Rhiannon counted five years, three months, and 12 days since she last set foot outside of her house. As she stared at the calendar above her desk, all she could do was scream. Five years, three months, and 12 days since she felt a warm breeze across her face, skinned her knee on hard concrete, or tilted her head back to let a snowflake fall on her tongue. Her front door could easily be unlocked. Her neighborhood was too deserted for her to worry about other people. Her mom wouldnât even notice her leaving. The only thing that kept her tethered to the house was herself.
How much did she want to live? Her answer to that question dictated her proximity to the outside world, and the answer constantly changed. Right now, as she stood alone in her harrowed room, her answer was ânot muchâ. She lived on the top floor, meaning that her roof and windows were boarded up with metal scraps scavenged from the basement. It was a precaution taken by her mother to help prevent raindrops from slicing through any open crevice in her room. Â
             Her living space felt like a prison. No natural light was allowed to enter her room, which meant that she sat in complete darkness or with lamps that gave her a headache. She could no longer sit by her window and watch the world ebb and flow, imprinting every sign of life into her brain as a reminder that it still existed. Now, she was confined to news reports and online videos.
With a small sigh, she opened her laptop. When Rhiannon found herself drowning in her own self-pity, the only way to pull herself out was a call with her friend. A notification for a weather update popped up on her browser. âIncoming rain in 24 hours. Warning: Fatalâ. It was accompanied by a small graphic of raindrops slicing off a manâs arm.
     Rhiannon rolled her eyes; all weather was fatal. She clicked the notification away and moved her mouse to talk to who she was there for: Maxwell. He was her best friend and the only happy living remnant from her world before everybody was forced inside. All of their childhood was spent traversing the woods in their town, searching for poisonous plants her dad told them about, swimming in the lake, and discussing books in the sun. Her memories of him were so sickly sweet that thinking too much about them made her want to throw up.
Maxwell's parents moved away to quarantine in suburbia five years ago, and they never saw each other again. Their interactions were constrained to online chats and video calls that were never able to capture the thrill of their arms brushing against each other or seeing herself in the reflection of his eyes. Sometimes when she closed her eyes, she could feel the warm brush of his skin on hers, but it only served as a reminder that she could never feel it again.
He called her before she could call him. When she accepted, she was greeted with the sight of a dry erase board with incomprehensible scribbles.
âIâve figured out a way to stop the weather,â Maxwell tapped his marker against the screen with a large smile. Rhiannon sighed, heâd been rambling for months about how he was going to be the one to free Earth from its apocalypse with the power of science that she never could understand. Normally, she would just nod along, but lately she couldnât muster up the energy.
âDo you miss me?â Rhiannon asked. Her words came out bold and direct.
    Maxwell faltered, âUm, yes. I do. Of course I do? I thought that was obvious.â It felt weird to see him nervous, fumbling through his words in fear heâd say the wrong thing.
âItâs just that Iâve missed you, too. Memories of when we were kids keep coming up, and itâs really been taking a toll on me.â Rhiannon buried her face in her hands, âItâs killing me that this is the only way we can see each other. Or anybody.â
Maxwell put down his marker and leaned into the camera, âRemember our plan?â
Of course, she remembered. A while ago, they had discussed the idea of venturing outside and into the woods. They would spend the day walking along the river as they chatted about their pool of topics that they had reserved for that day. When they got tired, they would find a cool patch of grass to sit down and stare into the sun while sharing a picnic. It was a thrilling thought, retracing their childhood steps for an entire day to embrace a lifestyle that was vehemently stolen from them.
She nodded, âI think about it all the time. It just feels so far away. Like becoming an adult.â
âI donât know how much you leave your room, but everythingâs getting worse. My dad had to get modifications done to the house for the rainstorm tomorrow. I swear my house couldâve withstood a bomb before,â His face looked constrained, âI think our day is closer than you think.â
Neither of them knew what to say after that. The ugly truths spoke for them, they whispered, shouted, and cried to fill the silence. A small buzz of excitement started to hum within Rhiannon. Maybe this was all going to be over soon? She would be able to step out of her prison and take a moment to stretch her muscles from sitting in there for so long.
