Surprise

I stood in front of the partially closed door and took in a few deep breaths. I might not know exactly what was out there, but Rip had told me the bare minimum.

I was in a condo in one of the richer parts of City A.

That meant that through those doors was nothing more than a living room decorated with furniture and knickknacks that probably cost more than a few months of my salary before the end of the world.

I tried to picture what it would look like in my mind, and once I felt my heart rate starting to go back to normal, I nodded my head.

I was ready.

"Do you want me in front or behind you?" asked Rip as he leaned forward to speak in my ear.

See, it was little things like that that made me so happy he was the one going through all of this with me. He understood what I needed before I did.