bike. He crashed to the pavement as an awful smell saturated the air. Hardly able to breath, George covered his head and prayed the storm would pass swiftly.
Almost ten minutes went by before the wind storm let up. George slowly got to his feet, glancing around at all the damage done to the trees. Broken limbs hung everywhere. He then turned back to his parents. His dead parents.
A scream erupted from his lips as he frantically opened the door and pulled his mother’s lifeless body from the car. He glanced over at his father, who was slouched over the steering wheel, and knew there was no hope for either of them. They were gone.
***
Nancy was the only one from her family that had survived the plague which had crossed the country a few days before and all but wiped out a few members of mankind. She still didn’t know exactly what had transpired, but she did know there was much danger in sticking around with the dead. That was why she’d headed up into the mountains, making her way to Heart Lake, the place her family had always spent their summers. It was a place she could feel safe.
“Hey girl! Do you have any fishing rods at your place?” the young man asked, bringing her back to harsh reality.
“Yeah. There are a couple in the closet,” she answered. “And by the way. My name is Nancy.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember.”
“Your name is George, right?”
The boy smiled for the first time since she’d met him. They had both arrived at the lake a few days before, each laying claim to the tourist cabins their families used to rent. Nancy figured her and George were about the same age, but the two had been cautious of each other and barely spoken. She was starting to think they might do better working together instead of apart. Yet, there was something about him that seemed distant, introverted. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle his lack of conversation and people skills.
“Are you getting along okay, Nancy?” It was the first time he’d shown any concern for her well-being.
Nancy smiled. “Not bad. How about you?”
“I did notice a lack of food at my cabin. Thought it might be a good idea to go fishing. We could share what I catch if you know how to cook it.”
This really made Nancy grin. “So you only need me for my fishing poles and my cooking skills. No thought about becoming friends?”
George looked mortified. “I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean it to sound like that. I’ve been trying to work up the courage all morning to come over here and talk to you. I wasn’t sure if you wanted company or not?”
Nancy stepped down from the porch, motioning for him to approach. “Let’s be realistic. There is a very good chance that you and me are the only two people within hundreds of miles of this place. It would make a lot more sense for us to be friends and work together to make things easier than to avoid one another and do everything apart. Agreed?”
George still looked a bit puzzled. “But we can still keep our own cabins, right?”
Nancy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m not asking you to move in with me, dude. I’m just talking about becoming friends and neighbors as long as we are both stuck here.”
He smiled again, seemingly relieved that she wasn’t invading his personal space. “We can do that. So, do you like to fish?”
Finally. I normal conversation. She decided to keep it going and see if he’d open up a bit. “By the way. Which school do you go to? I don’t remember seeing you at mine. I go to Valley View.”
“That’s where I’ll go next year.” She now knew he was a year behind her in school, which meant he was probably fifteen.
“I have a feeling neither of us will be returning to class any time soon. If we want an education now, we’ll have to learn on our own. Sort of like home-schooling.”
He grew a bit sullen again. “What’s the point if we’re the only
Almost ten minutes went by before the wind storm let up. George slowly got to his feet, glancing around at all the damage done to the trees. Broken limbs hung everywhere. He then turned back to his parents. His dead parents.
A scream erupted from his lips as he frantically opened the door and pulled his mother’s lifeless body from the car. He glanced over at his father, who was slouched over the steering wheel, and knew there was no hope for either of them. They were gone.
***
Nancy was the only one from her family that had survived the plague which had crossed the country a few days before and all but wiped out a few members of mankind. She still didn’t know exactly what had transpired, but she did know there was much danger in sticking around with the dead. That was why she’d headed up into the mountains, making her way to Heart Lake, the place her family had always spent their summers. It was a place she could feel safe.
“Hey girl! Do you have any fishing rods at your place?” the young man asked, bringing her back to harsh reality.
“Yeah. There are a couple in the closet,” she answered. “And by the way. My name is Nancy.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember.”
“Your name is George, right?”
The boy smiled for the first time since she’d met him. They had both arrived at the lake a few days before, each laying claim to the tourist cabins their families used to rent. Nancy figured her and George were about the same age, but the two had been cautious of each other and barely spoken. She was starting to think they might do better working together instead of apart. Yet, there was something about him that seemed distant, introverted. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle his lack of conversation and people skills.
“Are you getting along okay, Nancy?” It was the first time he’d shown any concern for her well-being.
Nancy smiled. “Not bad. How about you?”
“I did notice a lack of food at my cabin. Thought it might be a good idea to go fishing. We could share what I catch if you know how to cook it.”
This really made Nancy grin. “So you only need me for my fishing poles and my cooking skills. No thought about becoming friends?”
George looked mortified. “I’m so sorry. I honestly didn’t mean it to sound like that. I’ve been trying to work up the courage all morning to come over here and talk to you. I wasn’t sure if you wanted company or not?”
Nancy stepped down from the porch, motioning for him to approach. “Let’s be realistic. There is a very good chance that you and me are the only two people within hundreds of miles of this place. It would make a lot more sense for us to be friends and work together to make things easier than to avoid one another and do everything apart. Agreed?”
George still looked a bit puzzled. “But we can still keep our own cabins, right?”
Nancy couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “I’m not asking you to move in with me, dude. I’m just talking about becoming friends and neighbors as long as we are both stuck here.”
He smiled again, seemingly relieved that she wasn’t invading his personal space. “We can do that. So, do you like to fish?”
Finally. I normal conversation. She decided to keep it going and see if he’d open up a bit. “By the way. Which school do you go to? I don’t remember seeing you at mine. I go to Valley View.”
“That’s where I’ll go next year.” She now knew he was a year behind her in school, which meant he was probably fifteen.
“I have a feeling neither of us will be returning to class any time soon. If we want an education now, we’ll have to learn on our own. Sort of like home-schooling.”
He grew a bit sullen again. “What’s the point if we’re the only
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