"What's goin' on? Why are you here? How'd you know where I was?" Mia grilled her brother. "Are you Philip?" The last question was directed to the man on her right. Philip turned to her and smiled politely.

"I am. You must be Mia." Philip held out his hand to Mia. She placed her palm in his and felt his slightly calloused fingers gently wrap around her slender hand. Philip's icy blue eyes were captivating and his boyish grin contrasted with his greying temples in a charming way. He was at least fifteen years her senior, but Mia found him alluring. Heat rose to her cheeks as she pulled her hand back. She cleared her throat before turning back to her brother. She raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"Mom and Dad are on their way here," Rod started, running a rough hand through his hair.

"Why?"

"I, uh, I called them and asked them to come." His gaze fell to his boots.

"Why?" Mia repeated. "What's going on, Rod?"

Rod was flustered and it scared Mia. Her brother was always composed and focused. Hoping for an actual answer, she turned back to Philip.

"We were assigned to patrol the hospital this morning," Phillip started slowly. "And-"

"And people are dying, Mia. This virus going around, it's getting serious," Rod interrupted his partner. "I just think it'd be best if we were all together."

Mia eyed Rod. He couldn't hold eye contact with her for more than a few seconds. The thought that he wasn't telling her the whole truth crossed her mind. She wanted to trust her brother, but to Mia, it didn't make sense for their parents to come to Atlanta. If the virus was killing people in the city, wouldn't they be safer in the countryside where there were fewer people?

"I need to go pick up Penny," Philip spoke to Rod as he looked at his cell phone. "Captain just texted me, they're about to shut down the schools."

Rod let out an exasperated sigh.

"Alright, you take the patrol car, I'll take Mia home."

Philip nodded then stepped over to the police car. Before he got into the vehicle, he gave Mia a cordial wave. Mia waved back then bent down to pet Colonel. There was a sense of dread building in her and she needed the comfort of her furry friend. Colonel happily kissed her face.

"They said on the radio that they might shut the city down," Mia told her brother as she stood back up. "We need to find food."

"And weapons, " Rod added, nodding in agreement. Mia frowned, puzzled. She wondered why her brother thought they would need weapons, but decided not to challenge him on it just yet. "There's a general store on this road. Let's go."

The three of them jumped into the car and headed down the road. The back roads were nearly empty. Mia figured everyone was in the city stocking up on supplies. She didn't talk to Rod while they drove, she could see him getting lost in thought and she didn't want to interrupt.

When they pulled up to the general store the parking lot was empty and the lights were off. The old building was poorly maintained, but appeared to see the occasional customer. A news rack held up to date papers and the flyers on the bulletin board looked fresh. The owner must have recently closed the store due to the virus. Rod shut off the car and got out. When he noticed Mia still sitting, he whistled one sharp note and motioned for her to follow. Mia slowly opened the car door and stood up. It was eerily quiet out. The only sounds to be heard were the crunching of gravel under Rod's boots and Colonel's rhythmic panting. Mia shivered despite the midday heat.

"C'mon, I'm gonna look for weapons, you get food. Canned food, non-perishables, things like that. Let's make this quick," Rod ordered. Mia made no attempt to move. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"Rod," Mia started softly. "They're closed."

Rod quickly stepped toward his sister. He knew he was scaring her and he hated himself for it. He hated the tragic loss she had suffered that made her so fragile. He hated the cold, unforgiving world and most of all, he hated what he feared was coming. If what he had seen earlier that morning was any indication, life as they knew it was over. Rod took a breath that did little to calm his nerves and put on a brave face for Mia.

"I know they are, but I'm a cop. We can take what we need, this is an emergency. The store owner will be reimbursed by the city later." The lie tasted bitter on his tongue, he wasn't used to lying to Mia. He couldn't tell if she had believed it, but he hoped she had because he wasn't ready to tell her the truth. Mia finally closed the car door and followed him around to the back of the store. Colonel trailed closely behind.

When they found the back entrance, Rod tried the door handle, but it was locked. He fished in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a lockpick. Rod felt his sister's eyes on him. Should he tell her all cops carry lockpicks? He wanted to assure her that they weren't doing anything illegal, but he also didn't want to lie again. Choosing to ignore her, he began picking the lock. After several seconds, he was able to open the door.

Meanwhile, in Apalachicola, Florida, Abner Serling loaded up his old utility van in preparation for the five hour road trip he and his wife were about to embark on. His weathered lips mouthed a silent prayer as he lugged a case of bottled water into the van The conversation he had with his son on the phone half an hour earlier replayed in his head. Rod hadn't gone into detail, but Abner could hear the urgency in his voice. Rod wanted the family to be together, he was concerned about his parents being so far away with an unfamiliar virus going around. Abner loved his son and agreed to make the trip to ease his worries.

Abner was anxious to see his daughter, though. It had been months since he had seen her. It made him feel like a bad father, but he didn't know how to have a relationship with her. They had drifted apart years before. He loved Mia, but he didn't understand her.

"Honeypot, come grab my bags, I'm goin' to go change my lipstick. This color is too cool toned for my summer tan. I need something warmer," Fanny called from the front porch before disappearing back into the house. Abner obliged, happy to have a distraction from his thoughts, and shuffled to the porch to retrieve his wife's overstuffed bags. As he stowed them in the van next to his own small overnight bag, he chuckled to himself. Fanny Serling always had to look her best, and it was no surprise that she had overpacked for their short trip.

