Pillars of Love

Despite having a vaccine and a cure, the Trillis pandemic wiped out billions across the world. It killed so fast the health organizations could not keep up with the increasing number of people being infected. They needed a plan.. In April, the world powers met in Washington, DC. and decided on a strategy to stop the pandemic. They would gather together all the vaccines and treatment drugs and move them to a central location in Wyoming. From there, they would be sent to strategic locations around the world.

Next, large jets in each country would disperse the treatment drugs to cure those who were already infected. That same night, they would spray the vaccination to protect people who had not yet contracted the disease. In May, they put the plan into effect but when the vaccination and the treatment drugs mixed together, an unthinkable Event happened... Darkness Dark, dark! The horror of darkness, like a shroud, wraps me and bears me on through mist and cloud.

Alecia Darkest Day San Francisco Alecia slammed on her brakes in time to avoid the grisly scene before her. Cars were piled together into gruesome mounds of crushed metal, and they blocked the street as far as she could see. As she jumped out of her car, the smell of gasoline and fire hanging in the air assaulted her. Dark smoke was everywhere. Only the crackling sound of burning cars broke the eerie silence. She could see no one. Slowly moving, in increasing horror, from one bloody crashed car to another, she looked for any signs of life. There were none. Was she the only one left in San Francisco? Her morning had started normally enough. She had been up late, planning for the Friday morning meeting with her staff. She needed to bring them up-to-date on a huge $206 million dollar project. As director of operations for the largest architectural company in the city, it was her responsibility to make sure everything ran without a hitch. It was the type of challenge she loved most, even though fear plagued her of not being ready and drowning under the burden of others' expectations and judgment. Despite her misgivings, she had never failed to bring a project to successful completion. Alecia groaned when the alarm blared, and she considered hitting the snooze button. Resisting the temptation, she jumped up and took a shower. Twisting her auburn hair into the low side chignon bun she thought made her look in control, but approachable, she dressed in her red power suit with matching heels. She thought she was prepared for anything. Quickly driving out of the garage, she thought about the upcoming reunion of her sorority later that month. She was excited about seeing her two best friends from college, who she had only seen once since they had graduated six years ago. They had been through so much together. There was the unidentified flu that had the three of them quarantined together for six weeks. That had cemented their friendship in a way that few other things could do. While they now lived in three different states, they talked on cell phones at least once a week. But the thought of seeing them again in person at the reunion was exhilarating. Suddenly her normal morning was over! Mangled cars with their mutilated bodies filled the streets. Fire and black smoke permeated the air. She grabbed her phone and called 911. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. She ran to the corner Starbucks where she got her skinny grande mocha latte every day. It always opened at 5 a.m. but was still closed. She looked at her watch. It was 6:33 a.m. What was going on? With trembling hands, she called her mother. There was no answer. Her mom always kept her cell phone handy; she wanted to make sure she was available for her family. Frantically, she called her father, her two sisters, her older brother, and Jenny, her confidante at work. None of them answered. Desperate, she wondered what was happening. With her last hope she called her sorority sister, Jillian, who worked in Washington D.C. Unexpectedly Jillian answered and told her that she was at the prison, and almost everyone there was dead. Alecia abruptly dropped the phone in astonishment. She couldn't believe what she saw coming toward her. They were beings with square heads and long robes. Were they aliens? What were they? Should she run and hide? No, it was too late. Then as they came closer, she could tell that they were just people wearing hazmat suits. Relieved that they were not aliens and that she wasn't the only live person in San Francisco, she frantically waved them down. They came over. She greeted them, "have you two seen anyone else? Alive?" "No, you're the first live person we've seen. And we're so happy to see you. We were afraid we were the only ones left," the taller one answered. "I am Hank and this is Becky. I'm surprised you're still alive. You're not wearing a hazmat suit." "Alecia here." She held out her hand and then realized they couldn't shake hands in their clumsy suits. In this frightening situation, why was she acting like she was in a high-pressure meeting? She chuckled mirthlessly - no meeting could ever be this stressful. "Why are you in hazmat suits?" Becky, in her small-sized hazmat suit, looked like she would blow away in any strong wind. "We heard they were going to do the aerosol- spraying of the vaccine and cure. We were afraid that it would hurt the baby so we put on these hazmat suits from my dad's work to be safe." "Baby?" Alecia inquired. "Yes, I'm five months pregnant. "We were going to Pleasanton to see her