:ALONE:

She stared out over the city without really seeing it. It had been a long time since she actually looked at the ruins around her. Instead she turned her face up to the moon and breathed deeply. Every day the stench of pollution and smog lessened. Even the rot of decayed bodies was almost gone. As the rising sun turned the sky a dusky pink she went back inside.

She stopped on the sixth floor and checked on Mike Rostenkowski and his son Joey. Mike was recovering from a stroke and sometimes tried to do more than he should. He was a proud man and had a hard time accepting that sometimes he needed help. Luckily, today, he was in a good mood. Joey was a nice kid, kind of shy, but super helpful in keeping the generators and things running. She had a quick cup of coffee, and headed on down to the fifth floor.

On the fifth floor she checked in on Sandy, Maria and Chrissie, some teens she had found scavenging at a gas station down the street. Malnourished and scared half to death at first, they were slowly integrating with the rest of the building. She gave them all a brief hug before rushing past the fourth floor and heading straight down to the third.

She checked on Mrs. Vartebedian, who was working on a new quilt, and on Mr. Lyons, who was baking some of his wonderful bread loaves. Whenever she had the time she liked to sit with each of them and listen to stories of their youths.

The second floor was used for storage now. 2A held food and water. Every drop of water and every grain of food was carefully rationed and tracked. 2B held nonperishable items like blankets, gasoline, bandages and clothing. There were also emergency bags, fully stocked, for each resident in case they had to abandon the building.

She reached the first floor just as Zack and Wil were switching off guard duty with Missy and Greg. She didn't spend much time with Missy and Greg, if she could help it. It wasn't that she didn't like them. Greg Seibert had been the president of Cal-Tech before the world went to hell, and Missy... well, sometimes when she looked at Missy, it wasn't Missy's face she saw.

She honestly was happy for the two of them. They had formed a bond in the middle of an apocalypse, and it had made them both stronger. The love they felt shone bright between them. Just another reason it was hard to spend time around them.

She made sure the shutters were secure and then headed into the old laundry room to check on the make-shift greenhouse they had set up. The potted veggies were growing well and soon they would have fresh tomatoes, beans and carrots.

Unable to put it off any longer, she headed back up to the fourth floor with heavy steps. When she reached the landing she stopped, her eyes on the floor. A single tear fell into the worn carpet and she quickly squeezed her eyes tightly shut. When she was certain there were no more, she opened her eyes and walked to 4B without looking up. She opened the door slipped inside, closed the door and leaning against it.

Every morning was the same, and she had hoped that, over time, her pain would lessen. It had been almost a year now, and if anything, the pain kept growing. She shuffled back to the bedroom and laid down, not even bothering to change into pajamas. She hugged a pillow to her chest and, as she did every morning, she prayed.

Please, God, let them be safe.

And if they aren't, never let me find out.