long applying her make-up, Leni was finding it difficult what outfit to wear. And so on.
Lincoln and Lori walked into the hallway upstairs, where it was clear each room surrounding them was full of utter chaos.
"Oh, boy. It's going to be one of those again." Lincoln remarked.
"Yep." Lori replied casually, before turning to the room on her left.
She walked into Luna and Luan's room, where the young comedian was busy procrastinating.
"Dude, get dressed and get in the car before dad cancels our trip to Dairyland! Hurry up!" Luna told her roommate.
"Don't Hurry About Me. Ha ha ha ha. Get it?" Luan Joked.
"Ugh!" Luna responded.
"Luan, you've literally got a good two hours to tell your jokes in the van. But you haven't got long to get dressed and get downstairs, so please just listen to Luna." Lori reasoned.
"Ah, anything for you, tuts." Luan said while holding up Mr Coconuts and speaking with 'his' deeper, gruff voice.
Meanwhile, Lincoln was trying to persuade Leni to quickly resolve her personal matter of choosing the right clothing to wear for the trip.
"Hey, Lincky. Tell me, which of these do you think is better?" Leni asked.
She was holding two fancy looking dresses, one in each hand. One was a dress that was mostly sky blue but with white at the bottom and where the cuffs were. The other one was a green and yellow polka dot dress.
"Erm, probably the blue one." Lincoln said, trying to use what he picked up through Leni and his other sisters over the years to make an informed fashion decision.
"Eh, you're right. Polka dots are so last season." Leni concluded as she threw the bad dress to the side.
"Good. Now that that's solved, Lori and I need your help. We need you to get into the other rooms and tell our sisters to move their butts!" Lincoln told her.
"Oh, but I'm more of a 'funager' than a ruthless ruler. I like to think that being nice, friendly and fun gets people to do what they need to." Leni replied.
"Well, maybe that works at Reningers, but that approach won't hold weight in this house. Besides, if you don't get them to step up and get ready in time, they'll all turn up to Dairyland, a public area, looking all tardy and rough. We can't have that, can we?" Lincoln asked, playing to her impulses.
"*gasp* You're right! I need to help them!" Leni said determined as she rushed out of the room.
"I knew that would work." Lincoln proudly said to himself as he smiled.
Leni then marched over to Lucy and Lynn's room, where Lynn was goofing off playing with her basketball, just throwing it into the net by herself, while Lucy was lying inside her coffin.
"You guys, we need to get ready or else you're going to go to a big place and look really horrible in front of lots of people!" Leni pleaded to her sisters.
"Pfft. I'll be fine. You might want to go out dressed like a blue barbie doll, but Lynn Loud doesn't change who she is for the world. She does things in her style. Besides, I'm already done. I don't need to dress up all fancy." Lynn argued back.
"What about you, Lucy?" Leni asked.
"I agree with Lynn… for once. I'm already finished. I will leave in a moment when I am done in my coffin." Lucy responded.
"Don't worry, sis. We can get downstairs and in the van, ready to juice out of here in 10 seconds flat." Lynn boasted as she clicked her fingers.
Lori, meanwhile, was trying to control the unpredictable twin duo…
"Lola, come on! You need to wrap this up!" Lori demanded.
"One more minute! It's important for a princess to look her best." Lola told her older sister as she finished carefully applying her make-up and polish.
"Where is Lana?" Lori asked as she looked around the room.
"Probably already outside." Lola replied.
Lori then walked over to the window and checked out the front yard. Sure enough, there Lana was, playing frisbee with Charles. Naturally, she was dirty, but then again, that wasn't going to change.
"At least she's already outside." Lori remarked.
Finally, Lincoln checked up on Lisa, who was typically working on one of her experiments.
"Lisa, let's go! I don't want to miss out on a fun trip to Dairyland. You can finish off whatever it is you're doing later!" Lincoln said.
"Just five more minutes. I am this close to perfecting a device that will instantaneously grow crops and food substances out of small chunks of dirt." Lisa explained.
