Adam froze, tensing as he looked down the stairs from the edge of his chair. The door rattled slightly as something slammed against it again, and again. But it held.

  He had braced it with more scrap wood, anchoring each piece with screws to reinforce the frame, but every night the assault grew more intense. A glass of water on the table rippled faintly, the vibrations crawling up through the floorboards.

  “It really wants to get in,” Natalie hissed.

  “You think? Always right after dark.”

  After several minutes, the assault subsided. Adam was just thankful the creature wasn’t as strong as it was determined. The three had only caught glimpses of what lurked outside after the sundown, and those had been more than enough.

  “I think that,” he motioned down the stairs with his thumb, “solidifies why we have to at least try Samantha’s idea. If we don’t, something's eventually going to get in, and I’m game for anything that keeps the wolves at bay.”

  “Let’s pack tonight, enough food and water for at least a day,” Natalie said. “Then we’ll head out early. I don’t think it'll be safe, but we might get a break on the shift change between the nighttime creepies and the daytime ones.”

  "I think there was a movie where monster hunters tried something like that," Adam said, frowning as he searched his memory. "They used dawn or twilight because the monsters couldn't see as well or something."

  “Oh, that’s kind of cool. What happened?” Natalie asked, sounding genuinely curious.

  Adam shrugged. “Almost all of them died.”

  “Wonderful,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes.

  A few hours later Adam lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while a movie played on his bedroom TV. It was still early, but the three had decided to turn in. He was scared, and he admitted that to himself. Inside his home, things still felt relatively normal. The power came on when he flipped a switch, the water still ran from the tap, and he had company.

  But on the other side of the walls lay a completely different world. He had no idea how much had changed over the past week, and he had only made two quick trips down the collapsable fire ladder to check on the front door and the car. That was the furthest any of them had gone past the deck since barricading themselves inside.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said to himself, rolling from his side to his back. He raised his hand toward the ceiling and stretched his thumb and forefinger apart, and a brilliant blue arc of electricity danced between them.

  He thought for the hundredth time how stupid it was that they slept without a watch, but he quickly silenced the thought. Anything strong enough to break through the door or the walls would kill them anyway, and running away into the night would just be a death sentence with extra steps.

  “Die here later, die out there tomorrow. I think we’re fucked either way.” He snapped his wrist toward the ceiling, breaking the connection between his fingers. A small bolt of energy shot from his hand and struck the ceiling, blooming in a wide fractal pattern before dissipating.

  Or maybe there’s a chance, he thought.

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  Adam didn't remember falling asleep, but he dreamed he was flying. He raced across the sky, soaring and spinning, arcing up and down beneath thick bands of clouds.

  Thunder boomed behind him, always just out of reach. He felt the vibration deep in his chest and smelled the rain waiting in their pregnant depths. Static rolled across his skin, biting, tingling, and he tasted the sharp tang of ozone on his tongue.

  He dove, racing toward the parched earth. The thunder chased him like a predator, nipping at his heels as he shot downward. He twisted and dodged, determined to reach the ground before the rumble overtook him. But it caught him just a few feet above the cracked soil, wrapping him in a deep, rolling embrace. Together they exploded in a cacophony of sound and flashing light.

  Adam woke with a start, each heartbeat a single, almost audible pang as every hair on his body stood up on end. He touched his chest and glanced around to be sure he was alone and a thin shaft of early morning sunlight slipped through the edge of the security shutter.

  “Still the end of the world," he said, pulling out his phone and checking for messages. Both the cellular signal and the data were finally down. He tossed the now-useless piece of technology onto the nightstand and flopped back onto his pillow.

  Adam could hear movement outside his bedroom, the soft echo of footsteps and the clink of cookware told him Samantha was already up. Natalie, by contrast, always sounded like a herd of elephants in the morning.

  He got up, showered quickly, dressed, and grabbed his backpack and bat off of the floor before stepping into the living room. Samantha stood in the kitchen with her back to him as he entered.

  “Hungry?”

  “Sure.” Adam's stomach almost answered before he could, growling loudly.

  Samantha tossed a thick chocolate chip waffle over her shoulder. With a little effort, he caught it and took a bite, burning his tongue.

  “Ohw," he muttered, huffing until the bite was cool enough to chew.

  “Rough night?” Natalie asked from the couch.

  Adam considered brushing off the comment but decided to be honest. “I had some strange dreams.”

  “Fair enough.” She shrugged. “You were making a bit of noise. We almost decided to check on you.”

  “Ah. It wasn’t a nightmare or anything. Just… vivid.” The images and sensations were already fading from his waking mind, and he decided not to share.

  “As long as you’re rested and ready for today.” Natalie took a drink from her mug. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long one.”

  “Samantha, I know we’re about to brave hell to pick up those books and check on Stephen, but if the power is still on at the shop... could you make us some?” He felt the slightest twinge of joy at the thought of filling up on Samantha’s shop brew.

  She peaked her head around the corner and looked at him incredulously. “You’re serious?”

  “We’ve been out of coffee for four days,” Adam said. “Tea just isn’t cutting it. Plus, you never sold any bags so I could make it at home.” He could practically taste the fresh brew already.

  “You’re ridiculous,” Samantha said. “I didn’t sell any because it was a bookstore that sold coffee, not a coffee shop that sold books.” She turned her nose up slightly, feigning superiority.

  Adam honestly had no idea the difference was, but he figured if he was going to convince her to make coffee in a life-or-death situation, he should probably let it drop. He finished his waffle and grabbed a thermos. Just in case, he thought. He couldn’t remember being in this good of a mood since the madness began the week before. He felt… good.

  “I’m not going to question it,” he mumbled.

  “Hm?” Natalie looked up from her mug.

  “Nothing. Just talking to myself. It’s a habit I picked up from living alone,” he lied.

  “Right…” Natalie raised her eyebrows.

  The three finished their preparations before descending the security ladder from the deck. It was the first time in over a week that all three of them had left the condo at once.

  Natalie scanned their surroundings, her gun drawn and pointed at the ground, while she kept her finger pressed straight along the frame. Adam was immediately grateful she knew what she was doing, even if the gun was a last resort. They had already agreed the sound would draw attention, and she was only to fire if he or Samantha couldn’t deal with the threat first.

  “Let’s go,” Adam urged, keeping his voice low. He rounded the corner and immediately let out a small, involuntary yelp. Ten feet in front of him stood three corpses in various stages of decay. They had been waiting right beneath his window.

  The three dead things turned toward him, pausing as Samantha and Natalie came around the corner. The two groups stared at each other for a heartbeat and then the corpses began to lumber forward.