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

And I’d never seen one spider, or a mouse, or anything. I reminded myself that if I did see something fuzzy it was probably the cat. Carrying my loot, I went back to the stairs and climbed up into the light.


I was about to call out, but I heard murmurs, whispers, cooing sounds. And from the doorway I could see them: Sandy almost on top of poor Wade (‘poor Wade’ my Aunt Fanny), and their faces were so close together there was no doubt about what was going on. At least the kissing part, though there might have been more. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, so I stepped away from the door and the view, and started making noise. I had mixed feelings. Yes, jealousy was one of them, but it didn’t drown me—there were too many other feelings fighting for control.


Dumping my items on the table, I saw a box of stale doughnuts and sat down to eat them.


Chapter 16