"Well, that sounds really cool, but I think it can wait another day." Lincoln responded.
"Ugh, very well. I'll be ready and waiting by our designated transport vehicle in approximately two minutes." Lisa said.
Lincoln walked out the room, before finally saying to himself, and the fourth wall…
"Finally, I think we're going to make it. Let's just hope mom and dad take longer changing the baby than my sisters take getting their butts downstairs."
Lincoln then met up with Lori and Leni again at the top of the stairs as the three had finally managed to convince the other sisters to get a move on.
"It's done." Lori reassuringly told Lincoln.
"Thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you, Lori. You too, Leni." Lincoln said.
But for all the chaos and madness that had just transpired, the truth was that was just an ordinary day. Little children worrying about tiny, trivial matters. The parents and eldest siblings were around to maintain control and order in the house, so the younger siblings could just do what they're meant to do. Be kids. They had the luxury to be able to concern themselves with their interests, hobbies and nuances, like choosing what to wear, telling jokes, playing recreational sports, and otherwise.
Little did they know, that morning as they entered the van, they wouldn't be going to Dairyland. Things were about to change forever…
Lynn Loud Senior and Rita emerged from the house, with Lily in the latter's arms and the house keys in the possession of the former. Lynn Sr locked the door before turning around to see the van.
To the surprise of both parents, all the kids were waiting in the van, ready to go.
"Okay, kids. You had me worried there, but you always seem to pull through and get ready at the last second." Lynn Sr said, relieved as he and Rita walked out of the house.
"Good job, everyone. It looks like we're in for a day of fun at Dairyland!" Rita enthusiastically chanted.
All 11 siblings then embraced their child-like nature as they raised their hands in the air and collectively yelled "Woo-hoo!" as they prepared themselves for a fun day out. They closed their eyes and looked into the sky for a split second as they did so.
Then the kids opened their eyes…
Lynn Sr and Rita were gone. Just like that. The two Loud parents… vanished without a trace. All that remained was Lily, suddenly crying as she fell on the ground.
"AAAGGHHH!" the siblings screamed in unison, completely startled and taken aback by the sudden disappearance of their parents.
"Woah Dudes! What the heck?!" Luna asked in shock.
"Mom? Dad? Where are you?!" Lincoln questioned as he entered a state of immediate panic.
"Lori, where do you think they…" Lola began to speak, but then as she turned around, it got worse.
"Lori's gone too!" Lana cried.
The remaining siblings then looked around for a quick check for who was actually still present.
"And Leni!" Lynn observantly added.
"What the heck?! What's going on here?!" Luna asked in confusion.
"It appears our parents and eldest siblings have… been erased from existence." Lisa speculated as she emotionally struggled to finish the sentence, failing to suppress her emotions at such a critical moment.
"But how? They can't just vanish like that!" Lincoln said.
"I don't know! This defies all science and logic!" Lisa insisted.
"But it happened!" Lola yelled in defiance of her sister's argument as the situation continued to become more stressful.
"Surely they can't just be gone for good!" Luan said.
But the more they talked, the more dire the situation seemed. Without any explanation, the four oldest family members were gone, without any remains. It made no sense, and it left the remaining children vulnerable and uncertain.
Unsure of what to do, the remaining Loud siblings got out of Vanzilla and walked around, looking for any signs of reassurance they could find.
"MOM! DAD! Are you there?!" Lincoln desperately called out, but to no reply.
"Lori? Leni? If this is some game, it's NOT funny!" Luna shouted, but still with no answer.
The Louds looked around for a moment until the quiet one pointed out an observation…
"Um, guys. I think you should look around the street." Lucy said.
She pointed over to a house from further down the road, where two kids were doing the same thing as them.
"Mom? We're scared. Where are you?" one four year old boy cried out as he wrapped his arms around his slightly older brother, who was doing the same.
Likewise, they were having no luck in receiving an answer for their calls and pleas.
Neither was a baby in its push chair, which was just staying put without anyone to push it anymore. It only continued to cry, waiting for a mother who would never come.
