"Can you let me drive now? This is ridiculous."

They hadn't stopped driving since they had left the hotel. Juniper's arms and her back were getting sore from leaning over to steer. One look at Christopher's cut up face convinced her to curb her personal pain complaints. In the backseat, the dog slept. Juniper envied the animal's lack of worries.

"I don't want to stop until we're out of the city," Christopher said.

"Okay, but don't take the goddamn highway. Take the back roads."

"You're the one steering, sweetheart."

"Right but, your eyes, your face...what are we gonna do?"

"Let's make it to the back roads first. Shouldn't be much longer."

Only, it was much longer. While a few of the roads were devoid of cars, the majority was packed with them.

Numerous times, Juniper had to yell, "Brake!" or "Slow!"

Then she would steer the car around the hunks of metallic obstacles. Cars were one of the many things littering the roadways. Crumpled papers, diapers, and furniture decorated the sidewalks and streets. Clothes and food containers were tossed about like used paper. It was as if people had panicked, thought 'Fuck it', and tossed all of their belongings from their car windows. There were bodies along the roadway as well, sometimes just body parts. An arm here. A leg over there.

Juniper wished for more bullets.

The ride got to be too depressing for Juniper. Part of it was her husband's disfigurement, and part of it was the state of the city. When the way was clear, Juniper freed one hand, leaving her left hand to steer. Christopher heard her switch on the radio.

"There hasn't been a broadcast since the power went out," Christopher reminded her.

"I know. I'm checking anyway."

Juniper turned the dial. Static prevailed, until she heard whispers. She turned the dial to better receive a signal. Finally, she heard muttering. When she turned the sound up, a man's voice could be clearly heard through the car's speaker system.

"What are they? What are they? God only knows. Huhuhuh. God; huhuhuh." His laugh had a bubbling quality that was devoid of joy, and borderline hysterical.

"Jeanie and Mom are gone. They tasted raw, but I knew they would. Can't, uh, I can't broadcast much longer. Generator's runnin' low. I'm sure you'll miss me, loyal listeners. Huhuhuhuhuh."

Juniper reached over to switch off the radio. Distractions. Who needs 'em, thought Juniper. Christopher didn't say anything about the odd radio transmission. For another two hours, they drove. They passed many gas stations. Their gas tank was still three quarters full. Twenty minutes later, the road changed from brick to asphalt. They had made it out of the city.

To keep them both from falling asleep, Juniper talked. She talked about their college days, and how they had loved each other even then. She reminded Christopher of their embarrassing stories, already recanted several times over the years. The enthusiasm Juniper felt for the stories blinded her to Christopher's lack of response.

He leaned back in the seat, relaxed except for his foot on the gas pedal. His breathing was a series of wheezes. Juniper had not heard the wheezing before.

"Are you all right?" she asked, thinking, Dumb question.

"I don't think I can drive much longer."

"Brake then."

Christopher slowly eased his foot on the brake pedal. Juniper steered the car onto the shoulder of the road.

She undid her seatbelt, talking to herself. "Gotta figure out how to move you without hurting you."

"No worries," Christopher wheezed. "I'm done."

Juniper moved closer to the driver's side door.

As she surveyed the smooshed-in door, she asked, "What'd you say?"

"I'm done," Christopher repeated.

For the first time, Juniper really looked at him. Glass bits pocketed his face, most prominently in the spot where his eyes used to be. Blood had dried like war paint on his cheeks. There was one slice on his body Juniper had not noticed from the passenger seat. It was about two inches long. And it was on the side of Christopher's neck, just below his ear. That explained the wheezing. He might have survived the blindness, but the slice in his neck was no bueno.

"God damn it," Juniper said.

She couldn't see straight through her tears. If Christopher hadn't heard another car approaching, they both would have died.

"You have to go. There's a car."

Juniper's tears streamed down. "What? I don't see---," A blink later and she noticed headlights flickering.

The winding road allowed her to see the vehicle moving towards them almost a few miles back.

"Go, I'll be fine," Christopher lied.

"You just said you're done."

"We'll both be done if you don't hide."

Juniper squinted. "Looks like a cop car. Maybe they can help us?"

Christopher smiled his last smile. "Don't be naïve. That's my job."

Juniper didn't return the smile. "I don't...I can't..."

"Hide under the car. There's no time."

"Do you want the gun?"

"You keep it."

"I love you," Juniper said.

"I love you, too," Christopher rasped.

Then Juniper got down, hiding underneath the car. She prayed the driver of the other car hadn't seen her. Otherwise, she would make for easy sport underneath the car. There were many cars on the side of the road, but most were stripped of wheels and other parts. Christopher's car looked brand new in comparison, except for the dent on the driver's side. The driver of the police car took note of all the details. When a dog perked up in the backseat, the stranger pulled over to investigate.