" What do you think he wants ? " Carly asked Sam as she let the curtains fall closed . " Never mind . I 'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question because it 's probably nothing good . " It had been a week since the Biker Guy appeared and set up camp on the sidewalk across the street from her apartment building . He was the first healthy person she 'd seen in weeks . At first she wasn 't sure . His behavior was odd enough to make her think he was one of the Infected . Why would he set up a tent across from her apartment building when there was a motel right down the street ? It made no sense . He would wave at her and smile cheerfully whenever Carly peeked through the curtains . He would be reading , cleaning a gun , or cooking over the fire he had built on the sidewalk , but as soon as she looked out the window , his head would snap up and he would stare right at her , as if he had some sort of weird sixth sense about when she was looking . She had a bad feeling she was going to find out very soon . She and Sam were out of food . Carly could have tolerated the hunger a while longer , but Sam had gone over to his bowl a few times today and batted at it with his paw , and she couldn 't stand the idea of the puppy being hungry . Carly went to the closet and got out one of her dad 's golf clubs , the closest thing she had to a weapon . She 'd taken it from the trunk of his car the first time she 'd gone out . She slipped a steak knife in the back pocket of her jeans , though she wasn 't sure it would be effective if someone got close . Some of the Infected had seemed impervious to pain , and the little flimsy knife didn 't seem like it would inflict much damage . She thought about the long , wickedly - sharp knives her mother had hanging on the magnetic rack in her kitchen , but there was no way Carly could go back into her parents ' apartment . Sam pranced by the door . He thought she was going to take him out . The apartment building was built in a square around a small , grassy courtyard where Carly walked him . Those blank windows staring like sightless eyes always made her nervous . There could still be Infected inside some of the apartments , which was why she tried to keep Sam 's visits outside to the early mornings and late evenings , when it was almost dark and less likely she 'd be seen . He used a pan lined with newspaper the rest of the time , but the garbage hadn 't been picked up in months , and the newspaper machine in the building 's lobby was empty . " I 'll be back soon , Sam , " Carly said . She knelt down and hugged him . He licked the underside of her chin as she stood . " Be good , okay ? " She closed her apartment door after her and twisted the knob to make sure it had locked . At the end of the hall was a fire door that led to the stairs , and Carly took the three flights down to the ground level . She wished there was another way to get out , but her building only had one street - level exit , aside from the fire escape , and she wasn 't brave enough to try them . She had a pathological fear of heights that was so bad she would rather face the Biker Guy than try to climb down a rickety metal ladder . She peeked out the window in the lobby . Yep . Still there . And currently staring right at her . She clutched the handle of the golf club like a baseball bat . She had to do it . She had no choice . But she couldn 't force herself to open the door . Biker Guy got up from his seat on an overturned bucket and walked straight toward her . The guy was huge . Carly swallowed a gasp and backed up until her heels bumped against the stairs . He was even scarier up close . Her dad had been six feet tall and this guy was even taller , built like a linebacker with heavily muscled , broad shoulders . He had tattoos on his arms and a scruffy beard on his jaw , which matched the dark , tousled hair on his head . His eyes were so dark , they seemed black . " Hello , " he said through the glass door . Carly scrambled up the stairs to the landing and backed into the corner . Nope . No way was she going out there . She trotted back up the stairs to her floor , listening carefully for any sounds that might indicate he was forcing his way in , but she heard nothing beyond her own raspy breathing . She took out her key ring , pausing when she saw the key next to her own . She bit her lip and looked across the hall at the door the key unlocked . The apartment belonged to Mrs . Lincoln , a retired elementary teacher . Carly had been in her class when she was in the second grade , and there had been a mutual affection between them ever since . Carly had a key because she ran occasional errands for Mrs . Lincoln and watered her plants whenever she was out of town . She hadn 't seen Mrs . Lincoln since the start of the Crisis due to the quarantine , and she hadn 't answered her phone when Carly tried to call . Carly fervently hoped the elderly widow had gotten away before the Infection reached Juneau . There were supposed to be some areas in Canada that weren 't affected . Maybe she and her son had holed up in his fishing cabin in Vancouver . She knew if she asked Mrs . Lincoln , she would encourage Carly to get what she needed from her cupboards , but it still made Carly very uncomfortable . It felt like . . . looting . It felt wrong . But she had a hungry puppy to feed and no choice unless she wanted to face Biker Guy . Carly gritted her teeth and used the key . With her next breath , she knew Mrs . Lincoln hadn 't made it to Canada . Choking , gagging , Carly held her arm over her nose to try to block the stench . She held her breath as she darted inside to the little kitchen and opened the cupboards . Only a few cans remained inside . Carly felt tears gather , and she wasn 't sure if it was because of poor Mrs . Lincoln or her disappointment in the lack of food . She took what was there . It would tide them over for a couple of days . She dashed back out into the hall and shut the door . An explosion of breath left her , a ragged sob which sounded horribly loud in the silent hallway . Carly unlocked her own door and slipped inside . Sam bounced joyfully , as though she 'd been gone for weeks , his tail wagging so hard he was hitting his flanks with it . She smiled at him and gave his ears a rub . He looked at her quizzically . " I 'm okay , " she reassured him . " I 'm okay . " She felt tears sting her eyes . " You never met Mrs . Lincoln , but she was very nice . I just wish . . . I just wish she could have been with her son if she had to . . . " Carly couldn 't say the last word . She turned away and began to sort the cans she 'd found . There were kidney beans , beef stew , corn , and green beans . She fished her can opener out of the drawer and before long was pouring the can of beef stew into Sam 's bowl . He dug in with relish . Carly opened the kidney beans for herself and ate them right out of the can . She 'd never been much of a cook before the Crisis , but since the electricity was gone , she couldn 't even warm up her dinner . At least the beans were filling , she thought . Pretty tasty , too . Her mother had always said , Hunger is the best seasoning . Carly cut off that line of thought abruptly . She threw the empty cans into the trash and went over to sit down on the sofa . She stared