parents, but our ride didn't show up," Hank said. Alecia turned to Hank, "But what made you think that you and the baby didn't need the aerosol spray?" "We just didn't think they had tested it enough, so we thought we'd be safer without it,'' Hank answered. "I'm headed to Castro Valley to check on my parents. You can come with me." Alecia said. "It will be easier to get to Pleasanton from there" Becky looked at Hank. "How long do we need to keep these suits on? It's so uncomfortable." She shifted the helmet to make it fit more comfortably. "I don't know," he answered. "What do you think, Alecia?" "I'm not sure. Do you think that's what kept you alive? I wasn't wearing one and I'm still alive." Hank awkwardly hugged Becky. "I know it's uncomfortable, Sweetheart. But we've gone this far. Let's leave them on for the rest of the day, to be sure." Becky squirmed. "I can't. I have to pee and I can't hold it anymore." "I didn't think of that," Hank answered. "We need to take them off and find a restroom." Alecia pointed to the Starbucks. "They have a restroom. We'll have to break in, but under the circumstances, I don't think it matters. I'll go with you and see if I can figure out how to make some coffee. It won't be up to Starbuck's quality, but this morning I just need coffee of any kind. Soon they were back at Alecia's car with two cups of coffee and a hot chocolate. Becky and Hank had taken off their hazmat suits. Becky was petite, as Alecia had figured from the size of the suit. She had deep red hair that fell in a curly mass around her shoulders. Hank was tall and lanky and she could only describe his hair as a carrot-top. When Hank put Becky in the front passenger side of the car, Alecia noticed how tenderly Hank fastened the seatbelt around Becky, patting her stomach. "Everything good in there, young man?" Alecia asked if they had any ideas about how to get around the wrecks and on to Castro Valley. It seemed impossible. Police cars and ambulances were in the emergency lanes and a fire truck blocked all the other lanes. The three sat there in despair. "Wait!" Alecia tried to rub the tension from her forehead. "We can walk through, can't we?" "Walk all the way to Castro Valley?" Hank hugged Becky close to him. "She can't make it." "No, we can take a car from the other side. Hopefully, the ones at the front should have less crash damage and be driveable," Alecia said. "What? We can't do that." Becky said. "Becky," Alecia said, "This is a different world. We're going to be doing a lot of things to survive that we wouldn't have done yesterday. We need to ask ourselves if we are hurting anyone. The people in the cars are dead. They don't need them. We do!" "I guess so. I don't know how we are going to make it, anyway." Becky looked at Hank for support. Hank took her hand. "We'll make it. We've got a family now to take care of and we'll do what we have to do. And I know you can do it, Honey. We have to. Let's go." Alecia led the way, edging past the fire truck and the lifeless firefighters. Fire hoses snaked around their bodies. Becky cried out, "Oh no! Hank, do you know who that is?" pointing to one young firefighter. "That's Dirk. He played the lead in the school play in our freshman year. "What was it called? Death of a Salesman". She began to cry and shake uncontrollably. "Becky, I know it's hard," Hank hugged her. "But we have to keep going." With his arm around her, he led her forward. Alecia continued to forge a path for the others, wishing she could give way to the sobs that were screaming in her throat. She thought that if she did, she might never stop. Crumpled car after mangled car, someone's dream car; practical commuter car; a vacation car; or the old affordable car blocked the way. Those cars were carrying mothers, fathers, daughters, grandmothers, boyfriends, and newlyweds. Her mind conjured up so many dreadful scenarios. She couldn't imagine how she could keep going. Put one foot in front of the other... Be strong.. One foot in front of the other... Don't think...don't cry...Don't scream...One foot in front of the other. She chanted to herself. Finally, they reached the other side of the auto graveyard. There were four cars pulled over at the side of the freeway. There were no people in them. She assumed since they showed no evidence of being in the crash, they must have stopped to help the first victims. "The truck would be good if we needed to carry stuff," Hank said. "The van would be useful if we run into other people who need a ride. What we really need is a bulldozer to get through these blocked roads," Alecia said. The keys were in the van, and they were soon on their way. They maneuvered their way onto Highway 580, around the many crashed cars. But road blockages forced them to stop and walk through wrecked cars five times, each time having to find a vehicle with keys in the ignition and gas in the tank. As they walked through the pile-up of cars, Alecia tried not to look inside at the mangled, twisted bodies. With every wreck they walked through, it was a little easier for Alecia to hold back the tears. This scared Alecia, more than anything else. Was she getting immune to death? Had she stopped caring? What was happening to her. At the last crash site, they found an SUV, and continued to Alecia's parents' house. A different, more primordial fear gripped Alecia as she pulled the SUV into her parents' driveway. Realizing it was 1:00 p.m. and time for her call with Jillian and Tanya, she delayed going inside and placed the three-way call to her friends.

