That damn virus killed almost all of America, at least everyone I ever knew and loved, took our dreams and most of our wants. It left some alive… like those healthy slabs of red meat I see lurking behind the glass at the old butcher shop. I’ve seen what their guns can do; they’re heavily loaded but it doesn’t really matter because there are more of us than the bullets they are running out of. Oh Lord I hunger for the days…

The wolves came on the first night, stealing up to the wreck in a coordinated dance. In slow deliberate steps, two sleek grays slipped forward, angular heads low to the ground while two others - one gray, one white - weaved and circled the perimeter, cautiously seeking a way to cut in. There was a creaking sound as the bent metal moved - rubbed steel against rock - and the car’s interior light illuminated, revealing the…

They boarded a bus to City Hall. In the courtroom they waited in a row, nervous around well-dressed strangers. Their names called, they up and shuffled into the judge’s chambers. The room was small and tight, almost as tight as the jacket and tie he sported. The judge asked if they ‘do’ (and they ‘did’) then announced a life sentence: I pronounce you husband and wife. He let them go and off they ran; they never…