Living with her young daughter and her mother in a cabin in the remote mountains of West Virginia, Felice is alarmed by visits from a dark presence, a man whose face and words she can't remember minutes after he leaves. When a mutated flu strain begins to spread around the globe, killing millions in a matter of days, Felice struggles to save her family from the plague, while fighting a terrifying secret of her own.Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, "The Moment of Joy Before" was chosen for inclusion in Year's Best Romantic Fantasy 2. It also received Honorable Mentions from The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection, and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2007: 20th Annual Collection.Word Length: 13,500 (Long Novelette)