Grace had a prickly feeling at the back of her neck and she sensed something guiding her. She floated toward an area at the back of the casino. The sun’s rays fell on her as the clouds move beyond the mountains but the rolling fog of dust still covered the sky.

As she flew around the back area of the casino she saw more twisted steel and pieces of the interior, from the slot machines and gambling tables to wood and metal frames scorched by the sandstorm that raged just a few hours ago. Then she saw the bodies and body parts. It was slaughter. Most of the dead had almost no skin, with bone showing through. Blood flowed all over in large puddles.

Somebody screamed. Down below a little boy ran from several large wolves the size of cars. She flew toward the kid, yelling for the wolves to stop. The foremost wolf was about to jump at the boy and Grace focused on a shattered piece of concrete. It shook and then the concrete flew up, hitting the first wolf square in the face and barely missing the boy. A loud crunching noise could be heard.

She flew and stopped in front of the boy and the wolves. The boy looked at her for several seconds, not understanding if she was a friend or another creature.

He said, "What? Who?"

Grace lifted her hands and said, "Duck."

The boy jumped to the ground. Asphalt and cement shot from behind her and hit all the wolves, splattering their bodies in a shower of dirt and debris. The boy looked at her for a few seconds, his mouth open.

She said, "You’re safe now. What’s your name?"

"My name is Lawrence. My parents are dead."

He said this in such a non-emotional way that Grace felt sad. "My name is Grace. I was working at the casino when the storm hit."

She thought she was babbling and stopped talking. The boy came up to her and gave her a hug. He was crying softly. He said, "I thought everybody was dead."

"How did you survive?"

"My parents made me stay inside the bathroom."

Tears started to flow down his cheeks and Grace wiped them away. They didn't say anything for a while.

She said, "Those wolves, where did they come from?"

"From the people," the boy said. He looked around, checking to see if more monsters were coming to get him.

Grace said, "Yes, I saw people changing, myself. Let's get out of here before more come."

She looked around and realized they were trapped in this small, devastated area.

He said, "Can you take me up?"

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She nodded. "I’m still learning. But I’ll try."

She smiled in spite of the situation they were in. "Get closer to me."

A snarl was heard in the distance and Lawrence came closer to her. She grabbed him and focused inside herself, but the feeling of weightlessness didn't coalesce. Lawrence looked toward the right and saw two large apelike creatures poke their heads out of the debris.

"Oh no!" he said.

The creatures bounded and shot toward them in graceful and fast movements. Grace grabbed Lawrence and willed herself to float. They soared upwards in a dizzying movement. The two large creatures tried to grab them with their claws and Lawrence held on to her with such strength she couldn’t breathe.

She said. "We’re fine, now. You can relax."

Lawrence still held her. He was looking down at the ape creatures. They snorted at them and pounded the ground.

"Grog! Grog!" the creatures said up at them.

"Don't look at them."

She directed their ascent away from the Treasure Island casino. Lawrence slowly lethis grip lessen around her waist. She noticed she could have them float together without exerting herself. It was easy, she thought. Lawrence looked around without even marveling at the powers she possessed, as if this was normal circumstances to be running from dangerous creatures and having your world change in a second.

He said, "Look over there. I think there is a convenience store."

She scanned the area Lawrence was pointing at and saw a liquor store looking almost the same as before the sand storm. She was instantly suspicious and stopped to study the area.

"I don’t know," Grace said.

Lawrence said, "I don’t see any creatures around there and I’m getting hungry."

Grace was about to explain that she didn’t have any money, then realized it didn’t matter now. She noticed several of the casinos and buildings around the small store made a perfect barrier from the storm. Yet, she still thought this didn’t explain how the store sat unbroken.

"Sure, but be careful and stay by me."

Lawrence nodded to her and they started to move down. Sand and broken plaster and steel covered the parking lot and around the store, making it looked like an oasis in this odd broken landscape. She landed them close to the entrance. One car, half displaced by the sand, was parked in the front. The car's doors stood open. When they got closer she noticed the large glass windows of the store were broken. She shook her head and realized this place was just as broken as the other buildings surrounding it. The sign on top was half gone, with the other half stating, "Liquor". Their feet crunched as they got to the double-doored entrance.

"Let me go first," she said. She grabbed the door handle and pulled it forward. It was a bad move. Pieces of glass rained on them and she and Lawrence stepped backwards, but the shards of glass stopped in mid-air. Grace was holding up her right hand to shield her face. She waved her hand and the glass flew away from them, striking the side of the building.

Lawrence asked, "How did you do that?"

She shook her head. He didn’t question that they could fly and she could shoot large concrete slabs at the mutated creatures, but he questioned this.

"I don’t know. Follow me."

Inside it was dark. The store was only one large room. The shelves and food were mostly on the ground, and on the right was a waist high glass structure that was the counter area. The cash register was gone, as well as the shelves that held most of the hard liquor containers.

The food packages were all open and covered with sand. Nothing looked edible. They moved to the back area.

Lawrence said, "What’s that?"

Grace saw it and said, "Stop. Go back out."

It was the body of the dead shopkeeper, except it was pulverized to such an extent it was unrecognizable. Sand was piled on top of him or her. Blood was smeared behind him. The sand storm had blasted through the front door where he stood. There was a back area but the door was still closed.

Grace turned behind her and saw Lawrence standing at the front.