Jillian walked up to the Guard station with her badge identifying her as a JAG lawyer. She was exhausted. Having successfully defended her client, accused of dereliction of duty and negligence at a court martial on the U.S.S Abraham Lincoln, she had arrived home late last night. There was a message waiting directing her to come to the DC Central Detention Facility in the morning where she was to meet her client. She didn't relish starting a fresh case right away. But her client was a Captain, and he needed immediate counsel. They accused him of misappropriating several million dollars.

There was a horrific crash on the way and she was very late. She approached the guard station. Something wasn't right. It was chillingly quiet. The neon light, used at night, was blazing at the guard station. The American flag had not been raised. Usually, by now, at least one guard would have come out asking for identification. She peered through the window. Two guards lay on the floor. Their arms settled at odd angles and their faces buried in the cold, hard wooden floor. Dead for sure, but there was no blood that Jillian could see. What was going on? Shuddering, she stepped over the dead bodies and found the electronic button that let her into the prison. She ran to the building and saw the Captain and his guard dead on the floor. Moving through the silent building, everyone she saw was dead. Could this be real? Was she having a nightmare? "Help, Help". She heard a velvety voice cry out from one of the cells. The contrast to the eerie silence put her already jagged nerves on their fullest alert. She cautiously moved toward the cells. Even in prison clothes, the dark-haired inmate was strikingly handsome. "Why are you here?" she asked. "They convicted me of murdering my best friend. I'm waiting to be transferred to Leavenworth, where they'll lock me away for fifteen years. But it's a bogus charge. I'm innocent." "Isn't everyone here innocent?" Jillian said sarcastically.. "But that's not what I meant. Why are you alive when everyone else is dead?" "I have no idea - a prison break? Maybe someone used some kind of gas.But why would you and I have been immune from the gas, or whatever they used?" he questioned. Jillian's cell phone rang. Caller ID identified it as Alecia, one of her best friends and sorority sisters. "Thank God! You won't believe what is happening here in the detention center. Everyone has dropped dead, except one person," Jillian said. "I don't know what to do. I'm at the military prison in Washington D.C .I need to ---" Alecia interrupted. "It's not just at the prison. Everyone here is dead too. I have only found two people alive. No one answered when I called 911. I've checked the internet but there's no recent news stories since last night." " Do you think terrorists have targeted San Francisco and Washington, DC.?" Jillian asked frantically. "I don't know. Why were we spared? I'm so scared. There are horrific car wrecks blocking all the roads. We need to see if we can get around them. I need to check on Mom and Dad." "I'm going to see if I can figure out what to do here. Let's talk again at four. Maybe we'll know something by then." Jillian said, picking up her briefcase and preparing to leave. "Wait! You can't leave me locked up here. I'll die of starvation," the prisoner said. "Well, I can't take you with me. You are a criminal and could be dangerous. "I didn't do it. My wife set me up so she could get my money." "What is your name?" Jillian inquired. "Tom Graham" "And when was the murder?" "December 20, 2021. I'll never forget that day." Something in his demeanor made her want to believe him. "Wait here. I'll be right back." "Like I could go anywhere," Jillian walked to the guard station, trying to ignore the bodies, and opened up her laptop. She researched "Tom Graham '' and studied the information. They accused Tom of killing his best friend, Brian, when he found out that he was having an affair with his wife. They found the murder weapon in his closet, wrapped in his bloody shirt. It was Brian's blood. They had witnesses to a loud argument the afternoon before the murder. All the evidence was against Tom. It didn't appear that NCIS had looked at anyone else for the murder. Tom accepted a plea deal for 2nd degree murder and the military court sentenced him to fifteen years. Jillian returned to Tom in the cell. "I read your case. And you pleaded guilty." "That is because my defense attorney told me if I didn't, I would get the death penalty. He said the panel wouldn't believe me because everything pointed to me.Some of the other inmates have told me he rarely goes to trial. He pleads his clients out." Jillian didn't reply for a moment. She knew his defense attorney and felt he was lazy and borderline incompetent. He was being investigated by the Judge Advocate General. "So tell me what you think happened. You didn't have an alibi, did you?" "No, I left the house and went to the mall to buy Christmas presents for my wife and my dad. There were zillions of people there, so I doubt anyone remembers seeing me. My meeting with my client was canceled so I went for a long drive to clear my head. I got back to the Hyatt around midnight. The police figured the murder happened between 8:00 and10:00 p.m. So I was screwed." "And your attorney didn't send an investigator to check? No, according to the records, he did not investigate. So, what do you think happened?" "Okay, when I was paying the phone bill, I noticed a lot of calls to Brian during the hours I was at work. Our families were