supplies—food, water, weapons, gas—and then we need to find a place where we’ll be safe. Somewhere not very residential. I figure the worst place is around the University, with all the kids that live close to it. We’ll drive north on 29, get supplies, and find somewhere to hole up until this whole thing blows over.”
Jane seemed to consider this for a while. “Why did you say we’ll do better on our own?”
Then a loud, shrill noise pierced through the car, and Jane screamed.
34
Lorie was running hard, feeling her lungs filling with power and propelling her away from the terrible scene she’d just witnessed.
Lorie knew she was a great runner for her age. Or at least she knew that was what the track coaches always told her. She did feel like a great runner when she ran—the sense of surroundings flashing past, the air rushing against her, and her body working at its hardest all made her feel so alive. Whether or not she was as great as they said, she loved it.
Glancing over her shoulder, Lorie saw that Evan was far behind her, clearly having trouble keeping up with her pace.
“Come on,” Lorie said, glancing back at Evan. “You have to run a little faster. You can do it. We’re almost there.”
Lorie slowed down to let Evan catch up, and then he was alongside her, panting hard and flailing his arms inefficiently as he ran.
He barely managed to choke a few words out in between gasps and gulps for air. “I can’t keep up. I need to stop.”
“We’ll rest when we’re somewhere safe. We’re almost there, we just have to get away. Come on Evan.”
“I’m trying.”
They kept running down Barracks Road toward Route 29. There were stopped cars everywhere, and—and the sick people were in them, moving and wriggling like snakes trying to get out. It was like they didn’t remember how to get out, though, and once Lorie had realized that she felt a lot safer, though still not very safe. Most of the people who would be out would be in their cars— Charlottesville was a driving town. A few of the sick people were on the street, but they were so slow that Lorie and Evan could easily run around them, and Lorie realized they would be alright so long as they stayed far away from the sick people and didn’t run into a big group of them…or became disoriented like what had happened earlier.
Lorie didn’t know what was happening, but she thought she knew a safe place that she and Evan could go.
They were almost there.
35
Ivan got up on his hind legs and licked Jane’s face. Sven hit a button on his watch, turning the alarm off.
“Can that thing be any louder?” Jane asked, visibly irritated. She was rubbing her eyes and petting Ivan at the same time. “You late to an appointment or something?”
“Sorry,” Sven said. “That’s my protein alarm. It rings every two hours.”
“Your what? I don’t remember you having a protein alarm.”
“Yeah, I didn’t back then. I’m more serious now. The alarm goes off every two hours, to remind me to have protein.”
Jane let out an exasperated sigh and stopped petting Ivan. “Are you serious? Stuff like that is why we didn’t work out. What kind of person thinks about protein when the world is ending? And why do you need reminding about protein? Isn’t that all you eat anyway?”
“I eat other things. It’s a reminder to have protein at regular intervals, so that my muscles don’t start to break down. Otherwise my body will eat its own muscle, you know that...it’s how I get work. And what’s wrong with thinking about that, even now? I don’t plan on dying, and eating at regular intervals can only increase our chances of making it through, keeping our energy up.”
“I think there are bigger things to think about than protein and muscle right now, that’s all.”
Sven sighed and didn’t answer. He looked at the road and tried to gather his thoughts. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he reached over to
Jane seemed to consider this for a while. “Why did you say we’ll do better on our own?”
Then a loud, shrill noise pierced through the car, and Jane screamed.
34
Lorie was running hard, feeling her lungs filling with power and propelling her away from the terrible scene she’d just witnessed.
Lorie knew she was a great runner for her age. Or at least she knew that was what the track coaches always told her. She did feel like a great runner when she ran—the sense of surroundings flashing past, the air rushing against her, and her body working at its hardest all made her feel so alive. Whether or not she was as great as they said, she loved it.
Glancing over her shoulder, Lorie saw that Evan was far behind her, clearly having trouble keeping up with her pace.
“Come on,” Lorie said, glancing back at Evan. “You have to run a little faster. You can do it. We’re almost there.”
Lorie slowed down to let Evan catch up, and then he was alongside her, panting hard and flailing his arms inefficiently as he ran.
He barely managed to choke a few words out in between gasps and gulps for air. “I can’t keep up. I need to stop.”
“We’ll rest when we’re somewhere safe. We’re almost there, we just have to get away. Come on Evan.”
“I’m trying.”
They kept running down Barracks Road toward Route 29. There were stopped cars everywhere, and—and the sick people were in them, moving and wriggling like snakes trying to get out. It was like they didn’t remember how to get out, though, and once Lorie had realized that she felt a lot safer, though still not very safe. Most of the people who would be out would be in their cars— Charlottesville was a driving town. A few of the sick people were on the street, but they were so slow that Lorie and Evan could easily run around them, and Lorie realized they would be alright so long as they stayed far away from the sick people and didn’t run into a big group of them…or became disoriented like what had happened earlier.
Lorie didn’t know what was happening, but she thought she knew a safe place that she and Evan could go.
They were almost there.
35
Ivan got up on his hind legs and licked Jane’s face. Sven hit a button on his watch, turning the alarm off.
“Can that thing be any louder?” Jane asked, visibly irritated. She was rubbing her eyes and petting Ivan at the same time. “You late to an appointment or something?”
“Sorry,” Sven said. “That’s my protein alarm. It rings every two hours.”
“Your what? I don’t remember you having a protein alarm.”
“Yeah, I didn’t back then. I’m more serious now. The alarm goes off every two hours, to remind me to have protein.”
Jane let out an exasperated sigh and stopped petting Ivan. “Are you serious? Stuff like that is why we didn’t work out. What kind of person thinks about protein when the world is ending? And why do you need reminding about protein? Isn’t that all you eat anyway?”
“I eat other things. It’s a reminder to have protein at regular intervals, so that my muscles don’t start to break down. Otherwise my body will eat its own muscle, you know that...it’s how I get work. And what’s wrong with thinking about that, even now? I don’t plan on dying, and eating at regular intervals can only increase our chances of making it through, keeping our energy up.”
“I think there are bigger things to think about than protein and muscle right now, that’s all.”
Sven sighed and didn’t answer. He looked at the road and tried to gather his thoughts. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he reached over to
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