“If Whinny says you can stay, you can stay.” Maude folded her arms and nodded with her pronouncement as if she’d spoken some kind of religious truth.

As far as I knew, Whinny hadn’t left her office. At the same time, the woman who sat in that darkened room with the straggly hair and ancient body was closer to the goddess who saved us from the titan than an old woman sitting naked on a desk. If Maude treated her like a god, who was I to gainsay her?

“Are there rooms for us?” We walked away from the men guarding Whinny’s office with their guns and suspicious gazes. Now that I’d met Whinny, I shared Maude’s confidence about the giant; there was no way it could reach us in here.

“What happened? What’s going on?” Alaric charged toward us, and drew the ire of his two weapons bearing guards. He shrank back a bit as if he’d already had one encounter with the old men and didn’t want to suffer a repeat.

“We met their leader.” My voice still amazed me, low and sultry with a hint of Joana Osborn.

“What happened to you, Harlan?”

Tia strode forward from my side and poked Alaric in the thigh. “Her name’s Harriet now! Harriet!”

“What are you talking about?”

Maude waved the two gunmen away from Alaric, which eased his discomfort by a clear measure. He walked around Tia and looked me up and down. My jacket was gone now, but the white shawl did its job protecting my nudity. It flowed where it was needed as if it had a mind of its own. “She’s right, Alaric. Please call me Harriet from now on.”

“Fine. Can you tell me why you’re… like this?” Alaric squeezed his shoulders up to his ears and pumped his arms like he struggled to lift a heavy object.

“Not really? I think it’s something to do with the Collapse.” I finally found a word that fit the event we’d been living through. It had only been a single night and yet some places felt as though they’d lived through weeks of problems. As soon as I thought it, I guessed at the truth and turned to Maude. “How long have you been living like this?”

Maude snorted at me. “You crazy, since the world went to la la land.”

“How long has that been?” Both Maude and Alaric sneered at my question, but I was deadly serious. “Please just humor me?”

Maude clicked her tongue and said, “about four weeks. Four weeks three days ago in fact.”

“No fucking way…” Alaric hissed the words out and Tia poked him again.

“You have a potty mouth, Sir Alaric!”

Alaric and I looked down at her, but Maude cut off any questions we might have raised. “Why’d you ask?”

“It’s been two days for us.”

“No shi… kidding?” Maude whistled. “How does that work?”

I laughed at her. “I wish I knew the answer to that question, but it explains some things that have been going on.”

Maude and our first shotgun wielding escort led us through the halls to a room that had ended its life as a conference room. Now it had four pallets on it, all of them with thin mattresses marking out the spots for sleeping. “You four can use this room. No one’s using it anymore.”

“Thanks Maude…” I started to ask another question, but she waved me off.

“For now, just camp out here and get situated. If you need something else, come get me.” She paused at the door and turned to peer at us. “In fact, I might come looking for you in case we need something.” She left the door open as she walked away. George, the escort, raised his gun at us in a kind of salute, then followed Maude out of sight.

“Jesus Christ. Is time messed up too? Mom and dad never mentioned that happening. Grandad neither.” Alaric ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head out. “I’m gonna go look for the pisser and explore a bit. You guys hang back here.” Making his escape before we could protest, Alaric disappeared from the doorway with speed.

Tia stuck her tongue out at him and turned to me. “He’s kind of a jerk.”

Malia burst out into laughter at that declaration. “You’re not wrong, sweetie.”

I turned to Malia, who’d been silent since we emerged from Whinny’s room. “What did she say to you?”

Walking to a mattress, Malia turned and collapsed onto the surface crossed legged. “I’ve been waiting for a chance to ask you about it. You know what a Djinn is?”

“Oh, that makes sense. You’re a… Dao, an Earth Djinn?”

Malia blinked at me and snorted. “I guess I should have just asked you to begin with.” She pointed at me and Tia. “Is this stuff your grandfather taught you or something?”

I covered my mouth as color rose to my cheeks. “Not really. That was roleplaying games more than anything else.”

“Oh great…” But Malia raised her finger to the corner of her mouth as if she might chew her nail. “Although, I guess our world feels like a modern version of D&D now.”

My chest tightened. This gorgeous, grad student woman who knew martial arts was also a roleplaying gamer? What were the chances? “Do you play?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Naw, my dad and my big sister played. I always thought they were dorks for it.” At least she winked at the last word. “If I’d known it was training for the future, I might have joined in more often.”

“I highly doubt there’s that much from D&D that’s true.”

Malia pointed to me, “you nailed the kind of Djinn Whinny said I am. She also said I can learn to change my shape on purpose. And that my powers will grow as time passes.”

Tia had been wandering the room while we chatted. “Whinny told me to make sure you two stay together and help each other. So that’s what I’m gonna do!” She ran to put herself between us and point to both of us with her arms outstretched.