very close, so I thought maybe my wife was asking for his help with something." Taking a deep breath, Tom continued. " The day of the murder, Brian and I met for our weekly handball game. I casually asked him why she'd been calling him. He turned pasty white and didn't say anything. I wasn't prepared for his reply when he finally spoke. He told me he had been having an affair with my wife and that he felt so guilty about it he was going to break it off that night. His confession completely floored me. We had been friends since high school and yet he did this to me. And my wife?Well, I knew things had not been too good lately, but this? I lost it. At the top of my lungs, I called him every name I could think of. And yes, I probably threatened to kill him." Tom leaned forward, his life depending on her understanding. "But afterwards I settled down, and we talked. We didn't get back to being friends or anything, but he told me how sorry he was. He wanted to do what he could to make things right. He had planned to see her that night because he knew I was going to be out meeting with a client, which would go late. Brian was going to tell my wife that the affair was over. When I left him he was very much alive." Jillian ran her fingers through her long brunette hair wondering how she could know what the real truth was. Tom swallowed and continued. ""I was still angry when I went home. I waited for my wife to come home, and told her I knew all about Brian. She didn't even make excuses, but blamed me for working all the time and never being home. She said she was getting a divorce. I told her that was fine, but I was keeping the large trust fund I'd brought into the marriage and that had allowed her to live like a queen. I packed a bag and got a room at the Hyatt House." Tom stopped for a minute trying to work out how Jillian was feeling. Jillian tried to keep her face non-committal but she sensed the truth in what he was saying. "And what do you think happened from there?" "From there, I can only guess what happened. Tom sighed. "I presume when Brian came over and told her it was over; she was furious. Telling him to wait in the living room, she went and got my gun and some rubber gloves. She must have gone back to the living room wearing the gloves and shot him. I think she would have taken my shirt, dipped it in the blood, wrapped the gun in it and hid it in my closet. Once the trap had been set, she called the police and told them she had found him in her living room when she got home." Tom searched Jillian's eyes for some indication of her decision. "I had already left the house when Brian came, but the prosecution said I had come back and killed him. Once they convicted me, she would have access to the trust fund money. That's the truth." Jillian said, "I don't know. Both stories could be true. But either way, I feel you are only a danger to those who have betrayed you. And I can't leave you here locked up. Let me see if I can figure out how to open these cell doors." After much maneuvering at the guard station, she figured out how to open the cell and let Tom out. She started back into the halls. "We should go back and see if anyone else is alive." Tom grabbed her arm. "No, you don't know what you will find. There are homicidal monsters back there. I know it seems cruel, but what if you free one of them?" Hesitantly, she agreed. She had been a JAG lawyer long enough to know how savage the prisoners could be. Wondering again if she had made a mistake freeing Tom, she relied on her gut, which told her that Tom was okay. "Okay, I guess you are right. You are free to go your own way." She grabbed her briefcase and turned toward the door. "Hey, where are you going?" "To see a friend. You should figure out what you are going to do with your new freedom now that the world is destroyed." "Destroyed? What do you mean?" She realized that he still thought the deaths were confined to the prison. She told him what she had heard from Alecia. "My God!" He sagged against the wall? "Everyone is gone?" "At least here and in San Francisco. We have no way of knowing about the rest of the world." Jillian had been so busy; the disaster hadn't struck her yet. She sank to the floor beside Tom, the enormity of it all hitting her. They sat together, leaning against the prison wall. Both thinking of everyone who was gone, everyone they had lost. Sharing Jillian's cell phone, they took turns calling everyone they knew. When hope was almost gone, Tanya answered Jillian's call. "Well, it looks like I am going to Tennessee. My friend really needs me. Where will you be going?" Jillian asked Tom. "I guess Tennessee. You don't think I would let you go by yourself, do you? What's..." "Let me?" She interrupted incredulously. "A poor choice of words. I don't mean I control you. I meant it would be safer if the two of us went together. We don't know what we'll run into." Jillian thought about it. She would be getting on the road with a known criminal. He might wait until they got on the road to hit her over the head and take everything she had. Which was what? Nothing he couldn't get by breaking into one of the better houses in DC. Besides, her gut was still telling her to trust him. With the entire world falling apart, she didn't know why she was drawn to him, but she was. "I guess you're right. Let's get some supplies and get on the road. ". Just then the phone rang and Jillian realized it was time for her three-way call with Alecia and Tanya. She asked Tom to wait and stepped away from the car while she took the call.