at the blank screen of the television in front of her . Her watch no longer worked but she had learned to tell the approximate time by the shadows on the wall . Troy Cramer 's News Hour would be on right about now , she thought . During the Crisis , he had been the nation 's most trusted source of news . He had seemed indefatigable , staying on the air for inhumanly long stretches , especially toward the end , when he had been the last man standing . And there had been no one left to turn off the camera when he began raving in delirium . She was almost glad the power had gone off before she saw the inevitable conclusion . She would have felt compelled to watch , to be with him in his final moments , even in this remote fashion . Sam hopped up on the sofa beside her and laid his head on her thigh with a contented sigh . He had a full belly , and Carly petted him as he drifted off to sleep . All was right in his world . Carly envied him . His fur had been darker when she first spotted him on the sidewalk in front of her building , and his eyes had been blue . He was a lonely little puppy trying to tear open a trash bag , looking for something to eat . He must have remembered humans since he 'd run right to Carly when she dashed outside to scoop him up . She had to take him in . She knew what would happen to him if she didn 't . She 'd named him Sam , after Frodo 's loyal friend in The Lord of the Rings , the last movie she and her father had watched together . And Sam had kept her going when giving up seemed like a much more attractive option . She couldn 't leave him with no one to take care of him . Until Biker Guy had arrived and set up camp across from her building , she had seemed to be the only person left in Juneau . Carly went over to the window to peek out at Biker Guy . Still there . Yesterday , she had gathered all of her courage and gone down to the lobby door again , but he had met her there with another Hello , and she 'd panicked and darted back upstairs . He was looking up at her window . He waved and reached down beside his bucket to pick up something that looked like a large white sheet of poster board . He held it up , and she could see the words he 'd painted on it in black : PLEASE DON ' T BE AFRAID . I WON ' T HURT YOU . Carly had to giggle , but it faded as she realized it was the first time she 'd laughed since the Crisis . She retreated and let the curtain drop . Indecision gnawed at her . She had to get food , and that meant confronting Biker Guy , whether she liked it or not . Carly slept during the afternoon and evening , setting her wind - up alarm clock for after midnight when it would be dark . Well , as dark as it ever got in Juneau during summer , anyway . She sat up , and Sam , who slept at the foot of her bed , thumped his tail against the mattress . She could see the question in his eyes . Out ? " No , " she replied . " I can 't take you with me . " He was around three months old , knee - high with big , clumsy paws . He was still vulnerable , and it tore at her heart to think of someone hurting him . She told him to stay and went into her closet to change into dark clothing . She took her large canvas shopping bag , the steak knife , and her dad 's nine iron . As the old saying goes , God hates a coward , she reminded herself . Carly patted her pocket to make sure she had her keys and then shut the apartment door behind herself . She crept down the stairs and approached the lobby door . Biker Guy was nowhere in sight . His fire had burned down to red embers . She took a deep breath and pushed the lobby door open a crack . She waited , looking around the dark and silent street . No movement , no sounds . Carly pushed the door open wide enough to allow her to slip through . She froze again , but nothing happened . So she set off down the street , walking as quickly as stealth would allow , with the nine iron over her shoulder like a soldier carrying a rifle . The grocery store wasn 't far , but then again , nothing in Juneau was very far from anything else . Carly gagged at the smell of rotten meat , spoiled produce , and sour milk . The stink hadn 't dissipated at all since her last visit over a week ago , before Biker Guy had trapped her in her apartment building . Her lantern was by the door where she 'd left it . Carly picked it up and turned it on before she put it into the child seat of an empty cart , along with a fresh pack of batteries in case the lamp began to dim . Being in the dark in there was a terrifying thought . Carly went to the dog food first and heaved the largest bag of puppy food they had into the cart . There was still plenty of that left , though the selection of human food left was slim . Troy Cramer had shown video footage of grocery stores all over the country cleaned out by shoppers or looters at the height of the Crisis . Carly didn 't take time to make selections based on her preferences . She grabbed whatever cans were still on the shelf and dumped them into the cart . She 'd been back in the stockroom on a previous visit . It was empty except for a few cases of bottled water . A dark feeling of unease was stirring within her . What was she going to do once it was all gone ? She doubted if what was left would last until the end of the summer . But surely things will be back to normal by then . There was a gas station up the street . She wondered if she should check it to see if there were more groceries there , but it made her feel uneasy since she was already breaking quarantine to come here and the gas station was even further away . And after that 's gone , then what ? Carly didn 't know . She 'd expected the Crisis to be over by now and for things to be getting back to normal , and she wasn 't prepared for the world to be out of order for the long term . She swallowed back a gasp when she heard something - a foot crunching down on the spilled rice that she had seen in the next aisle . She realized then she had left her golf club by the door when she picked up the lantern . She pulled the knife out of her pocket , her hand shaking . Time to go . Carly pushed her cart toward the front of the store . Before now , she 'd been diligent about writing down the UPC codes of the products she took and always left a check to cover the cost , but not today . Merle 's eyes glittered with eagerness . He ran toward her with his arms outstretched . Carly backed away , her own arms stretched out to ward him off . Her foot tangled around an empty rack of potato chips , and she fell with a short scream of surprise . Merle 's face was the brilliant red of the Infected , and sweat beaded on his forehead . He was grinning merrily as he bent over to grab her . But the grin disappeared when Biker Guy swung the nine iron into the back of Merle 's head . Merle fell like a sack of potatoes onto his side , out cold . " Jesus ! Don 't touch him ! " Biker Guy lunged forward and grabbed her hand before she could make contact . " He 's one of them ! " Biker Guy glanced down at Merle . " If he 's not dead , he 's going to wake up with one hell of a headache . If he is , I 've just saved him from a lingering and painful end . " He used his grip on Carly 's hand to pull her to her feet . She tugged her hand from his and dashed away her tears . " I hate just . . . leaving him here . " She stuck her hand out for him to shake , an automatic courtesy . He took it in his own massive paw and gave it a gentle shake . " What were you doing here ? " Carly stopped at the register and pulled out her checkbook . She wasn 't going to itemize as she had on her previous visits ; one hundred dollars should more than cover it . She clicked her pen and began to write . " Paying , " Carly said shortly . She signed the check with her loopy signature and slipped it through the slot in the cash register 's till . His grin faded when he saw the list Carly had been keeping on the shelf beside it . She knew what he was going to say , and she didn 't want to hear it . She quickly stuffed the cans into her canvas tote . She put her arms around the bag of dog food and tried to lift it out of the cart , but the position was awkward . " Let me get that . " He lifted it easily and tucked it under one arm . " You have a dog ? " he asked . She knew why he was surprised . There didn 't seem to be many dogs or cats that survived . She hadn 't seen one in weeks . " Obviously . Why else would I be buying dog food ? " Carly pushed her empty cart up to the front and tucked it into the row with the others . They walked in silence back to Carly 's apartment building . " I 'll take that . " She tugged at the bag of dog food . " Thank you . " He transferred the bag to her , and she staggered slightly under its weight . She tried to fish her keys out of her pocket , mentally kicking herself for not doing so before he handed her the fifty - pound bag . He watched with an expression of slight amusement as she struggled and juggled and tried to keep her tote from slipping off her shoulder . " I 've got it . " She managed to work a hand into her pocket and then promptly dropped the keys . He bent to pick them up , and she panicked . He had the keys to her apartment now ! But all he did was unlock the lobby door and hold them out to her . She snatched them from his hand and darted inside , where she felt safe . He stood on the other side of the glass door and watched as she charged up the stairs as quickly as she could . Carly was exhausted and out of breath by the time she reached the third floor hallway . She set down the bag of food with a grunt and dropped the tote beside it . She braced herself on the doorframe for a moment to rest . She used to use the Stairmaster at the gym . She shouldn 't be so tired , but then again , she hadn 't been eating much these days and that could explain why she felt so weak . She grimaced at the bag of dog food . She wasn 't that desperate yet . Carly unlocked her apartment door and dragged the bag inside instead of lifting it . Sam danced around her in circles . He was obviously praising her skills as a hunter . She tore open the top and scooped out a bowl of it . She had learned from her dog - training book that owners were supposed to give dogs the same food all the time in order to avoid upsetting their stomachs , but Sam seemed to be thriving on his varied diet . She put all the cans away , except for a can of ravioli she opened and consumed on the spot . Both she and Sam finished eating at about the same time , and they settled into their spots on the sofa together . Carly stroked Sam 's fur absently , thinking about Justin , the Biker Guy . He 'd had her at his mercy in the store after he 'd hit Merle , but he hadn 't tried to hurt her . Instead , he 'd offered to carry her groceries . It made her nervous because she wanted to trust him . Her father had warned her about that before he got sick . He 'd said there would be bad people out there who would pretend to be nice so that she would let her guard down . He 'd warned her to always be cautious , always be vigilant , and to trust no one . She was on her own , just her and Sam . That thought made her feel small and lonely , made her want to hide in her little apartment , where she felt safe from the huge world outside . But that safety was an illusion . The door to the lobby was glass ; it would only take one rock to break down that barrier . And her apartment door was made of thin metal over a foam core - meant for insulation and sound - dampening , not for security . One well - placed kick and it would fail . She hugged Sam and wondered - not for the first time - if she should move somewhere else . But where ? The thought of leaving her home and everything familiar was terrifying . She wanted to be home when the world returned to normal . She just wasn 't sure how long she was going to have to wait for that , or how she would survive in the meantime . Justin , the Biker Guy , was still there when Carly looked out her window in the morning . She surprised herself by feeling strangely relieved . How odd that he had become something stable in her world . He was cooking something . He had set up some kind of tripod over the fire , and hanging from it was a strange , small , circular , flat surface with arms at the sides joined over the top . He was using it as a frying pan . He looked up and waved at her . She ducked behind the curtains . Carly took Sam down to the interior courtyard using the back stairs . He bounded out the door and sniffed around , looking for the exact spot while she watched the windows around them , growing more nervous by the moment , as she always did . She felt like a rabbit in the middle of a football field . No place to hide . " Hurry up , " Carly said to Sam , but he was intent on locating today 's precise deposit location , using criteria only dogs knew . After he finally finished , Carly cleaned up after him and dropped the plastic sack into the overflowing trash can . Back inside , where it 's safe . Sam followed at her heels . Like his namesake , he was always cheerful and exuberant . His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he bounded around beside her . Carly filled his bowl with dog food again , but something strange happened when she went to fill his water bowl . Nothing came out of the faucet when she turned the taps . There was a strange clunking and sputtering sound , but no water . She tried the bathroom taps with the same results . Nothing . Carly felt her heart sink . She knew nothing about plumbing , so fixing it was impossible , and she had no idea what she was going to do . She could get bottled water from the store to drink , but that wouldn 't help when it came to hygiene and flushing her toilet . Carly considered her options for a moment and then went over to the window . She unlocked the top and slid it open . It would only open partway , as a safety feature , but it was large enough for her to stick her head out . Justin stood , wrapped the handle of the skillet - thing in a cloth , lifted it off the fire , and set it aside . He walked over to stand beneath Carly 's window , craning his neck back to look up at her . " What do you mean , it doesn 't work ? " Carly was on the verge of telling him to forget it , but then she thought about not being able to flush her toilet . " All right , " she said . " I 'll be right down . " She left the apartment door slightly ajar and walked downstairs to the lobby . Justin was waiting by the door . She hesitated for only a moment and then pushed it open for him . He strolled inside and started up the stairs as if he knew right where he was going . With a small frown of concern , Carly hurried to catch up to him . Startled , she peeked around his side to see what had alarmed him so much . " Oh , that 's Sam . He must have pushed the door open . " " Carly , where did you get him ? " Justin asked , speaking slowly , never taking his eyes from Sam . Sam , for his part , simply stood there and eyed Justin with curiosity , his head tilted to the side . " Oh , don 't be silly . " Carly pushed past him , darting around the arm that tried to block her path , and went to rub Sam 's head between his fuzzy , triangular ears . " See ? He 's gentle and friendly . " " A wolf isn 't a dog , Carly . They 're not pets . " His tone was gentle , but firm , as though he were trying to get her to see reason . Carly 's eyes flashed with anger . What did he think she was going to do ? Say to Sam , Oh , sorry , you 're the wrong species , and toss him out to fend for himself ? " I 've had him since he was a baby . He wouldn 't survive out there alone . " " All right , " Justin said , trying to sound soothing . " Calm down . I won 't take him away from you , okay ? Now , let me see your pipes . " She 'd had a similar thought earlier . But it was another long moment before Carly led him into her apartment and pointed at the kitchen . He went inside and opened the cupboard doors under the sink . " Hmm . Interesting . " Justin unhooked the fat white pipe shaped like the letter J . He showed her the interior . " See ? No water . Your pipes are empty , Carly . You used it all . The water is gone , and it won 't come back because there 's no electricity to run the pumps . " " What am I going to do ? " Carly wasn 't really asking him . She rubbed her forehead . Water had always been something that was just there at the turn of a tap . She had no idea what to do , and a sensation of dull panic churned in her gut . She had been thinking the same thing earlier , but hearing Justin voice it upset her . " This is my home , " she said . " I can 't just leave it ! " He was quiet for a moment . " What were you planning to do this winter ? You don 't have a fireplace and the temperature is usually around freezing or just above . It 's not as cold here as most people think it gets in Alaska , but you could still freeze to death . " She looked at him in confusion . It made little sense to her that Justin was worrying about winter when everything would surely be back to normal by then . Order would be restored , and the lights would be back on . Carly would be back to managing the souvenir shop , and the stores would be full of groceries . " Go away ! " she cried . Sam , sensitive as always to her moods and correctly identifying Justin as the cause of her distress , let out a growl and bared his sharp little milk teeth . Justin didn 't even glance at him . Justin nodded and pulled the apartment door closed behind him . Carly slid down to the floor in front of her silent refrigerator . Tears slid down her cheeks , and Sam licked them off gently . He wagged his tail , but Carly remained where she sat , unable to move or think . Her mouth watered at the thought of hot food . She 'd never particularly cared for oatmeal , but it sounded absolutely delicious . But still Carly hesitated . She hadn 't figured out what Justin wanted . He could be dangerous . Just because he hadn 't chosen to strike yet didn 't mean he was safe . That sealed the deal . " I 'll be right down ! " Carly called . She went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth , rinsing with water from one of the bottles she 'd found by her door when she 'd taken Sam for his last trip outside for the evening . She could only surmise it had been left by Justin - perhaps as a peace offering - though how he had gotten inside was anyone 's guess . She thought it was very nice of him , especially after the way she had yelled at him yesterday . After she 'd calmed down , she 'd felt embarrassed about it . He was trying to help , even if he didn 't understand why she was so reluctant to even consider leaving her home . Her wavy , caramel - colored hair was petulant at being denied its daily wash and conditioner treatment , so it frizzed and stuck out all over her head . Her vigorous brushing made things worse before she pulled it back into a ponytail . Her brown eyes were bloodshot from crying after last night 's bad dream about her parents . She put a leash on Sam and led him down the front stairs . Puppies needed to be socialized , according to the dog - training book Carly found at the grocery store . They needed to be around people in different types of situations in order to grow up to be friendly , well - behaved dogs . Sam was already very well behaved , though not due to any vigorous training on her part . He was sharply attuned to her moods and body language . All she had to do was look at him crossly to make him stop whatever he was doing , and he seemed to have a remarkable memory for those moments . Justin had set up a second bucket as a chair for Carly . She sat down on it , and Sam lay down on the sidewalk beside her . " I brought some syrup . " Justin smiled . " That 's great . All I have is sugar . " He already had enough dishes , made out of lightweight metal , and he scooped out a portion of oatmeal for her . " You might want to put your bowl under it since we don 't have a table . Those aluminum dishes can get hot . " " No problem . " He put the bottle on the ground between them . Sam looked at it and licked his chops in temptation , but a glance from Carly made him lay his head back down on his paws with a sigh . Carly had to restrain herself from gulping down the rest of the cup so she could ask for another . She sipped the coffee and ate her breakfast in silence for a few minutes . Justin scraped the rest of the oatmeal out into a bowl and put it down in front of Sam . Sam looked up at Carly for permission before digging in . Carly swallowed . " You 're right . I don 't know what to do about this winter . I mean , I 'm sure everything will be fixed by then , but just in case . . . I need to figure something out . Like a kerosene heater or something . " " He shouldn 't breathe in kerosene fumes . It 's not good for dogs . . . or wolves , for that matter . It will be almost impossible to ventilate your apartment properly . Secondly , Sam needs space to run . He 's going to get a lot bigger before he finishes growing , and your apartment is just too small for him . He 'll be unhappy there . " " You 'll run out of bottled water very quickly . If you give him unfiltered water from a creek or river , he could get sick . He could get parasites , and you can 't take him to a vet . " Justin sipped his coffee . As he did , the sleeve of his T - shirt slipped up , and she got a good look at the tattoo on his upper arm . It was a snake wrapped around a lightning bolt . " You were in Iraq ? " she asked , surprised . " Your tattoo . My dad had a ring with the same symbol on it . He said it was the symbol of his army unit or something like that . He was in the first Gulf War . " " I guess so . " Carly was remembering what her dad said to her once about the symbol ; any man who wore it was like a brother to him , someone she could trust or rely on for help . " Is my dad why you 're here ? " she asked . " No , I didn 't know . " Justin poured more coffee into her cup and then topped off his own cup . " But now that I do know , I can 't just leave you here . You understand that , right ? " Carly cursed herself for saying anything . The firmness in his tone told her he wasn 't going to let this go easily . " What do you want , Justin ? Why are you camped out in front of my apartment ? " " I told you why I 'm here ; I wrote it on the sign . I just wanted to talk to you . You 're the only sane human being I 've seen in weeks . " He shook his head . " I 'm from Nebraska , actually . Omaha . I was up here for the Deadhorse Rally . I got here earlier than expected and decided to take a detour and explore a bit . " " I left it in Haines when I took the ferry here . " The ferry was the only way to reach Juneau as none of Alaska 's eleven highways led to the town . He smiled , and it was a bit wistful . " This is a beautiful area . For all the tourists you get , the forests are practically pristine . " " The ferry isn 't running , so I 'm stuck here . " Carly was relieved , in a way . It was a decision she didn 't have to make . " No . " Justin 's voice was soft , but firm . " Carly , you have to accept it . Life as you know it is over . America is dead . There isn 't a president or police officers . No one will ever cash those checks you wrote . The power won 't come back on , not for a very , very long time . " Carly stood , and her forgotten bowl of oatmeal tumbled off her lap . Sam was delighted and looked up at her for permission to eat it , but Carly took hold of his leash . She wasn 't looking at Justin , her face firmly turned away . " I 'm going home now . Leave me alone . Just go away and leave me alone . " " He 's dead , " Carly snapped . " And you just told me there 's no government , which means there 's no army either . Your obligations are at an end . " Justin sighed as he watched Carly retreat to her apartment building . He 'd taken a bit of a risk trying to jar her into accepting reality . She was still in shock , still in the denial stage . He had known as much when he saw the detailed list of items she 'd taken from the store . She 'd even calculated the tax on the non - grocery items . He could see a few cracks in the careful façade she had constructed to hide from the truth , and with more careful prodding , he might be able to break through . He picked up her plate and bowl and washed them in the bucket of water he 'd drawn from a nearby creek and purified with bleach . He needed to give her time to come to grips with the fact that the world she had known was gone , but it was already the middle of June . They couldn 't wait much longer if they were going to reach a more temperate climate before winter set in . He 'd known the moment he spotted her , almost two weeks ago , he couldn 't leave her behind . It just wouldn 't be right . But it was clear he was going to have a hell of a time convincing her to leave the only place she felt safe in this new , uncertain world . His first indication that there was something wrong had been the fire . He 'd been camping in the silent serenity of the hills around the sleepy little town . Sometimes the noise and bustle of the civilized world got to be too much , and he 'd need to retreat for a while , to recharge his batteries in solitude . He smelled the fire before he saw it . It was only once his curiosity had lured him in closer to the town that he 'd seen the smear of black smoke besmirching the crystalline , blue sky . He 'd frowned as he found a comfortable spot and pulled out his binoculars . Seemed like a hell of a big one , but he heard no sirens . Even when the sun had finally set for the night , he hadn 't seen any flashing lights reflected off the nearby buildings or the haze of smoke that hung low to the rooftops . Fortunately , the building had been far enough from its neighbors that the fire hadn 't spread , or the whole town might have burned . That was when he 'd taken the wind - up radio from his pack , and when he couldn 't make sense of the disjointed babble , he 'd turned on his cell phone for the first time in over a month . Dozens of messages . He listened to them at first in shock and then in slowly dawning horror as he realized what was happening . He 'd seen Carly by chance during one of his brief forays into the town , dashing from her apartment to the little grocery store , her eyes wide with fear and confusion . He 'd watched her for a while to gauge how best to approach her . After checking her building for any potential threats , he set up camp in front and settled in to wait . Humans were social creatures , after all , and it was only a matter of time before loneliness would lead her to initiate contact . He hadn 't counted on the wolf pup , however . Like most modern Americans , Carly was completely unprepared for survival in a world without technology . To people like Carly , food came from a grocery store , and its origins beyond that point were vague . Water came from a tap , safe and purified , and there was always a doctor to tend to any injuries with safe , FDA - approved medications . People like Carly rarely survived for long when the center did not hold . She 'd armed herself with a steak knife and a golf club , for God 's sake ! Still , he recognized a spark of strength within her that told him she was a survivor . She just didn 't know it yet . He hadn 't lied to her when he 'd told her he had an obligation to her father , an obligation that still held even if he was the last surviving member of what had simply been called " The Unit . " It was part of the oath . If a man should fall , the rest of them would take care of his family . He hadn 't even been aware that Carl Daniels had a family . Most of them did not . One of the things that made them so effective was none of them had anything to lose . Her mother , Gloria , had fallen sick first , but it had been mild , like a spring cold or a persistent case of allergies . Both Carly and her father had watched anxiously , and at the end of the week , her mother had actually seemed like she was getting better . Gloria had been in the kitchen , cooking dinner , when she 'd collapsed to the linoleum . Carl had rushed in and scooped his wife off the floor , and she had vomited helplessly as he lifted her . She 'd been burning up with fever . Carly had held her father 's gaze in a moment of silent , horrified communication . There was no denying she had the Infection . There was still hope . The news had said over half of the people who caught it survived . Carly would wonder later if that was just a way of trying to keep the panic down , to keep the Infected in their homes drinking chicken soup instead of clogging the roads and trying to reach the already overcrowded hospitals . The violent illness wracked Gloria 's body as her fever climbed to alarming heights . Then the delirium set in , and she talked to long - dead relatives , screamed that there were spiders crawling on her , and failed to recognize either her husband or daughter . Carl had to tie Gloria 's hands to the headboard to keep her from digging bloody furrows in her arms , clawing away the spiders only she could see . They 'd tried everything . They tried putting Gloria into a tub of cold water to bring down the fever . They 'd given her