He stepped forward and tried the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. He stepped in quietly and I followed behind him. The room was dank and smelled awful. To our right was a small fireplace with wood chopped and stacked neatly next to the hearth. To our left was a bed with a dead, bloody corpse in it. It might have turned to a greyskin if it were not for the self-inflicted bullet hole in its forehead. A handgun was resting in the man’s limp hand.

Then I knew I didn’t want to know the name of the owner.

“I’ll start a fire,” Lucas said.

As he worked at the fireplace, I looked through each cabinet and closet in the cabin. I found plenty of food that had gone bad and rotten, but there were some nonperishable foods as well. In a closet, I found a bunch of blankets. I grabbed one and covered the corpse.

Out of sight, out of mind, I thought.

Once the fire was started, I poured a can of beans into a pot and cooked it over the flames. I sat in a chair next to Lucas and smiled.

“What?” he asked, smiling back.

I shook my head. “Nothing,” I said. “It’s just…I’m really happy to be in here right now.”

“Even with Mr. Miller behind us?”

“Mr. Miller isn’t here,” I said. “He’s out of town.”

“You grab the gun from his hand?”

“Nope. We don’t need it.”

Lucas looked back at the fire and raised his hands to warm his palms, but I continued to stare at him.

“I’m really glad to be with you,” I said.

He looked at me, this time his face much more serious. “The roads have been long, but I would choose to travel them with no one else.” He leaned his head in and kissed my lips tenderly. “I have something for you,” he whispered. He stood and pulled out a silver chain from his pocket. On the end, glittering in the firelight, was Hattie’s ring. “I got this chain off a…from someone,” he said with a smile. “I thought it could be a symbol of our connection together. You and me.”

I could feel the sting in my eyes as they began to water. “But it’s your mother’s ring.”

“And who would she want to have it more than you?” he said.

“It’s an engagement ring.”

He reached out for my hand and pressed the ring in my palm, the chain dangling off the side of my hand. “With it, I want to make you a vow.” His hands were still clutching mine. “I vow to protect you. To put your needs before my own. I promise to survive this whole disaster with you.”

“But how can you promise that?” I asked, looking down at the ring.