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“It's been a long time since we last ate. Can we have some now?” asks Cyrus. I agree. It's been a while, and we are all starving—literally.

“We can even heat the can of beans over the fire,” replies Karissa, and the group grows rowdy, jumping with excitement at the thought of a hot meal.

“Yeah, we can.” I take a deep breath and look around at everyone. “But we need to ration this like we do everything else. Just a bite or two per person and a few crackers each. That’s it.”

The scent of beans boiling over the fire has everyone on edge. No one minds that the temperature is below freezing; they all gather around the fire, eyes fixed on the can, each holding a spoon. Once the beans are warm enough, I use a cloth to carry the can inside. Each person takes a turn dipping their spoon into the can for a bite of beans. Chris is the last to get a spoonful. When he walks up, he trips and falls, knocking the can of beans to the ground. The remaining beans spill across the cold floor, triggering a wave of panic. The group stands in silence for a moment.

“I'm sorry,” Chris says, breaking the silence.

“It's okay. We will clean it up and put them back in the can,” I say. Suddenly, Cyrus drops to the ground and begins licking up the beans. Then, as if on cue, everyone else drops to the floor and starts eating the beans too.

“Everyone, stop. This is all the food we have,” I scream, tempted to drop down and eat the beans myself.

But they all ignore me, their hunger clearly louder than my pleas. After a few moments, the floor—once stained with dried blood, grime, and beans—is cleaned so thoroughly it looks brand new. Each one stands and wipes their mouth, looking satisfied. I clench my jaw, feeling my jaw muscles flex.

“Is this how we're going to behave? Now what? We only have one can of beans left and a few boxes of saltines. That's all we've got, people!” I shout in frustration.

“I don’t know what happened—I just… dropped to the floor and started eating. I couldn’t stop myself,” says Cyrus, his head down.

“You knew this was all we had, Cyrus,” I say, and the room falls silent.

“I said I was sorry,” cries Cyrus.

“Sorry isn't going to save us now, is it, Cyrus!”

“Theo, please. He didn't mean anything by it. Don't hurt him,” says Tyler.

“I'm not going to hurt him, but as punishment, he isn’t getting any beans from the next can. We're also not opening it until tomorrow,” I say as I grab the unopened can of beans and walk away.

“I can take the can,” says Mary, staring at the can in my hand.

“The hell you are,” I answer.

“I can lock it up with the formula,” says Mary, frowning at me.

“No, it's okay. I'll hold on to these.” The fuck I’m gonna let her, or anyone else, get their hands on this food.

45

TYLER

The fire burns brightly outside on the patio, casting an orange glow against the dark night sky and illuminating the entire room. I sit back and count the remaining passengers: Theo, Julie, Kelly, Mary, Sara, Chris, Karissa, Xander, Cyrus. We’re all huddled close together to keep the heat in. No one speaks or moves, and gradually, each person falls asleep—that's the only escape from the harsh reality we live in, and it’s the only way to make the days pass faster. I stay awake because it’s my turn to keep the fire burning overnight. After the other night, when we all woke up freezing, Theo and Xander volunteered to take turns staying awake to keep it lit and rotate the hot stones. Lucky me—tonight is my turn. I do my best to stay awake, but this heat is making it hard because I am so sleepy. I step outside to let the sting of the cold air wake me up. I walk over and stroke the fire, then make my way back inside. When I step back inside, I wrap a blanket around me, and my body relaxes. After a few minutes, the shock of the cold wears off, and I start to doze off.

I'm blinded by sunlight as I open my eyes. My body is shivering, and I pull the sheet over my eyes and try my best to snuggle up. I jump up, realizing I'm cold because the fire is out—the fire I was supposed to keep burning.

“Shit, Theo, wake up,” I say, shaking his shoulder. Theo winces, and his eyes shoot open, staring at me.

“What? Stop shaking me. It hurts.”

“Oh, sorry,” I whisper.

“What do you want?” asks Theo.

“The fire is out. I accidentally fell asleep,” I say, and Theo quickly sits up. He looks around, and I'm not sure what he's looking for. Frantically, Theo's hands move everywhere, and he starts yanking off blankets and sheets from each person, searching for whatever it is he has lost.

“What's going on?” asks Sara in a hushed tone, stretching and waking up.

“Yeah, babe, what's happening? Are you okay?” Julie asks.