The fog doesn't care

Lily’s hands cupped her mouth after she heard the news. Could this be for real? Or maybe she was in a dream. Her mind didn’t want to accept the situation they were in.

She tried calming herself down, thinking of what to do, when suddenly her attention darted toward Theo, who had started hurrying up the stairs. She didn’t understand what he was trying to do.

Could he be... no, that would be suicide.

Lily’s mind raced as Theo didn’t slow down, heading straight toward the door. She quickly ran after him and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

His face turned toward hers. His eyes were void of hope. She didn’t know why, but it hurt to see him like that.

“Whatever you do, don’t go up there. You’ll kill us all,” she said firmly.

Her tone brought him back to his senses. His face softened, but the hopelessness in his eyes didn’t fade.

He stuttered, “But... E–Emma.”

Lily couldn’t help but sympathize. She remembered Theo’s little sister had probably been home before all this started. If she hadn’t transformed like the others, she must be terrified.

“Let’s call her,” Lily said suddenly, pulling out her phone and dialing Theo’s home line.

It rang for a while with no answer. She was about to try again when a small voice came through the speaker.

“Hello, who is it?” The voice was calm but assertive, as if unaware of the chaos unfolding in the world.

Lily sighed in relief. “I just wante—”

Before she could finish, Theo snatched the phone from her hand.

“Whatever you do, Emma, do not leave the house. Lock all the doors. Don’t let anyone in, you hear me? Promise me!” Theo yelled into the phone.

Sobs echoed on the other end. “Why... a–are you yelling at me like that, Theo?” Emma sniffled, making him flinch. He didn’t know how to explain.

Smack!

Theo winced. Lily had slapped the back of his head and taken the phone.

“Hey, Emma, what your brother is trying to say is that he’ll be held up at work today. Since he won’t be back soon, you shouldn’t open the door for anyone, alright?”

Emma’s sniffles slowly quieted.

“So when is he coming back?” she asked, her voice cheerful again.

“We went on a retreat. We’re not sure how long we’ll be gone...” Lily trailed off and gestured for Theo to come speak.

“I’m really sorry for yelling,” Theo began. “But don’t worry. When I get back, I’ll come straight home and get you some ice cream. I promise.”

He talked with Emma until Lily’s phone battery nearly died, forcing him to hang up.

The three of them had been in the café’s basement for hours. Theo held a bottle of water, and they had found a few supplies in the storeroom—just enough for two days.

The room was silent. Jack lay on the bed they’d made for him, breathing heavily and drenched in sweat. The pain wouldn’t let him sleep.

Theo and Lily sat on the floor. Neither had said a word since the phone call.

Eventually, Lily broke the silence.

“Do you think anyone will come for us?” she asked in a light tone.

“I doubt it,” Theo replied quickly.

Things went quiet again.

“Why the sudden change in attitude? You seemed so quiet at school,” Theo asked.

Lily hesitated. “Why do you say that?”

“For one, you rarely said anything to anyone. Plus, you didn’t have any friends,” Theo answered.

“You didn’t have friends yourself,” Lily commented.

“That’s different. You’re supposed to be the social pretty girl, while I…” Theo stopped when he realized the words had slipped out. He opened his bottle and started drinking, trying to hide his face.

“You think I’m pretty? Hmm?” she smirked. “Well, the only reason I didn’t make friends was because I didn’t want to. I was trying really hard to focus on my studies. I’m not the brightest in my family. Books weren’t exactly easy for me to get along with, so my parents never…”

She lowered her voice, choosing not to continue.

Theo didn’t hear the last part, too caught up in his earlier confession. Now that he thought about it, she was often alone with a book at her desk.

“It’s ironic. You put in all that effort and still managed to score the lowest in every test we took,” he teased.

“Hey, stop it! I didn’t tell you that so you could make fun of me!” She pouted and lightly punched his arm.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize... but thanks, Theo,” she smiled. His words had lifted her mood.

A few minutes later, Lily was dozing off, her head resting slightly on Theo’s shoulder. He looked down at her. She looked even cuter when she slept, he thought, before slapping his cheeks gently, reminding himself of the situation they were in.

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