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Road.”
    “Don’t worry, we’re not going that far. Besides, what
makes you think he’ll find us? And if he does, whoever he is, what
could he possibly do?”
    Erin shook her head. “Kyle is liable to anything when
he’s this mad. He would probably kill us both.”
    Tom was shocked by this response but tried not to
show it. “No, he won’t. I’ll protect you.” Spoken like a true
superhero.
    “No offense, but you don’t know just how violent he
is. He—”
    She stopped herself and closed her eyes. It was clear
that she didn’t want to go on.
    Tom said, “It’s okay, Erin. Let’s get out of here and
we’ll make sure that this Kyle character doesn’t spot us. I know
some pretty obscure routes to my home.”
    Erin managed a weak smile. “Okay.”
    Tom helped her out and escorted her over to the
passenger side. He checked out the damage to the Jeep, which was
minimal, and then parked the CR-V closer to the berm. He debated
what to do with the keys and wondered if the owner would ever be
reunited with his car again. It was that moment that the full brunt
of all that had happened resurfaced in his mind.
    He got back into the Jeep and backed away from the
pole. “Won’t be needing that little Honda anymore—it’s about out of
gas anyway,” he quipped. He glanced at his own fuel gauge, which
still had about a quarter of a tank left. Good for about another
forty or fifty miles, he estimated.
    “Thank you,” Erin said.
    “For what?”
    She looked over at him. “Saving me.”
    Tom was a little confused by this, but replied,
“You’re welcome.”
    They drove a few miles in silence and Tom thought of
at least a dozen questions he wanted to ask Erin Myers. He felt it
best to wait though—at least until after they reached his house. He
caught himself nearly nodding off as he drove through the seemingly
endless white vista back to Worthington. He was all but completely
spent. The thought of going home, falling asleep, and waking up to
find that this had just been an awful nightmare was his greatest
wish at the moment.
    However, Tom was almost certain that wouldn’t be
case.
     
     

CHAPTER 4
     
     
    Erin Myers was fast asleep by the time they reached
Worthington. Tom had caught himself checking the rear view mirror
frequently throughout the drive, just in case the mysterious Kyle
had picked up their trail along the way.
    He felt odd as he pulled into his driveway, aware
that his family and friends weren’t in the house and that he was
about to take a stranger inside. The events leading up to this
moment had unfolded so quickly that it nearly overwhelmed him.
    Erin stirred when he shut off the engine.
    “Is this where you live?” she murmured.
    “This is it. Did your little nap help any?”
    “No, it just made me feel dumb. And my head really
hurts now.”
    “Let’s go inside and get you some pain killers.”
    The two got out and Tom held Erin’s arm as they
trudged through the deep snow to the door. Once inside, Tom flipped
on the flashlight and lit a candle in the kitchen. As the room
filled with flickering yellow light, Tom saw his breath and felt
the frigid cold of the house.
    On a lark, he went over and turned the knob on the
stove. Although it didn’t come on, he could smell gas.
    “I’ll be damned! The gas still works!”
    “That’s great—it sure is cold in here,” Erin
shivered.
    “We’ll take care of that right now,” he said. He
struck a match and held it near the burner as he turned the knob. A
circular blue flame shot out with a whoosh.
    “Excellent! We will at least be able to keep warm—we
have a natural gas fireplace in the living room.”
    “Thank God for gas, eh?” Erin said. “My place is
total electric. Are your phones dead, too?”
    “Oh, yeah. Can’t get on the internet either. How long
ago did you find out that you were the last person on earth?” Tom
inquired.
    “When I got home from work. It must have been around
5:15.”
    “Ditto here. I’ll go get you