aspirin , which was the only drug they had in their apartments . They tried to keep her hydrated , though every drop of liquid they put into her came right back up . Carl had tried to contact the hospital , but 911 rang busy . When he drove to the hospital to see if there was any way he could get Gloria admitted , he had come home pale , his eyes filled with the horrors he had seen there . He hadn 't mentioned the hospital after that . " Listen to me , Sugar Bear . . . " He had used the nickname he 'd given Carly as a baby . Carl looked over at his wife , who had slipped into unconsciousness so deep it was probably a coma . He smoothed the hair back from Gloria 's sweat - soaked forehead . Her breaths were shallow and panting . " We 're not going to make it . " Carl 's smile was gentle , even though tears glittered in his eyes . " I don 't have much time , and I need to talk to you while I still can . I want you to leave , Carly . Get out of here and go home , and don 't come out for anyone . Understand ? You stay inside , where it 's safe , until this thing is over . " " I can 't . I can 't leave you . " Carly wouldn 't go , no matter how much he begged . To be honest , a small part of her was almost hoping she would become infected herself so this horror would all be over . When she took small breaks to get food for herself , Carly watched the news , watched the world fall apart , live , in living color . Her mind replayed some of those images in her dreams . She saw the famous HOLLYWOOD sign ablaze from uncontained wildfires , the riots in Chicago , the refugees trying to pour out of New York across the Brooklyn Bridge , stopped by National Guard troops , and the horrible moment when the crowd had realized they were more powerful in their sheer numbers . Carly took care of her parents the best she could . She tried to keep them cool , to pour liquids into them , and clean up the mess when those liquids came back up . Days blended into one another , and it seemed as if she had spent a lifetime in that room of suffering . Carly was so exhausted she started having small hallucinations herself . From the corner of her eye , she thought she saw tiny movements that made her jump and gasp . Her overwrought nerves reacted to the shots of adrenaline through her system , which made her more exhausted . Her dream mercifully skipped over what had happened next . Sometimes it didn 't , and she was forced to relive their deaths . During the day , she could shove the thought away by force , but her dreams were uncontrollable . Carly had clasped her parents ' hands together before covering them with the blanket and returning to her own apartment , numb with horror and grief . She 'd tried calling 911 to report her parents ' deaths , but it always rang busy . It rang busy until the day the phone didn 't work any longer . She woke with tears on her cheeks . Sam gave a soft whimper and crawled closer to lay his head on Carly 's stomach . His eyes were sad and sympathetic . She scratched behind his ears to show him she was all right and sat up on the side of the bed . Another day to get through . Carly scooped out a bowl of food for Sam and went over to the window . She let out a gasp of distress when she saw Justin 's tent was gone . She was surprised at how upsetting it was . She spun , ran to the apartment door , and flung it open . Sam bounded after her , ready for his morning outside time . She skidded to a halt when she found Justin in a sleeping bag in the hallway . Relief washed over her , a feeling she didn 't quite understand . " I . . . uh . . . I guess not . " Carly wondered how he had gotten through the locked lobby doors . It was a thought that made her vaguely uneasy . Carly hesitated . She wasn 't sure if she trusted Justin enough to let him take Sam , but not because she thought Justin might hurt him . Sam meant everything to her . Without him , she might have surrendered to her despair . He had given her a reason to go on , a listening ear , comfort , and companionship . Carly was reluctant to let him out of her sight . " Just out to the courtyard , " he said . Carly was a little startled he knew about it , but she supposed he was the type of person who would explore the whole building and search for other exits . Her dad had been the same way . Thinking of him made Carly recall Justin 's tattoo and what her dad had said the symbol meant . " Out , " she said to Sam and pointed at Justin . Sam understood and trotted over to Justin with his tail wagging expectantly . Justin patted him on the head , and they started down the hallway toward the back staircase . Carly left her door open , though it made her very nervous , and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth . She couldn 't help trying the tap again and was a little disappointed when nothing but air came out . She 'd hoped Justin was wrong and the water would come back . She used her toilet , and with regret , she flushed it for the last time . She 'd been trying to save that last flush , but since Justin was there , she was too embarrassed not to do it . Carly heard the jingle of Sam 's collar before he bounded into the apartment . He stood on his back legs , bracing his front paws on Carly 's thighs , his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth . She gave him a hug and looked up at Justin in the doorway . " Thank you . " She meant that for more than just taking Sam outside , but she didn 't know how to express her gratitude for all of the things he had done for her . It wasn 't only the kindness of sharing his food and bringing her water , but also saving her from Merle and trying to help her figure out what she was going to do next . Carly considered his question . She had food , but not really " breakfast " food . " I have a can of condensed clam chowder , some cans of tuna and green beans . " " Are you sure ? " Going to the grocery store was bad enough , and as far afield as Carly had ventured since the Crisis . She felt guilty for that , but after she 'd gotten Sam , she felt she had to do it . She knew she couldn 't go back to the store down the street . What if Merle was still there ? She picked up her dad 's nine iron and got another steak knife from the kitchen while Justin gathered his own supplies . Carly flinched when he took out a gun and slid the top of it open . He checked something and let it slide back into place and then put it in a holster on his hip . On the other hip , he attached a wicked - looking knife in its sheath . The lobby door of the apartment building was still intact . Carly wondered how Justin had gotten inside without breaking the glass door or the lock . Justin held it open for her , and they stepped out onto the silent street . It was so quiet the rustle of the breeze through the trees across the street and the click of Sam 's nails on the sidewalk seemed loud . Carly stayed behind Justin , experiencing that awful rabbit - in - a - football - field feeling again , terribly exposed with nowhere to hide . Justin didn 't seem troubled at all . He strolled down the street , his stride casual , one hand on the strap of the backpack he had slung over one shoulder . The parking lot in front of the store still held a handful of cars . An elderly car with blooms of rust around the wheels was parked in