[Day 15, around 12:00 PM Mountain Time]

Marcus walked towards the minivan with the final cooler, and placed it in the trunk. "That's the last one, everyone ready?"

Nobody said otherwise. Marcus got into the drivers seat, next to Tony. They were both wearing their uniforms. Marcus turned around.

"Let's go." Everyone nodded.

Marcus started up the car, and drove towards interstate 84.

There was various small talk in the back seats.

Tony turned to Marcus, "I've never been happier to be in the military. I can't imagine what people must be going through right now, worrying if they can manage to get into a quarantine zone or not. The prospect of being out here anymore is nerve wracking."

Marcus nodded. "We're some of the luckiest people alive. We are the only people that live in Iowa, " Tony smirked at that, "we are in the military, we have food, weapons, and we are about to enter the most stable quarantine zone in the country."

Anna leaned forward and asked, "Mind putting on the radio? I'd like to hear some music."

"Sure thing honey." Tony said as he turned on the radio. Country music started playing.

Anna sighed. "Well, better than nothing."

A couple of minutes later, the music cut out to a news broadcast. "... died in a car crash this morning . Filling his place as head National security Administrator is General Tanis. We received a statement from him saying that while the loss of his predecessor was tragic, the nation has to move on in the same direction."

All seven of them, even Cory, listened in silence.

"Well fuck." Said Tony, once the music came back on. He and Marcus had grim looks on their faces.

"What do you know about General Tanis?" Marlene asked.

"Well, other than that he is considered the most ruthless, power hungry, son of a bitch in the entire army, he's just your average human being." Marcus said angrily. "I honestly wouldn't put it past him to have arranged the car crash."

"He's that bad?" Jason asked, stunned.

"If anything, I'm being too kind to him." Marcus sighed. "The only reason he held on to his position for so long was because he had family connections, and he actually isn't a bad general. He's just a ruthless bastard."

They were all quiet for the next couple minutes, thinking over the news broadcast.

[Same day, around 4:00 PM]

"I honestly thought the traffic would be much worse." Marcus said. They were about 20 cars away from the entrance to the quarantine zone.

"I'm glad we are finally safe." Tony said, looking back to Anna, who smiled at him.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this." Marlene said.

"We've already told you, don't worry about it. What else would we do?" Kathryn told her.

The gates opened, an another car was waved into the city by soldiers. Marcus moved the van a little closer to safety.

Marcus looked to his left. The highway leading out of the city was completely abandoned, as were all of the buildings around it. Up ahead, he could here the sounds of people going on with their day to day lives, as if the pandemic was nonexistent. He smiled at the thought of his son growing up safely inside those walls.

Maybe things will go back to the way they were before all of this. He thought. Things won't be the same, but I hope my son can have the quality of life that I had. He smiled, thinking about the possibility of a future that wasn't as bleak as he feared it would be.

A few seconds later, the machine guns opened fire.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Marcus yelled, as he stepped on the gas and turned the car left towards the abandoned road. He heard the sound of windshields breaking, people screaming in pain in the background.

I have to get out of here! He thought to himself, not even fully comprehending what was happening.

He heard commotion inside the minivan, but couldn't risk paying attention. He got on the road leaving the city, and drove away like a bat out of hell.

After what seemed like an eternity of flooring the gas, Marcus stopped and pulled over.

He turned around to look at Kathryn, who was holding a crying Cory. He felt a weight leave his shoulders when he realized they were unharmed, albeit stunned by what had just happened. He looked over to Tony, who had the same look on his face as he and Anna hugged each other.

Then he saw his father. "Oh God no." He said.

Jason was bleeding from his right arm, and had lost a lot of blood. Marcus got him out of the car.

"Tony, get the medical kit out of the car now!" Hearing the urgency in his friend's voice, he rushed to the trunk of the car to find it.

"Come on dad, you're going to make it!"

"Marcus."

Marcus froze, and looked at his father, lying down on the road.

"I'm proud of you, son. Never forget that."

Marcus froze, unable to comprehend what his father was saying.

"I love you."

Tony ran up to him with the medical kit.

Jason's body went limp.

Marcus, kneeling on the asphalt, looked at his father's body for what seemed like days to him.

And then he wept.

[Same day, around 10:15 PM]

The five of them had been working in shifts for the past couple of hours.

Marcus and Tony took Jason's body from the car, and placed it in the freshly dug grave.

They all gathered around the body, lying motionless in the ground.

"If you don't mind, I'd like a minute alone please." Marcus said, choking up. Everyone went back inside his father's house.

He knelt next to the side of the grave, and placed his right hand on top of the cross right behind his father's head, sticking out of the ground. He started to pray.

"God, if you're out there, I know my father is with you." He looked down at his father's body, tears in his eyes.

"I should have spent more time with him. I must have caused him so much pain, with all the stuff I dragged him through, but he was always there for me. I'd be a shell of a man if it wasn't for him."

"If only I could go back and undo all of those things..." He stopped whispering, and stated crying. "Dad, if you're up there" he thought "guide me. I'm lost without you. Help me to raise Cory the way you raised me. I beg you."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, and saw Marlene.

"I lost my father a few years ago. He was a good man."

She paused for a moment, wondering what to say next.

"He had a saying. 'When you are lost in the darkness, look for the light'."

Marcus looked at her, unsure what to feel. She continued, "In the few days that I knew your father, I can tell he raised you well. He was a good man. You have a great wife, and a beautiful son. If you're worried about failing them, don't. I know you will be a great father."

And with that she walked away.

A few minutes later, he was got up off his knees. He noticed a firefly that must have been on his right hand that entire time fly away, glowing in the dark. He looked at it for a moment, then reached for the shovel.

"Well dad, I'm sorry things ended this way." He managed to get out, still choking up. "I'll make you proud dad. I promise."

With that, he started to pile dirt onto his father's body.

When he finished, he went into the house, and cried into Kathryn's shoulder.

Thank God I still have you and Cory. He thought to himself.