Similarly, looking further down the road, the siblings noticed some cars which had just crashed into nearby street-lights or houses. But there were no adults in the cars nor outside of them inspecting the damage. Just abandoned vehicles that were left behind, having been abandoned in the middle of use, resulting in some carnage.
"It's everyone! Every single grown up in the street!" Lincoln blurted out in terror.
"Most likely, it's every adult in the world." Lisa corrected.
"But how? And WHY?!" Lynn asked.
"I… don't know." Lisa admitted in defeat, her scientific knowledge proving useless in such a sudden and random turn of events.
"Well, what the heck are we supposed to do NOW?!" Lola demanded to know with a mix of anger and crippling uncertainty.
The Louds were faced with the biggest catastrophe of their lives. They had just lost four family members who they loved and cherished. Moreover, they had lost all the authority figures who kept order and stability in their lives.
Lincoln had a thought at that moment. If this was really as wide scale a problem as his brainy sister was inferring, it would be worth checking as much. He rushed back inside the house and upstairs as he had something he felt he needed to take care of.
But the Louds weren't the only ones affected by this drastic and sudden turn of events. Also in Royal Woods, Clyde's needs were being taken care of by his loving and nurturing parents, Harold and Howard McBride. But as they sat down for breakfast, moments before the adults all vanished, the two fathers unknowingly weren't going to be able to finish the meal they had just prepared.
"Okay, son. We made you a full breakfast with the toast chopped up into little squares and the eggs scrambled. Just as you like it." Howard said as he passed his son his intended first meal of the day.
"Thanks, dad." Clyde said in gratitude.
"I heard your friend Lincoln was taking a trip to Dairyland today with his family?" Howard asked.
"Yeah, they've been looking forward to this day for a while." Clyde stated.
"Well, how about we go on a little adventure of our own today? I was thinking about going on a picnic later." Harold suggested.
"Oooh. I love picnics! I'll get the basket ready." Howard enthusiastically responded as he rushed off to get prepared.
"That would be really cool. You're the best dads I could hope for!" Clyde said in appreciation and joy.
Clyde then took the first bite out of his breakfast. He blinked for a split second as he did so…
Suddenly, there was utter silence. Clyde stopped eating as he sensed a loss of sorts in the room. A lack of a presence…
"Um, dads? Where'd you go?" he asked, unaware of what had just happened.
Clyde then got out of his chair and walked around. He wandered the house to see if he could find his parents.
"Dads? You're starting to scare me now. Just say you're okay!" Clyde pleaded nervously; little did he know he was talking to the thin air.
Lisa's earlier correction was all too valid, as it wasn't only Royal Woods that had to deal with the loss of adults. The scope of the disaster was far greater. Cities and rural areas alike had to deal with the aftermath, including the Casagrandes.
The cities and more population-dense areas had it far worse. Thousands of cars had crashed and blocked the roadways all over the place. Many civilians were badly wounded, or worse. The Casagrande family themselves, all together in their apartment on that fateful day, were hit as hard as any other family.
At the moment of the catastrophe, the whole family was gathered in one room, watching the television. When the adults all vanished, the reaction was immediate.
"Mom?! Dad!? Grandma Rosa!?" Carl, the wannabe macho casanova shouted aloud, as the stress of the situation let his façade slip.
"What just happened?! Even Bobby and Carlota are gone!" Ronnie Anne blurted out.
"They just vanished!" CJ followed.
"But how?!" Carl questioned as he began to panic.
"Carl, Calm down! Panicking isn't going to get us anywhere!" Ronnie Anne said as she put her hands on his shoulders to try and comfort him.
"I want my mommy." Carl admitted, having let his true 6-year-old self come out in spades.
"I do, too. But right now, if we're going to fix all of this, we have to be strong and stay calm!" She instructed him.
"Okay." He agreed uneasily.
Ronnie Anne, CJ, Carl and little Carlito were the only family members not to have disappeared all of a sudden. They couldn't make out what had happened right away, and neither could the resident pet.
