It got quiet and soon there was nothing that stood out from the gray ash-filled earth, nothing that would allow them find their way through the emptiness.

Robbie feared the worst. "We're lost…aren't we?"

Olivia kept her focus on their surroundings. They must've walked into a dusty fog. Sight was blurry so she relied on hearing and what her cane could feel straight ahead.

She had to reassure him, "we'll be home soon."

But no matter what direction they went, the dusty fog still blind-sided them, becoming thicker and darker with every step they took.

"Hold onto me, Robbie."

She waited till she felt the small tug on her coat and then took a few steps forward…

Suddenly there was an awful crunching noise. Olivia stopped and lifted her foot. She had stepped on a skull. Long having been exposed to the elements, its quick and easy destruction was eminent.

It was enough to send her and her son into panic. She moved forward and instinctively swirled around to grab Robbie by the arm. He was breathing heavily as his mother caught him just in time.

His mother pulled him close. "It's okay."

Robbie had been close to falling straight into a mess of sharp spikes. Olivia was able to sense in all this fog that he had tripped and was in immediate danger. In the course of six years she had developed senses sharper than the deer and the rabbits that once graced this land.

She wasn't going for stand for this anymore. She waved her cane about in a desperate attempt to break through the dusty fog. Eventually she would to rely on her guts in order for the two of them to get out of this alive.

Olivia fought through, using her cane to shove anything that stood in their way. Soon, the path ahead was becoming a little less foggy.

"Look," she said to Robbie. "We're getting out."

The dust finally cleared and once again they were visited by the landscape of dark gray skies and scorched trees that stretched for miles.

"Where are we, mom?"

Olivia listened but was only greeted with silence. The arrangement of the scorched trees however looked very familiar. "It's okay. I know where we are."

She pulled Robbie toward the direction of the trees. The boy knew this wasn't anywhere near home as they were walking down a steep hill. They stopped when they reached what looked like an unusual pathway that stretched miles. It had been in fact once a creek that had been long dried and cracked, or so it seemed.

"This is where we go to get water," said Olivia. "Home's just on the other side."

"Should we get some water to bring home?"

Olivia smiled. "Yes, I think we should."

Robbie watched in curiosity as his mother took a switchblade and broke open a dried-up crack in the earth. He was amazed when crystal clear liquid slowly began to rise up from the crack. Olivia pulled out empty bottles from her backpack. Robbie was excited when Olivia asked if he wanted to help. Little by little, he was able to collect small amounts of water and became fascinated by the flow.

Once they were able to fill all they could, Olivia quickly looked up. She was hearing a noise, a low unusual grunt and quickly pushed Robbie down hidden behind the hill. "Stay down, don't move!"

She quickly pulled out her rifle and went out into the long-dried creek. She saw the strange creature approach her unexpectedly. There was no point in pulling the trigger. It was just a deer, a dying deer…or at least it looked like one. It was incredibly pale and hairless. As the thing limped its way toward Olivia, she had no choice but to back away, unable to predict the creature's next move.

It stopped suddenly and then leaned its head toward the water coming from the crack. Robbie could see the thing's mutated mouth lapping at the liquid from where he hid…shaking.

"Back away from it, Robbie."

He couldn't stop looking at the thing until Olivia finally came to his side. "Let's go."

As they departed, Robbie could see the creature stopping to suddenly vomit, green mucus foaming from its mouth.

"What's wrong with it?"

Olivia couldn't hide the truth from him. "It's dying."

He finally turned away from the grotesque creature's sight and walked with his mother. "We can't help it?"

"No," said Olivia. "We can't…but…it's fine. It's easier for them to just accept…"

She stopped herself from going on, not wanting to hint Robbie on anything. It would hurt too much.

But Robbie, who was only 4, was far too knowledgeable. As badly as he wanted to ask her, he shyly refrained himself from it…but he knew…

His mother was slowly dying…just like that thing. Her features were much the same, so frail and bony. The dark spots against her pale skin, Robbie hoped, was just dirt from the ash.

