Liza heard the ocean when she turned off her ATV. She was seventy miles from the
coast, taking the same route she had taken last month. She didn’t hear the ocean then. She
hopped off and walked to the tree line, crunching twigs and leaves. and made it to a clearing. She
felt like an ant, frozen on the sidewalk looking up at a seawall during a storm. She couldn’t see
the waves, but she saw the mist exploding off the mountain range and the rainbows coloring the
sky. She sprinted for the ATV, thinking about her mission and how to escape. She climbed on,
and while dodging trees down the forest hills, she didn’t know if she could do both.

#

On the outskirts of Portland, the gravel gritted under Francis’s feet. He cradled a jar that
contained a black widow.
“Is that thing poisonous?” Hank asked.
“No.”
“Bullshit! That’s a black widow. My uncle got bit and had to go to the hospital,” Charlie said.
“Poi-zun-us,” he pointed at the jar with each syllable.
Hank bunched his eyebrows. “What the hell Francis? Why’d you lie?”
“I didn’t lie,” he jumped in. “Yes, this is a black widow. Yes, it's dangerous, but I can handle it.
And it's not poisonous, it’s venomous.” He looked at Charlie, “Ven-uh-mus,” tilting his head
with each syllable.
“Same shit!” Hank shouted. He just wanted to get home and get through whatever
punishment they received for coming home empty-handed six days in a row. They were hunting.

Mr. Silver said if they didn’t bring him meat today, they wouldn’t eat. Hank could hear him in
his head, “Your lucky I don’t exile you! You’re useless!”
“All right Franny boy,” Charlie grinned, “I know when you’re dying to explain
something. What’s the difference?”
Francis smiled. He liked being interpreted by friends. “A venomous creature injects venom into
prey. They’re brilliant strategists and only kill when needed. A poisonous creature kills when
something else eats it. They have the brightest, most luxurious colors in nature, and they use
them to intimidate predators.” He cupped his hands around the jar and pressed it against his nose.
The spider looked like a black cherry with eight stems. It scrambled around, trying to climb the
glass.

#

Global temperatures spiked in 2032, and humanity wasn’t prepared. The wealthiest
scientists, politicians, and entrepreneurs assured the public that everything was being done to
save the world, but they were lying. Instead, they built rocket ships the size of skyscrapers and
disappeared into space.
Some elites on the fringe were forced to stay behind. They had instructions to preserve
the United States until it was the last country standing. Mr. Silver was one of them. He was told
about a secret shuttle, and if he kept Portland alive, he could go to Mars.
Elites like Mr. Silver were scattered around the US. They had more power than anyone
and couldn’t use it. There was no order, no structure. Cities burnt down, but Portland survived.
Mr. Silver found loopholes and abused them. But as time passed, he lost contact with the elites
on Mars. There were nights when he would stare at his computer. “No signal,” it read. He would
press his thumb against a pencil for hours until it snapped.

#
“Do bugs remember faces?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know, why?”
“Because what if your bugs escaped? Wouldn’t they swarm you?”
“Why would they do that? I take care of them.”
“From their perspective, you’re imprisoning them.”
“Bugs don’t think like that. Bugs don’t think at all.”
“What about this little guy?” Charlie tapped the jar. “You called him a ‘brilliant strategist,’” he
bent his fingers.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How’d you mean it?”
“Shut up. I hear something,” said Hank. He cocked his sniper.
A soft buzz echoed in the empty streets. It grew into a roar, then a screech, and Liza
barreled around the corner on her ATV. She almost flipped over but caught her balance on two
wheels. Hank aimed, and Liza skidded to a halt sending plumes of smoke from her tires.
“Who are you?” Hank shouted.
“Relax. I’m not gonna hurt you. What will is a couple miles past those trees, and if you
don’t leave now, you’ll die.” She sounded like she was placing an order at the drive-thru. Francis
didn’t like it.
“Nice to meet you too. What the fuck are you talking about?” Hank lowered his sniper.
“The ocean! It’s here!” she snapped, thrusting her finger at the forest.
Francis raised an eyebrow, “There are mountains out there. You mean to tell me the
ocean is getting over those?”

