Free Prepper's Sacrifice by John Lundin

there.’
    ‘They’re not for me, you buffoon. I’m staying with a friend of mine. We put together all of our supplies and decided to just ride this thing out together. Except now, we realized that we’re running kind of low and well, she’s expecting her time of the month anytime now, she says.’
    ‘Alright, man. But I gotta ask, you’re not sick or anything, are you?’
    ‘Nah. I’ve been pretty darn careful. Not many people come back from this thing and with the hospitals full and all, I’m not about to take any chances.’
    ‘Alrighty. But don’t be offended if we check your temperature before you’re allowed in. We just gotta be as safe as possible.’
    ‘Not at all. I completely understand. Thank you, man. I really, really appreciate it.’
    ‘When should I expect you?’
    ‘I’d say in a half an hour or so if that’s convenient for you. I mean, with no traffic on the road I can be there pretty quickly, and to be honest, I’d rather get there and back before it gets too dark out.’
    ‘Sounds good. How many cans are you looking at having?’
    ‘As many as you can spare, buddy’ Tim replied.
    Once their phone call was over, Stewart turned to Anne. ‘We got a couple of cans of food to spare?’
    ‘We sure won’t be starving if we give up a few, will we?’
    ‘Nope,’ he replied.
    Stewart observed the look on his wife’s face. It was one of pride; pride that her husband had lost his tough exterior and was willing to help. Stewart knew that if it weren’t for her, he’d be more inclined to say ‘no’. In fact, if it weren’t for her, Tim wouldn’t have the slightest clue about their stockpile.
    ‘Wanna help?’ Stewart asked before making his way to the pantry. ‘Oh, and where have you put tampons?'
    ‘I’ll get the tampons and then I'll come find you.’
    Stewart turned to the pantry while Anne practically sprinted upstairs.
    Looking at the pantry, Stewart felt proud. He and Anne had managed to build something great, something that prevented them from having to worry about food and supplies in such trying times. A part of him was happy that Tim had phoned; happy that he’d be able to help. However, a greater part of him was scared that he’d somehow contaminate his home by allowing someone from the outside to make his way in. He quickly pushed this thought to the back of his head. On the phone, Tim had sounded healthy and just as energetic as ever. Tim had sounded wise, like he was no longer taking life and all the scary things it had to offer for a joke. Surely having some company, even if it were only for a short time, wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He and Anne hadn’t spoken to anyone in person for a while.
    Less than two minutes later, Anne joined Stewart in the pantry. In her right hand sat a pack of tampons.
    ‘These ought to get Tim’s lady through a month or two,’ she said to Stewart.
    ‘If you say so. I don’t really know how those things work,’ he replied with a smile.
    Anne placed the pack of tampons on the floor before taking a look at the list they had pinned to the wall in the pantry. ‘Okay. So, I’m thinking we should go through the list rather than looking at the shelves. That way, we’ll know just how much of each item we have without having to count them. It’ll make it easier to determine what we can give up without feeling the pressure.’
    ‘Not a bad idea,’ Stewart agreed. ‘I was thinking, though. What about those oddball items that you bought. Think we should toss two Snickers bars in there?’
    ‘That’s definitely a nice thought.’
    Together, they went through the list, finally deciding on the items they would give to Tim.
    ‘Three cans of tuna, two cans of corned beef, a can of Spam and a can of beans, sound good?’ Stewart asked.
    ‘Sounds great. Will you get the Snickers from back there?’ She pointed to a box to his left. ‘I’m gonna go get a bag to put all this in.’
    Stewart did as his wife said, plopping the top off the