Steven's last words died away, replaced by the crackle of flames as Emily stoked the fire. Outside, the wind howled, whistling around the creaky corners of the old school as the blizzard continued unabated.

It was the worst storm Baileigh had seen in years, worse even than the one she and Brendan got caught in. Brendan. His face rose in her mind and she shuddered, pushing the memory away. In this world, it didn't pay to hoard memories. Neither did attachments.

Baileigh leaned forward and spat on the toe of her boot, polishing the worn leather with a piece of cloth. From the corner of her eyes, she watched the others. A bunch of strangers brought together by fate.

"Does anyone else have a story?" David asked, looking around at each of the group in turn. His eyes settled on her and she suppressed a sigh. Might as well get this over with.

"Fine. I'll go." She stared into the flickering fire, dredging up a story from the recesses of her mind.

LUPUS

By @BaileighHiggins

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the woven branches above Blaire's head, casting a silver net across the wooden floorboards. A cold wind wormed its way inside the treehouse and she shuddered, huddling deeper beneath the threadbare blankets that covered her.

She shifted closer to Kyle, and he mumbled in his sleep, throwing an arm across her waist. A little of the tightness in her chest eased at his nearness but he couldn't take the fear away. Not completely. It was always there. A constant companion.

A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye, sliding down to drip onto the folded jacket she used for a pillow. She ignored it, used to the ebb and flow of desperation and listened instead for the sounds.

They would start soon. The sun had set an hour ago. Long enough for them to have emerged from their lairs. Long enough for the hunt to begin. A deep mournful howl tore through the night as if in answer and the hair on the back of Blaire's neck prickled.

It's begun.

The howls rose, rising above the canopy of trees to strike fear into the heart of each living being that shivered within the dubious shelter of the forest. Then it subsided, turning instead to yips and growls as the pack co-ordinated their hunting efforts.

Blaire pitied the poor creature they got hold of tonight and lay tensed for the sounds of slaughter. The despairing cry of some hapless animal was followed by the meaty tearing of flesh and harsh snarls as the Lupus fought over their feast.

'The Lupus. Bane of our times. A raging infection roaring through our midst, tearing humanity and the world apart. This is the end of life as we know it.'

This refrain often ran through Blaire's mind when she was at her most vulnerable. A single paragraph she'd memorized from an article, one her journalist mother wrote shortly before she too fell prey to the disease. One bite was all it took. Within minutes, you'd become one of them.

If they don't eat you alive first.

After a while, exhaustion dragged at her eyelids, and she fell asleep only to awaken to the first rays of dawn and the sound of Kyle retching into their single rusty bucket. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I―" More vomiting, followed by agonized moans. "It hurts."

Blaire scrambled upright, brushing tangled hair away from her face. It fell in stringy curls across her shoulders, matted and clumped from years of neglect. Swearing underneath her breath, she scraped it into a bun, tying it back with a length of twine.

Hurrying over to Kyle's hunched form she placed an arm around his shoulders. "What's happening, Kyle? How do you feel?"

"Like I'm being stabbed in the gut with a hot knife." He doubled over with a sharp cry, sweat pearling on his forehead. "This...this is...ah!" A thin stream of saliva spilled from his lips.

A sharp stab of worry pierced her heart. "What did you eat? It must be something you ate!" Blaire ran to the corner where they kept their food, her eyes jumping from one object to the next.

A bowl of wild cherries, strips of dried squirrel meat, small sausages made from rabbit intestines filled with rendered fat and a few shriveled apples. Nothing that could cause food poisoning. They were always careful as it was a constant threat, one better avoided than suffered through.

Is he sick? Diseased?

She jumped to her feet and ran back, gripping his shoulder. "Kyle? It can't be the food. The food's fine. I don't know what's wrong with you. I don't know what to do. Tell me what to do!"

Kyle shook his head, unable to answer when seized by a convulsion. His breath came in sharp gasps, sawing in and out of his lungs. Panic gripped Blaire by the throat.

What if he dies? I can't live without him. I can't be alone. Not again.

Painful memories of years spent alone, hiding and living off scraps, rose to the surface of her mind. She'd eked out a miserable existence, starving and running. Always running. Until Kyle found her.

I won't lose him. I can't.

