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I've always heard it said that you never know what you have till you've lost it. Well-meaning friends used that saying most of the time when talking about love. Those who said it were always in a position of little understanding. On the day my wife Juliet died my friend Bill put his hairy hand on my shoulder and said those words. Through all of my tears I wanted very much to kill his wife, who also resided with us, then ask him to repeat his lousy advice. I'm sure he would find it as difficult to listen to as I did.

Four months ago Bill and his wife had discovered the little hideout I had made for Juliet and myself. We were well protected from the zombies below us. The apartment we lived in had a penthouse suite accessible only by elevator. When marshal law was enacted the people who once occupied the residence left the city with the others. Juliet was sick when the evacuation order came. Being the delicate flower that I fell in love with she was often prone to illness. I decided it would be better just to protect her until she got well. The city became too crowded with armies of the undead that leaving was not longer an option. When it was not too crowded I walked the city streets foraging for supplies. At first there was a lot to take. I stocked up on a lot of non-perishable goods. I cannot recall the amount of canned meat we have consumed…the stuff is vile. Guns were next, guns and battery operated radios and televisions. Realizing that my almost ground level apartment was easily accessible for a curious zombie I moved my Juliet to our new home in the penthouse. Some nights when she had strength I would move her to the balcony and together we would watch the sunset. She never smiled. When I asked why she would only say that dead world no longer had any beauty, not even in a sunset. The noises we grew accustomed to, gunshots, moans of the undead, screams of their victims, brought me more in agreement with her. I tried everything to make my Juliet smile. During some of my excursions I would bring back sparkling jewelry, or soft furs. Juliet would stare at my gifts and leave them in the boxes they came in.

"They just don't sparkle anymore" she would comment about the gifts.

I agreed with her. The world was dying, and with it everything that once made it so beautiful. At least in a dying world that echoed with the sound of monsters and madness, I could still share a love that's power transcended the decay around it. We made the most of our little nest. Being the productive engineer that I was in the past I rewired the elevator to work only by the top button. Over the next few months I surrounded the roof of the building with solar panels to provide energy. We no longer had a reason to join the rest of humanity in fleeing from the world that was no more. Our apartment building would provide shelter from the chaos outside. We had each other to fill the void of companionship. No matter how ill my Juliet fell she was always willing to share what little happiness there was in the world with me.

Bill and Tara came up the road one day to both of our surprise. The only people that we ever saw on the road were followed closely by masses of zombies ripping at their flesh. The pair was screaming for help and Juliet and I waved from our balcony. She was excited to see living people. Being the compassionate soul she was she begged me to open our sanctuary to these lost souls. Wanting her happiness more than anything I opened the doors and invited Bill and his wife into our lives. We took to each other immediately. We did not have much in common, nor did we have any mutual acquaintances. Being the only humans the other had seen we made that the axis of our friendship. Our family had grown. Bill accompanied me out on the dangerous excursions to the city, and Tara stayed behind to care for my Juliet. We enjoyed our new- found routine, and safety for some time. The day my Juliet died was when the world outside we fought so hard to shield ourselves from penetrated our paradise.

Bill patted me on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry Carson" Bill spoke.

I could hear his wife weeping in the background. I felt weak crying before another man. His eyes were dry. He only shook his head and pressed on my shoulder harder. The new world filled with the cries and foul stench of the dead had taken my angel from me.

"She was too delicate for this shit" I mumbled.

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