"Ronnie Anne, you gotta see this!" Sergio shouted as he flew in through an open window.
"Not now, Sergio! The whole family's just gone! Disappeared, just like that! We have to figure out what to do!" Ronnie argued.
"Um, then maybe you ought to step outside." Sergio told her.
Ronnie Anne then led the other three boys outside in response to Sergio's warning. She stepped outside to see what could only be described as absolute chaos.
Crashed cars, buses and vans were seen all around her from every direction. Fires and smoke began to engulf the surrounding area. Inside a few of those cars were crying babies or little children. There were a few small children on the sidewalk, as well. Seemingly abandoned by their parental figures, though those who had figured it out knew the real reason for their isolation.
"What happened out here?!" Ronnie Anne asked.
"All the adults. They just vanished!" Sergio informed them.
"Just like all the adults in our family?" CJ questioned.
"Yep. They were here, and now they're gone!" the bird insisted.
"But… how? How could all of this happen?!" Ronnie Anne muttered in disbelief and fear.
Unsure of what to do, she decided to go upstairs to her room and call the one person she believed could give her some much-needed wisdom.
She switched on her camera, similar to when she started up her Vlog podcasts, and tried to get in touch with her close friend.
For a moment, there was no response. Ronnie reflected on this with sadness and hopelessness as she came to realise it wasn't likely her white-haired friend would respond to her call. He was probably dealing with the same crisis as she was, and was in too much chaos to be talking with her.
She began to walk out of the room, when suddenly…
"Ronnie Anne?" a familiar voice called out to her.
"Lincoln? You Answered." She replied with a sense of relief.
"Yeah. I imagine you called because the same thing happened to you." Lincoln assumed.
"They're gone. Mom, dad, Bobby. All the adults in our family just vanished in a second!" Ronnie informed him.
"Same here. My parents, Lori and Leni are all gone. My sisters tried calling Pop-Pop from the retirement home, and there was no reply. My Aunt Ruth probably vanished, too. Oh, and Clyde just called me, and he says his dads are gone. It's not looking good for anyone right now." he stated.
"This is a disaster! What are we all going to do?! We don't even know what caused all this mess!" she worried.
"I don't know! But if nobody knows what to do, then we all might have to get by on our own for a while. If so, we're going to have to be strong for each other. Me for my family, and you for yours." Lincoln told his friend.
"I know. I guess this is gonna be the last time we speak to each other for a while. I mean, without any grown-ups to take care of everything, the internet is bound to go down anytime now." she claimed.
"Probably. If they don't come back, I think there are going to be a lot of changes taking place. We just have to make sure we're ready for them… I'll miss you." He said.
"I hope we see each other again one day. Before we could just see each other with a simple van ride, but I guess there aren't a lot of people left who can drive cars and vans." She pointed out.
"Not legally, anyway." He said as he chuckled, trying to find what little humour he could in such a dire situation.
"I guess this is it." Ronnie sadly stated.
"For now, it has to be. Goodbye, Ronnie Anne." Lincoln said, shedding a single teardrop from his eye.
"Goodbye… lame-o." she affectionately called him one last time.
And with that, the two distant friends parted ways. They were uncertain if they would ever see each other again.
…things were about to change, and not for the better. A new way of living, and many hardships, were all about to succeed the events of that day… the day of 'The Big Vanish'.
They weren't the only ones. Sensing it may be their last night to do so, several of the Loud sisters who had friends or followers of their work who lived far away decided they ought to say goodbye while they still had the chance.
"Goodbye, fellow pranksters. Remember to keep smiling through good times and bad." Luan posted on her Luan Out Loud website for her die-hard fans to see.
"Farewell, followers of the undead realm. It looks like I'll be embracing a new kind of darkness for a while. Radio silence." Lucy posted onto an online forum she frequently visited titled 'Dark Demons Dungeon'.
Lisa would have done the same, but she felt no need, given that most of her far away friends were all adults, so naturally, there was no one she could contact, like her qualified science allies from the institute. Darcy and her Kindergarten friends were still in walking range from her.
