I loved the snow. Pure white sparkles dancing in the breeze and blanketing the world. The time of year where people would gather together to celebrate the joyous occasion of holiday seasonings. Ruby, emerald, sapphire and amethyst joined silver and gold in lighting the world. Children rejoiced in the sanguine song of winter, wishing it would go on forever…

But then it did.

“Crystal? We have to get going.”

My eyes cracked open as I wiped the frosty pearls away. Every time I woke up was a hard shock, as if I kept believing my reality was a twisted nightmare cultivated by my brain. At any moment, I would return to the real world and escape this prison cell.

“I know, Ethan. Just give me a minute.” I glanced at my friend and carefully pricked the dirt-laden strands from the edges of my face.

“You know we don’t have that luxury anymore.”

WIth a shrug and a stretch, we were off once again. “How is Washington looking?”

“Not good,” He sighed. “Ever since the president went down, nothing’s been the same. People are just… different.”

We hesitated before opening the heavy door. The frozen wasteland remained as it had been for the last ten years. Buildings and infrastructure drowning in an ocean of white. Our feet gingerly walked over the surface as we held hands through the layers of gloves. The constant risk of getting separated was enough to keep us close.

After miles at our snail pace, we took shelter inside of an old army base. It was equipped for the beginning but got abandoned after the president went down. Ethan and I could only imagine the catastrophic anarchy that occured the moment word spread. With no leader, there was no organization, no discipline, no proper way of functioning. The crowd would turn into a single organism that self destructed with a mere push.

“Think this place’ll last us much longer than Virginia?”

“Probably. Virginia fell only a couple years in. There might be some supplies left.” Ethan ushered us inside what looked like the main storage building. The insulated walls kept the interior safe from the outside, but it clearly wasn’t enough to stop the people from moving on. Eventually, we all had to keep moving.

In the shadows, we heard a loud clatter which chilled us to the core more than anything in the past ten years.

“What are you doing here?” The voice sounded raspy yet strong.

“We’re just looking for somewhere to stay for now. We aren’t looking for any trouble. We just need to pass through here.” Ethan had always been better with other people. He had a natural charisma that flowed out of him.

“How many have you seen?”

“Four.”

“Who?”

“Mabel, Caleb, Harris and Destiny.”

A light flickered on and a tall, middle-aged man emerged from the dark. His hair was thinned greatly and sported a pale grey. The icy gaze he held was lightened with the dark circles surrounding it.

“Marshal.”

“Ethan.” He took my arm and pulled me forward. “Crystal.”

Marshal took a step and scanned the two of us.

“Come on. It’s been pretty lonely here.” He turned on his feet and walked away.

Ethan and I shared a worried yet intrigued glance before following in Marshal’s footsteps. The further in we got, the warmer it felt. At a certain point, we had to take our heavy coats, gloves, and hats off. The heat emanating from the interior structure was immensely overwhelming. We walked and walked and walked. The entire time, Marshal kept his face forward with an unwavering pace.

“Almost there.”

Suddenly, we came upon a large, metal door locked shut behind an electronic panel.

“You have power?”

Marshal didn’t say anything and opted to show us instead. He typed in some sort of code and we were blasted with a rush of hot air.

“Welcome to Sanctuary.”

People everywhere. A whole underground safe-haven. We had found it. The one place where humanity had managed to survive. I quickly accustomed to the new environment, forgetting the perils of the land above. The people greeted us with kindness and astounding levels of generosity. It was so simple.

And all I had to do was give up Ethan. Sure, it was tough at first. But when I got my first taste of juicy flesh, I was hooked. They placed me in my new post after years of climbing the ladder to get near the top. My eyes spied a small group of travelers, and I couldn’t hide my gleeful grin.

“Welcome to Sanctuary.”