front of the store , the driver 's door yawning open . Justin made a quick " stop " gesture , and Carly froze . He crept up and reached inside the car , but his broad shoulders blocked Carly from being able to see what he was doing . He backed out and motioned her forward . " Survival . " Justin took off his pack and unzipped the top . He fished out two heavy metal flashlights and handed one to Carly . " These things weigh a ton , but they 're as tough as hell and can be used as a weapon in a pinch . " The glass door was locked when Justin tugged on the handles . Without even blinking , he used the butt of his flashlight to smash the glass . Carly looked around the empty parking lot , as though someone might hear the shattering of glass and come running with the cops in tow . Justin reached in through the hole he 'd made and turned the lock button on the inside of the door frame . He pulled the door open and gave Carly a little bow . " After you , my lady . " Carly pulled a cart out of the line and laid her shopping tote inside the child seat as Justin turned on his flashlight and shined it around in a swift arc . The vestibule was littered with discarded sales fliers . There was a corkboard beside the entrance door , which had been used to hold notices of garage sales and free kittens , but currently was covered with fliers asking people to call if they 'd heard from missing relatives or had news about other cities where their loved ones lived . Carly had to look away from it quickly . It hurt too much to remember the desperation of those days . The store was in the same condition as the one near Carly 's apartment building , and had a similar stench . Carly gagged but continued inside behind Justin , her hand cupped over her nose . The shelves were almost bare , and what was left was in shambles . Cans and boxes were scattered on the floor . Justin picked up one . " Ooh ! Jackpot ! A box of Lucky Charms ! " He tucked it into Carly 's shopping cart . " I 'm so happy I could be part of the momentous occasion . " They entered the drug aisle , which was cleaned out of cold medicines and fever - reducing medication . It made Carly sad to see it , for it was silent testimony to the number of people who thought cough syrup could combat the Infection . " It 's not for cuts and scrapes . You can use it to purify drinking water . " Justin had moved on to anti - diarrhea medication , of which he took every bottle and box . " This stuff is going to be worth more than its weight in diamonds . " Justin waved a box of tablets before he dropped into the cart . " Trust me . " At the end of the aisle , they approached the pharmacy counter . The place was in shambles , even more so than the rest of the store . Justin , surprisingly lithe for such a large man , jumped over the counter and began to read the labels of boxes and bottles , tracing his finger under the lettering . Sam bumped Carly 's leg with his head , and she saw he had something in his mouth . She put down her hand , and he spat out a can of beans . " Good boy ! " She rubbed his ears , and Sam wagged his tail , delighted . He started searching the floor beneath the shelves again . Carly 's blush remained firmly in place at his words . She walked the few paces over to the feminine hygiene aisle and grabbed several boxes of tampons , which she stuffed to the bottom of the cart . She didn 't know why she was so embarrassed about it when Justin didn 't seem to be . They collected what food was left on the shelves . Very little in the way of canned goods remained . Sam bumped Carly 's leg twice more with cans in his mouth . Justin stared . " Did you train him to do that ? " Carly shook her head . " I think he just figured out I want cans , so he 's bringing them to me . " Sam couldn 't differentiate between the cans , though . One had been a diet soda , which she opened and gulped down on the spot , only afterward thinking she ought to have offered Justin a drink . She flushed again and dropped the empty can , but he shrugged and said he disliked diet soda , anyway . Justin headed back to the stock room but paused in the doorway and told her to wait where she was . Carly wondered what he 'd seen but shrugged and spent the next few minutes in the health and beauty aisle , where she selected a few sticks of deodorant and some leave - in spray conditioner that might help contain the frizzy mess her hair had become . She saw a row of baby wipes and flung a few large packets into the cart . If she couldn 't shower , she could at least wipe herself down . It was better than nothing , she supposed . Carly gave him a small smile . She knew he was joking to soften the reaction his words were bound to have , and she appreciated it . She considered for a moment and then put her checkbook back into her pocket . He was probably right . Even if the owner of the store returned , who would be at the bank to cash her check ? " How are we going to carry all of this ? " Her tote wouldn 't hold it all . They walked down 10th Street toward the bridge . Sam trotted beside her , his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth . He looked happy , and it made her heart lighten a bit . " You said you were from Omaha . Is that where your family is ? " Justin shrugged . " I 'd imagine so , but I have no way of knowing for sure . I grew up in the foster care system and enlisted as soon as I was old enough to sign the papers . " That must have been the language her dad had been speaking in his fevered delirium the night he died . She pushed the thought away and blinked hard to combat the stinging in her eyes . Justin gave her a pat on the shoulder , his eyes compassionate . She felt a little closer to Justin , knowing he had a connection to her father , no matter how slight . " No , I had my own apartment upstairs . Mom and Dad were on the ground floor . So I still saw them every day and went downstairs for dinner all the time since I 'm not much of a cook . " Carly gave a little laugh even as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand . " My mom worried I wasn 't eating enough vegetables and healthy stuff . " Justin was quiet for a moment . " The men spoke highly of your father . He left the field around the time you were born and became an instructor , but his reputation as a brave man and loyal friend remained . " She peered at him closely . Under that scruffy beard , his features still had a youthful cast , but that might have been because he usually had a mischievous grin and a wicked twinkle in his eye . Knowing him a little better , he didn 't look so scary . " Wow , you look younger . " " I was afraid to go outside . It wasn 't just the quarantine . At first there were lots of . . . crazy people on the street . The Infected . Healthy people would try to walk past them quickly , and sometimes the Infected would just attack them without warning . I didn 't start going outside until I didn 't see anyone . And then it was scary that I didn 't see anyone , you know ? I started thinking the government may have evacuated all of the healthy people out of Juneau , and I just wasn 't informed because they didn 't know I was in my apartment . I started wondering . . . " Her voice cracked , and she cleared her throat before she continued . I started wondering if I was the only one