Variant

I carefully opened the door. It was warmer inside. There were animals there-half a dozen cows.

I ignored them and went for the tarps. They were large and sturdy and canvas-not soft, but they looked waterproof. There was a cabinet on the far wall, and I ran to it.

“Who are you?”

My heart dropped.

But it wasn’t a guard’s voice. It was a voice I recognized. A girl’s voice.

I turned.

She was standing with the cows. She’d been milking them.

She didn’t look the same, but I knew her. Her fair skin was darker and freckled-and she was taller. Older. But I knew her.

“Jane?”

She brushed a strand of red hair away from her face.

“We didn’t think anyone survived,” she said, her words slow and worried. “They’re going to be looking for you.”

I was frozen to the ground, unable to move, unable to speak.

Jane stepped out from behind the cows. Her clothes were old and worn. She stared back at me.

“I know you,” she said, her words barely audible. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “I thought you died. I thought we both did.”