The light bounced off the pale skin of the figure that continued towards them slowly. One foot after the other, punctuated with a slight limp. The candlelight caught the glimmer of a name badge. It was for the cinema where they had been watching their film. DONOVAN was written in messy handwriting with a black marker. Donovan stood at the edge of the light, keeping his distance. He looked young.

Gowan spoke hesitantly. "Hello?"

Donovan did not reply.

Gowan stepped towards him. "I am Gowan and this is Elizabeth. Are you friendly?"

Donovan's attempt to look unphased had been betrayed by his thick eyebrows which advertised his fear. "Y-Yes?" he stammered.

"Good. We are too. Are you lost?"

Donovan moved closer. "I don't know what happened. I got out early and left to get Matt ..." He looked the pair up and down. "... Uh, My friend, his favourite drink. We were going to hang out after my shift." He pulled a 250mL can of Unholy Lemonade from one of the pockets in his black, cargo pants. He looked down at the can and then over to the trolley the pair was travelling with that was carrying multiple cases of water. "Are others with you? Have you seen Matt? 19? About 6ft tall? Chinese? Black hair? Glasses?"

Elizabeth had conquered the fear that had frozen her in place and pushed the trolley over to Donovan. She gulped, looking up to Gowan for the right way to answer. With her line of work, she had to give heartbreaking news many times. Yet she still didn't know what to say to a kid whose boyfriend was bleeding out on the floor of his workplace.

Gowan saved her. "Yes. He has been with us. He is injured but he is stable and alive. Would you like to-" He was interrupted by a loud crashing in The Home Store nearby. "You should come with us. Now!"

The trio forwent their trip to the book store. As fast as the full trolley would let them, they ran through the corridors of the mall and back to the escalator. With the trolley too heavy and awkward to get upstairs, Elizabeth activated every piece of muscle memory she could acquire to sprint through the pitch black to the double doors to recruit the others to come and help unload the supplies that would tide them over for the three days.

Donovan and Gowan flanked the trolley as the group came out to meet them. They moved like a school of fish in the light of the second candle.

Soon the cart was picked clean and the supplies were delivered safely into the cinema. Gowan had left the blankets until last. He handed them to Donovan.

As Donovan reached the top of the cinema stairs, he peered down to the candle beside Matthew. He recognised the figure immediately and swooped down to him as fast as his gait would let him. He pressed Matthew firmly to his chest with relief.

Victor sauntered over to the pair on the floor, sneering down his nose. "So you're the boyfriend we've heard about."

Donovan froze. He spoke plainly, "Nah, we're just bros."

"Bros that hang out on the ground lovingly embracing?"

Donovan grinned impishly. "Yeah. Didn't think you'd understand." He looked Victor up and down. "You don't seem like you'd have a lot of experience with, you know, having friends."

Matthew moved his head slowly. He wished more than ever to have the cells of their bodies part even a tiny bit so that he could sink into Donovan's soul a little further. A sharp breath betrayed the intimacy that he was trying to achieve.

Donovan snapped his attention back to Matthew. It was then that he noticed the gauze and the damp, rust scented carpet below them. "What the fuck is this?"

Matthew's wounds had been bandaged as best they could but a mixture of antiseptics, blood, and serous fluid continued to transform the DIY first-aid attempts into watercolour canvasses. Donovan began to register Matthew's clammy skin and slight tremor.

Masina rushed over to hand water and a pouch of fruit puree to Matthew, who was trying to whisper an apology to Donovan. She opened her mouth to try and calm the rage that was slowly being brought to a boil.

"I must apologise. It was an emergency." Victor continued to talk in Donovan's direction, never quite making eye contact. "I simply had to get into the theatre. There were souls to save."

Donovan tried to keep himself calm. He began to lower Matthew back to the floor. "What do you mean?"

"I knew the lights would be off soon. I had to keep as many people indoors as I could. The easiest way was shock value. All the signs for the darkness were there. So I just ... " He made a stabbing motion. "I tried my best to avoid the important bits."

"So you stabbed him?"

"I had to."

Donovan launched himself off the floor yelling, "So you fucking stabbed him?"

"I understand you're upset. Would you prefer people die?" Victor calmly responded as the nineteen year old grabbed him by the front of his shirt. It may have been intimidating if Victor wasn't looking downward at his aggressor.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"You fucking stabbed him?!" Donovan repeated. "What the fuck is your problem?" He continued to push and grab at Victor. "Stab your-fucking-self, you useless fucking piece of failed dentistry!"

The others noticed the scuffle and hustled toward them. Masina was already trying to intervene. "Hey!" She tried to place herself between the two.

"This is between me and Stitch. I don't need your help, Lilo." Donovan growled, trying to swat her away.

"Lilo?!" As Donovan's hand connected with her she squared her stance and disregarded any notions of attempting a peaceful resolution. She ripped Donovan off of Victor with no mercy. "I'm Samoan, you short-ass, Bundy looking fuck."

Donovan crumpled to the ground. "Fine. Moana. Damn." he mumbled quietly to no one in particular.

She took some deep breaths as she scanned the stunned room. "Does anyone else have any drama they need to be airing right now? We've got time."

She was met with murmurs in the negative.

The group began to descend to the floor space with blankets and other comforts. They focused on Matthew first and then moved on to general sleeping arrangements and lesser priorities. Amy sat with her back against the wall, looking over at Matthew before slumping over with her head in her hands. She couldn't do it. Not again. She didn't want to see another body. She was doing everything right.