“You don’t have to believe me. I’m trying to save you,” she revved her ATV.
“We can’t leave,” said Charlie. “We’re with Mr. Silver.”
Liza’s heart skipped, “Oh?” She thought about the mission. Maybe there was enough time.
Charlie nodded, “We worked for him before the desertion,” he said. “When it happened, we
couldn’t get home. He told us he would keep us safe.” Hank glared at him.
“Well? Has he?” she asked.
“We’re alive, but he’s a monster.”
“He is,” Liza looked them up and down. “You can come with me in the tunnels.”
Hank saw Charlie perk his ears like a dog. “Why should we?” he blurted. “We don’t know you.
She could be lying,” he slapped Charlie’s shoulder.
“Like I said,” she shrugged, “you don’t have to believe me.”
“Who are you?” asked Charlie.
She started rolling, “I’m Liza. I’m in the CIA.”
“They still exist?” Charlie asked.
“Some of us. I’ll be outside Mr. Silver’s in forty-five. I’ll wait for fifteen. After that, I’m gone.”
She drove off.

#
“I believe her,” Charlie walked ahead of the others.
“So what’s your plan?” Hank caught up. “Kill Mr. Silver and run off into the sewers with some
girl? What about us?” he gestured to himself and Francis.
“You’re choosing to stay. I want to live,” he stopped at the front door and stuck his face out. A
panel scanned his eyes, and the door clicked.

Hank slammed his hand on it. “There’s no water, Charlie!” he said. Francis stood behind
them, darting his eyes left and right. He could think of plenty of reasons for Liza to lie. Maybe
she was just another Mr. Silver. He trusted Hank more than he trusted her. It didn’t matter that
she was in the CIA. Hank had kept him alive.
“Just come with us,” Charlie pleaded. “How is this better, even if no water is coming?”
“He’ll kill you, Charlie.”
“So be it! I haven’t lived my own life in too long. Escaping is living, even if I die doing it.”
“You don’t mean that!”
Charlie got in Hank’s face, “You think you know everything,” he wagged his finger underneath
Hank’s chin. “It’ll get you both killed,” he pushed Hank’s hand off the door and pulled it open.
He slid inside like he was ducking a punch.
“We don’t know what happens when you walk out these doors without clearance,” said Hank.
He and Francis followed Charlie.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Francis, say something!”
Charlie walked into their room and started packing a bag. Francis put his jar on the table.
He didn’t know who was right, “Do what you want, Charlie. I’m staying with Hank.” Charlie
nodded and they hugged. “Good luck,” said Francis.
Hank was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Charlie approached and stuck
his hand out. Hank stared at it. He didn’t want to give his friend a death blessing, but ending on
bad terms would haunt him. So, they shook, and Charlie left.
#

Hank and Francis clasped their heads. They felt like the alarms were cooking them. Mr.
Silver leapt into the doorway. He had on ear-muffs, with a small crossbow slung around his
torso. He pressed a tube against his lips and inflated his cheeks. Two tranquilizer darts flew at
Hank and Francis, and they collapsed. Mr. Silver pranced over their bodies and opened the
widow. Charlie shuffled up the street, looking for Liza. Mr. Silver tucked the tube into his pocket
and grabbed the crossbow. He spat out the window and aimed. Charlie saw someone hanging out
the window from the corner of his eye, and when he realized who it was, it was too late. Mr.
Silver put an arrow through his heart.

#

Francis woke up first. He and Hank were tied up, sitting against the wall with tape over
their mouths. Mr. Silver sat across from them. He had his crossbow on his lap and stared at the
wall above Francis’s head.
“Why?” asked Mr. Silver. Francis squirmed. “I had to shoot Charlie down like a buck. I liked
him, I really did. But he tried to run. Why would he do that? Why?” he snarled. Sweat trickled
down Francis's forehead.
He stomped toward him and started dragging him, “I let you keep your fucking bugs in
my house, and this is what I get? You try to leave?” Francis looked at Hank. His head was
resting on his shoulder. He saw the black widow, still on the table. It was trying to climb up the
glass.
Mr. Silver took Francis to his bug room and stood him in front of the monarch butterflies.
There were dozens of them in their domed cage. “Monarchs,” he whispered. “Reminds me of
those motherfuckers on Mars. You know, the ones that left us to starve. The ones that make me
do their dirty work here while they party and fuck on Mars!” he started petting the cage like it

