She was outnumbered, and outspent, and terribly sick, and utterly alone — but she was not helpless, not for one single day, because helplessness is a state of the spirit and my wife’s spirit never surrendered.

I did not find a victim in that storage room.

I found a survivor who had held out, against impossible odds, exactly long enough.

All the strength in this story was hers.

I just brought the reinforcements.

Chapter 13 — The Power of Attorney