It begins with a fading odor and darkness. Lights out, dark as night. Outside the college building, there are flames, lumps of metal and flesh, and no one moving. When Asher finds his car, he's surprised it works and he drives aimlessly, trying in vain for a radio station, any sign of life. Recovering his wits, he parks at a truck stop and loads up with things that might be useful. In the dark, someone runs into him and urges him to flee. The thought of maybe having to repopulate the world doesn't appeal to either of them -- Asher is gay, and Sandy isn't sure what she/he/they are. Sandy knows a place they might hole up while the world dies around them. It's a cabin that belongs to a friend who might be there. Sandy's friend Wade turns up the next day when there's light, again. Are Wade and Sandy an item or just friends? Asher feels like odd man out, but survival is their first priority. Can relationships be sorted out, later?

Night Scenery

“Wade, are you here?” Sandy called out. There was no answer. Then she added, “Asher, go get a flashlight, okay?”


“Me?” I answered, shocked for some reason.


A sigh, and she withdrew from my arms. “For God’s sake, you’re an adult, I mean, you are an adult, right? And a man at that. Aren’t you going to take care of your woman?”


“Do I hear eyelashes flapping? You’re probably more of a man than I’ll ever be! You go get them, Tarzan!” I tried to follow this up with a laugh, to make is sound like I was joking, but it came out more as a burp with a twist in it. But I’d heard a tremor in her voice, and found her hand and held onto it. “We’ll both go, and get some food, too, and, uh, whatever. We’ll be okay. We’re together.”


She squeezed my hand back. She hadn’t had to say she was scared too, and I already knew that was important to her. So we opened the door, blocked it open with its own lock, and went out into the eerie cold.


Chapter 5