Blaire rushed around, getting dressed before gathering her backpack and wooden spear. "I'll be right back, baby. Hold on."

She slid down the knotted rope that served as a ladder, landing with a thump on the ground. For a moment, she paused, gathering her wits. Then she sprinted in the direction of the stream as sure-footed as a deer.

She heard the water before she saw it, a babbling brook of crystal clear liquid that bubbled over rocks and wound through the forest they called their home. Blaire knelt down and filled the water bag to the brim, washing her face and hands afterward. The icy water revived her, chasing away the lingering cobwebs of sleep.

In a sudden burst of inspiration, she gripped the knife at her waist and hurried over to the ancient willow tree that trailed slender branches in the stream. Hacking a piece of bark from the trunk, she tucked it into her backpack before hurrying back to camp.

Faint moans could be heard from the tree house and Blaire bit her lip to hold back the tears as she fumbled for the chunks of flint and iron pyrite she carried in her pocket. She squatted next to the firepit and put together a bed of dried moss before striking a spark. Smoke rose from the tinder and she blew on it until a tiny flame curled up. She fed it slivers of grass and pine needles until it crackled with hunger.

Pouring water into a metal tin, Blaire used a forked stick to place it in the coals. While the water boiled, she scraped the inner fiber off the willow bark she'd gathered and added it to the water, making tea. This she cooled and poured back into the water bag.

She found Kyle lying on his side, pale and feverish. "I'm back. Hold on, baby. I'm here," she soothed, taking his head onto her lap. For the next few hours, she fed him the willow bark tea and sponged his brow, hoping her home remedy would take effect.

It didn't.

By nightfall, Kyle had taken to screaming. His stomach cramped without remorse, doubling him in two. Blaire held him in her arms, muffling his screams with her hand when the hunt began. It was no use.

The Lupus could smell weakness for miles. The howling converged on the house, changing to rabid snarls when the hunters realized their prey was tucked safely up a tree. It was their one weakness. They could not climb. Run, yes. At incredible speeds. Jump, yes. To immense heights. Kill and infect, yes. That's what they were best at. But climb? No. That they could not.

Blaire squeezed her eyes shut, crying silent tears as terror closed its iron fist around her heart. The growls of the Lupus never ceased, carrying on through the long hours of the night while Kyle suffered in her arms.

At last, dawn came to chase the monsters away, shining its golden warmth down on the land and dispelling the terrors of the night. But Kyle still lay, his head lolling to the side and his lips cracked and bleeding from dehydration. The cramps had ceased but now he was unresponsive, eyelids fluttering as he moaned.

Blaire lay him down, covering his wracked form with a blanket. With a soft touch, she stroked the hair back from his face. "Kyle. Kyle, sweetie. Tell me what to do."

More tears spilled down her cheeks, and she had occasion to wonder where her body managed to find them all. "Please," she begged. "I can't lose you."

Kyle blinked, eyes rolling back in his head before focusing on her face. "Take...take me to the city. Need medicine."

"The city? But I can't. That's nigh impossible!"

"No other way."

"They'll kill us, Kyle. You know that. People are dangerous and we have nothing to pay with."

Kyle shuddered, closing his eyes. Blaire stared down at her hands, her useless hands, indecision wracking her. Until she remembered. My mother's necklace.

Her fingers fumbled for the locket hanging around her neck. She stared at the tarnished silver surface before clicking it open with a cracked and dirty thumbnail. Her great-grandmother's face, faded and serene, stared back at her like a scene from a distant memory. The locket was an heirloom, handed down to each firstborn daughter throughout the generations.

"I'll probably never have a daughter," Blaire murmured. Having a baby in this world was unthinkable. She closed her hand, tucking the locket back inside her shirt. "For Kyle."

With haste, she gathered up their meager belongings. She wrapped food in a cloth and stuffed it into her pack, a square deerskin stretched around a wooden frame. A chipped cup, a spoon, a bowl, a few items of clothing and a full water bag followed. The sum of our lives.

Blaire constructed a crude stretcher using twine, blankets, and wooden spears, laying it on the ground next to the tree before climbing back up.

"Kyle." She slapped him on the cheek with her fingertips. "Kyle, wake up."

"What?" he asked, groggy.

"I'm taking you to the city. Understand?"

He managed a nod.

"You need to climb down. I can't carry you. You'll fall."