The landscape was changing a bit more familiar but still miserable all the same. There was less ash and more tall bushes and grass but everything was still dead. They walked through a forest of scorched blackened trees whose black pointy trunks were all that stood.

Robbie was feeling better. He recognized these trees.

"There you see," Olivia pointed to a dark mess hidden behind several feet of dead grass and thicket. "Told you I'd get us home."

The boy happily sped ahead of his mother as he got closer he could see the rotten shack that stood behind it.

From out of the shack the door burst open and he stopped.

"Dad?"

A scruffy bearded man came out of the shack and Robbie remembered that he had upset him today by running away. He was waiting for some kind of angry response from his father.

Instead, the man grabbed his son in a very tight hug.

Robbie could feel the man shaking when he was in his arms. "Dad, I…"

"Hey…" Olivia limped her way toward the two. "Go easy on him, alright?"

She was greeted by a cold stare but who could blame him? What she had done today was a far worse crime than their son's.

"Hey," he said. "Don't worry about it." He led Robbie into the house. "I need to talk to your mom alone. Keep an eye on Anna, okay?"

Robbie happily obliged as his father went back out to talk to Olivia. "Are you crazy?! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Peter, I—"

"You're not even supposed to be out of bed. I turn around for one second and suddenly you take the rifle and run off!"

"I had to, Peter. It's my fault he ran away!"

"You…you're crazy. You know that, Liv? I dunno how you found your way back here." Peter tried to calm down and find relief in the fact that his family was safe again. He cupped that pale gentle face of hers and kissed her. "I could've lost you both, today."

"I'm sorry, Peter. I had to…I hadn't been out in so long."

"Is it as bad as you imagined it would be?"

"I think it's gotten worse," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't come after me."

Peter smiled. "You would actually believe I'd leave Anna all alone?"

"Well I hoped not," she laughed. "How is she?"

"She's napping now. I think we should go inside."

They stepped into their shelter and found Robbie sitting on the worn-out sofa with their daughter. Anna was around 18 months with darker hair, eyes like her father's, but she never looked at anyone in the eye nor has she spoken a single word or babble...not even when Robbie was poking at her.

"Robbie, don't poke at Anna. That's not nice."

Olivia picked Anna up and put her on her lap but Anna only began to squirm. She often found touch, even just being held, a bit irritating.

"But mom," said Robbie. "She wouldn't pay attention to me."

"I know," Olivia said.

"Can we eat something tonight?"

That was a question that no child should have to ask a parent, but in this reality, things were different. Robbie knew how difficult it was for his parents to find food but he thought he could try and give it a shot.

Peter knew of this frustration firsthand. He had spent the early years as a pack rat grabbing and storing anything that was edible, hunting and trapping the few animals that would come near their home.

One low point he felt was when he had to make a trap for crows. Eating crow meat was almost as disgusting as the thought of eating rat, and Peter swore he would never have his children resort to that.

"You know, I think we have a little of something I can heat up," said Peter. The only thing he was able to find, however, was less than half a can of some strange white stuff, possibly rice but he wasn't sure.

It was an eerie contrast to being a normal family, the four of them sitting at their sad excuse of a dinner table with Anna on Olivia's lap. Peter dumped the white stuff on the plate. "Share with your mom, okay?"

Robbie complied and scooped up a small spoonful to put on his mom's plate. Peter thought it would help but he knew that Olivia was not going to eat. Instead she took what little was on her plate and tried to spoon fed Anna. Seconds later, Anna would spew white stuff from her mouth in Robbie's direction.

"Ew! Mom! She's spitting!"

Olivia laughed. "I've seen you do worse when you were little."

It was an incredibly short meal…and probably the last one they would have in a while considering. But it was something neither Peter nor Olivia wanted to think about. They should be grateful that they were all here together as a family, but everything was falling apart to such a degree, between Olivia's health and the lack of food to be found, it was pointless for them to be living. Being here for so long, years without sunlight, had driven Peter and Olivia to somewhat lose their sanity. They were far from the persons they were six years ago. Even Olivia was at the point when she couldn't believe that she was once an FBI Agent.

