Jay could see it was a beautiful day from her nest of blankets on the floor in the living room. She had a bedroom, but for reasons unknown to her, bedrooms creeped her out, so she always dragged her stuff out to the sofa. Her dad and brother had stopped commenting on it long ago. When she stepped out onto the porch she wondered if she had dressed too warmly. There was a tinge of crispness to the air, but it was going to be a spectacular day. Jeans, sturdy boots, long-sleeved shirt, with a zip-up sleeveless jacket. Lots of little pockets. Nope. It would be fine. Jay figured that she could be in the desert and she would wear the same thing. Whenever it was her turn for a lap she wanted to be as dressed as possible.

‘I saw that eye-roll!’ called Hayley.

‘You saw nothing,’ replied Jay as they met each other in the street.

‘Can’t a girl take a little pride in her appearance?’ Hayley did a little twirl to show off her faded floral dress.

‘I don’t think our audience really gives a shit what we wear,’

‘How many times do I have to tell you –‘

‘-just because it is the end of the world, it doesn’t mean we have to let ourselves go,’ finished Jay. ‘But come on! How can you run in that?’

‘And this is why they call you Gay Jay,’ sung Hayley.

‘Whatever. That isn’t even an insult,’

‘Anyway, the only ones we ever see these days are so old and gross, who needs to run?’

‘At least tie your hair back, please?’ asked Jay.

Jay loved Hayley, she really did. They were like sisters. In that they drove each other bat crap crazy. Hayley was starting to notice boys more and more. That didn’t bother Jay – she got it, hormones and all that, but it didn’t mean that concern for safety had to fly out of the window.

But Jay couldn’t pick on her too much. It was Hayley who did most of the dirty work when it came to them. Jay could do it, if push came to shove – she was plenty trained for it, thanks to her family but just because she could, didn’t mean she wanted to.

The girls picked up their weapons and radios from the shed and headed out for their once a week turn of a lap around the compound. It used to be so that you could do the lap from the safety of the inside, through the fences. But better fences had stopped that; you had to go out. It wasn’t a huge deal. There were spotters and sightings weren’t that common. And like Hayley said, the ones they did see were pretty decrepit.

‘Heeeey ladies!’ chirruped Jay’s radio.

‘Heya, Ben!’ replied Jay.

‘I will be checking you out today!’

‘Really?’ Jay was pretty sure Ben could hear her raised eyebrow.

‘I mean, checking things out, for you!’

‘Yeah, sure,’ laughed Jay, waving in the general direction of the tower as she and Hayley headed out.

Jay did often wonder if these checks were even necessary. But her Dad said there was something to be said for vigilance, and tradition.

‘Boring. Boring. Boring!’ claimed Hayley, as they walked along, punctuating each word with a swing of her machete.

‘Easy there, Tiger!’ laughed Jay, pretending to duck.

‘Ughhhh, why do we even do this?’

‘What, would you prefer to be on latrine duty?’ asked Jay. ‘Anyway – every time you complain about this, you are wishing a herd into existence to come get us.’

‘Bring it oooooon!’ yelled Hayley, pointing her machete to the sky.

This time Jay rolled her eyes, very visibly.

‘Girls…’

Hayley and Jay froze as Ben’s voice crackled over the radio. Hayley was the first to recover, mostly hiding that she didn’t nearly poop her pants.

‘FINALLY, some action!’

‘What is it?’ Jay asked.

‘Might be nothing. Just saw some movement, about 50 yards from the North wall. I’m watching and Jack’ll cover you.’

Jay would prefer that Jack just did the dirty work. But ammunition had to be saved, and noise kept to a minimum. It attracted them.

‘Don’t need to tell me twice!’ said Hayley, charging ahead.

‘Keep –‘

‘-our radio on, I know. Thanks, Ben,’ finished Jay, jogging after Hayley.

One thing that Jay’s dad always remarked on, was how beautiful this new world was. Nature had reclaimed a lot of itself. He said that colors seemed brighter and everything grew better. He said less humans and less pollution did it, and perhaps, he just had new eyes, surviving so much death. Right in front of the girls, a leafy bush, impossibly green,  was trembling and shaking.

‘Can you see anything?’ whispered Ben, as Hayley moved closer.

