Lazarus and Sammy started traveling again after they finished their breakfast. The day was getting warmer and Lazarus had changed into a gray t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. Sammy scanned the wreckage and debris around them. Lazarus thought that if they could find a jeep, or maybe a motorcycle they could travel faster. He knew where he was going. Matthew, the man he was looking for, was walking toward him. He was close. Lazarus was sure about that.

He heard a noise like a thousand beating wings. It was difficult to understand what he saw, at first.

A group of hornets flew together, all in the same color of scarlet and stripes of bright yellow. They made a loud buzzing noise as they flew, sounding like a buzz saw. They moved in unison, upwards, downwards and diagonally. Lazarus crouched behind smashed cement and asphalt debris. He didn't like the looks of these creatures.

The hornets moved closer to him. He saw each of the insects were the size of his hands, with large stingers at the end. The creatures had not seen him yet. His hands touched a large vine. Looking around, he noticed that plants and foliage had started to overtake the landscape almost overnight. A large fern with leaves the size of small children grew through the remnants of a street, spreading its fronds high into the air.

He looked at Sammy. The dog was crouched next to him, staring at the large hornets. Lazarus petted the dog on his head while he scanned the area for some place to hide, away from the insects. He knew a hornet’s sting could be hurtful, but these creatures looked like they would kill.

Luckily, the plants and trees shielded them. He wondered why this swarm was just flying around the area. Then he saw a large Grog roaming among the foliage. The Grog sniffed the air. Great, he thought. He couldn't escape both creatures. But this was an opportunity to use his powers.

The Grog was coming closer. Sammy started to rise from his spot and Lazarus placed a hand for him to stop moving. He gauged the distance between the swarm and the Grog, which was moving closer to them. Raising his hand, he focused on the Grog. The Hornet swarm was moving further away from them and he only had a minute before the Grog would be on top of them.

He pushed with his magic. The Grog stopped moving. As Lazarus watched the Grog strained, and began to move forward again. He realized it was stronger than his magic. Sammy stood, his hackles rising. Lazarus focused and redoubled his efforts but it was not working. In desperation, he let go of the beast and concentrated on the swarm. He pushed and pulled them toward the Grog. The beast was coming full speed at them. Sammy stood, growling and showing his large teeth. It was the first time Lazarus had seen the dog's teeth and he was glad Sammy was on his side. He was about to give up directing the hornet swarm, when the insects finally noticed the Grog and flew at it. They buzzed louder and massed around the Grog. The Grog stopped in mid-run and fell head first into the cracked cement. Lazarus grabbed Sammy and they ran away into the nearest building. He stepped on cartons of soured milk and yogurt. They ran into several aisles now smashed and lying and on the ground. Sammy moved close to him. From outside, the screaming sound of the Grog trailed off into death throes. The hornet's buzzing became a loud hum.

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Lazarus said, "Sammy, let's stay here for a while. Maybe the swarm will leave after they’ve had their fill."

***

Lazarus, sheltered inside the building, tore his eyes away from the feeding frenzy. The buzzing noise was so intense that at times he had to hold his hands over his ears to muffle the noise. Sammy sat with his nuzzle close to him, sensing his fear and annoyance.

It was mid-afternoon when Lazarus and Sammy walked out of the building and into the area where they had seen the hornets. The swarm had finally finished eating the carcass. All that was left was bits and pieces of the skull, rib cage and some of the rear leg bones. Everything else was gone except for a messy smear of blood on the ground. Having finished their meal, the insects had disappeared in a fast flying arc away from them.

Walking away from the killing zone Lazarus glanced around the landscape and saw several buildings still standing with most of the inner foundations exposed to the air. He heard a buzzing noise. Glancing at the closest shelter, they ran toward another building. It had a large sign in front which was not broken but showed only some words he couldn't make out, but the containers and shattered cans indicated that it must be a grocery store, one of the larger chains. He was not sure which one because the buzzing sound got louder and he ran into the darkness of the structure.

He smelt something. It was the scent of pizza, spaghetti and cakes. He shook his head. This couldn't be, everything was smashed in the aisles, glass and cash registers. Yet, he noticed the area was clear of debris. It was as if somebody had cleaned the back of the store and the structure. The scent of food wafted in the air. Sammy sniffed and licked his chops. Lazarus nodded to his dog and they explored the back of the building. Scanning the interior, he saw droplets of water still hanging along the walls and dirt along the floor.

"So, there is another survivor."

Lazarus looked around for the man who spoke, but all he saw was busted pipes, boxes of food, metal plates and plastic white bags all strewn on the ground and piled high in several places.

"Over here."

Sammy growled a little but only in fright, not in anger. The man Lazarus saw was floating above the rubble that looked like the meat cutter cases in the back of the grocery store. It was surprisingly intact as if it had not been touched by the water. Yet as Lazarus got closer he knew he was deceived, because the case didn't have any meat in it and the glass was broken in shards. The smell of food came to him again. Lazarus wondered if the man could smell it.

The man was large, bigger than the biggest man he had ever seen in person. Lazarus couldn't help but stare. Besides, the man was floating above him like an avenging angel, holding a large turkey leg in his hands and he had grease flowing down his cheeks. It was almost disgusting.

"Who are you?" Lazarus said.

"I, I am the luckiest man on earth. But let me say, I am happy to find somebody else alive in this wasteland." The man took another bite of his turkey leg. Bits of meat fell on the ground and Sammy ran to eat some of it.

The man said, "My name is Bob."

Lazarus said, "So, Bob, do you have any food for me and my dog?"

Bob waved his hands and buckets of food appeared in front of them.