Mikel led the way to the lobby. The building was quiet, but there was a sense that they weren’t alone. It felt like life was still being lived somewhere within. The world might feel empty, but somewhere, someone was still holding out hope.

Seth brought up the rear, going down most of the stairs sideways, keeping his rifle keyed on the last set of doors they passed. There weren’t any surprises, and by the time they reached the lobby, he was ready to walk on flat ground again.

The lobby still held the gore from the earlier encounter with the wolves. The beasts were lying in the same place, still just as dead. Glenn's blood had dried and was a brownish color. The wolf's blood was still wet and just as fresh-looking as it had been when they died. It was strange, and Seth commented on it. Mikel agreed that it was, indeed, odd. He also noted that the fact there were two dead werewolves in Julie's lobby was also a bit out of the usual.

They stepped out into the cool night air and were met by the glow of a distant fire. It appeared that most of downtown was burning. The Riverside area appeared to be completely lost in flames that reached into the heavens. The inferno appeared to be moving with the breeze, which was coming in off the lake in a northwestern flow. That would buy them some time, but a switch in weather patterns would send it their way in no time at all.

They had to hurry. Time was against Glenn, and the fire was against all of them.

#

Byron was checking Glenn's vitals again, for the fifth time since Mikel and Seth had gone searching for drugs. Julie was busy making everyone feel welcome. Trisha was grilling Polly about every aspect of her life post-wolf out.

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Jesse, Becka, and Sal were discussing possible options for their future plans. Jesse was leaning towards getting out of the city into a much less populated area. Sal agreed and offered the use of his cabin in upstate Wisconsin. Becka didn't want to commit to heartily without Seth being on board but thought it was a good idea. They intended to share the idea with the group once Mikel and Seth returned.

Becka stood and went to the living room window. She drew the curtains open and looked out over the city. After a moment, she turned and called everyone to look out the window. The gang joined her, and for a few moments, there was nothing. Silence fell in 1703.

It was finally broken when Polly finally whispered something.

“That’s my building. My Jackson’s in there. He was a gentle soul. Never hurt anybody.” Tears flowed freely from her eyes, though as she spoke, there was no sign of anger, only love.

“What are we going to do now? We can’t stay here for much longer. It looks like the entire city’s going to be burnt down by dawn. Just what we needed.” Julie speculated. She sounded tired and ready to be done with this.

“We were talking a few minutes ago and think it might be a good move to head to Sal’s cabin. It’s in upstate Wisconsin, out past Eagle River. There is not much up there, particularly people. Plenty of wildlife and a grocery store in Eagle River, too. The next step was to run it by you guys. Guess I just did.” Becka suggested.

Sal nodded in agreement, and Byron said he was in. Trisha agreed right away, and Polly looked back over the city for a moment before saying, “I guess I’ve nothing left to stay here for. I’ll go along unless I’m taking someone else’s spot.”

“You’re one of us now, so you’re just as entitled to a spot as any of us,” Trisha said as she walked over to Polly and wrapped an arm around her.

Julie agreed a moment later, almost as an afterthought.

“I have an SUV that should fit us. It’ll be snug, but we should fit.” She offered.

“We can get across the street and jump in our Volvo as well. It’ll take five comfortably, so that should split us up so nobody is overcrowded. Gear will fit easily between us.” Jesse had thought it out already.

“Where’s Elliot?” Byron asked.