Tanya woke up and stretched. She had fallen asleep in the recliner while watching a movie with her husband. Looking over at him, she saw he was sleeping too. Moving across the room, she called. "Jim, Jim. It's time to go to bed." Reaching over to touch his shoulder, an unfamiliar clammy sense of dread cloaked her. He didn't respond. "Jim, Jim, please wake up." She touched his arm. He didn"t move. Rushing to the phone, she called 911. She let it ring and ring, but there was no answer. Leaving the phone ringing, she reached over and tried to find a pulse.

Terror struck her as the unimaginable slammed into her mind. He had no pulse. He couldn't be dead. What happened? Oh my God, what was going on? Needing the comfort of her baby, Chris, she rushed to the nursery. Chris was laying in the crib. Clothed in the sleeper and matching cap she had so tenderly dressed him in earlier in the evening, he wasn't moving. The stiff body of her son testified to the horrible truth she could not accept - both Jim and Chris were gone. She sat in the rocking chair in the nursery, her dead baby in her arms. For hours she stared ahead, not caring what happened to her, and not knowing what to do next. She couldn't cry. She tried to pray but she didn't know what to pray for and for the first time in her life, she did not get any comfort from praying. Her mind was too numb to accept the unacceptable. Jim and Chrid couldn't be dead. Her amazing life couldn't be over. Her cell phone rang. Caller ID showed it was Jillian. "Jillian," she answered. "I don't know what happened. Jim and Chris are dead. I don't know what to do." And finally the sobs broke through the numbness to reveal unbearable pain. Jillian said, "Oh my God, Oh honey, I'm so sorry. It seems like everyone's dead. It-it's crazy. I talked to Alecia. She's okay, but everyone else is dead where she is too, except two teenagers. I can't imagine what you're going through now. What can I do?" Jillian's heart broke for Tanya as she listened to the gasping sobs. All Tanya had ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. Even in college, she wasn't interested in the classes. She had only gone to college because her parents wanted it so much for her. When her parents died in a car crash in her junior year, she almost dropped out. She finished in their memory. She graduated cum laude and cried because they weren't there to see it. After graduation, she had gone back to Nashville to her family home. She met Jim the next April, and they married the following year. It was a beautiful wedding. Tanya, Jillian and Alecia thought their threesome was growing. It grew again when Tanya introduced them to her baby boy. Jillian had never seen such joy before. The family was everything Tanya had dreamed of. She wasn't rich, but they were comfortable. From their long conversations, Jillian knew that Jim continually surprised Tanya with gifts to show her that he loved her. Tanya was always looking for ways to surprise Jim. The girls would help her plan things on their weekly phone calls. And now Tanya's family was gone, and Jillian didn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry. You know I love you and I'd do anything to take away your pain." "I know. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. Under normal circumstances, I would talk to my minister and his wife but... I called and there was no answer. I know this is Satan at work and I need to lean on God but it's so hard," Tanya broke into heart-wrenching sobs again. "What are you going to do?" "I don't know. But I should come and be with you. I've scheduled a call with Alecia at 4 p.m my time. Let's make it a three-way call and put our heads together." "Alright, and if you're coming, I need to go out to find some food and a couple of bottles of wine. There's very little food in the house. I am afraid of what I'll see when I go out, after what you have told me." They ended their phone call and Tanya finally, now she had a purpose, felt she could move from the rocker. Gently putting her son back in his crib, she got ready to go out. She would get herself to go to the grocery store and get food for when her friends came. She dreaded what she would find. After pulling on some blue jeans and her Nashville Music City tee shirt, she brushed her blonde pixie cut into a semblance of order, grabbed her purse and car keys, and went out to her Kia. She drove down Highway 24,swerving around the mangled cars, and turned off at Old Fort Parkway and pulled into the KFC. She knew she needed to eat something to stave off hypoglycemia, even though the thought of food made her sick. The parking lot was full, but she didn't see a single person until she got inside. There she saw all the customers dead at their tables. The crew was also dead at their stations when she walked to the counter. She ran outside and was sick, again and again. She knew she couldn't go back inside and cook food with the dead bodies staring at her with their lifeless