Quarantine (Incarnate)
Day 55, November 3rd Arizona They said it wasn’t contagious, but what the hell did they really know about anything. They had been spouting horseshit since day one. Pure, high-grade, Kentucky-Derby-winning, horseshit. Nate Williams grabbed a full piece of red chalk from a small Ziploc bag in a drawer. He dropped a diagonal line across four hash marks, stood back from the kitchen wall and counted out loud. “Eleven sets of five equals … fifty-five days. Fifty-five days since the power went out.” Fifty-five fucking days. “Don’t worry.” Nate’s head tilted from side to side as he mimicked, “That big ole flare just fried a few transformers. We’ll have ‘em up an’ runnin’ before…
I’m a Situation
Day 13, September 22 Boca Raton, Florida Exactly twenty-three minutes after he died, Francis Jaynes sat up slowly in his bed. He swiveled his neck from side to side and, by the soft moonlight filtering through the window of his room at the Welcoming Arms Nursing Home, could discern the familiar silhouettes of each piece of furniture. Everything appeared precisely as it always did. Gripping the side-rail for stability, he lowered his feet to the ground and pulled himself into an upright position. He switched on the battery-powered lamp beside his bed and squinted as he slid his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He looked around for a…
Becoming Nothing
Day 53, November 1st Reykjavik, Iceland An explosion of greens, reds and purples prismed through the darkened windows bathing the small office in a cocoon of soft, disconcerting light. It was a spectacular demonstration of the sun’s power, but Lilja payed it no mind. She had seen it all before, every day and night since the beginning. Instead, sitting on the edge of her office chair, she stared at a clump of long grey strands of hair in the palm of her hand, the roots weeping with droplets of bright red blood. Voices reached her through the locked door. Scared voices. “I’m telling you she’s sick, she’s changing.” “She’s just depressed.”…
After Summer comes the fall
Day Zero, September 9 Utqiagvik, Alaska In the dream, the sun shone brightly and the day was cold. Rosemary walked the tundra alone on her way into town. She was nowhere near town. There was noise in the distance, but she resisted the intrusion and focused on her walk. Her boots trudged through haphazard lanes between proud pines that refused to lean under the weight of snow. She was in a place that she had never been before, but everything was familiar. She was on her way to town for – “The grocer’s shipment,” Philip said, suddenly walking beside her. “Yes.” Rosemary gave a nod of confirmation, her purpose suddenly…
