She blinked and shook her head, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her tongue swished around her mouth and came back free of the taste of bacon. The thought of it disgusted her now.

She sat up and embraced Emanuel, silencing him with her grip.

“I saw it. I saw it all,” she whispered.

“Saw what?”

“The world, or what the world will look like when the Organics are done with it.”

“What do you mean?” Emanuel asked, pulling free of her hug so he could study her face.

“They aren’t just after us—they’re after the oceans! That’s why the temperature is rising outside. They must be slowly draining the seas.”

Emanuel reached for his glasses. “The salt must be slowing them down.”

“Or the fact they cover over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface.”

“Didn’t stop them from getting all of the surface freshwater on day one,” he replied.

“There isn’t enough information to hypothesize. We don’t know that they did. And we also don’t know how fast they are draining the oceans.” Sophie paused and caught his gaze. “All I know is nothing will survive. They won’t stop until every ounce of water is gone.”

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

RAYS of light danced across the walls of Biome 2. Sophie crouched next to the water, staring into the clear depths and wondering how much was really left outside the walls of the Biosphere.

“Are you ready?” a voice said from behind her.

Sophie didn’t budge. The sight of the pond was calming, and after the chaos of their short stay in the facility she welcomed the escape.

“Is this really necessary?” she finally said, turning to see Holly in the doorway.

“You know it is. You can’t keep going on like this. These dreams are not good for your mental health. You have to address them.”

Sophie stood and paced down the metal platform. “All right,” she said, studying the young woman’s face. Unlike the others, Holly didn’t look fatigued. Her eyes were warm, welcoming, still filled with . . .

Hope.

“I have to admit, I’m surprised by how well you’re holding up,” Sophie said.

Holly smiled. “I’m glad I learned something after accruing that mountain of student loan debt.”

“I don’t think that it matters much anymore.”

“No. No, I suppose you’re right. I won’t be getting a call if I miss a payment,” she said with a laugh. “So how are you doing?”

Sophie turned back to the pond, clasping her hands behind her back. “I’m okay. Honestly. I mean, for the most part. I’ve come to accept that everyone beyond these walls I have ever known and loved is dead. All I can do now is try to move on, to take care of those who are left.” She watched a ray of light sparkle across the surface of the water. “Especially now that we have the children.”