‘I haven’t got one in, like, forever,’ rasped Hayley, poised. Jay stood ready, heart-rate picking up, getting her battle-ready. She hoped it wasn’t too messy. Hayley might be the girly one, but Jay hated the ick. Jay nodded she was ready, as Hayley made to part the bushes – she signaled with her free hand; one…two – Jay tightened her grip – three…and Hayley let out the girliest squeal.

‘Ohmygodababydeer!’

The deer stood awkwardly, blinking at them. One of its back legs was bloodied and it was lifting it off the ground. The animal was scared but it wasn’t making a get away.

‘We could eat that,’ Ben piped up.

‘Don’t you DARE!’ cried Hayley, crouching down, trying to coax the shivering animal. ‘Come here, little one, Momma Hayley will take care of you, come on…’

‘Wonder where the Mommy Deer is?’ said Ben, ‘That’s a feast, right there!’

Jay took a deep breath and stood back, pulling at the back of her damp-shirt. She couldn’t tell if she was relieved or not. All this adrenalin with nowhere to go. She watched Hayley, kneeling in the dirt in that ridiculous dress and smiled. Jay would give her a couple of futile minutes before she moved her on. Hayley was a goofy mess of girly, crazy bad-assery. She knew better than anyone that if anything, that deer was gonna be dinner. Closer, closer she was getting. Jay had to admit she was impressed at Hayley’s deer-whispering skills.

She squinted at the deer’s injured leg, the blood. It actually looked like…was it a smeared hand-print? ‘Hayley – wait!’ called Jay.

Jay’s radio crackled, as Hayley bit out an impatient, ‘What?’ hand still outstretched to the deer.

‘Shit – MOVE!’ bellowed Ben. Hayley tried to stand up, but she had squatted on her dress and fell backwards. Jay grabbed Hayley under the arm as she fumbled for her machete. It’s hand, covered in gore and fur reached for Hayley.

‘No you fucking don’t!’ said Hayley, scrabbling upright.

‘Hayley – get it or get out of the way – give me a clear shot!’ called Jack, calmly.

‘I got it,’ said Hayley, right before Jay stuck her knife under its chin.

‘Hey, bitch, I claimed that -‘

Ben’s warning shout was lost in, what Jay remembers as, Hayley’s indignant scream.

‘Fucker!’ she cried, swinging her machete straight into the second one’s eye. She shoved it off her knife. She turned to Jay, eyes wide. ‘Jay – it bit me. The bastard bit me!’ She sounded like this was an astounding and unheard of thing. Her fingers found their way to her shoulder, coming back bloody. Jay looked at her helplessly. All she could hear was a waterfall of noise in her head. Even though she knew her feet were on the ground, she felt like she was about to fall off the edge of an awful cliff. ‘No,’ said Hayley, her eyes filling. ‘Lemme just. I have to say ‘bye. Jeremy – I didn’t even,’ Hayley choked back a laugh, ‘the last thing I said – I called him a booger-eater! Oh man, this dress is my mom’s – she is gonna be pissed!’ Jay snorted. ‘Just let me go back. I will be quick, straight out!’ Hayley wound her arms around Jay’s neck. ‘Please!’ Her breath was close and hot on Jay’s cheek. ‘Oh, God, this sucks!’

‘You know we can’t do that,’ said Ben.

‘Jay,’ said Jack, ‘It is you or me,’

‘It could work,’ said Jay, ‘All three of us, go in, we can stay with her, make sure nothing happens, it will be fine. Let her say goodbye!’ Jay’s mind worked overtime. She could lose Jack and Ben, take Hayley somewhere safe, wait it out, to see –

‘Jay – ‘ Ben’s voiced broke, ‘you know it doesn’t work like that anymore.’

‘You have two minutes, Jay, if you can’t, I will.’ Jack’s voice was calm over the radio. Jay wanted to reach through and punch his lights out. Mostly because he was an epic shot, and if they tried to run he wouldn’t hesitate to take them both down.

‘Come on, Gay Jay,’ joked Hayley, ‘you’ve got about ten minutes to cuddle the shit outta me.’

As the two boys surveyed from afar, it looked sweet. Two pretty girls, arms around each other, looking into the beautiful green forest. Except, as the shadows lengthened,  only one got up and walked away.