“But we’ll take care of each other,” I tell everyone, “because that’s what we have to do. Casey will stay in the infirmary, and he’ll look after the sick for as long as he can. We don’t have many beds. We don’t have much in the way of medication. But we’ll make do.” If the plague is resistant to everything anyway, medication doesn’t matter. “If anyone wants to help him, they would be more than welcome.”

Dead silence. Of course.

“We have plenty of other work to do too. We’re here together. We’ll make it through together.” I can’t keep the annoyance out of my voice, so I check my hastily scribbled list. “Nia and Logan are on kitchen duty. They’re in the process of taking inventory. They could use more volunteers.”

After another long pause, Elias raises his hand in the very back of the room. His light hair flops around his face. “I can cook.”

“Yeah, you can,” someone mutters.

“Like actual food too, thanks,” he shoots back. “I used to cook for my mother,” he adds sheepishly—quietly.

In the six months he’s been here, I’ve never seen him do anything useful. I had a whole list of assumptions about the guy, but those perceptions all shift uncomfortably. “Cool, thanks.”

I make a note, pretending for all the world like I know what I’m doing, and continue. “Isaiah will use the warden’s computer to keep up with information about the plague and life outside for as long as we can. We’ll try to have updates for you every day. If you have specific questions or locations you want to hear about, let him know, and he’ll take care of it.”

In my periphery, Isaiah nods. When I asked him about this, he immediately started making lists of everything to check up on. And if anyone wants to know about their homes or their families, they have a way to ask and figure it out.

“In addition, the phones should work for the foreseeable future, so you can call home any time you want.”

The words are followed by a wave of murmurs. A sense of relief—and pain, for the people like me, who have nowhere to call. Worry about their loved ones. And about us.

“We’re going to need people on cleaning duty as well and people to tend the garden.” I have a whole list of tasks to divvy up between all of us. The garden was actually Emerson’s idea.

“If no one comes for us,” Emerson reasoned, “we’ll need the food.”

“To grow ourselves?” I didn’t want to ask how long they anticipated us being here, on our own. They seemed like someone prepared for the worst.

They shrugged. “If necessary.”

“It would take months.”

“Yes.” The finality to their voice sucked the air out of me.

At least the garden and the chores are a good way to keep everyone busy. That is, perhaps, the only real lesson I’ve learned here. Can’t get into trouble when you’re kept busy.