Shari wasn’t self-conscious enough anymore to worry about her physical beauty. That adolescent habit was long gone. But she was aware that she had m...naged by exercising and eating right to keep a figure that had once allowed her to think seriously about becoming an exotic dancer. That one summer she spent at the Balmoral had paid for her first year in medical school, after all. She knew she was attractive enough to turn on any particular male, as long as he was awake. Baxter did laugh and throw. Meanwhile, a couple of miles away, Rachel awoke the same morning only to find that she was alone in the bed. She put on her dressing gown and hurried downstairs, worried that Karen had already left. Rachel found her friend in the kitchen, sitting at the small table without a stitch on. Karen, seeing Rachel, asked in a small voice, “Rachel, I’m cold.” After rushing to turn up the heating and getting her friend a dressing gown, Rachel asked, “Why are you down here rather than in bed?” “I woke up. "They'll go for the Russians next and then begin to sweep across Europe. I'm assuming you've contacted me to authorise the release of our missiles?" she asked."Prime Minister, I suggest a slightly different course of action. Your authorisation can add my name to the list of those who can release the strategic assets. This is my responsibility, it's not something you need to take on your shoulders," Scott suggested.He could see she was relieved at this, the burden of responsibility, an awesome. Once the coffee was going the three sat down around the breakfast table in Jim's kitchen and began to talk about the situation they now found themselves in. At first this mainly focused on what had happened to the world, their country, and their town. Eventually they began to talk about more personal things like what their lives had been like before the plague and who they had lost to the horrible sickness.None of the three women were married; though Carol had been for about two years. She and.