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Prologue

DAY 246 AF

REQUIEM, TENNESSEE FOOTHILLS OF THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS

She’s so lovely, so fragile Those haunted eyes Those rosebud lipsthey’ll screairl to come closer A feht, she paces the sidewalk frontingwith the decision of whether to approach

Chill winds toss her heavyboots, and has her hands buried in the pockets of a threadbare hoodie

Her clothes are no match for the temperature outside, which has only recently dropped fro heat we’ve had all winter The weather worsens as suht the food scents carrying fro atop a wood-burning stove Does she note the s from the chimney?

She looks hungry; after the Flash, they’re always hungry

Everything aboutkerosene lantern isn’t enough of a beacon for travelers, I have a poster-board sign--written in marker and covered with plastic wrap--pinned by the door:

VOICES OF THE FLASH

HOT MEALS, SAFE SHELTER, JUST TELL ME YOUR STORY OF THE APOCALYPSE

My house is ideally situated at a crossroads in this ghost town Most of irl’s obviously is as well

Earlier, she followedas I pruned aasted plant life to uncover the town’s singed welcon Requiem, Tennessee, population 1212

The Flash whittled that nuits Now it’s just n, I whistled a jaunty tune for effect She’ll think I’ for norht at the door Her mind is made up I can see it in the set of her slim shoulders

As she nears the front entrance, I make out her features more distinctly She’s ure and delicate face tell me she can’t be more than sixteen But the hint of womanly curves I detect beneath that hoodie indicates that she’s older

Her eyes are a cornflower blue--the color bold against her pale cheeks--but they’re heartbroken This waif has known loss

Who hasn’t since the apocalypse?

She’s about to know more Come closer

She hesitates to set foot on the front porch No, co a deep breath, she makes her way to my door; I shudder in anticipation, a spider poised on its web

Already I feel a connection to this girl I’ve said this in the past--others like me have spoken of a bond with their subjects--but this time I do feel an unprecedented tension

I want to possess her so badly I barely stifle a groan

If I can get her inside, she will be trapped The interior half of the doorknob is ; the only way to open it is with , unbreakable All the other doors to the outside are nailed shut

She raises her hand and knocks lightly, then retreats a skittish step I wait for several seconds--an eternity--then sto

When I open the door with a broad s I don’t look er Closer to her age, I’d iine But my skin has been weathered from the Flash My experiirls below, my little rats, assure me I’m the most handsome boy they’ve ever seen I’ve no reason to think otherwise

Ah, but uise of a boy

"Please co !"

She warily peers inside, gaze darting from wall to wall The interior is cheery, candlelit A ho chair sits directly in front of the crackling fire

My lair looks safe, warrandhtered her andchair and fire with longing, yet hersadness, I say, "I’m afraid it’s justher assume that my loved ones were lost in the apocalypse

Pity me Until you first set eyes on your new collar

At last, she crosses the threshold! To keep fro with pleasure, I bite the inside of ue Soe an even tone when I tell her, "I’ile forazes up atchair "I’eline Evie"

Behind her, I furtively pocket my pliers and close the door As it clicks shut, I smile

She’s mine She will never leave this place

Whether she rery, Evie? I’ve got stew si And maybe a cup of hot chocolate?" I can all but hear her salivating

"Yes, p-please, if it’s not tooher hands to the flaht back" In the kitchen, I ladle stew into a bowl, arranging the dinner carefully on a TV tray It’s her first s like this, I a is spotless, anized sleeve of scalpels sits tucked in eon, however, is a different story

Beside the bowl, I add a stea water stores Froar dispenser, I pour one teaspoonful of white powder--not sweetener With each sip of her drink, she will relax more and more until her muscles fail her, yet her consciousness will re yet aware It’s important that she experience our communion fully My homemade concoctions never fail

In fact, it’s time for my own elixir I collect a stoppered vial frorow even more centered, my focus laser-sharp

"Here we are," I say when I return Her eyes go wide at the bounty When she licks her plu hands "If you’ll just grab that stand"

She all but lunges to helpin I sit on the couch--not too close, careful not to crowd her

"So, Evie, I’ to utter an answer "I want you to know that I’hted to help you All I ask is that you share some information with me" And cry as I touch you, flinch whenever I near you "I’ to collect them for the future We need a history of how people’s lives were rocked by this catastrophe"

This is essentially true I tape round on my subjects--and later their screaily as she finishes her stew "What would you want to know?"