"You are in no shape to go anywhere,” Hanish said, staring Janice up and down.

  She grabbed the door, swinging it open before he finished speaking. She rushed out, heading for the gate.

  He shot after her, reaching her just as she passed out right in front of it.

  He scooped her up into his arms and felt them begin to rise above the fields. “No!” he screamed, rushing back inside with her.

  As he laid her back down on the couch, she whispered, “Lila.”

  Confusion washed over him. Who was Lila? The only Lila he knew was… Ivan’s wife. Was that who she meant?

  Lila lay next to Janice, both staring up at a drawing of the sky on the ceiling. Across from them, Ivan lay asleep in his bed, his breath hitching with each inhale. The smell and sight of her brother made Janice feel ill. Janice turned to Lila and smiled, signing, “This is beautiful.”

  Lila nodded. Janice inhaled Lila’s sweet scent. She felt awkward, wondering if she had developed Stockholm syndrome for her brother’s wife or if she was genuinely in love with her. The feeling washed over her with every breath Lila took. Even when Lila had tantrums or fits, Janice wanted nothing more than to protect her.

  Janice opened her eyes to see Hanish gently wiping the wound on her stomach. Despite being stranded with him at the end of the world, her desperate longing for Lila’s survival persisted.

  She recalled their emergence from the bunker, met by a horrifying scene of countless undead. Lila, despite her bravery, was physically frail. They had made a pact: in case of separation, they would reunite at the base. Janice clung to the hope that she would find Lila waiting for her there.

  Hanish finished bandaging her wound and pulled her shirt back down. Janice observed his disheveled appearance. His hair was greasy, and his skin was tanned and weathered from exposure to the sun. His beard was unkempt, yet she found his presence more tolerable than her brother’s. She also couldn’t help but notice that he was actually quite fit, unlike her brother.

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  “Thank you…again,” she said, rolling her eyes and leaning her head back.

  She knew she was weak. Her body might have been full-figured, but she wasn’t strong, nor much of a fighter. In fact, she was often sad. People always told her she was strong and brave, but she constantly felt on the verge of breaking down and crying. Hanish’s eyebrows furrowed. “What, are you stupid?” The statement caught her off guard.

  “What?” she stammered.

  “You need to get healed before you go off willy-nilly,” he said, grabbing a blanket and throwing it over her. She cuddled it to her chest, glancing down at her feet. She hadn’t even noticed she was barefoot and dirty.

  “Do you have a bath?” she asked.

  He pointed outside.”Round back. There’s a pitcher pump and a metal tub, and you can use the outhouse for your business,” he said sternly. She felt like he had to be joking.

  A wave of gratitude washed over Janice, yet she missed Lila with a deep, burning ache. She felt a surge of hatred for her brother, whom she believed had rotted to death in the bunker. She watched Hanish in silence as he filled the bucket with water. This stranger had helped her more in two days than her brother had in his entire life—even if his motives weren’t entirely altruistic; he didn’t want to be alone with Lila. She had sensed that from their first encounter. He made no effort to communicate with her directly, relying on written threats or Janice’s interpretations. Lila confided in Janice, having told no one about the abuse she had suffered at Ivan’s hands—a man who exploited her vulnerabilities, even openly starving her.

  He held her close as he helped her around the back of the house. To her surprise, there was a metal tub and a pitcher pump. A red bucket lay knocked over next to it.

  Hanish grabbed a scullery pad and handed it to her. The man barely talked. She took it and nodded. “Do I get any privacy?”

  He looked at her, then around them. “Ain’t a soul around, ma’am,” he spoke softly. “I ain’t interested in looking.” But that wasn’t fully truthful. Hanish was a little tempted. It had been months since he had seen a woman, let alone another human being.

  Janice watched Hanish walk away, wondering if his departure stemmed from obligation or a mere performance of the bare minimum, designed to make her perceive him as a gentleman. Once healed, she pondered whether to stay or leave. But where would she go? In this apocalypse, he had isolated his farm from the outside world. She wondered if they would ever encounter other survivors. His wife… and Lila. Were they still alive?

  Janice removed her camisole and tossed it to the ground. Her gaze fell upon the bandages on her stomach. She gently touched them, and a sharp pain shot through her body. The memory of the attack flooded back. Lila and she had stepped out of the bunker, eager to see the open sky, only to be met with a horde of the undead. Lila, already weakened, was quickly overwhelmed. Janice screamed her name as she desperately ran for help. She lunged toward the door, but a hand grabbed her leg, causing her to crash through the glass window. She screamed as the shards tore into her. Spotting the house in the distance, she dragged herself through the thinning crowd until she reached safety. That’s how she had ended up here.