Hanish found himself walking down the road. It had been days since he had seen Janice and even longer since he had eaten or drunk anything. He felt himself wasting away. His stomach growled in empty homage to his growing hunger. He started to drag his feet as he saw a figure off in the distance, waving him down. It was Janice. She was standing in front of an abandoned restaurant. When he reached her, he silently entered the building. He followed behind her as she directed him to the kitchen area. There was a container of water sitting out in the open.

  Exhaustion weighed him down, and he felt severely dehydrated. He looked up at Janice, attempting to cry, but found himself unable to produce tears. He quickly fetched himself a glass of water, adding a dash of salt. Recalling his brother’s advice that a pinch of salt could aid hydration, especially for those suffering from dehydration, he made sure to add only a small amount. He swirled the water to dissolve the salt and then looked down at the glass.

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t want it,” he said, pushing it away. He began to laugh, a hollow, broken sound. He dropped the shirt and looked at Janice, who was standing back, still holding the glass of water. “Why are you here?” he asked.

  “Because you need me,” she said, feeling hopeless. He stood up, grabbed the glass, and stared at his reflection in the water.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “It’s no problem.” She smiled at him and cocked her head, pulling herself onto the counter. He heard a noise coming from the back of the kitchen.

  “Did you hear that?” he said, looking at her, confused.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  He went to investigate. Inside, chairs were stacked on tables, covered by a large plastic sheet. He slid the sheet aside, revealing napkins folded into swans. It was Aleaha’s specialty; she had practiced for months to perfect the technique. He always thought it was quirky. He chuckled, finally feeling a sense of relief. She had made it this far. Then Janice noticed the office door to the left was jammed with a broomstick. As she walked toward it, she heard a moaning sound coming from inside. Hanish turned to see Janice staring at the door.

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  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She pointed to the door and mouthed, “In here.” He rushed past her and pulled the broomstick away. The door flew open, revealing a woman hunched over, naked, and covered in blood. She looked up at Hanish, and he realized it was Aleaha.

  “Aleaha!” He shot past Janice and grabbed Aleaha, holding her tight. She moaned and groaned in his arms, weak and gaunt. Then she fell limp. He shook her, and she smiled at him as she closed her eyes. He carried her out to the truck, laid her in the back, and held her tight. He instructed Janice to drive.

  She watched him carry Aleaha into the house. Janice grabbed the backpacks, looking for medical supplies. Hanish laid Aleaha down on a display mat and began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as Janice gathered supplies, dropping them next to him and Aleaha.

  “Let me go,” Aleaha spoke as she looked up at Hanish. Her eyes glossed over. Hanish kissed her hand as she brought it to his face. She dropped back, and he counted as she stopped breathing… twenty minutes. Janice leaned down and hugged Hanish as he screamed, holding Aleaha limp in his arms.

  She was gone. He couldn’t believe it. Shaking and sobbing, Hanish kissed Aleaha’s cold forehead. Janice gently touched his shoulder. “I…” she began, stepping back, “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t know how to console him. Her gaze drifted to Aleaha, whose body was shockingly emaciated.

  Janice noticed a bracelet dangling from her wrist, adorned with a diamond ring. Her breasts were also mutilated, the wound extending down to her navel. Janice couldn’t begin to imagine what Aleaha had endured.

  Hanish looked at Janice, his heart twisted. He was shaking, confused, and beginning to see his world twist and turn. He looked to see Janice was gone. He realized he wasn’t at the store. He was back on the farm. He was in the bunker, embracing Aleaha’s lifeless body.

  He remembered then what all that had happened. She was sick in the bunker; she refused to eat, even though he took it upon himself to feed her. He watched her wither away in front of him. Until one morning, he found her on the floor, unresponsive and unrecognizable. He held her tight as she whispered, “It’s okay,” in his ear. He laid her to rest out in the fields.

  He found himself fighting with the imagery to the point that he imagined her coming to life, even bringing his brother to life as well. But he recognized that they were dead. He struggled with the ghost and thoughts of death. He staggered down the road to the neighbors to see if they were okay. He fell limp into the field. Birds flew rapidly away from him, and he started crying. His eyes weeped until he was sore and passed out in the field. ” Hanish,” he heard an angelic voice whispered as he rolled on to his back to staring up at the blaring sun.