Her momâs voice suddenly blared like an alarm from downstairs. âGABRIELâS HERE. COME HELP WITH THE BAGS.â It was almost humorous how quickly her mom ruined the mood. Rhiannon only had an hour with Maxwell before he was pulled away for his mandatory piano lessons, which took up the rest of the day. It was painfully characteristic how her mom scheduled a delivery at the same time she had her planned call with Maxwell.
âSorry about that.â Rhiannon tried her best to hide the tightness in her voice.
Maxwell smiled, âIâll convince my mom to skip piano today, and weâll talk later. Promise.â Something warm and loving bloomed in her chest. Maxwell loved the piano as much as he loved science, and he was going to skip out on playing to spend time with her.
âBye.â That was all Rhiannon could get out before she abruptly ended the call. It was established in her head that they were friends. Somehow, surprise managed to creep its way into her whenever he showed small acts of kindness. Â
âRHIANNON. GABRIEL IS WAITING!â Her momâs voice brought her back to reality again. She slammed her laptop shut and hopped over piles of clothes to leave her room.
While her room was a nightmare, the rest of her house was hell. All of their decorations were packed up and stored in the basement years ago, leaving the house with no character. All of their decorations were packed up and stored in the basement years ago, leaving the house with no character. Her mom said it was to keep them safe during a rainstorm. Truthfully, her mom had read in one of her manuals that a foolproof way to get closer to God was removing all distractions, which included decor. It only made the juxtaposition between five years ago and now more jarring.
She met her mom at the front door and kept her mouth shut through her rehearsed chastising. Finally, her mom opened the door, and Rhiannon and her mother ogled at the disturbing sight of their delivery man with a freshly missing arm. Neither of the two women could muster up a proper greeting to help ease the discomfort of the obvious. And Gabriel, their delivery man, only stared back. Breaking the spell, her mom slowly stepped forward to run her hand down the empty sleeve that folded over to reach his side.
Gabriel offered her a grim smile that felt like a weak attempt at reassurance. In his remaining hand, he held up one bag of groceries, âA little rain ainât goinâ to stop me from doing my job.â Rhiannon shook her head and grabbed the bag from Gabrielâs hands.
Rhiannon quickly made her way into their tiny kitchen. She needed to avoid her momâs avalanche of questions about how Gabriel was operating with his new affliction. She knew the conversation would eventually steer to her dad, his matching injuries, and how he wasnât here anymore because of them.
When he was still alive, her dad was also a delivery man. He ventured outside everyday to deliver groceries to homes in their town to save everyone the risk of going out. Her dadâs job was something that required courage. Delivery men were given special gear that was built to withstand the three forms of weather that were made deadly ten years ago. But the gear wasnât completely protective, they only offered enough time for someone to quickly get to safety without dying on the spot. The reports said her dad was caught in a rainstorm while returning a cat that snuck into his truck. All that was left of him was his shredded uniform. Unlike most people in her life, Rhiannon had grown up with aliens looming over every aspect of her life, yet her dadâs death still felt like an absurdist fantasy. Â
Before she could set the bag on the counter, Gabriel seemingly materialized out of nowhere in the kitchen entrance. He kept his remaining hand in his pocket as he stared at her. âYour momâs gettinâ the rest of the stuff out of the truck.â He said simply.
Rhiannon dropped the groceries. âIsnât that your job?â If the sky decided to curse them with rain at that moment, her mom would be dead.
Gabriel shrugged, âWeâre not seeinâ anything unusual till tomorrow. Your mom will be fine,â He made his way to the counter, slowly moving as if Rhiannon was some sort of flighty animal. She tried her hardest not to show how weirded out she was that he was even in here.
âSpeakinâ of your mom,â Gabriel ruffled through the grocery bag, presumably searching for whatever he could grip with his singular hand, âIs she doinâ alright? Must be lonely in the house with David gone.â
Lonely wasnât a strong enough word. Without her dad there to keep her mom grounded, she was free to float into whatever filled the silence he left. Lately, this was the local religious group, Children of Mary, who convinced her that the aliens were a redressed rapture. The same two evangelists came to their door sporadically, armed with pamphlets and plastic crosses to indoctrinate them into their thinly veiled cult. They talked a lot about community in trying times, giving your life to Christ, and how if you didnât give five dollars to join them, you earned yourself a one-way ticket to hell. Somehow, they always managed to evade the weather. The same two guys have been coming to their house for as long as Rhiannon could remember, and they never had so much as a scratch on either of them. This always made Rhiannon suspicious, but it was enough for her mom to engross herself in their warped religion. The house now had a disgusting amount of copies of Children of Maryâs manuals, and her mother shifted into someone Rhiannon couldnât recognize.
