TWO DAYS AGO
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Every day was the same—like being trapped in a loop.
Matt woke up and threw some water on his face. He’d given up on showering weeks ago. Even a pick-me-up splash ran the risk of depleting the water supply, but he needed to retain some semblance of humanity. Matt’s ability to monitor the readouts—water, fuel, oxygen—disappeared when the control panels went down for good. No way to be sure how much of each precious commodity remained. But he knew the answer.
Not enough.
Dressed and ready, Matt closed his eyes. A distant tapping sounded. Two long, two short. He expected the constant beat to relegate itself to the background like the humming of an appliance or the din of traffic outside a city window, but the pattern never let up. It pervaded his consciousness takin
