Walter and Barry didn’t let us leave after Hank was bitten. Their mission to pull the greyskins away from the school had worked, but they wanted to be certain that the undead were still moving far away before they let us drive through Foley again. We couldn’t risk leading the greyskins back to the school. The night seemed to go on forever and I drifted in and out of sleep, never getting the rest I desired. Thoughts of seeing the future plagued my mind and no one knew if Hank was going to make it through the night.

Now, the sun shines on my tired eyes as I sit next to Hank’s cot. There are others in the room watching over him. Walter stands behind me and Ethan and Gilbert sit separately on their own cots.

“He’s not showing any symptoms of the virus,” Walter says. “I think he’s going to make it just fine.”

There is more relief within me than there should be, I think. I have only known Hank for a day, but I feel the need to check on him.

Eventually, his eyes flutter awake and his smile beams at me. “You look very pretty,” he says. “When the sun hits your eyes it looks like the Pacific Ocean.

“Have you been there?” I ask.

Hank nods. “I used to live on the West Coast. My heart is there. I moved out here to pursue a career, leaving my family behind.” He lets out a long breath. “I just didn’t know I was going to be leaving them behind forever. Heh, it’s not like I can hop on a plane and go look for them either.”

“They’re probably still alive,” I say.

“Can you see that too?” he asks. “Can you touch my hand and see a future that I will be arm and arm with my little girls again? Will their mother be with them?”

I say nothing.

“I didn’t think so,” he says. “Strange business what you told me yesterday.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. “I don’t know what it is. It comes and goes.” As I want it to, anyway.

“Can’t say I’ve ever met a person like you, Waverly.”

“I hope to meet more like you,” I tell him.

“Likely we won’t be seeing each other again, but if we do, perhaps I will be used to fighting greyskins with just one arm.”

“I think it would be better if you kept at your cooking with just one arm,” I say. “Because that’s what I’ll be looking for when we meet again.”

He smiles at me and closes his eyes. “It was nice to meet you, Waverly.”