Anthony DeCosmo - Disintegration

"Why not?" Her husband sounded offended by her skepticism. "Anyone who survived this long is a fighter. With all that's ahead of us, it makes sense to start some formal training."

Trevor told them, "We need the manpower, especially for the next few months. Let's hope this snow keeps bad things away; the K9 numbers are dangerously low. By spring there should be hundreds of adults at fighting age but right now the ranks are thin."

Jon said, "Wow," but it had nothing to do with K9s: Something caught his eye.

The piano played classical background music while the crowd of people-nearly fifty-stood in groups ringing the dance floor drinking, eating, and talking.

On the far side of the room beyond the crowd stood Nina, scanning for her group. She wore a stunning black dress with stockings to match. Shiny diamond studs glinted in her ears and-most shocking of all- her hair laid loose: no ponytail.

Trevor could not pull his eyes from her.

So natural. Not the least bit ostentatious. Well-toned muscles; strong calves; the gentle curls of blond hair on soft shoulders; the slight arch of her back; not on gaudy display but presented without interference, without the clutter of battle suits or, for that matter, no distracting phony glitz.

Nina saw her friends staring at her with a mixture of awe and delight.

She smiled, a little. Perhaps embarrassed. But not much.

The piano played.

Nina walked with humble grace across the hall on short heels. She captured the eyes of everyone in the room. Even the piano player stumbled.

Trevor met her half way.

She spoke before he could: "If you’re going to say anything, it had better be very charming."

He hesitated. He could not possibly be as charming as this vision warranted.

"You always surprise me, don’t you?"

He put his hands on her bare shoulders.

Trevor said, "You didn’t have to do this for me."

Nina answered honestly, "I did it for me."

His mouth opened but he could not find words. She smiled at his bewilderment.

"Aren’t you going to tell me how I look?"

He licked his lips and admitted, "I can’t. I’m not a poet."

She grinned and leaned in. He kissed her forehead.

Trevor escorted her to the others and they hugged and laughed. Jon brought more drinks from the bar. The band-brass, drums, and guitar-really got going.

Trevor tried all night to get a good dance with his woman, but each time someone cut in.

First Dante took Nina for a dip. Jon tried to teach her a polka and, of course, Jerry Shepherd demanded a dance.

Jon brought along a digital video recorder. He captured the group as they gathered around the table late that night after many dances and many more drinks.

Dante stumbled, "Hap-happy…what is it?…oh yeah, happy New Year!"

"And now to our love birds…" Brewer led as he brought the focus on Nina and Trevor.

"Damned straight!" Trevor exclaimed boisterously. Or maybe it was the vodka. "I love this woman!"

"Oh stop, you’re embarrassing me," Nina insisted as he slung an arm around her beautiful frame and pulled her close.

Trevor spoke louder; "I love this woman. Completely. With everything I am."

"Get a room!" Lori Brewer’s off camera voice shot.

"Besides," Trevor continued. "You’re cute when you blush."

Nina-or maybe it was the wine-forgot her embarrassment. She let him pull her in, placed a hand on his cheek, and affirmed to him-to all of them: "I love you, too. I always will."

They hammed for the camera with a big kiss and a cheek-to-cheek grin.

Shepherd snapped a still photo of Nina, Trevor, Lori, Jon, and Dante standing arm to arm: the new generation of leaders and the hope of mankind’s future, sloshed at a New Year’s Eve party.

Later, Trevor found that private dance with his love.

She whispered, "I want to stay at the mansion tonight."

"Sure. Any particular reason?"

"Because I want to feel like a princess for a little while longer…"

…Trevor carried a bottle of wine and two glasses as he followed her into the deserted Command Center. She stood at the balcony doors gazing at the dark winter night.

Trevor placed the bottle and glasses on the desktop with a gentle ting, removed his tuxedo jacket, wrapped it over her bare shoulders, and they stepped out to the balcony.

The moon hovered somewhere between full and third quarter. Moonbeams danced over churning, icy waves. The evergreen trees on the hillsides wore coats of surreal white frosting. The entire scene seemed frozen; a painted picture still and peaceful. The vision offered an illusion that all might be right with the world.

"It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Trevor?"

He hugged her.

"Yes. Everything looks beautiful tonight."

She placed her head against his shoulder and said, "Sometimes it's hard to believe that it’s such a dangerous, new world."

"And I give it to you."

"Hmmm, what a nice thought."

He turned her and found those blue eyes.

"It is what we make it. That’s what we’re doing now, you know; making the world over."

She drew a serious curl in her brow.

"There’s something you need to know, Trevor Stone."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I love you. I mean, for real." She quickly placed a hand over her mouth to suppress a hiccup. "Oh, and I’m a little tipsy, too."

He laughed. "Me too."

"You’re tipsy, too?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "And I love you, too. For real."

They kissed in front of the tapestry of a moonlit winter night.

– The sweet dreams of New Year faded and the reality of winter set in.

January and February were tough. The freeze-dried food stocks dwindled causing the farms to slaughter more animals and K9s to hunt wild game.

In January, the first flu bug swept through. Trevor spent three days in bed with a fever. Nina managed to suffer only sniffles. A middle-aged resident died, infuriating Johnny who felt that with better medical facilities the man would not have succumbed.

A second bug hit stomachs. Evan Godfrey bravely led an expedition to ransack drug stores for medications that helped ease the suffering.

In February came a brief thaw followed by an arctic blast and snow squalls.

Ice fishing and book swapping became popular but they were not the number one pass time. Trevor felt certain that soon Lori would not be the only one pregnant. He also noted Dante and Kristy Kaufman spending time together.

In early April, spring arrived in earnest with the first thunderstorm. A few weeks later, the geese returned. Trevor resumed long-range patrols that month, resulting in the discovery of more survivors alive in conditions ranging from subsistence to relative luxury, yet they all eagerly joined the estate and willingly accepted the hierarchy.

They returned to Wilkes-Barre in force, and this time did not leave. Stone created an operations center in the Luzerne County Courthouse, basing a rapid response force there.

Much to Johnny’s delight, they cleared General Hospital. Despite a well-looted pharmacy, the hospital remained in surprisingly good condition. The doctor-turned-Reverend established a training program for nurses and medics.

The armory in Kingston yielded a gold mine of ordnance, fuel, vehicles, and small arms while a Marine tactical air support wing based north of Kingston held spare parts for the helicopters and aviation fuel.

Police stations offered treasure troves of ammunition, ballistic armor, and weapons. Gun shops, hardware stores, and sporting goods outlets yielded additional bounty.

Families re-occupied neighborhoods while barter centers and supply depots opened in vacant shopping centers. A farmers market of sorts sprung to life on Public Square.

Wilkes-Barre became, in humble ways, a city again. A human city patrolled by Grenadiers sniffing out danger.