That performance ended our discussion, so Malia and I checked the room for anything like food or water and then both of us sacked out for a brief nap. Tia curled up in my arms and passed out before I did.

None of my dreams were worth remembering for the short time we slept.

Alaric woke us up after an hour. “Hey you three, have nice naps?”

I jumped up in surprise to find Tia still curled up in my arms and Malia snoring in the other pallet. She didn’t wake up when Alaric spoke, so he started toward her. I waved him off and gently rocked Malia’s shoulder. “Malia, it’s time to wake up.”

She swung her fist without looking and rolled to a crouch on the foot of her pallet. I dodged her blow by some form of sheer miracle, squeaking as Malia regarded us through her curtain of black hair. For a second, she looked like a cavewoman who we’d snuck up on. Over a few seconds, the wild look in her eyes faded and she collapsed onto her butt. “Sorry about that, please don’t wake me up by touching me.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Alaric grumbled, though he hadn’t been the one almost hit. “Well, you didn’t wake up normally. What do you expect?”

“Sorry about that, Malia. I’ll remember that for the future.” I ignored Alaric’s response. “Why did you wake us up exactly?”

“Maude’s providing lunch for us and wants help with… something.” He stared at Malia for a second as if she’d shape shifted into a wolf girl. “I figured we all should go check with her.”

“Right. I need some new clothes too.” As much as the long piece of cloth protected my nudity, it did little to keep me warm. When I thought about it though, I hadn’t felt so much as a chill since changing to this new form. Under normal circumstances, Austin winters could get far worse than nippy.

Malia cleared her throat. “Where did you find the restrooms?” The moment she mentioned it, I had a sudden urge to relieve myself.

Alaric shook his head. “None of you are gonna like it…”

“Well, this is hella awkward.” For some reason, the toilets were unsuitable for use. Considering that Maude and the rest of her group sent us to use holes in the floor, I had trouble imagining what state the actual toilets could be in.

Malia giggled. “Just lean against the wall and try to relax. At least you’re already naked. Er, mostly.”

The entire process was uncomfortable and weird, but at least we didn’t have to use a ditch. And I didn’t fall into the sewer hole. And Malia was right, she had to remove all of her clothes to use the restroom. Not that I watched, we waited our turns.

“Why in the heck are the toilets broken?” I grumbled as we got out. I wasn’t really grumpy about the development, more confused and nervous. A distinctly bizarre air clung to the community in these halls and it wasn’t just the omnipresent reek of old folks.

About thirty people ate around the pool area, most of them directly from soup cans before them. Maude walked the edge of the pool with her own soup can in hand. Where the monks had been focused on quiet communion and eating their food in relative silence, this group grew animated as the meal went on. Maude stopped at every group and spoke to them, often putting a hand on the shoulder of the adult in charge or bending down to talk to one of the children.

People eyed us with evident suspicion, but no one chased us out or tried to accost us. When Maude arrived at our group, she looked around to confirm that no one close to us was listening in and squatted down as if we were all kids. “We’re sending a scavenging party out right after we eat. Safe food’s getting scarce out here and we’re increasing our range again.”

“It’s only been a month, right?” Alaric spoke over a mouthful of food.

“Yeah, and I got thirty people to feed. You think we’ve had a grocery store delivery truck by since…” she let the implication hang.

“Sorry.” Alaric raised his can of beans by way of apology.

“Don’t sweat it. I remember the first two days after the panic set in.” She shifted her head toward the rest of the room. “It’s hard to say if we’re the lucky ones or not, right?”

When she said it, I could finally identify the bad air that hung over the group: desperation. None of the clothing around us was clean, except those worn by my little group. These people probably had not taken baths in at least a week. The sick probably died without medicine and their food was running out.

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying.” Alaric scraped at the bottom of his can for the last bits of sauce and beans. “But how are we supposed to help?”

Malia nudged him. “We’re healthy and young, dude. And beside, you’re eating their food right now.”

Alaric blushed while Maude tilted her head to and fro. “I’m just asking for help. There’s no obligation.”

I snorted at that. Maybe I was being cynical, but we owed them for helping us no matter how I looked at it. Maude frowned at me and I shook my spoon in the air. “Even if we didn’t go gather food with you, we’d help in some other way. You might not think we’re obliged, but I definitely do.”

“Well, thank you for that.” Maude raised her hand and tipped a hat she wasn’t wearing. “I’ll send Sarah over when they’re ready to scavenge.”

Maude groaned as she stood up and Alaric interrupted her before she walked off. “Is there somewhere we can drop Tia off before we go out?”

“No!” Tia shouted loud enough to draw the others in the room to stare. The gazes only lasted a few seconds before they returned to what they’d been doing before. But all three of us, Alaric, Malia, and me, winced at the attention. “You’re not allowed to leave me alone. Grandpa said and so did Whinny!”

