The Plague

"So, what's your dog's name?" Tony asked as they sat at the small table Anna had failed to notice earlier.
"His name is Benjamin." she said, shyly looking down at her bowl of soup.
They were silent for moments on, just eating their soup. Tony took his time, but Anna was ravenous; she was done in a minute.
"Do you need any more?" Tony asked.
Anna shook her head. "No...I don't want to get used to eating a lot."
Tony stared at her for a while with a sad look on his face. Anna cleared her throat and tried to avoid his stare by petting Benjamin, who was happily full and taking a nap at her feet.
"Do you have anyone else?" Tony asked.
Anna froze. A horrific pang of sadness filled her body as her eyes watered. She looked away and slowly shook her head.
No. He died. He left her all alone in this world, even though he promised her they would stay together forever.
"No." she whispered.
Tears started to stream down her face as she tried to resist the flashbacks. However, she failed and was taken back a few months ago, to a small, dark room where her father had laid in bed...

-"Anna, dear." a raspy, weak voice said. "Bring me some water, please?"
"Yes, father." Anna said, and brought a glass of water to her father. He was covered in blanket after blanket, but his feet still stuck out. Anna couldn't bear to look at his feet...his black, rotten feet...the horrendous stench that came from them...Anna just couldn't bear it.
"Anna, look at me, darling." her father said, setting the glass on the nightstand. He reached his arm out, shaking severely. Anna grasped it and held it firmly.
"I will never leave you." he said gently, weakly...
Tears filled Anna's eyes. "Please, never do..."-

Anna brought herself back to reality. She began sobbing into her hands. Her father had left her...he broke his promise. He had lied.
Tony got up and went over to Anna to hold her. She stood up and cried into his chest, tears staining the mud.
"It's okay..." he whispered, and that was all he said.

Hours later, and Anna was in the bed, staring up into the darkness. Rain pelted the roof as it came down in sheets, and thunder rolled its way across the sky. Tony was on the floor, already fast asleep. Benjamin lay at her feet, wide awake, ready to attack any unwanted visitors.
Anna did not want to fall asleep. What if she somehow died in the night? Or what if Tony died in the night? Benjamin and her would be alone again...and who knew how long the food would last? Who knew how long it would be until they found another human being...?
Sleep finally conquered her thoughts, her mind, her body, and she fell into a peaceful state of mind, where there were no diseases, hunger, nor sadness...

The next morning, she woke up to find Tony gone. She bolted out of bed and searched the tiny cabin. His gun was still there, his clothes, all the food...where did he go?
Anna stepped outside and looked around. For a moment, she forgot about Tony. The cabin was right in front of a small river and trees reached to great heights over top of her. Beautiful flowers sprouted in bunches here and there, and Anna finally saw a small path leading to another small building. It looked hardly bigger than a bathroom.
Anna followed the path and saw the door was wide open. A small overhead lamp was on, illuminating the inside. There was a small sink, a toilet, and a tiny shower. But no Tony.
"Tony?" she said loudly. No response. She shouted his name again, but no one replied.
"Anna?"
Anna whipped around and found Tony behind her, looking confused.
"Where have you been?" Anna asked, crossing her arms. She looked down and saw Benjamin waving his tail. "And what are you doing with my dog?"
"I was in the garden," Tony said. "And Benjamin followed me."
"You have a garden?"
Tony nodded. "It's next to the cabin. I'm surprised you didn't see it when you trampled over it yesterday."
Anna blushed. "Oh...oops. Sorry."
"It's okay." Tony said.
There was a small, awkward silence between them again. Anna could tell that Tony was a quiet, nice, shy boy and Anna wondered what he thought of her.
"Well...thank you for your help. Benjamin and I should be leaving now." Anna said reluctantly. She didn't want to leave, but she didn't want to be a burden either.
"You're leaving? Why?" Tony asked, widening his eyes.
"I can't stay here. I have to find more people...more food...more hope." Anna said, looking down at her feet. The hot summer sun pounded on her back, making her sweat.
Tony frowned. "But...how will you make it? You have no food and you're too weak."
"I'm not weak." Anna mumbled.
"You are. You're too skinny and frail. You'll faint before you find someone else."
"Well, I've made it this far." she snapped.
"Luckily. Look, I just don't think you should go." Tony said sadly.
Anna sighed. She didn't want to go, but something made her want to go.
"I'll stay for a while." she muttered.
"Well, don't make it sound like a punishment. I'm just trying to protect you."
Anna felt a pang of guilt. Tony had probably been here forever, all alone. It's probably been forever since he last interacted with a human...at least Anna had Benjamin.
"I'm sorry." she said softly.
"It's okay." the look on Tony's face betrayed his feelings. Anna was right: he was desperate for a friend, for someone to talk to...to not be alone in this abandoned, cruel, and hopeless world.