"You may use this room as yours." Sister Pauline tells me with the straight face she wore from the moment she met me.

  I mumble a thank you and as she closes the door I take a seat on the bed.

  Shocked, I stand up again.

  "Is something wrong?" Quiller asks, startled a little by my reaction.

  "It... so soft..."

  Beds aren't supposed to be this soft, beds are meant to keep you through the night in one place and be there to keep you from sleeping in too deep.

  There is also a pretty big window in this room.

  It scares me.

  What if something decides to get in during my sleep?

  Then there is the fact that there's also a door.

  Two big way's in and out of this room.

  If something hears me or spots light coming from this room... I'm dead.

  Quiller mumbles: "And...? I guess you weren't the last human after all. How does it feel?" The way he says it seems almost as if he's not paying attention to his own words.

  Don: "Oh... right"

  Somehow something still feels wrong.

  There is a knock on the door.

  Vigilantly I walk over.

  I wait for a moment.

  Then there is another knock.

  "Don, please open up, it's me."

  I can hear Mae's voice from behind the door.

  Carefully I open the door.

  "Yes?"

  For a moment there is a look in her eyes showing something like a deep sadness.

  "Don..." She clearly wants to say something, but then looks up again with a smile: "I'm glad you're here, I just wanted to let you know that the sisters have invited you for supper."

  "Supper?"

  "Food." Mae clears up.

  Together we walk to find a huge room, filled with people eating together on the biggest table I've ever seen.

  All of them are sitting together and chatting while eating their food.

  They seem to be having a good time.

  All of them are dressed in the same robes as Mae.

  I guess they must all be sisters.

  Quiller must have decided to stay in the room, because he's not coming. He probably hasn't accepted it all yet. I wonder if he even knows that I left.

  "So how have you been doing for the past few years?" Mae asks as we've taken place at an empty spot on a bench.

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  "Years?"

  "You know, 365 days, that's one year."

  "Yeah, I know that... but I haven't counted the days at all."

  Mae looks dissapointed: "Did you forget how much time passed by?"

  "You know how bad I'm with time, right?"

  "It was never this bad though." Mae says in a worried tone: "When we were attacked, I was almost certain that you were dead... I couldn't sleep for days. I counted the years, unlike you, five have passed since that day."

  "Five?!" I feel astonished, it always felt like a lot less.

  "Dammit Don, we've known each other for so long... ever since we were kids. We even went to school together."

  "We... did?"

  Mae looks on the verge of tears all of a sudden. "Right... we did." I quickly answer, but in all truth more to appease her. The memories are all so vague... didn't we talk about it a couple of hours ago?

  Mae and I went to school together...

  Mae and I... went to school together...

  Mae... and I... school.

  What even is school?

  What is it meant for?

  Why would we go there?

  Is it even a place?

  Or is it a person?

  I can feel the gaping hole in my memory stare back at me.

  I should have been able to remember it... but somehow I just don't...

  I can't...

  It was there, I'm sure of it... But now it's just gone.

  I'm not even sure if I can correctly recall my teacher's face, the person who had taught me how to survive this damned world.

  Did I know teacher from before the world went to hell?

  Somehow I manage to find a way to hide my thoughts and feelings.

  It shouldn't matter now anyway. I tell myself. I need to change the subject.

  "Mae, what happened before you came here?"

  She seems to be a bit hesitant at first, but then finds the willpower again to continue.

  "As I told you before we were attacked, I had heard about this church. That there were still humans among them, survivors like us. I wandered around for a while, though I guess not as long as you of course and was found by one of the sisters."

  "I see and they took you in."

  She nods: "Yes, they did. I'm glad I was allowed to. Now I try to help everyone here every day to show my gratitude."

  "Girl, we're really happy to have you here! So don't be so insecure about it, please." Another sister joins in, seeming to have heard the last of the conversation.

  Then she turns to me: "So, what are you planning on doing now?" Her hand on Mae's shoulder.

  "Well... In a way I've finished my journey..." I answer hesitantly.

  "You know you can probably just stay here and become one of us."

  Mae looks at her: "Margaret, I would like that too, but then they first have to be accepted by the counsel."

  "Right, crap, I forgot..." Margret scratches her head: "Don." Then she grasps for my hand with a hopeful smile: "I'm rooting for you! You can join us!"

  Mae nods firmly: "Yes! We will vouch for you! Survivors gotta stick together after all."

  "One question, though." Margret throws a curious glance my way.

  "Yes?" I feel like it's something bad.

  "Is your name really Don? I don't feel like it fits you."

  Before I can react Mae opens her mouth: "Well actually Don's name is short for-"

  "Shut up!" I yell, feeling my face turn red from embarrassment.

  We finish eating our food and I prepare myself to get back to my room, I feel tired after all.

  Almost like all the sleep I skipped in my journey of getting here, is now trying to take me over.

  Forcing me down, forcing me to lie down in that soft bed again.

  Forcing me to close my eyes and only wake up when I've slept out all of it.

  I know full well that I can't do that though.

  As I walk back, Mae leaves me because there is something she needs to do. But sister Margaret and a sister called Eileen walk back with me.

  "Don't you know how worried she is about you?" One of the sisters asks me.

  I shake my head: "What do you mean?"

  "She told me you changed a lot."

  "I changed?"

  "Yeah, you become so much more vigilant and it's clear that you've been through a lot."

  I shrug: "I don't see what that changes about me."

  "You've lived on your for far too long, she believed you were dead."

  "She... did?"

  "Of course, she believed everyone to be dead after all. You two are the only survivors of that incident."

  We... were the only ones?

  I try to think back about what had happened and how I might have been back then, but it only ends up hurting my head. Almost as if something is blocking my path to remembering.

  I guess it's not something I should try to remember.

  It hurts.

  From the corner of my eye I notice something moving, something that seems off.

  "Who's that?" I ask, pointing at the person being taken to another room.

  The person seems to be wearing something that resembles the sisters' dresses just a little, but is completely white instead of black.

  The sister immediately pulls me closer: "She's sick, you shouldn't get too close to her."

  "Sick? Do you mean she got infected?" My hand automatically reaches to where I usually keep my weapon.

  The sister shakes her head: "No, no, nothing like that. She's just sick. And if you ask me, she's a bit sick in her head as well. She's dangerous."

  Back in my room I let myself drop on my bed and look at Quiller: "Are you okay?" I ask, looking at his contemplating face. It looks like something is bothering him.

  He shakes his head: "I'm fine..."

  "You don't look it."

  He doesn't respond and just sits there.

  "Well anyway, I'm going to continue reading another chapter."

  Again Quiller doesn't answer, just how deep in thought is he?