Sunbeams reached out trying to take the chill from the land. The aftermath was always less than pretty Aniare mused. Turning from the twisted land, she retreated to the small camp of survivors huddling near the fire and in ragged tents for warmth. The night had stolen yet a few more lives in the harsh chill.

She slipped into her brother’s tent. He was more dead than alive. The doctors had severed his arm in hopes that he’d recover from the gunshot, but without fresh food and water anyone surviving this seemed unlikely. Aniare alone had the means to survive, her brother’s rations combined with her own allowed her to move while others starved. She had spent three days her hoping her brother would recover, but last night had proven too much.

She was alone and her journey from this death trap was to start this morning.