eyes. Realizing that her best option would be to go to a grocery store to get the food that she needed for the next several weeks, she headed to Publix. After putting the groceries away, she sat down with a cup of coffee and a box of graham crackers. She thought about what she had just been through. She had walked down the aisles of the grocery store, maneuvering her cart around dead bodies. After picking out groceries, she just walked out of the store. There was nobody to pay. What was happening? How could she move forward in a world like this? She needed Jim and Chris. The pain was too much to bear alone. She needed to be with other people. With Alecia and Jillian, at least. The phone rang. She jumped, and then realized it was time for her 3 p.m. call with Alecia and Jillian. THE PHONE CALL Darkest Day Jillian, Washington DC. 4:00 p.m. Tanya, Nashville, TN. 3:00 p.m. Alecia, San Francisco, CA 1:00 p.m. The three friends caught each other up on what they had found. Sadness overwhelmed them. The line went silent as each of them grieved over what they had lost and what the others had lost. "Does anyone have any idea what has happened?" Tanya asked. "A virus? But why were we spared?" Alecia speculated. "Or a terrorist attack, or a nuclear attack. I wonder how many have survived. I ran into a man who is with me," Jillian said. Why was she hesitant to tell her best friends that he was a convicted murderer? "I found a couple of teenagers who are expecting a baby." Alecia said. "No one here." Tanya said. "Jillian is coming here. Are you bringing the man you found? Alecia, why don't you come too?" "Yes, I'm bringing him." Jillian replied. "I could come there," Alecia replied. "Or you could all come to California." My parents have a cabin, a house in Monterey. It sleeps up to 9 people. That will give us plenty of room. And there are twenty-four more cabins we could expand into if we find others that need a place to stay. We also have the advantage of the year around nice weather. We wouldn't have to deal with snow storms, hurricanes or tornadoes." 'No. Just earthquakes," Jillian said. "I guess no place is perfect," Alecia said. "But these cabins are luxurious. I think they would be a perfect place if we decide to start a community. And if we don't, it would still be a good place for the four of us to start over." "You know that sounds wonderful, after the cold winter we've had. What do you think, Tanya?" "Whatever you think is best." Tanya said, It was unlike Tanya not to have an opinion. Jillian realized it was her grief talking. The three friends talked a little longer. They shared memories of those they had lost, and then planned to talk at the same time the next day. They would support each other on their l journeys to Monterey. There, they would decide what to do next. Alecia Later in the Darkest Day Castro Valley, CA After her phone call, Alecia could no longer delay. Her parents' house was unlocked and Alecia trembling with fear as walked through the empty rooms calling, "Mom, Dad, where are you?" The scent of the vanilla candles her mom loved wafted through the house. Dead silence filled the air. She halted at the door of her parents' bedroom and knocked. There was no answer. Forcing herself to go in, she found her parents laying together in their king-size bed, not moving.She moved to the bed and noticed their eyes staring blankly. She waved her hands over them, but they didn't blink. Gently, she gathered her mother in her arms and gave way to uncontrollable sobs. It was too much. Her brain rebelled at the thought of accepting this unimaginable horror. She remembered, as a child, running in, jumping on the bed and waking them up to tell them some great news-things like Santa had come, getting an "A" on her history exam, making the cheerleading squad, being accepted to UC Berkeley, and being chosen as valedictorian. It played like a vivid movie through her mind. Her mind refused to accept she would never see their looks of love and pride again. Becky hesitantly approached the bed. What could she do? How could she help? She was just a young girl and didn't know how to deal with all this death and grief. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. But she realized she needed to suck it up and help anyway she could. From the dresser, she picked up a box of Kleenex and handed it to Alecia. She murmured her sympathy and held Alecia close as she wept. After a while, Alecia sat there, stunned, remembering her happy days as a child. She could not wrap her mind around the fact that her parents would never see her walking down the aisle with her yet-to-be-selected husband. They would not hold their grandbabies or even take the cross-country trip in the motor home they bought. She broke into unconsolable sobs again. After a while. Becky slipped out and went downstairs to Hank. "She can't stop crying. And I don't blame her. How can we all have lost everyone we love?" Hank wrapped his arms around her and said, "I