Emilio stopped helping Gowan unpack the water and walked over to her. He knew the signs of when his wife was starting to spiral. He sat beside her and put his arm over her shoulders. She immediately began sobbing into his chest. "I'm sorry." Her speech was muffled by Emilio's arms wrapped tightly around her.

Elizabeth turned around as soon as she heard the cries. She wasn't expecting the gruff guy whose date-night outfit included cargo pants to be whispering sweet nothings into his wife's ear. Especially not after his previous outbursts.

"Hey," he soothed, "It's ok. It's alright." He rocked her back and forth gently. "We've made it through the first day. We've only got two left. We can make it."

Amy said something that slapped Elizabeth with intense realisation. "Make it for what? What will even be out there anymore?"

He held Amy's face in his hands and gently guided his eyes to hers. "Make it for me."

Elizabeth's unintentional voyeurisms was interrupted by Victor tapping her on the shoulder.

"I couldn't see a bible in the pile of supplies."

"I'm really sorry. We couldn't find one. The Home Store didn't have one and the book store has the same kind of doors that the grocery store has."

Anger seethed from his eyes. "Do you understand that there are demons out there?"

"But you've said it yourself: They have to be invited in. If we stay in here we'll be fine." Elizabeth looked around at the tableaux of the survivors around her. "We have enough supplies for two more days."

His eyes darted around the room. He shook his head. "It is not enough to keep them out. Do you want to survive? We need to get everything now before they find an alternate way in. Vents. An open fire door." He focused his gaze to Gowan, who was now crouched down with Emilio and Amy. "You and Gowan need to go."

Elizabeth's eyebrows turned down as she tentatively looked Victor in the eye. "No." she said slowly, "You should go. We've gone multiple times now. Why are we the most disposable to you?"

"You misunderstand. I think you're the strongest." He pointed to Emilio and Amy. "Amy is one step away from a breakdown." He pointed to Violet. "She's got medical skills that we need for him." He gestured his head subtly to Matthew and Donovan. "One is stabbed, one is new and wants me dead."

"You were the one that stabbed him though!" She tried to temper her exasperation.

"That's not the point right now." He pointed to Masina. "I think enough movies have shown that we should keep all medical knowledge close." He turned his attention back to Elizabeth. "That leaves you and Gowan. You two watched a man disintegrate into the universe and seem to be the most stable here. You're both reliable and have track records of being able to return."

"That's a nice deflection, but why not you?"

His floppy, dark hair covered his eyes as he looked to the floor. His voice softened as a rare air of vulnerability could be heard through his mumbling. "Nobody would go with me. I'd have to go alone and no one would come looking if I didn't come back."

Elizabeth felt her heart constricting. "I'd look for you. I would, Victor." She took a breath to allow the hot wave of empathy wash over her spine. "Ok. We'll go tomorrow. It would be no use right now. I'm just tired." She didn't know if it was late. She just knew she was exhausted.

The cart had been propped up against the cinema door as a flimsy makeshift barricade. Donovan had set up his bedding beside Matthew.

Masina and Violet were nearby. Just in case Matthew needed them in, what they assumed was, the night.

Amy had set up herself and Emilio near the medical scene in an impotent attempt to appear like she could still be helpful.

The candles in the middle of the floor gave everyone enough darkness to fall asleep in, but enough light to feel safe.

Gowan and Elizabeth had set up small nests of blankets. They had faced towards each other. Gowan hadn't noticed how soft Elizabeth's hair looked now that it fell down around her shoulders after she'd taken out her date night hairstyle.

Elizabeth sighed. "Where do you think we'd be right now? You know, if the world wasn't ending?" she asked Gowan sleepily.

He looked down in thought before letting a smile slip through his pensive expression. "Well," he started, "I think after the film I would make conversation in the lobby to find out if you drove here or got a ride share."

"I got a rideshare. I wasn't sure if we'd go for drinks."

"On a first date?"

She let out a small, nervous laugh. "Well, yeah."

"On a first date, to a late night screening, on a Thursday?"

Flustered she explained, "Well, not like super wild drinks but I don't know. I thought maybe we'd spend more time than just a movie."

"How about we go on a drive then? I'd drive you home, but we could go the long way." He observed Elizabeth's reception to the idea. "Maybe up to Mount Caulder depending on how far away that is for you." After Elizabeth stayed silent he sat up a little. "It really doesn't bother you that we just met and, in this hypothetical, we're going to drive up a dark mountain? I mean, I know that I'm not going to murder you but -"

"Dude, you work in youth ministry. I'd imagine these days you'd have to be pretty well vetted."

"Sure, but what if I'm just lying to you?"

"I'm pretty good at spotting liars. That's kind of in my job description." She rested her head on her hand as she continued to lay on her side. "Ok, enough about your concern for my sense of danger. Tell me more about how you'd wow me."

"Well," Gowan stammered, "if the conversation went well I suppose we could pull the car over. We could lay on the hood of my crappy car and watch the stars. The moon. I'd ask if you were cold. You'd say yes. I'd give you my jacket." He moved to lay his back, looking up at the black ceiling. "Then maybe," he continued bravely, "maybe if I was feeling brave I would test to see how you receptive you'd be to holding my hand."

The silence lingered as Elizabeth maneuvered herself to her back. She reached her hand down to the space on the carpet that separated them. "I'd be receptive to that."

Gowan smiled to himself, as he brought his hand out of his blankets to meet hers. The pair remained in silence, hand in hand, just staring at the ceiling as the feeling of sleep lazily drifted over them.

Victor lay alone.