Wrapped like a mummy, Eric’s stomach growled.
Abe opened a can of beans and split it between them.
“Sorry for the meager meal, but I wasn’t expecting guests. I’m here because I was running low on supplies and needed to restock. Pittsfield was the closest town to the latest house I took shelter in, but it was time to move on. I was getting too much attention from the Streakers.”
“My group was trying to find a safe place too.” He gazed at the older man, trying to gauge a reaction. “There was an inn in rural Virginia someone suggested, and they were headed there. That was the plan.”
“Sounds like a smart idea.” He scratched at his bird’s nest of a beard. “I was on active duty with the Army when the virus broke. My wife and family lived in New Jersey. I lost everyone quick. I didn’t even get to tell them goodbye.”
“I’m sorry.”
“People who made it this long all share the same story these days. No one has any family left.”
“I have a twin brother, Billy,” he said. “At least I did.”
The older man arched an eyebrow. “There weren’t any human remains around the theater. Maybe everyone escaped.”
“It’s just as likely the Streakers didn’t leave anything to be identified.”
“Undead don’t usually eat bones.”
“The other option is Billy, Jenna, and the rest of them left me here.”
“Jenna?”
“A friend. They wouldn’t leave me here to die?” His voice cracked.
“They’re either all dead or left you here to die, Kiddo.”
“I’m not sure.” He covered his face with his hands to hold back the tears.
About the Author
Lisa Acerbo is a short-story writer, novelist, and former journalist. Her work has been showcased in numerous anthologies such as Asylum, Carnival of Strange Things, and Scary Snippets. Her science fiction stories and story podcasts have appeared in Ripples in Space magazine. Her novels include Twelve Months of Awkward Moments, Wear White to Your Funeral, and Remote. She writes romance under her pen name Dakota Star.
Lisa enjoys teaching high school and is an adjunct at Norwalk Community College and Post University in Connecticut. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where she earned a BA in English Education before going on to earn her EdD from the University of Phoenix. When not reading, writing, hiking, drinking coffee or wine (depends on the hour), she spends her time with her husband and two rescue dogs.