"We'd best get on the road if you want to make it there by supper time," Abner called to his wife. Several minutes later Fanny emerged from the house supposedly donning a new lipstick shade. Abner couldn't tell any difference, but assured her that the color complimented her skintone much better than the first one anyway. The couple climbed into their vehicle and were soon headed north to Atlanta.

Back in Georgia, Mia strolled the aisles of the small grocery store with a basket hanging in the bend of her arm. Her brother had disappeared into one of the back rooms. It was quiet and dark and Mia couldn't help feeling like they were doing something wrong. Would Rod really make sure the store owner would be reimbursed? Why did he have a lockpick? Her brother was acting strangely. Mia didn't know what to think. However, the shelves were fully stocked, unlike the store she had gone to earlier, so she filled her basket with canned goods, peanut butter and dried beans.

Once her basket was full, Mia sat it down and began to wander around the rest of the store. Colonel stayed close by, sniffing the floor curiously as they walked. Mia stopped by the register and picked up a tabloid magazine. As she was thumbing through it, Rod returned from the back of the store. He was carrying a milk crate that held two small handguns and a few boxes of ammunition.

"What's that for?" Mia asked. Looking at the weapons made her feel uneasy. Rod ignored her question and brushed past her and around the checkout counter. Mia watched as Rod shuffled papers and other items around behind the counter. What was he looking for? Eventually, Rod pulled another small handgun from a cabinet under the register and added it to the crate with the others. Mia's confusion and unease were starting to turn to anger. She wanted to know what was going on. She repeated her question, "What's that for, Rod?"

Once again, her brother paid her no attention.

"HEY!" Mia threw the magazine in her hand as she yelled. The paper slapped her brother's back, finally getting his attention. "Will you talk to me? Please?"

"Grab that basket, let's get out of here," Rod ordered, ignoring his sister's request.

Mia crossed her arms, leaned her back against the counter and slid down until she was sitting cross legged on the floor. Colonel laid down beside her. When they were younger, Mia often had to get Rod's attention by acting out. She felt childish, but she wanted answers. An impatient sigh escaped her brother's lips

"We don't have time for this, Mia, c'mon." When Mia made no attempt to move, Rod put down the milk crate and crouched in front of her. "Okay. What's wrong?"

Mia thought for a second. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, she didn't know where to start. However, she was glad to finally have her brother's attention.

"How'd you know where I was? Back at the car wash. You pulled up like you knew I'd be there." This was something Mia had been wondering about since his unexpected arrival earlier.

"There's a tracker in Colonel's collar," Rod replied, motioning to the pup. No further explanation was offered.

"Okay. Why do we need guns? How is that gonna protect us from a virus?" Mia questioned.

Rod stood and took one long stride to the milk crate. He looked down at the guns. What was he going to tell her? He couldn't tell her the truth. Not yet. Looking back, he saw his sister still sitting on the floor with her arms and legs crossed. Rod smiled to himself. Mia was a grown woman, in her mid twenties, but every time Rod looked at her, he saw his freckle-faced kid sister. He had to protect her.

"We're anticipating looting when the city shuts down. Don't want anyone to steal these guns. It's not safe to leave them so-"

"So you're stealing them first," Mia finished for him. "Got it."

"I'm not stealing them. I'm just gonna hang on to them. I'll bring them back once the city reopens." The lies were not getting any easier. Rod hoped Mia would stop asking questions soon. "Now, will you grab the basket of food? Let's get out of here. Please."

Mia looked at her brother for a long moment, then slowly stood up. She knew she wasn't going to get any straight answers out of him yet, so she decided to do what he said. Grabbing the basket, she followed her brother and Colonel back out to the car. They all got in and headed back to Rod's apartment.

Early in the evening, just about supper time, there was a knock at the apartment door. Mia's heartbeat quickened. She had spent the afternoon dreading seeing her parents. It had been months since she had last seen them. Since Rod was in the shower, she knew she was going to have to be the one to open the door. She sighed and stood up. When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to not see her parents. Instead she saw a young Asian man looking at her.

"Can I help you?" Mia asked.

"Oh, hi, I live next door, is Rod here?" The man was holding a pizza and a six pack of cheap beer.

"Yeah, he's in the shower. Come in." Mia stood back and held the door open for the man to enter. Colonel excitedly eyed the pizza box.

"Are you Rod's girlfr-"

"Sister," Mia interrupted. "Mia."

"Oh, sorry," The man chuckled awkwardly. "I'm Glenn."

"I'm sure Rod will be out soon, you want me to take that to the kitchen?" Mia asked, motioning to the pizza and beer. Glenn handed them to her and then sat on the couch as Mia went into the other room. A low rumble erupted from Mia's belly when she smelled the pizza. The muffin she had that morning felt like a distant memory. She decided to steal a slice. Colonel sat at her feet and let out a pitiful whimper that tugged at Mia's heartstrings. She ripped off the crust from her slice and tossed it to the pup. As she took a bite of pizza, there was another knock at the door. A groan escaped her lips. This time, it had to be her parents.