But Gabriel didnât need to know any of that. âShe has me.â Rhiannon countered, but it felt weak. Who was she compared to her father? To freedom?
Gabriel opened his mouth to add something else, but faltered. âWell, of course. Iâm sure youâre great company.â He looked up from the grocery bag and turned his attention towards Rhiannon. âI need to tell you something. But you have to keep it a secret from your mother.â
Rhainnon clasped her hands together, âReally?â A giddy smile slowly grew on her face as she reached across the counter and grabbed Gabrielâs hand. Exciting news didnât come by very often.
âFeels like youâre blessinâ me.â Gabriel chuckled.
âWhatever. Just tell me.â Rhiannon tightened her grip on Gabrielâs hand and leaned closer towards her family friend. His eyes fell towards the ground.
âIâm only telling you this because I know youâre mature enough to handle it.â A dark shadow fell over Gabriel as his face turned grim. Only then did it occur to Rhiannon to feel nervous.
Gabriel looked her straight in the eyes, âLast week I noticed that the next rainstorm is going to be the worst weâve seen. Theyâre scrambling to make last minute provisions, but in my opinion? I canât see many of us surviving. Iâm so sorry.â Â
Rhiannon faltered, stuck between too many different realizations with no space to fully form. Eons of evolution, perseverance, and survival would cease to exist in a month. Bloodlines that were built, destroyed, and rebuilt would cease to exist in a day. Systems that dictate the world that serve as a testament to the intelligence and creativity of the human race would cease to exist in a day. Maxwell would cease to exist in a day. She would cease to exist in a day. She would be reunited with her father in a day.
Her grip on Gabrielâs hand loosened as her head started to throb with pain. A tight knot grew in her throat, and it suddenly became very hard to breathe. Death always felt like it was on the other end of a door Rhiannon didnât have the keys to open. So close, but just out of reach, and now it was speeding towards her. What was she supposed to do with that?
A familiar dark thought started to surface in her mind. Their plan! Wouldnât now be the perfect time? Maxwell had been alluding to it before, and now the evidence was staring her in the face. It was so perfectly aligned that Rhiannon could cry.
Rhiannon quickly rushed past Gabriel and left the kitchen, leaving no chance for him to further explain himself. She knew he was calling for her, probably reevaluating his decision to tell her, but the noise was muffled. She could feel a cool breeze on her face, grass beneath her feet, and warm skin against hers. A squeamish combination of excitement and dread that bubbled up in her stomach pushed her to move faster. Today, she decided, would be their day. She refused to spend another moment trapped in her own house.
Rhiannon ran into her room and straight towards the computer. Ignoring the weather warning, she texted Maxwell: âI heard from Gabriel that itâs over next tomorrow. Weâre going to the woods today. Bring some food. Iâm coming nowâ, and held her breath. She knew that he would understand, their brains were cut from the same cloth. They moved through the same frequency their entire lives, morphing into the perfect match for all the different people they embodied throughout the years. But she couldnât help but fear that he would say no, but she would already be out the door.
She heard the ding of his response as she put on her other shoe. âIâm coming.â Rhiannon smiled with relief, it was all she needed to hear to somehow move faster than she already was. She grabbed her dusty purse and filled it with whatever she could think of. A notebook, pencils, books that they liked, and her camera. It was agreed that Maxwell would bring the food, and Rhiannon would bring their entertainment.
Blood rushed through her ears as she stampeded down the stairs, the thrill of what they were planning to do carried her through the kitchen and into the living room. Rhiannon could see her mom in the distance, sorting their bags into different groups for them to take back. She supposed she should feel guilty, but for the first time in years, she could see the world opening its arms to her. Rhiannon knew it had always been there, silently waiting for the day she would be brave enough to venture out into its embrace.
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