Spencer had learned to shoot, but he was still years away from being old enough to go out by himself or only with his mother. Carrie hadn’t shown any interest in learning how to handle firearms, though Jon had offered it to her many times. That, selfishly, comforted Jon. If she didn’t know how to protect herself or their son, then they couldn’t leave the cabin without him. He dreaded the ball of stress he would be, sitting at home while they were out by themselves, and felt fortunate he’d never had to experience it.
All of this, too, had depended on the weather. Sometimes it’d been too cold to leave the cabin at all. Those days had been the toughest times, the ones where Jon had felt he’d started to lose Carrie the most.
At first, she had done an excellent job of hiding how she felt. But over time, it had become harder, and she’d begun to unravel. She’d started talking less, spending more time either in the bedroom by herself while Jon and Spencer hung out in the living room or else out on the porch. When she was around them, she’d begun talking less, continuing to isolate herself, usually on one of the barstools in the kitchen. Then Jon had started noticing changes in Carrie’s appearance. Besides the new gray hairs she sported, her face had started to change. She appeared older than she was, more wrinkles popping up, and her eyes were beginning to sink in. It was similar to how the stress of the job rapidly aged a President over four to eight years in the White House.
And through it all, Jon hadn’t known what to do.
He’d spent hours on these walks and hunts, trying to think of a way to keep his family sane. But there was little they could do without risking danger. And between being safe and sane, Jon had chosen safety every time.
His stomach growled now as he refocused on the land around him. It had been nearly a week since he’d caught anything. They’d been living off plants and berries, carefully rationing them out.
Then he saw it.
The wolf’s piercing blue eyes stared his way, though not looking directly at him. It didn’t see him. Knowing wolves usually traveled in packs, he looked around to see if there were any others, but there was no sign of more. Perhaps even wolves had become loners at the end of the world.
Jon licked his lips, almost as if he could taste the meat.
You just stay right there.
He raised the gun back into position, moving slowly so as to not garner the animal’s attention. Then he stared down the scope, aiming at the wolf and breathing in. His stomach growled as if begging him not to miss.
He didn’t.
The bullet entered the wolf’s side, and it let out a cry. The grass rustled as the animal ran away, and Jon jumped to his feet and took chase. But the wolf only made it a couple of dozen yards before it fell.
By the time Jon reached the animal, it was already dead, lying on its side with its eyes staring off at nothing. It should have felt more shameful killing an animal like this, but Jon felt no remorse. This was what he had to do to keep his family alive. Appeasing hunger would also keep them sane. This was what he had to do to survive.
The wolf weighed down Jon’s back as he climbed up the driveway toward the cabin, but the adrenaline made it easier for him to carry the beast. He knew the taste of the meat would be worth it, and he couldn’t wait to see Carrie and Spencer’s faces when he showed them what he’d caught.
He dropped the wolf on the back patio and caught his breath. A smile crept onto his face as he went to unlock the back door. But when he pushed on it, the door opened. Jon raised his eyebrows.
“That’s weird.” He then pushed the door all the way open and walked inside, the smile returning to his face. “Guys, you aren’t going to believe what I got.”
Looking around, Jon noticed no one in the living room or the kitchen. He wondered if they might be sleeping, but knew this would be worth waking them up for.
“Carrie, Spencer… you’ve got to come out here.”
Jon went to Spencer’s room first, knocking but not getting a response. He opened the door to find that his son wasn’t there. So, then he went and checked the master bedroom. The door was open, but there was no sign of Carrie or Spencer.
His heart began to beat faster, but he stopped himself from panicking. Leaving the bedroom, Jon walked to the back door again and stepped out onto the porch. He noticed it was unlocked and opened it, stepping out onto the porch.
Jon walked to the edge of it, looking out into the trees for any sign of his family. His baseball bat leaned against the wall, so he grabbed it and then hurried down the stairs to look around, still not seeing them.
Now the panic had set in.
“Carrie! Spencer!” he yelled, not caring if anyone or anything heard him. He just wanted to find his family. He continued calling out their names as he walked into the backyard to the tree line.
Looking down at the dirt walking path that led into the woods, Jon noticed tracks. He squatted and studied them. They were fresh, and there were two sets. Standing up, he clenched his eyes shut and sighed.
“Where did you go, Carrie?”
He only allowed himself to be angry for a moment. In all honesty, he was surprised she hadn’t escaped her cabin fever by