Whatever normalcy there was left was in their children. Their upbringing and survival gave Peter and Olivia something to do, something to live for at the very least. For the most part, the children were happy and Robbie was growing up to be a bright boy who knew he wasn't living in a perfect world. His parents helped him to cope.

Olivia couldn't blame him from running away from home. He had spent his young life trapped inside the house, never being allowed to go any further than a few feet outside. He never understood why the family was in constant hiding or why the windows and doors always had to remain boarded up. Olivia's worst fear now was for Robbie to be like his mother and father and completely lose his mind.

Sometimes, Peter and Olivia felt it was pointless to teach the children anything about the world but that didn't stop Robbie from wanting to know everything there was to know.

Recently Olivia began to teach him how to read…much in the same matter that Peter had taught her when they were children. Bedtime came shortly after dinner and Olivia, Robbie, and Anna would climb into bed together and read a book together. Then the kids would fall asleep in Olivia's arms.

Peter did not sleep with them. He and Olivia would often take shifts on night watch but Olivia being as weak as she was, Peter would often just let her sleep through the night. It was something he didn't mind doing.

That night, he unintentionally stirred Olivia from sleep as he kissed her on the forehead. She lazily opened one eye to look at him and whispered "Is it my turn?"

"Forget it, Liv," he said. "You had a busy day today. I've think you've worked yourself enough."

She smiled. "We saw a deer…by the creek."

"Seriously?"

"It looked sick. I don't think it would be safe."

"Animals are more resilient than we are, Liv. Plus I don't think we have a choice."

Olivia sighed. "Well I'm trapped in this bed, so…you don't have to worry about me going anywhere tonight."

Peter went to grab the hunting rifle and then he put on his coat. He knew he should probably go before the creature got away.

"I love you, Liv."

Peter traveled to the place where he and Olivia would go to get water for their home. He had to go up the hill in order to get a good view of the area. It might have been too late but if the creature was as sick as Olivia mentioned, then it couldn't have gotten far.

Sure enough, Peter could see a strange shadow limping towards the thick fog. If that deer went in, it wasn't going to come back.

Peter quickly caught up to the thing as it stopped to vomit some more. It was as every bit as disgusting as Peter feared. It couldn't be poison though. If it were, his family would not have survived living in the Grey Desert for this long.

Nervously he aimed the rifle at the thing and fired...finally putting the creature out of its misery.

He would just have to cook the meat well. That was all. The deer was incredibly scrawny but it should be enough meat to last all four of them a few extra days.

It was never going to be enough.

~*~*~*~

"Walter? Walter?"

Astrid shook Walter until he started to mumble "Peter? We find Peter?"

"No Walter, I heard a gunshot." She got out her gun. "I'm going outside and see what's going on. Stay here."

"Can we have malt shakes when you're done?"

"Yeah, whatever." Astrid got out of the tent quickly. She absolutely HATED having to share a cramped sleeping space with Walter. She was starting to feel like Peter. Now she understood all those constant complaints he had about Walter sneaking in his bed at night. It was not a pretty thing to wake up to.

A half-hour passed, Astrid both feared and hoped to have seen someone in the vicinity of the area following the gunshot but there was no one. She had no choice but to crawl back into the tent and into her sleeping bag next to Walter's.

"And will we have crepes? I prefer peaches as my fruit topping."

"Sure Walter," said Astrid as she turned her back to him. "Whatever you want in the morning."

Walter mumbled something that almost sounded like "wonderful" and then he went back to snoring.

Astrid eventually went to sleep herself, hoping for this nightmare to be over very soon.

Woot! Sorry about that. I wanted to scare you guys into thinking that Peter did not survive the end of chapter 7 and that Olivia had been on her own with Robbie all those years, but hey…I had my fun.

Next chap is a brief telling of what happened to Peter and Olivia during the missing years and should answer a few questions for you such as why Olivia has to use a cane. Alrighty then.