Free Coyote by David L. Foster

rather sheepish as he approached and stood in front of her, his head bowed and his dark hair falling over his eyes. He looked like he might be waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t.
    Soon he spoke. “You see,” he began, “What you said back there, about them just waiting to die? It’s kind of what I’ve been thinking myself. And, well, I don’t want to wait to die, but I don’t really have a better plan, so…” He shrugged. “I figured I’d come along with you guys.”
    “Always good to have an extra hand, right?” piped up the man. She frowned at him.
    “You should not follow,” she said to the boy. “There is no plan here, either,” and after a brief pause, “and you will most likely die.”
    The boy looked up from beneath his bangs, a stubborn glint in his eyes. “Well then at least I’ll see a little more of the world before I do, yeah? And maybe make some friends on the way.”
    She turned away, beginning to walk down the road again. This was not what she wanted. She could not influence what he decided, but she wanted no friends.
    “She will never be anything to you,” she said over her shoulder. But soon enough she heard his plodding footsteps joining the clicking of the dog’s claws and the man’s lighter, quicker steps behind her.
     
    ---
     
    From the diary of the Mule:
    I left the warehouse today. It was a good place to rest, but I couldn’t see my future there. Hell, I don’t know if I can see my future anywhere, but definitely not rotting away in that warehouse. This girl and guy came by, travelling together. They had a dog along, too. There was something about them… I don’t know. Something. Something that looked better than what I see in Tom and Shawna. Tom and Shawna are nice enough people, but they don’t seem to have much idea what to do next. I mean, they’ve got this old warehouse to hide in, but what’s next? I think they’re still hoping this will all end. Or maybe they know it isn’t going to end, but they aren’t ready to talk about it.
    I’ve got as little idea of what’s really happening in the world as anyone else. I mean, is the whole world like this? Is everything messed up? Or if I just walk to the next town over, will I find normal life?
    Hell, I don’t know. One day I’m living my life, sucky as it was, and the next day nothing electric works, most people have just disappeared somewhere, and there seem to be a million new ways to die. I remember meeting a few panicked survivors, just like me, in those first days. It was all endless speculation. Was it demons? Aliens? The Rapture? Hell, there was even one guy that was convinced all this was caused by what he called a “polar shift.” I never could get a straight explanation out of him as to what exactly a polar shift was, and how it could unleash hordes of monsters upon the world.
    But at least I’m trying to deal with what I see. I bet there are a lot of people like Tom and Shawna, just kind of hoping that they can get along for a while “until it all blows over.” I swear I heard Tom say that at least a dozen times in the two days I shared their roof.
    The guy and the girl, though, they seem different. I don’t know if they really know what they’re doing, or they’re just as delusional as the rest of us, but at least they’re moving—doing something. It’s better than sitting here.
    The guy seems to do all the talking. He’s a skinny guy, all quick twitches and never still. Even when he’s sitting down to a meal he’s moving and fiddling around. His mouth’s the same—always moving. Seems like a nice enough guy though, even if he’s a bit rough around the edges.
    The girl and the dog seem like a matched pair. I don’t know how long they’ve been together, if the dog was with her before the Fall, or if they met sometime after, but they go well together. The girl talks just about as much as the dog, and neither one seems like they would be much fun at a party. They’ve got