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“He said we should have taken it to the fort. ”

“I agree. But it’s done now, isn’t it?”

“I should send someone out to check on her, shouldn’t I?”

Sighing softly, Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t give a damn what happens to her, but if it adversely affects the fort. . . ”

“Maybe we should bring her back for justice at the hands of the fort people. ” Travis sighed. “Just when I thought I would get some sleep. ”

“You’re not going out there, are you?”

“Nah. I’ll send out some of the volunteers who were going to go with Nerit. ” He glanced at the clock. “I’ll head downstairs and meet up with them. They should be going to breakfast soon. ”

“Then you’ll come back up for at least a few hours of sleep?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Unless something else happens. ” He kissed her soundly, then her belly, and gave the reproachful looking German Shepherd a pat on the head. “I’ll be back. ”

Bone weary, Travis pulled on his boots and headed back out the door.

2. Walking Hamburgers and Helicopters

The morning was very cold and a light mist flowed over the ground.

Occasionally a dark figure lingered in the wispy grasp of the haze, but mostly the world seemed strangely empty as the Hummer sped along the country back roads.

A herd of cows gathered around a pond huddled together for warmth.

They looked relatively well fed considering how long they had been on their own.

Just since last year, the world had changed drastically. The few houses they passed were desolate looking creatures. Before winter had set in, nature had already begun the process of dismantling the man made buildings.

Katarina drove the Hummer dressed in warm clothes with her hair braided tightly and slung over one shoulder. Beside her, Nerit stared out at the dead world with a thoughtful expression on her face. Curtis and Dale sat in the back, quiet and half-dozing. Despite hot coffee and donuts, it was too easy to want to fall back to sleep on a cold morning.

“It won’t take too long,” Nerit decided.

“Huh?”

“For nature to take back the planet. ” Nerit motioned to the fences that were already down.

Katarina looked over at a farmhouse and its listing front door. “Yeah. It’s already going to hell. ”

“Not surprising. Americans do not build to last,” Nerit said, wiping her nose with a Kleenex. Allergies were hell on everyone it seemed.

“Yeah. Expendable society is what it’s called, I think,” Katarina said with a nod.

“Humanity. That is what is expendable. ” Nerit shook her head. “We went down so easily. ”

“Some of us are still here,” Katarina pointed out.

“The lucky and the too damn stubborn to die,” Nerit said with a laugh.

“I know which category I’m in. ”

“Me, too. Me, too…” Nerit said.

“Damn lucky?”

“Absolutely,” Nerit laughed.