don't understand what's happening. How can everyone be dead? Do you think our parents are dead?" Becky said, "I don't know. It seems like a science fiction movie. But it's happening to us." Hank agreed. "I need to make sure you take care of yourself and the little man. Let's find somewhere where you can take a nap and then we'll figure out what we should do and where we should go." They found a bedroom that looked like it was the guest room. Becky laid on the inviting bed. "Stay with me - I'm not scared when you're with me". They both laid down and soon were asleep. A few hours later, Alecia came out of the bedroom, looked into the guest room and saw Becky and Hank asleep on the queen-size bed. She remembered how her mother had decorated the guest room to be ready for anyone who came to visit. Her mother never would have imagined she would not be here to ever see it get used. Alecia took a peek into her room. It was exactly as she had left it when she went off to college ten years ago. Her mother had said she would leave her room as it was, so she would have a retreat from the city whenever she needed it. She had come here to de-stress several times when she first started working in the city. But lately, it seemed like she was always too busy and had a project that needed her weekend attention. Choking back a sob, she realized it was too late now to let them know how much she loved coming home; how much she loved them! Alecia, Becky and Hank tried to eat a simple dinner of pork chops, baked potatoes, and peas. But Becky felt sick at the sight of the food. The baby was moving, pressing against her stomach. Alecia wasn't eating either, just pushing peas around her plate with her fork. Her mind was elsewhere - the deaths on the roads and the death of her parents. Only Hank seemed to have any appetite. They discussed the current situation. The power and water were still on, but they wondered how that could be and how long that would last if no one was manning the power stations. And how long would the cell phones last with no one to maintain the towers? They tried to figure out why everyone would have dropped dead at around the same time. Hank had looked at several clocks on the wrecked cars and many had stopped between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. They assumed that must have been the time of the deaths and subsequent accidents. "That explains why there weren't more crashes on the road,'' Alecia said. "Most people were home in bed like Mom and Dad. It didn't look like they had suffered, so at least that was a blessing. It still doesn't explain why we survived and all the others didn't." The unanswered questions spun around and around in their confused minds. "Do you think there are other survivors?" Becky asked. "There must be," Alecia said. "I can't believe we're the only survivors in the United States. In fact, I know we aren't. When I called my friend, Jillian earlier, she had found another man alive. So that makes six survivors we know of. I think we can assume there are more. "It could be even farther than the U.S. We don't know that only the United States was affected," Hank said. Alecia got up and gathered the dirty dishes. "We may not know that until we meet up with other survivors. And even then, we may never know why this happened. How is this possible? I remember Covid-19 was bad. And the Trillis pandemic was even worse. But this is horribly different and much more deadly. What could have caused this?" They all fell silent, contemplating the thought of billions dying. "I guess at some point we should try to contact other survivors. But right now, I just want to figure out what we are going to do." Alecia felt responsible for Hank and Becky. Becky got up to help Alecia and began loading the dishes in the dishwasher, "We need to go check on our parents in Pleasanton." "Why don't you wait and go in the morning? I don't think you should travel at night," Alecia said. "Do you want me to come with you?" She hated the thought of the two young kids dealing with what they might find alone. "No, we have each other," Hank said. "You should use this time to say goodbye." "If you're sure," Alecia said. "I would like to ask you a big favor. Would you help me bury Mom and Dad before you go? It would be difficult for me to do it on my own." She didn't add that she wanted someone with her. "Of course we will," Becky answered. "We can do it right after breakfast tomorrow and then we will head to Pleasanton," Hank said. The compassion these teenagers showed really moved Alecia. They must have had wonderful parents. She realized she had used the past tense and hoped she was wrong and that they would find their parents alive. After Alecia showed the young people where they could find clean towels and toiletries, she went upstairs to shower and try to sleep in her childhood bed. Never in her wildest dreams had she contemplated this disastrous outcome of her youthful hopes. What was she going to do?