was a cat. “They used their power to leave us. Like we’re not the ones who gave it to them! Us
Francis, people like me and you,” he pointed back and forth between them. He could taste
Francis’s fear. “They’re going to pay, Franny boy. Those monarchs will pay,” he flipped the
hinge on the gate and opened the cage. Some butterflies fluttered to the ceiling, flashing their
bright orange and white speckled wings. Mr. Silver reached his hand in, stirring up a storm. He
pulled it out and showed Francis. The butterflies crawled over one another, trying to make room
to fly away.
Mr. Silver slammed his hand shut and squeezed. His knuckles turned white and his fist
started shaking. Black juices poured to the ground, and Francis tried hopping away. Mr. Silver
kicked his legs out and got on top of him. He held him down and waved the ball in Francis’s
face. It was mostly brown, but there were speckles of white, and Francis could see legs and
antennae poking out.
“I think bugs are cool too, Francis. The truth is, I don’t hate monarchs at all. I always
thought they were cool because of their pretty colors. Do you know what those colors mean?” He
peeled the tape off Francis’s mouth while he lay frozen in fear. Mr. Silver shrugged, “Okay. Say
‘ah,’ Francis.”
He shoved his hand into Francis’s mouth and pried his jaw open. Francis thrashed, but
Mr. Silver was too heavy. He dropped the ball into his mouth and it tasted so bitter that his
tongue went numb. The juices streamed down his throat and before he could gag, Mr. Silver
taped his mouth shut. Francis tried screaming the tape off his mouth, but all it did was open his
throat for the crushed butterflies to plug. He started to vomit and Mr. Silver stacked his hands
over his taped mouth. He smiled while Francis turned blue.

#

Liza dragged Charlie’s body to Mr. Silver’s front door. She heard the ocean uprooting the
forest over the hills. She couldn’t panic. She was closer than she’d ever been.
She pulled his eyelids back and held his face up to the panel. The door clicked and she
snuck in, leaving Charlie’s body outside.
She crept into the building and saw Hank, bound, gagged, and unconscious. Then she saw
Mr. Silver on top of Francis. His back was turned and she stalked him until she could pluck a
hair from his head with her teeth. She tapped his shoulder and he whipped around, “Liza?” he
was shaken. He hadn’t seen her since he lost contact with the elites.
He didn’t feel any pain when she killed him. She made a clean cut across his throat and
that was that. She felt like she’d put a deer out of its misery on the side of the highway more than
she felt she’d killed a man. Mr. Silver was a piece of work, but he did his job.
She could only look at Francis for a moment. She just missed him. She heard rustling in
the other room. Hank was awake.
“Stick your head out that window and tell me there’s no water,” she said as she cut him loose. He
did, and he saw the tops of trees collapsing over one another like dominoes. It sounded like a
million cracks of a baseball bat.
“I’ll be right back,” Liza paused, “don’t look at Francis.” She dragged Mr. Silver into his
room and closed the door. She sat him in his chair and held his eyes open while the computer
scanned. The screen glowed white. Liza started a video call and a woman answered. She was in a
shiny white room wearing a gorgeous purple dress.
“Madam President,” Liza nodded. “How’s Mars?”
“Good, love. We’re recovering from the accidents upon arrival, but food production is stable. I
see Mr. Silver is dead.”

“Yes, Madam,” Liza pulled him by his hair and held him up like a trophy fish.
“Good job. He was the last person of interest. The US can fizzle out and outlast the rest. Your
shuttle is exactly east of your location on the border of Idaho. The others are waiting.”
“Thank you, Madam.” Liza reached for the power.
“Oh, and Liza,”
“Yes, Madam?” she tapped her foot. The ground was shaking.
“Make sure you’re alone.”
“Yes, Madam.”

#

Liza met Hank by the front door. He had dragged Francis outside and leaned him against
Charlie. He tucked the black widow jar in between them.
“We can’t just leave them!” he shouted. It sounded like they were at the base of a giant waterfall.
Liza pointed at the wall of sea foam and tree trunks and jumped through the frame of an empty
storefront. Hank grabbed the jar and followed. They ran to the backdoor and she opened it with a
key. There was a hatch inside. Chunks of the ceiling started peppering the ground and they heard
concrete collapsing up the street.
“Hurry!” yelled Hank. Liza yanked the hatch loose and they climbed in.
The squeak from the closing hatch echoed for miles in the tunnels. They heard the
muffled destruction of Portland above.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Hank. Where are we going?” He looked at the black widow. It was trying to climb up the glass.
“Idaho.”