Of course, social networking sites were ablaze with messages and updates from crazed, terrified children, posting their thoughts, rumours and knowledge about what happened and what it meant going forward. Like the Loud children, many of them were saying farewell to their online friends for the last time.
The night that followed was not any more pleasant for the youthful souls that were left behind. Nine of the eleven siblings remained in a now cold, dark and desolate household, with no parents to maintain control of their instabilities. Even though the family was still fairly sizable despite the loss of four of its own, the place felt empty. Something important was missing.
All nine children sat around in the living room, saddened by their loss. Luna, who was the oldest Loud remaining, felt compelled to speak to the rest of them.
"Alright, dudes. Today has been rough." She started to talk as she lit up the room around them with a candle.
"Jee, you think?!" Lola retaliated with aggressive sarcasm.
"But what we need to start thinking about is how we're gonna survive!" she insisted.
"What do you mean?" Lana asked.
"I'm afraid our older sibling is referring to the difficulties we are going to face going forward. A loss of all the globe's matured individuals is going to leave the world a shell of its former status." Lisa deducted.
"She's right, I'm sad to say." Lincoln said.
"In what ways will it change then, smarty-pants?" Lynn questioned.
"Well, for one thing, the power has gone out, and it won't be switching back on anytime soon. So, get used to this darkness." Lisa explained.
"Great." she responded sarcastically.
"Wicked." Lucy added, though coming from her, it was genuine enthusiasm.
"Okay, dudes. I think we've all had enough stressful thoughts for one day! Let's just try and sleep on this and deal with it all tomorrow." Luna reasoned.
"How can we sleep with all this going on?" Luan asked.
"Yeah, shouldn't we be heading out and kicking whoever's butt is responsible for all this?!" Lynn angrily put forward.
"But who or what even is responsible? We don't know!" Lincoln said.
"I've been dabbling in the fields of science my whole life…" Lisa started.
"Which is only four years." Lynn said with intended snark.
"As I was saying, for all my knowledge of the world and how everything is and works, I can't confirm the causation of today's events. It's baffling." She stated.
"Well, arguing about it isn't going to make things better. I say we try and get some rest, and then figure out where to go from here after we've recharged." Luna told her siblings.
"I agree. Today was pretty exhausting." Lincoln said as he let out a big yawn.
With that, the Loud siblings agreed to try and fall asleep, if they even could, with everything on their minds. Each Loud took their turn saying "goodnight" to the rest of the group before finally shutting down.
But for all their losses that day, the Louds and the Casagrandes were possibly among the more fortunate of the children to have experienced this tragic event. They were together and in their homes at the moment of the big disappearance. Some kids were not so fortunate…
…one small boy was left stranded in the middle of a camping trip in the woods when all the adults vanished. He was all alone in the dark regions of the woods. He managed to survive on his own for hours by keeping away from predators and a bit of blind luck.
He ran through the dark green-scape as he feared for his life. Barely any older than Lana or Lola, the young child was terrified as the intimidating atmosphere of where he was, combined with the fact that his parents were no longer there for him, resulted in him panicking and making a run for it out of instinct.
He eventually stumbled and fell to the ground. Exhausted, he gathered what remained of his energy to look up.
Standing before him was a horrific sight. It wasn't a wild animal, but it was something far more distressing to look at.
It was another small boy. Perhaps only a couple of years older than the boy on the ground himself. Except his appearance was rather unsettling. His skin was a really pale white, his gums had decayed to a point where he had a mouth of mould, though his teeth, while discoloured, were still sharp and deadly. His eyes were yellow with red bloodshot patterns, and there was a tiny chunk of metal wedged into the side of his head.
After a few seconds of motionless staring, it let out a monstrous scream…
…before preparing to attack the vulnerable little child.
Authors footnote:
I've been thinking of writing a story like this for a while. I've been a fan of The Loud House for a while now and I've thought doing this sort of thing before. Let's see how it goes.