Using the old woman’s name stopped Maude in her tracks. “What exactly did Whinny say, girl?”

“That I’m supposed to go with Harriet, no matter what. Hafto hafto!” Tia folded her hands and nodded her head in time with her words.

Maude pressed her lips into a thin line. “Well then, that’s that, isn’t it?”

We finished eating and while Malia and Tia cleaned up the area, Alaric cornered me. “You’re not seriously bringing her with us, out there, are you?” I wanted to say no. I didn’t want Tia out in the world above for a second. At the same time, I’d looked into Whinny’s eyes and seen all three faces she wore. Alaric didn’t give me a chance to reply. “Damnit, you’re seriously considering it.”

I expected him to spit as he slinked away. Nothing that would bring him back and reconsider sprang to mind as he left. Tia and Malia returned and Tia stared after Alaric. “I don’t want him to go bad, Harriet. What do you think we should do?”

“Go bad” made him sound like spoiled milk. But the way Tia’s face squeezed together and turned down at the sides convinced me there was something going on. “Did Whinny telly you that might happen?”

Tia nodded. “You should go after him. And make sure he goes with us.”

“Fine. I’ll go get our stupid knight-errant.” I turned to Malia. “Watch Tia for me?”

Malia winked and put her hands on Tia’s shoulders, who said, “don’t try to leave without me, I’m supposed to stay with you!”

That made me chuckle as I raced after Alaric. Running with a woman’s body was trickier than I thought it might have been. My hips were wider than I remembered and my legs shorter. Every step made me feel like I was about to topple down a set of invisible stairs. Still, my heart swelled with every step and I could feel the stupid grin I wore as I wobbled downstairs.

I found Alaric curled in a corner nearby crying into his knees. As soon as he spotted me, he wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. “Those beans were spicier than I thought they’d be.”

Yeah, sure big guy. Don’t let your cousin see you crying. Check. “What’s up Alaric? You’re acting… odd.”

He laughed and the whites of his eyes grew bright with near-hysteria. “Are you kidding me? Our fucking world just imploded and you think I’m acting odd? Jesus Christ Harla… Harriet.”

I ignored the slip of the tongue and pushed on. “Yeah, you’re acting distinctly non-Alaric-like. You’ve been preparing for this thing your whole life, right? This should be… I don’t know, a survivalist’s wet dream.”

He snorted at that. “I mean, I guess I’m surrounded by women, two of whom are hot as coals.”

I blushed at his gaze, pressed under the mixture of his honesty and the weight of his regard. His eyes lingered over my chest and thighs and I had to consciously force myself not to step away from him.

Right, I am extremely naked. Or I guess suggestively naked. Is that worse?

“Thanks for that, I guess. But seriously though. Why aren’t you crazy-excited right now?”

“I… our fucking grandfather died, Harriet. He’s gone and you’re…” he repeated the waving motion with both hands, as if to introduce my model to the show floor. “That makes Tia the only one left. And if something happens to her…”

“Nothing bad is happening to Tia.” My words rolled and echoed through the empty halls, drowning out the sounds of people a few dozen yards away clearing away food.

Alaric swallowed and refocused on me. “You’re serious about that, aren’t you?”

“You’re goddamned right I am.” I put my hands on my hips and channeled Wonder Woman. “As long as I have breath, she’s safe.” The words echoed further this time, as is spoken by extra pairs of lips. The sense that I’d stamped my message in molten steel and pressed my seal into it coursed through my veins.

“Damn, you are serious.”

I retreated a bit and let my hands drop to my sides. “I mean, I’m not sure what I can do except take a bullet for her, but I guess that will have to be enough.” An idea struck me then. “It seems to me that you could do a lot more to keep Tia safe, Sir Alaric.”

He shook his head and snorted. “Where the hell did she get that idea?” His words suggested scorn, but the way his eyes shined suggested Tia had hooked him when she’d knighted Alaric.

“Who cares? Of the three of us, you’re the best equipped to keep Tia safe. And you can only do that if you’re around, right?” I extended my hand to him. “Let’s be clear, we fucking need your help, Alaric.”

He shook his head as if he could argue with me in that moment. But I think we both knew he agreed, especially when he accepted my hand and let me pull him back up. He took two steps and closed to an uncomfortable distance. “This body of yours.” He pointed at me and made me hyperaware of how much bigger he was than I. “It’s real, isn’t it?”

I took a step away and turned my shoulder to him. “As real as the monsters. And as real as Malia’s sand body.”

“I don’t think she likes me.”

My neck might snap from the whiplash. “Why do you say that?”

Alaric didn’t answer at first. Instead, he walked by me and headed back to the others. “Just call it a sense. Let’s go get them and get out of here. This place is shrinking around me.”

Serious whiplash. For a second there, I was certain Alaric had been about to proposition me. Or at least start flirting. I was flattered, even if I wasn’t interested.