"Morning." He stifled a yawn. He looked at the man before him. The dark bags under his eyes were newer, and the light in his eyes was dimming. His hair was getting ready for another trim but other than that he was the same. Brown thick hair always tussled right, same square jaw, and stunning blue eyes.
"You've got to get rid of those bags under your eyes. Ladies ain't gonna like that. Trust me. I should know." Trenton continued as he squeezed a small amount of tooth paste out. He had to ration now that he was down to the last two tubes. He needed to go out and dig around for some more. As he brushed his teeth he continued to stare at his reflection. Spitting into the sink he flushed out his mouth with water. Looking back up he saw the same man. A sense of loneliness was taking over all his features. "Not a good look. Not at all."

His body ached from yesterdays exertions. He didn't sleep that night either. It wasn't a good idea to head out into a world that took all the mental alertness to keep from getting hurt. But a fear of what would happen if he gave himself one day to lay in bed and pretend none of it was real; that he was back in his warm apartment, his friend right across the hall; The promise of a full night playing video games to forget they had reached the age of adult and thereby always had to act like one;
If he let himself escape to that for one day, he was scared he wouldn't be able to come back and he'd be locked in that room till he died of starvation. The worst part about it was every now and then it really didn't sound like a bad idea.

He poured his coffee as he looked over the paper. It was over two years old. He had it almost memorized. But it was a touch to the world long gone. More so it was a bridge between the two as it was a few days after everything started happening. On that day about the time the ink was drying on the paper he was being loaded on a ship by gun point. He had left his city behind and now he dwelt below it.
Tired of the ill news he turned to the comics and reread the in smeared pages while he sipped at his stark black coffee. Once his mug was empty he washed it out in the small sink, set it to dry and finished gathering what he would need that day to get back up supplies. First item was the kevlar backpack, followed by his shot gun and his simple but sufficient flashlight. He approached his front door that looked as if it more belonged on the side of a battle ship, than at the start of a home and exited into the foul stench.

He was not surprised to see her standing there. She was always waiting for him outside his door. "Morning Trenton." She said and attempted a smile. Smiles never