Page 76 of His to Burn

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I didn’t know. But being with her brought this out of me.

Made a smile seem natural.

Even meaningful.

But that didn’t change what I needed to do.

“I want to try the radio again,” I said after we finished breakfast.

She nodded, though I noticed her trepidation. We tried it every day, and every day, we were greeted with the same disconcerting static.

“Maybe there’ll be something new today,” she said.

She’d said the same thing for the past three days, and each time, it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself, not me.

I just murmured noncommittally, then clicked the radio on.

For a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears.

If you can hear me…

I glanced up at Asia, and she met my eyes. The shock on her face was something I was sure mirrored in mine.

D.C. is gone. We’re getting reports that the military is trying to reconfigure, but nothing reliable.

Nothing’s reliable anymore.

The voice on the radio was shaky but still professional.

Like something out of a horror movie.

But this was all too real.

And the panic, the dread, and most of all, the acceptance I heard in that voice, made my blood run cold.

Take care of each other.

No one else will.

The radio clicked and there was a crackle of static.

Then those words came again.

This is not a test…

I looked at Asia, who stared at the radio, a myriad of emotions crossing her features.

She looked up at me, and in the next breath, threw herself into my arms.

I held her.

“Shh,” I whispered against her head.

She held me tighter, her shoulders shaking.

I pulled back a fraction and saw that her face was wet with tears.

I would do anything not to see it.

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