"Climb?" he mumbled.

"Yes, climb." She shook him when he didn't respond. "Kyle, you have to! If you don't, you'll die here."

He blinked. "What?"

"You need to climb down. I'm taking you to the city." Blaire enunciated each word slowly, hoping he'd understand.

"The Lupus," he mumbled.

"It's morning. If I hurry, I can make it. Come on." Blaire tugged at his arms, forcing Kyle to his feet.

Together they staggered to the trapdoor, and she held him under the armpits as he slid through, grasping the rope with feeble hands. Bit by bit, she coaxed him down, praying he wouldn't fall. He inched down until at last he collapsed and fell the last few feet to the ground, gasping from exertion.

Blaire dragged him onto the stretcher, tucking a spare blanket around his lanky frame. "Which way to the city?"

He groaned in answer.

"Kyle, I don't know which way to go." Blaire shook him by the shoulders. "Please!"

"The s..." Kyle licked his lips and tried again. "The sun. Follow...the s...s..." He fell into a bout of coughing, clutching at his stomach.

Blaire stood up, shading her eyes as she stared in the direction of the sun. It was an hour past dawn, the yellow orb hovering above the horizon as it began its daily ascent. "The sun? You want me to go East?"

Kyle was incapable of answering, lapsing into semi-consciousness again broken by periodic harsh cries. The effort of climbing down from the tree had sapped the last of his strength.

She chewed on her lip in indecision. "I think East is right. I can't remember so well but it feels right."

Memories of the trek out of the city more than a year ago surfaced. Hours spent slogging through the forest, looking for a good spot to build a home, far away from the rest of humanity―broken, violent humanity. The huge old Sycamore with its sturdy branches and immense height provided the perfect refuge from the Lupus and they'd stayed, making it their home.

Now we're returning. Going back to the same hellhole we escaped from.

Blaire looked at Kyle's weakened form, taking in the pallor of his skin. "We have no choice." Blaire bent down and picked up the top end of the stretcher, dragging it behind her like a travois. "East it is then."

She picked her way amongst the trees, choosing the path of least resistance. Dewdrops clung to the leaves, shimmering in the early morning light with icy brilliance. They bedecked the forest in a glittering frock of cut diamonds, taking her breath away with its beauty. Birdsong echoed over her head, reminding her of a bygone era without blood and teeth and howling.

A different time.

The morning wore on and Blaire picked up the pace, walking as fast as she could without jostling Kyle too much. They had to reach the city before nightfall. If they didn't...a shudder rippled through her body at the thought.

At noon, she paused for a brief moment, resting her weary legs. She drank some water and ate a handful of cherries hoping the sugar would give her energy. Kyle had stopped moaning and seemed a little better but remained asleep. This gave Blaire hope, allowing her to keep going. She had to reach the city before nightfall or they were both dead. While she could climb a tall tree and wait out the night, Kyle could not and she would never leave him. They'd be easy prey to the monstrous wolves that stalked the night.

There was nowhere left in the world anymore that was safe from the virulent plague that turned people into beasts. What was left of humanity hid behind high walls, shivering in terror that the Lupus would break through.

Others like her and Kyle sought refuge in the forests up trees and on mountaintops, far away from the often brutal warlords that ruled over the cities. Sometimes, they were even worse than the Lupus. They at least had the excuse of being infected by a virus that turned them into living nightmares.

Blaire shook off these morbid thoughts and dropped her chin, forging towards the East with single-minded determination. "We'll make it, Kyle. I'll get you to a doctor no matter what it takes."

An hour flew by, then another. The sun passed overhead and began its steady drop behind her towards the horizon. Dark clouds formed, casting a shadow on the land and a stiff breeze whipped the branches overhead.

Rain?

A cold knot of fear formed in Blaire's stomach. With the darkness came the Lupus. Despite her exhaustion, she quickened her pace, pausing only to take a few sips of water when she began to feel dizzy.

Sweat drenched her clothes and her legs burned from the unaccustomed labor. The stretcher grew heavier with each step she took and blisters formed on her palms. She ignored them, biting her lip against the pain. She dared not stop.

Her eyes were no longer focused on the ground but fixed instead on the way ahead as she strained for a glimpse of something man-made. Anything that spelled the presence of humans. There was nothing.

