“The drive was like a blur in her vision, the familiar streets rendered alien under the state of emergency that had left the streets devoid on human life.”

“She didn't always look the way she did now.

She didn't know for a long time that she wasn't like the way she wanted to be. It was something buried deep inside, something intimate lying hidden beneath the surface.”

“He reached into his bag and retrieved the spray paint. At first he went to apply it to the door, but thought better of it. He looked at her, considering carefully how he wanted to phrase it.”

““She went up to her room to collect her things. The stairs felt longer than usual, and she took her time walking up them. For the first time since she was a child, she counted the steps as she took them, one after another.”

“Harriet thought for a moment, tears threatening to spill over as her chest began to heave in rapid succession. Her breathing came out in short gasps, as her body trembled and her chest ached.”

“When he tipped over and plummeted to the ground, he wasn't even aware me was falling.“

“…all those people were dead already, leaving the only person in the world that mattered to him sitting up stairs…to avoid exposure. “

“…toes seemed to twitch as the heavy rain struck them, and she watched for a few minutes as the still body suddenly seemed animated once again.”

“As Daniel moved on to the next one, he reapplied the Vaseline under his nose and took a long breath in.”