In the wake of the cataclysmic events that reshaped our world in 2020, a sense of relief washed over us all. By late 2023, I think we were ready to just live life again. I know I was. It was a time to make new friends and put the past to rest. Rayne and I hadn’t known each other long, but we were building a solid friendship, nothing more. It was our common interests that sent us on vacation together to my remote cabin. What we didn’t, couldn’t know, was that we were on a collision course with the end of the world as we knew it.

There was a new virus in town, and it was just making itself known when we left civilization behind. While the world was reeling from its effects, we were completely unaware of what was happening. For a couple of weeks life was great. Driving too fast on the side-by-side, loud music, great food, a little alcohol, and casual conversation distracted by beautiful scenery. About the only thing that would slow us down was the occasional deer in the road. By the time we figured out something was wrong, it was too late….

Excerpt

At first, the store smelled like day-old gym socks left in the hamper for a week and wet cardboard. The further we advanced, the worse it became. We were passing by all of the rotting meat, fruit, vegetables, and a pair of severely bloated bodies. There was a third one, but it had already exploded its innards all over the floor in a black pool that was writhing with maggots and flies.

Rayne wisely picked up the pace and pushed us through a pair of doors that were marked for employees only. The smell was slightly better back here. We worked our way to the back wall, and I found the loading dock doors where we’d backed the moving trucks in. Sweeping my flashlight along the wall and high ceiling, I found what I was looking for, sort of. I’d been hoping for stairs but found a wall-mounted ladder that led to the roof access. It was probably a 40, maybe 50-foot climb to the roof access hatch.

“There,” I motioned for the base of the ladder. “You gonna be able to climb that?”

“Do I have a choice?” she tried a small smile as she looked up to the hatch above us.