Free Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

one smooth motion she tied it around her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Looks like she’s done that before
, Sophie thought.
Interesting
.
    Anat marched back through the doors. Nico held one side open to provide light but stayed well behind it. A terrible odor filtered through, a rot unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. “Ugh,” Sophie gasped. The stench was so strong it set her eyes watering. She limped to the far side of the room and collapsed in a chair. Yosh followed and sat beside her again. Sophie found herself gazing at the footprints on the floor, trying to imagine what could have made them. She’d never been to Long Island but didn’t think there was much wildlife there besides deer. And they definitely weren’t a hoof prints.
    A minute later, Anat emerged with a half dozen large cans filling her arms. She dumped them on the nearest table. Nico let the door fall shut.
    “Garbanzo beans,” Declan said, reading the cans doubtfully. “Diced tomatoes, jalapeño peppers—oh, those’ll be tasty.”
    “You’re more than welcome to look yourself,” Anat said icily.
    “This one does not look right.” Yosh held up a can of stewed peaches.
    “Botulism,” Sophie agreed, examining it. The entire can had bowed out in the center. “Must have been close to the expiration date.”
    “Shame,” Declan commented. “Peaches would’ve been nice.”
    “We’ve got another problem,” Sophie said.
    “What?” Anat asked.
    “No can opener.”
    Declan groaned. “Fantastic. Looks like we’re going back in anyway.”
    “Someone else’s turn,” Anat announced.
    “I’ll go.”
    Everyone turned to Yosh, surprised. She lowered her eyes. “I don’t mind smells so much. I will try to find some utensils, too.”
    “You’re sure?” Declan asked.
    She nodded, then squared her shoulders and marched toward the door. Nico pulled it open again, and she vanished inside.
    Five minutes later, they were all digging into enormous cans of peaches, stewed tomatoes, and garbanzo beans at the far end of the cafeteria. Not the best meal Sophie had ever had, but it was food, and for the moment that was all that mattered. She couldn’t remember having ever been so famished. They shoveled bites in quickly, the silence only broken by the clink of forks against metal.
    Finally, Sophie sat back. She’d been fed through an IV for so long, her stomach must have shrunk. If she ate another bite she’d burst. She watched the others still chewing, their entire focus directed on the food before them. They were a random group of kids, that was for sure. Kind of like a post-apocalyptic model UN. The thought made her snort. Declan looked up and raised an eyebrow, and she smiled at him. He grinned back; she flushed and quickly looked away. The light sifting down from the windows was turning orange; shadows stretched long across the room.
    “It’s getting late,” she noted.
    Declan’s brow furrowed as he followed her gaze. “It is,” he said. “Strange that we still haven’t seen a soul. How many buildings are there?”
    “I don’t know exactly,” Nico said. “A lot. But if no one is here … that’s strange. My father said this was the one buildingthat’s always staffed. They figure that if food and coffee are available, people won’t mind working all night.”
    “So if the cafeteria is empty, there’s a good chance the whole place is, too?” Sophie asked.
    Nico shrugged. “Probably.”
    “How close is the nearest town?” Anat asked.
    “Six or seven miles.” He leaned back in his chair. “I could walk there.”
    “Shouldn’t we should stick together?” Yosh asked.
    “I vote we rest up, then get a fresh start in daylight,” Declan said.
    “Sleep in here?” Anat asked disdainfully. “It smells awful.”
    “No, back at the infirmary.” Declan held up a hand to still their grumbles. “We know there are beds there, and working bathrooms, and light. We’ll take food with us, then leave straightaway