The terrain dipped then rose in a steady incline as the forest ground sloped up into a hill. The foliage grew denser and was of a different variety than she was used to. It felt alien and the ever-present terror within her grew sharper, the sour tang of fear oozing from her pores.

Blaire's eyes darted around, looking into the shadows for imaginary foes waiting to pounce on her fragile form. Licking her parched lips, she kept glancing over her shoulder at the sun. It hung low now, nearly hidden now by the storm clouds covering its face.

"Please. We have to be close," she pleaded to the empty air around her.

She pressed on, her lips repeating the silent word over and over again until it became a part of her and lost all meaning. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please."

An oppressive silence hung over the air replacing the former bird calls and squirrel chatter. The trees regarded her in silence, uninterested in her pathetic struggles. To them, she was as meaningless as a fly caught in a web.

A tree root appeared from nowhere, snagging her weary feet and Blaire crashed to the ground. Her knees plowed into the undergrowth and she fell forward unable to stop herself. Her chin hit the forest floor and her teeth clipped her tongue. Fiery pain shot through her nerve endings.

For a moment, Blaire lay stunned while hot tears streamed down her cheeks. She pushed to her feet, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Through blurred eyes, she saw the moment the sun touched the horizon, streaks of pink and orange lighting the dark clouds.

Her heart banged in her chest, the blood in her veins singing with terror. Their time was almost up. Ignoring her injuries, she cast around for an escape. Anything that would hide her and Kyle from the horror about to descend on them.

There was nothing.

Nothing but trees with tall trunks covered in smooth bark mocking her from their lofty heights. A fat raindrop hit her face. Then another and another.

Unwilling to give up, Blaire fell to her knees beside the stretcher. She gripped Kyle by the shoulders and shook him. "Kyle, wake up. You have to wake up."

He moaned but didn't stir and she shook harder. "Kyle, please. You have to climb to safety. I can't carry you."

"Kyle," she screamed when he didn't answer, slapping him through the face. "Night is falling!"

His eyelids fluttered open and fixed on her face. The fog cleared from his eyes as her words set in. "Nigh...night?"

"Yes!" She shook him. "We have to get to safety now. Before it's too late."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Where are we? The city. We should be in the city."

"I don't know where the city is. I went East just like you said but I can't find it. We're lost!"

"East? You went East?"

"Yes. Toward the sun. You said to go to the sun, Kyle." A wretched feeling tugged at Blaire's heart. The feeling that she'd made a huge mistake. One that would cost them everything.

Kyle shook his head. "I meant West, toward the setting sun."

"No." The word burst from Blaire's lips as a sob, despair settling into her bones. Burying her head in his chest she cried. The rain came down in earnest then, drenching them both with icy water. Numbness set in.

Light fingers touched her head, brushing the hair away from her face. "I'm sorry, Blaire. So so sorry. I should have told you to go West. I should have said."

"It's not your fault. I should have made sure. I should have asked."

"You did the best you could. Nobody could ask for more." A long mournful howl interrupted him and they both looked in that direction, staring into the dimming light. "They are coming."

In Blaire's mind, she could see them, monstrous wolves emerging from their lairs to begin the hunt. Their forms loped across the ground with ease, white fangs glistening in the rising moon. The rain would not stop them. "The end is nigh," she whispered.

"No! Listen to me. You can still make it, Blaire. Run. Now, before it's too late. Get somewhere high where they can't reach you."

Her head whipped around and she stared at him with fierce eyes. Wet tendrils of hair clung to her skin, framing her face. Despite the terror that coursed through her veins at the knowledge of what was to come, she was determined. "I'm staying."

"But―"

"I'm not leaving you, Kyle. Forget it." She reached over and gripped his hand. "We'll face this together. Whatever comes."

He looked into her eyes and his fingers weaved through hers. "Whatever comes."

Baileigh wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her chin to her knees, staring into the distance. "So you see, not all misunderstandings have a happy ending."

For a few moments, all was quiet then David cleared his throat. "What a...nice story. Thank you, Baileigh."

"Yeah, thanks for giving me nightmares tonight," Steven uttered beneath his breath. "As if life doesn't suck enough already."

Baileigh's lips twisted into a grimace, the sharp crack of lightning punctuating her words. "Glad to be of service."