The remainder of Wiley's pregnancy seemed to fly by. She wore thick sweaters for as long as she could, but eventually the day she had dreaded had come. Her parents made the realization that she was pregnant. Wiley's dad fell to his knees and began to pray. He cried mournfully, while her mom could only stand there, gasping in shock, staring at Wiley's expanding stomach. It was Melissa, Wiley's younger sister who finally spoke up.

"Wiley! I knew you were up to something no-good. Staying out to all hours of the night! Who's the dad? Is it Adam?!" Melissa demanded.

"No, it isn't Adam," Wiley said flatly.

"Wiley Samantha Day," spoke up the Reverend. "You must tell us at once who the father is of your child. He needs to be held accountable."

"The only thing she can do to save her reputation now is to get a quick abortion... before- before..." Mrs. Day said, wringing her hands together as though the world were coming to an end.

"NO!" The Reverend bellowed. "That child has a right to life, just as much as any other! No daughter of mine will be getting an abortion. You will either keep that child... or give it up for adoption. Wiley, you will pay for your sins."

*I think I already have,* Wiley was thinking. Already she could feel the child kicking within her, making his or her presence known. It was difficult to keep up a giant wall of ice; to not have feelings for the tiny life inside her body, but she MUST force herself to have a heart of steel. When it came time to give the baby up, she had to do what was best for her child. She'd have to say goodbye... no matter how much it hurt.

She stood there, fighting back the tears as her family stared at her with so much disapproval- her daddy, the Reverend, her mother who had never understood her. Mrs. Day had barely said a kind word to her all of her life, and her sister, the sweet Melissa, Daddy's Little Angel; always so perfect and pristine. Wiley could never complete, so she had just gave up trying.

"Sorry to be such a disappointment, but this wasn't something I planned. It happened... and..." Wiley's words trailed off.

"I am going over to Adam's." She ran out of the church to escape their judging eyes. She should have known. She hadn't fit in with her family from the beginning. She was nothing but an outcast.

She rushed over to Adam's, the home where he lived with his uncle. Adam's uncle was a doctor at the hospital. He'd raised Adam for years, ever since his parents died. "Hi, Wiley,' Adam said, when she just burst through the door. "Are you hungry? I made you a hamburger."

"Mmmmm... this is so good,' Wiley said, devouring the hamburger. Adam was such a good cook and for just a tiny moment, the delicious taste of the burger kept her mind off the atrocious conversation she had experienced with her family.

"What's wrong?" he asked, when she looked sad all the sudden, dropping the burger back down on the plate.

"Mom and Dad know," she explained. "Melissa, too. Dad says I have to pay for my sins."

"Wiley, I am sorry. They shouldn't..."

"They don't need to kick me in the ass. I have already beat myself up over this enough for all three of them. I have to... I have to give the baby up."

"No, you don't."

"Adam." Her voice was firm. "How can I keep it?"

"I can help."

"You?" she said doubtfully.

"We're both graduating soon. I could get a job."

"Adam, you're a genius. You're going to college. You have your whole life ahead of you. You don't need me and a kid holding you down."

"I want to help," Adam said, his voice soft and gentle. He was trying to calm Wiley, who was on the edge of hysterics. If he didn't diffuse her soon, she'd go running out the door. He wasn't ready to say goodnight. All he wanted was to hold her.

She pushed the plate aside and slid herself into his arms, her pregnant stomach getting in the way of their tender embrace. "Ohhh Adam, I wish it was that easy. But I can't... I can't... Please try to understand."

A single tear ran down her face.

In that moment, Adam realized it was the first time he had ever seen Wiley cry. That small, silvery tear had turned his heart upside down.

"Whatever you decide, I am here for you. I promise," he said.

Laying her head on his shoulder, Wiley was silent for a while, just letting him hold her. Adam's arms were the only place where she had ever felt safe. In Adam's embrace, she was safe and loved.

