The woman frowned. "You never really know who they are inside. We have to be careful." Then she asked, "Weren't you asleep in my arms? When did you sneak out? I woke up and you were gone. You almost gave me a heart attack." The little girl didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Mom, what if the rain never stops? What will you do then?" The woman saw the serious look on her child's face, and her heart ached. "Lottie, don't think too much. I'll take you home." Lottie turned her head toward the apartment, which slowly faded from her sight. She grumbled, "But even when we get home, there won't be any food." The pounding rain outside drowned her words. The woman didn't hear clearly. "What did you say?" Lottie lowered her eyes. "Nothing." Two more days passed. The rain never let up. Those who had been badly hurt by the acid rain were already gone. The rest of the people hiding inside grew more anxious by the hour. The rain outside was poison; they couldn't drink it. They had no food, no water. Every empty apartment had been searched. There was nothing left to eat. If this went on, they would either starve or die of thirst. The woman held her daughter tight. They curled up in a bedroom on the eighth floor for three days. Lottie lay in her arms and sighed. "Mom, I'm hungry." Tears filled the woman's eyes. "I'm sorry, Lottie. Please hold on a little longer. Maybe the rain will stop tomorrow."Lottie stared at the ceiling. "And if it doesn't?" The woman choked up, unable to answer. Lottie sighed again. Two more days went by. On the 14th floor, someone knocked on the door again. Olivia came out quickly. It was the same little girl. Olivia frowned. "Where's your mom?" The girl blinked innocently. "You're my mom." Olivia sighed. "I mean your real mom." The girl tilted her head and asked, "What's a real mom?" Olivia wasn't sure what to do about her. "The woman who came up a few days ago and took you back." The girl finally seemed to understand. "Oh, she went to get food. She never came back." Olivia's eyes widened. "She went outside? But it's acid rain out there!" The girl nodded. "There's no food here. No water. She said she had to go home and get some." Olivia's face grew tight. "How long has she been gone?" The girl thought for a moment. "A few days now." Olivia drew her brows together. From the way that woman cared for her kid, there was no way she would have left her alone for so many days.With the acid rain falling so hard, chances were that woman died on the road. Olivia looked at the little girl with pity. "Do you have any other family?" The child pointed at Olivia. "Yes, I have, Mom." Olivia sighed. The girl probably had some kind of mental issue, which explained why she kept calling a stranger her mother. And her face—there was something unusual about it. Not like Down syndrome, but strange in a way that was hard to explain. Pretty, but strange. Olivia pushed the thought away and asked again, "I mean, besides your mom, do you have any other family?" The girl shook her head. "I only have Mom." "What about your dad?" Olivia asked. "Dad's dead." She pressed, "How did he die?" The girl said nothing. She broke into tears again. Olivia's chest tightened. In the apocalypse, there were countless ways to die. The real miracle was staying alive. So she stopped pressing about the father and asked, "What about grandparents? Anyone like that?" The child kept sobbing. "I only have Mom!" Then she threw herself into Olivia's arms. Olivia could feel how thin she was, nothing but skin and bone. Her heart ached for the little girl."Lottie, how old are you?" The girl thought for a moment. "Nine." Olivia let out a long breath. When the world ended, this child had only just started grade school. Now she couldn't even get a full meal, much less an education. She lowered her eyes to the girl clinging tightly to her. What was she supposed to do with her? She asked gently, "How did you manage on your own over the past few days?" The child's cheeks were still wet with tears. She explained miserably, "I hid under the bed." "Why hide there?" Olivia asked, surprised. The little girl sniffled. "Those scary men ... scared me ... " Olivia understood. The scary men must have been the ones hiding from the acid rain in the building. She patted the girl's back to calm her. A child this young, and a girl at that, alone in the world—it was far too dangerous for her to fend for herself. Food and water weren't even the worst of it. The real danger was the sick people out there. Even in the good times, when girls had parents to protect them, there were still men who wanted to hurt them. Now? It was even worse. The girl seemed exhausted from crying. She tugged gently at Olivia's sleeve. "Mom, I don't feel so good. I want to go home."