VIRUS

TWENTY FOUR

Chapter Twenty-Four: Dreams of the Past

The streets of the small town were eerily quiet as the group made their way down to the old grocery store, the wind howling softly between the buildings. It was a chillier day, the kind of day that made them grateful for the warmer clothes they'd found at the cabin. As they neared the entrance to the store, Ryland jimmied open the broken door with his crowbar, and they slipped inside, their flashlights cutting through the dim light.

"Alright, we've got about an hour before sundown," Holden said, his voice firm but calm. "Let's grab what we can and get back."

The store looked ransacked already, but they knew from experience that sometimes food got left behind—canned goods, bags of rice, things people hadn't thought to take in the early chaos. Dawn grabbed an empty basket and started walking down the aisles, scanning the shelves with a practiced eye.

"I'll check the back," Ryland said, heading toward the rear of the store.

Holden nodded. "I'll go with him. You girls take the aisles, see what you can find."

Isabel gave a quick thumbs-up, and she and Dawn began walking toward the dried foods section. They moved in silence for a few minutes, grabbing cans of beans, a few bags of rice, and a couple boxes of dry pasta that had been pushed to the back of a shelf.

Dawn glanced over at Isabel as she picked up another can and tossed it into the basket. "What's your middle name?" she asked, suddenly breaking the quiet.

Isabel raised an eyebrow, giving Dawn a curious look. "Middle name?"

"Yeah," Dawn said with a smile. "You know, just trying to make conversation."

Isabel chuckled. "Alright, fine. It's Maria. Isabel Maria Ramirez."

Dawn nodded thoughtfully. "That's pretty. Mine's Elizabeth. Dawn Elizabeth Matthews."

"Elizabeth suits you," Isabel said with a smile. "Very classic."

Dawn's cheeks flushed a little as she added, "I was named after my grandmother."

Holden's voice rang out from a few aisles over, cutting through the shelves. "David. Holden David Parker."

Ryland chimed in from the back of the store, grinning as he shouted, "Alec. Ryland Alec Singh. Sounds all official, huh?"

Dawn giggled at that, imagining Ryland standing up straight and announcing his full name like some kind of superhero. "It does sound kind of fancy."

Isabel shook her head, smiling. "Alright, now that that's settled, how about birthdays? We never talked about that."

Holden appeared at the end of the aisle, his arms loaded with a few cans of food he'd found. He leaned against the shelf, grinning. "November 22nz. Not that it matters anymore."

Dawn laughed softly. "We just celebrated that."

"Yup," Holden replied with a wink. "Best birthday I've ever had, thanks to you guys."

Ryland came back, holding a few boxes of cereal triumphantly. "April 22nd for me. I always loved that my birthday was on Earth Day. Thought it made me kind of cool."

Dawn and Isabel exchanged glances, laughing softly. "Earth Day? You were destined for greatness," Isabel teased.

Ryland laughed and playfully tossed a box of cereal at her. "Yeah, yeah. What about you, Isabel?"

She shrugged, putting another can into the basket. "January 2nd. I always hated having a birthday right after Christmas because everyone's broke. No one wanted to do anything."