~*~o~*~

Right after graduation, the unimaginable happened, many of the citizens of Pretty Lake had suddenly died. Reverend Day was speaking at the podium about sin and lust, when suddenly, he just dropped over, blood gushing from his throat. Wiley's father was dead. Not even two days later, Mrs. Day died. Melissa found her in the kitchen with blood pouring out of her mouth.

That same day, Chuck Lott's mother died. The deaths came one after another. Charles Lott was the last to die. After that, the young people of Pretty Lake realized that no one over 21 was left living. Something awful, some sort of deadly virus, had caused them all to die.

It was like blur, one death after another and countless funerals. Wiley wondered how she could be so huge and bulging with child, when everyone around her was dying. Adam was continuing his uncle's work at the hospital, trying to discover what had caused all the deaths. Why did the virus spare everyone under 21 and where had the virus come from?

After a grueling day at the hospital, taking samples from the decaying bodies, Adam came to talk to Wiley at the church. "We have to leave Pretty Lake or there is a chance we too could die. My uncle wrote in his journals his theories and I am trying to make sense of this virus, but it's like nothing I have ever seen. The governor is planning to quarantine Pretty Lake and if we are cut off from the rest of the world, eventually we'll run out of supplies and food. We have to escape. Go away with me, Wiley. Meet me by the lake tonight at midnight," Adam implored.

"Okay," Wiley said. "I'll pack and I will meet you tonight."

After Adam left, Wiley rushed into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She hurriedly began packing her belongings- clothing, necessities, and everything she thought she might need when they left Pretty Lake. She was almost ready for their escape. She wasn't even planning to tell Melissa her destination, but fate once again had another plan for her life.

As she picked up her duffle bag, slinging it quickly over her shoulder, a ripping pain tore through her middle, almost knocking her to her knees. "Ahhh hell," she said as clear fluid poured from her, staining her pants and running down her legs.

Wiley's water had broken, ruining any chance of escape. She reached for her cell phone and hurriedly began texting Adam.

Wiley: Sorry. I can't go with you. I need you to go on without me.

Adam: Are you sure? It might be our only chance.

Wiley: I'm sure. Send me a postcard when you get to the other side.

When Adam got the message, he frowned. "Dammit," he groaned. How could he go on without Wiley? She was his world.

He was worried. There was more to this than Wiley had revealed. Something was wrong! He had to get over there... FAST.

Meanwhile, Melissa had walked through the door. She found her sister on the living room floor, crying out in pain. Wiley was propped up against the couch. She was grunting as labor pains tore through her teenage body.

"Wiley, are you...?"

"YES!" Wiley gasped. "And we don't have a doctor, now do we? YOU have to deliver this baby!"

"No way!" Melissa exclaimed. "There is no way I..."

"This kid is coming out now! You better get me some help!" Wiley screamed.

"Alright," Melissa said. "I'll go get Gord."

Gord was their family friend who lived on a farm. He'd know what to do, after all, he'd delivered calves. How different could human babies be?

What other choice did they have? Both Wiley and Melissa knew that the baby was coming, ready or not.

"Get Gord ... NOW!" Wiley shouted.

Melissa grabbed her keys and rushed out the door. She jumped in her dad's car and sped away at an incredible speed. The baby was coming! She had to get her older sister some help.

After Melissa left, Wiley groaned in agony. The contractions were so intense. This kid was tearing her apart. Was this what her dad had meant - was she now paying for her sins? What if... What if the kid didn't even make it?

"Ohhhh God, I can't do this anymore. I can't," she said in a tiny whimper.

Suddenly she looked up, opening her eyes after praying. In the dim light, she saw Adam. He was gazing at her with so much tenderness and concern.

"You were supposed to escape," she breathed, sounding slightly angry.

"Not without you," he said as he bent down to her level, lightly caressing her cheek.

"The baby is coming. It hurts so much. Melissa went... to get help. She's getting Gord."

"It's going to be okay," Adam promised, taking her hand.

She squeezed it tight. *Now it will,* Wiley was thinking. *Now that you're here.*