left . I read this book once , I Am Legend by Richard Matheson . Have you ever read it ? " " The book is different . " Carly felt a stinging pain in her hands and realized she had both fists clenched tightly , her nails digging into her palms . " The main character , that 's what happens to him . He 's the only normal person left in the world . I kept telling myself there had to be other people , and things would go back to normal , but until I saw you , I - " Carly had to stop . Her throat was too tight to speak any further , but from Justin 's expression , he understood what she was trying to say . They had come to the Juneau - Douglas Bridge . There was a roadblock of concrete lane dividers set up across the center of the bridge and lines of cars on both sides of it . Out in the harbor beyond , a few cruise ships floated where they would wait eternally to be cleared for docking . Carly considered the cars lined up behind the barriers . " Where were they hoping to go ? " " The problem with quarantine is most people think they should be exceptions to it . They think their circumstances are different , special . They have to go get a sick relative or a child . They have to go to the store or to the bank to get their money . Just a quick trip ; they 'll be right back . " Carly knew this was true . Her own father had broken quarantine to go to the hospital to see if he could get her mother admitted , and she knew some of her friends had ignored the order because they wanted to go be with their families . Her best friend , Michelle , had set out with her baby , Kevin , intending to drive to Anchorage , where her parents had moved after they retired . Carly sometimes wondered if Michelle and Kevin had made it , or if she had been stopped somewhere along the route , unable to travel onward and unable to come back to Juneau . " Some people refused to believe there was a pandemic and thought the government was trying to ' take over ' and turn America into a dictatorship . " Justin paused for a moment . A hint of a cynical smile tugged at his lips . " You know how it was , Carly . People didn 't trust the government for small things , let alone for something that affects their personal freedom . " Justin shook his head . " The Infection had a long incubation period in which people were contagious but asymptomatic . . . People felt fine , so they ignored the quarantine orders , and the government was slow to enforce the quarantine . It was an election year , after all . By the time they got serious about enforcing it , it was far too late . " An election year . Carly was sickened at the thought that politicians might have been willing to let people get sick and die rather than hurt their chances to keep their offices . She hoped it wasn 't true , but she didn 't ask Justin anything more about it . She wasn 't sure she wanted to know . Her father had been concerned people were ignoring the quarantine orders . Carly remembered her mother teasing him for being such a Boy Scout about following the government 's directives because of his time in the military . Her father had just smiled and teased her back , but even then , Carly had known there was something he wasn 't telling them . In retrospect , she could see her father had known the situation was far worse than Carly and her mother had realized . She followed as he started across the bridge , keeping as far away from the vehicles as possible , trying to pretend they didn 't exist . She kept her eyes glued to the heels of Justin 's black leather boots and kept a tight grip on Sam 's leash , clamped under her hand on the handle of the cart . Sam kept casting concerned looks up at her ; maybe he could read the tension in her posture . Carly patted him on the head to try to reassure him . . . and to reassure herself as well . She heard a bang from the other side of the bridge and jumped . It wasn 't loud , but in the eerie silence , it seemed exaggerated . She glanced around to search for the source of the sound , and she saw a small shack on the side of the bridge , built for the troops guarding the barricade . The door swung lazily in the breeze . Then she saw a pair of boots sticking out from behind the edge of the barrier and looked away . She caught sight of a car straight ahead of them , emitting a strange humming sound . The windows were blacked out with some kind of undulating material that had a dull glimmer to it . A trash bag , maybe ? But as she got closer she realized it wasn 't a trash bag . It was flies . Thousands of flies covering the inside of the windows , and the sound of their wings was the humming she heard . They lined the edge of the small gap in the window , new arrivals and departures . Carly gagged and fell to her knees at the side of the bridge . Up came the soda she had drunk in the store , and she continued to retch until her stomach muscles ached and quivered . Her head pounded . Behind her , Sam danced and whined , unsure of how to assist her . " Small sips , " Justin said . He sat down beside her on the curb . She felt his hand on her back , rubbing in small , soothing circles . She took a tiny sip from the bottle , just enough to wet her tongue , and her stomach decided to be gracious about it . The loss of electric power and telephones hadn 't done it . The empty stores and streets hadn 't done it . But the fact that human bodies were sitting in a car in the middle of a bridge finally convinced her Justin had been telling the truth . Civilization was gone . There was no one left to collect and bury the dead . They would rot where they fell . Her parents ' apartment would be their tomb , but the more she thought about that , the more it seemed appropriate - almost like the pharaohs sent to the afterlife with all of their possessions . Her parents would rest surrounded by pictures of their friends and family and the items that had defined their daily lives . But the people in the car . . . A sob tore from her throat , louder than normal because she had been trying to hold it back . And then she was crying and unable to stop . Kneeling on the bridge over Juneau Harbor , she wept for a world that was dead and gone . Justin pulled her into his arms and whispered soft , soothing things . He rocked her and let her cry against his chest until her sobs had diminished into hiccups . A wet nose pressed against her face , and Sam cleaned her tears off her cheeks . His amber eyes were strangely compassionate , as if he understood more about the world around him than an animal should . " It was overdue . You needed to get it out . " His smile was gentle , and she gazed into his eyes , so dark brown they seemed almost black from some angles . Though the color should have made them seem sinister , they were warm and kind . She lost track of time for a moment , gazing into their depths before Sam jarred her back to reality by bumping her with his head . Carly realized she was draped over Justin and struggled to her feet . Justin rose , as graceful as a ballet dancer , and took her hand . She held onto it long after they had finished crossing the bridge . linda c thomasJanuary 15 , 2013 at 2 : 03 PMWonderful . You had me eagerly anticipating the next paragraph . Cheers to you . I want more . LindaReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more . . .