text: Sunlight filtered through Madeline’s eyelids, dragging her from her sleep. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and glanced over at the window, confirming that the sky was still painted in the pinks and purples of dawn. The mattress scooted across the floor as she clambered out of bed. She stretched the stiffness from her muscles as she checked all was as she’d left it in the office-cum-bedroom. After grabbing her bucket, she made the familiar journey to the library garden, tracing her fingers along the wall as she went. “Morning,” Liam greeted her in the corridor before falling into step a couple of metres behind. “How’d you sleep?” “Same as usual. You?” “Okay.” “No nightmares?” He paused for a moment before answering. “Not the bad ones. Haven’t had one of them since a week or so after getting here.” “That’s good. Do let me know if they come back.” Madeline glanced over her shoulder to fix him with a teasingly stern look. “I know what you’re like when it comes to putting on a brave face.” “I will,” Liam chuckled. She paused to remove the bike lock that sealed the garden entrance. As the door swung open, crisp air flooded inside. She took in a deep breath and stepped through, wiggling her toes in the grass that glittered with morning dew. She crossed the garden in a couple of steps and began filling her bucket from one of the water butts. “So what did you want to do today?” she asked over the steady trickle. “What are our supplies like?” “We’re good for now.” “Then I guess it would be a good day to be productive in another way.” He scratched his head as he considered the possibilities, his eyes lighting up as inspiration struck. “Maybe you could teach me the next taekwondo pattern?” Madeline couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Sounds good to me. As long as we fit some reading in there too.” “Of course,” Liam said with a grin. With the bucket full, she gestured for Liam to turn his back and started the process of washing herself. Her breath caught at the first splash of the cold water, but soon she was used to it. When she was done she called out, “Okay, your turn.” Respecting Liam’s continual need for space, she padded over to the furthest edge of the garden and turned her back. The rhythmic slosh of water filled the air as she studied the flowers growing out of the wall. It always impressed her how hardy some plants were, pushing their way through the smallest cracks and into the sunlight. Liam’s voice interrupted her musings. “All done!” “Great,” said Madeline, turning back around to see Liam refilling the bucket. She let him go first as she locked the door behind them, before following him to the small kitchen. While Liam started passing the water through a filter she fetched a box of cereal and the tub of powdered milk to prepare. “Ready for breakfast?” she asked when she was done. “Sure,” Liam replied, setting down the bucket. After pouring herself a bowl, she passed the cereal and milk to him and headed out of the kitchen and over to their usual table. He joined her moments later, taking his seat at the far end. Together they crunched their way through the meal, chatting and teasing and laughing as they did. \ “Alright, so this one starts just like the previous two,” Madeline said, positioning herself in the centre of the large open space in the library lobby. “You turn left into a walking stance and do a low block.” She executed the move and waited for Liam to copy. “Good. Now, you do a front kick, land in a long stance and double punch.” They went through the full set of moves together a few times. Madeline was careful not to look at him too much. She’d learnt early on in their lessons that he could concentrate better when he thought nobody was watching. But you could only get so far that way. When she was confident he at least had a basic grasp of the routine, she stopped. “Okay, you know the drill. This time I won’t do it myself so I can watch you, to make sure you’re doing it correctly.” Liam nodded, eyes resolutely fixed forward as if not looking at her helped him pretend she wasn’t looking at him. He performed the first steps well, requiring only minor adjustments to his stance, but as they came to the later, less familiar moves he started to struggle. “Okay, pause there,” she said. “With the knife hand, you’ve got to position it a little higher - like you’re aiming for someone’s neck. And try and straighten out your forearm a bit.” She waited for him to follow the instructions. “Better. But make sure to keep the thumb tucked in... Good, carry on.” It wasn’t long before she had to stop him again, and she could see the flush of frustration rising in his face. “Don’t worry,” she said. “This one is harder than the first two. And it’s always difficult at first. You’re doing well.” “Doesn’t feel like it,” he murmured. “Well, there’s only one way to get better. Now, this stance is meant to be a back stance remember, so more weight should be on your back leg... Okay, bend the knee a little more.” “Like this?” “That’s definitely better. I know it feels a bit unnatural, but you should get used to it eventually.” “A bit?” he said, lip quirking up in a teasing smile. “Hey, no sassing your teacher. Now, about that knife hand block...” As she tried to guide him through the process of correcting his position, she felt a familiar irritation at how much more difficult this was without being able to touch him. After numerous failed attempts, struggling to hide her exasperation, she finally gave up. “Look, this will go so much quicker if you just let me come over and position you myself. I know you have this thing about your space, and I haven’t pushed you on it because I’m fairly certain everyone left alive has some issues at this point, but do you think you could cope with me being a bit closer just for a short time?” She watched the conflict twist his face as he came to his decision. Not wishing to increase the pressure, she fought to keep her impatience from showing. Finally, he spoke, voice halting in a way she hadn’t heard since she’d first met him. “I think that will b-be okay. As long as it... Just not for too long.” “Thank you,” she said as she crossed the distance between them. Though Liam was tense at first, he slowly seemed to become used to her closeness. The trembling in his hands finally subsided after the fourth run-through of the pattern. After that, the rest of the lesson went much more smoothly. “Okay, one more time with no input from me. In your own time,” Madeline said, taking a step back. Pride swelled in her chest, forcing a smile to spread across her face as Liam went through the moves. Just as he let out a shout to announce the end of the pattern, a crash echoed from somewhere else in the library. Madeline whipped around, knees bending and weight shifting to the balls of her feet as every muscle in her body tensed. “Get behind me,” she whispered. Liam complied, both of them straining to hear anything out of the ordinary. A scuttling sound broke the silence.