Gowan didn't waste any time wandering through the halls. Whatever had killed the woman could still be lurking. He walked straight to the auditorium where Elizabeth was getting debriefed by Victor.

They looked to Gowan, who shook his head. "Purple smoke. Both of them."

Elizabeth spoke, "Emilio and Saleem are gone too."

"So it's just us now." Gowan was not asking a question.

The cinema floor had become a mess. There were blankets and food scattered around. The floor where Matthew had been laying was covered in stains that smelled of blood, sweat, and vomit. Each empty bed was a reminder of their fallen friends.

"What should we do?" Gowan asked.

Elizabeth didn't speak. She just began to walk around to the spare bedding and fold away pillows and blankets. They stacked neatly in a corner. The dirtied ones left from botched first aid attempts were placed in a separate pile.

It's what Elizabeth was good at her whole life. She waited until messes were made, and then she cleaned them up. She was not strong or brave, but you didn't need to have any exceptional traits to simply be there after the fallout.

"Sorry for the barricade, I just ..." said Victor, "We can't leave anymore."

Elizabeth nodded. "We saw what they can do. We're just glad they didn't get you."

"So that's it? We're just stuck here?" Gowan asked.

Victor gestured to Gowan's knife. "That's the only weapon we have left."

Gowan searched helplessly, "What about prayer?"

"It hasn't helped us so far."

"So that's it? We just wait?" Gowan looked around. The auditorium was so empty.

They had food supplies, and enough basic survival supplies to last a while. Yet what was survival if they were just huddled in the dark waiting to be hunted. Gowan wanted more from his life than dying in the dark, hungry and frightened.

Victor picked up his bible. "I'm going to keep reading. The adrenaline is going to keep me awake." He smiled gently at Gowan. "Who knows, I might have missed something. Elizabeth filled me in on what you saw. Just leave the knife with me, and go on a date night while you still have time."

Victor took the knife from Gowan and began to cut scraps of fabric to better secure the doors with. He made braids of fabric rope that he wove around the door.

Gowan watched for a while before turning his attention back to Elizabeth. Even after all they'd seen recently, he couldn't help but smile. He watched her in the pretty green dress, folding linens and tidying the space. For a moment he let his mind wander.

He played with his silly little ring she had taken from the clothing store for him. He imagined coming home from a day at work, where she'd been working as a wife. Maybe she'd want to work a day job too. That'd be ok. Then they could both make the beds and do the dishes.

He could cook her recipes his mother used to make. He'd want to surprise her with the nice things she wanted. Maybe they'd have children, and they could all go outside on quiet nights to look at the stars together.

He took one of the least-soiled blankets and spread it out on the floor. He took some paper plates and arranged biscuits and some dried fruit in fancy patterns, placing the two remaining candles in the center. He took the remaining gold thumbtacks and placed them randomly in high places on the wall. Finally, he took pillows and placed them on his makeshift picnic rug.

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"My dear," he called to Elizabeth, who was busy picking up the mess of random items with small paper balls scattered amongst them.

She turned around to see the small picnic spread.

He gestured grandly to the small meal on paper plates and mismatched bedding he had prepared. "Your feast awaits."

She could feel the tears making her eyes blurry, but for once it wasn't from fear. It wasn't from sadness. No man had ever put such simple thoughts into making her life feel special.

Gowan took her hand and lead her over to the picnic where they began munching on the makeshift, mostly-beige charcuterie board.

He shook a small pack of raisins. "I think it's time we break out the raisins. The fanciest of the dried fruits."

"Really?"

"They're the closest thing to wine we've got."

Elizabeth heaved a sigh, "I'd kill for a wine right now."

Gowan clicked at Victor, playfully. "Gaston! Your finest wine, please!"

Victor looked up from the bible and rolled his eyes. "I think we might have some of those electrolyte tablet things that make water fizzy if you want?"

Elizabeth framed her face with her hands and batted her eyelids. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

Victor paused for a moment, putting his bible down. He shuffled out of the row he was sitting in. "You're lucky we're about to die and banking on good will and charity is a solid heaven strategy."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, in a playful, drawn out fashion as Victor made his way to the backpack where the medical supplies were kept.

Gowan shrugged. "Probably a good thing to have anyway. I think the orange ones help fend off scurvy."

"Mmm," Elizabeth exclaimed, "I love it when you talk sexy."

"Sorry," he chuckled, "it's been a while."

"Nonsense! We're married. We've been on plenty of dates. Remember the old accommodation share we rented out in Bundaberg? It was beautiful!"

Gowan scrunched his face. "Bundy? Really? That's the epitome of romance?"

"It was a farm stay. We got to pat chickens and watch the sunset. I am but a simple woman, with simple tastes."

Gowan laughed.

Victor interrupted with a forceful cough. "Your drinks."

"Ah, thank you." Elizabeth took the paper cup and sipped it with her pinky raised.

Victor rolled his eyes and slunk back to reading his book.

The fizz of the tablet softly disintegrating in the bottom of the cup gave Elizabeth a small burst of happiness. It had only been a week, and yet she missed all the conveniences of life. Coffee was a big one, but she never thought she'd miss getting lectured in the break room about how diet soda was bad because of the aspartame. Sweet, sweet aspartame.

As they continued to eat, Elizabeth felt her body giving itself permission to relax. She placed her hands behind her so she could lean back.

"Oh!" Gowan exclaimed, as he noticed, "I brought pillows!"

There was a moment of silence, before he cut it short. He blushed and began to apologise profusely. "No! Not for- I didn't mean- I wasn't intending-"

Elizabeth put her arm on his. "Chill out." She pointed at Victor, sitting half way up the auditorium, flicking through the bible profusely. "We've got a guardian."

"No you don't!" He called out. "The world is ending. Have premarital sex. Who cares. I won't look," he said flatly. Elizabeth wasn't expecting such cynicism from someone who had entered seven days ago with such gravitas.

Gowan and Elizabeth exchanged a look.

"Let's ..." Elizabeth whispered, "We'll deal with that later."

"Oh honey," Gowan said in a playful tone, "you know teenage boys. They just go through phases."

Elizabeth caught on immediately. "Ah, I knew we should have sent him to that boarding school to be set straight! Now, where were we?"

Gowan had set up the pillows to allow them to sit up slightly while facing the wall with the thumb tacks. The candlelight glistened off them, making them sparkle. The pair lay down, with Gowan's arm around Elizabeth as she put her hand on his chest.

"I promised you stars," he said, "but this was the closest I could get."

She noticed that some of the thumbtacks were in the shape of star patterns she knew.

"Hey! I see the Southern Cross!" She pointed. "Also the saucepan one! There's the handle."

Gowan laughed, "That's the big dipper. Although, sometimes it's called the plough."

They searched a little longer. Gowan pointed out all the different constellations he had set up for them. He could feel his arm go numb from Elizabeth leaning on it, but he didn't want her to move. Her hair was oily from the week, and in any other situation maybe it wouldn't be so charming, but it smelled like French fries to him.

Eventually he looked over to see Elizabeth was asleep. He could feel his eyes getting heavy too. Smiling to himself, he allowed the feeling of a warm sleep to wash over him with a smile on his face.