- 4 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I could never forget the pain when I died of starvation during my previous life.
00:03The temperature was negative 70 degrees Celsius.
00:05My family huddled together.
00:07My uncle and his family took the last bit of rations.
00:10My mom was an actuary and dealt with numbers her whole life.
00:13In order to spare me a warm drink, she froze to death in a negative 50 degrees Celsius warehouse.
00:17Hazel, wake up. Look at this set of data.
00:19A cold voice brought me back to my senses.
00:21I quickly raised my head and found myself behind the counter.
00:24The AC was blowing out a cool breeze.
00:26The sunlight poured through the windows.
00:29My mom, Martha Taylor, was wearing a white shirt.
00:31She frowned as she looked at an Excel table.
00:34It was 15 June, 2025.
00:36There were only 45 days before the ice ages.
00:38Mom, my voice was hoarse.
00:40Tears welled up in my eyes.
00:41Don't cry, honey. Listen to me.
00:43My mom kept her head down as her fingers tapped on the keyboard.
00:46Ever since last week, there's been a weird trend in global commodity trading.
00:50Shipments of food, fuel, and antibiotics have dropped by 85%.
00:53Yet prices are being stabilized through false transactions.
00:56That just doesn't make sense.
00:57Unless someone's cutting off global supply chains, social order will collapse due to the lack of supplies in the next
01:03two months.
01:04Mom, what if I told you the temperature will reach 50 degrees Celsius in 45 days, then drop rapidly to
01:08negative 70 degrees Celsius?
01:10Would you believe me?
01:10She stopped typing and turned to me.
01:12She didn't think I was crazy like the others.
01:14She pushed up her glasses and asked calmly.
01:16How long will the cold last?
01:17I don't know.
01:18I died after three months and the temperature continued to drop.
01:21I see.
01:21My mom closed her laptop.
01:22A ruthless look appeared in her eyes.
01:23Everything makes sense now.
01:25If it's going to get cold, then our store will definitely be a target.
01:28The ground floor isn't safe.
01:29We must move.
01:30Hazel, according to your memories, we need a sealed, high-elevation, fortress-level shelter.
01:36We need to list every asset we own.
01:38I quickly got a pen and some paper, besides Taylor Mart, which we ran for 10 years.
01:42We also have an old downtown apartment, and there's my mom's investment products.
01:45The stocks we have are worth about $100K.
01:47The old apartment is worth about $200K.
01:49Investments and savings total about $400K, plus the credit cards and personal loans will
01:53have around $800K in cash.
01:55That's not enough.
01:56When order collapses, this is nowhere near enough.
01:58We need to liquidate all our assets.
02:00How, mom?
02:01Loans and mortgages.
02:02Go apply for every business loan we can before the banks notice there's a supply chain failure.
02:07We need to turn the money we have into supplies.
02:09My mom stood up and looked at the shelves in the store.
02:12From now on, the store is closed for inventory.
02:14We won't sell a thing.
02:16We need to move everything into our fortress.
02:18We got straight to work.
02:20My mom went to banks to gather loans, while I went to look for a fortress.
02:24I chose the best neighborhood in the city, the 32nd floor of Star Bay.
02:27It's the top floor, so there's only one apartment with a massive loft and a private rooftop deck.
02:31Most importantly, the developer installed a bulletproof door normally used in banks.
02:35The walls were 10 centimeters thicker than normal walls.
02:38My mom signed a three-year lease at a high price and gave the landlord a sum of money
02:42so that we could reinforce the walls.
02:44This will be our fortress.
02:46My mom stood on the balcony and looked at the city with a fixed stack of contracts in her hand.
02:51Hazel, we just received $500,000 in loans, plus our savings.
02:55That's $800,000.
02:56We must turn all the money into supplies within 15 days.
02:59The next couple of days were a race for survival.
03:01I drove our van to its limits.
03:03I didn't go to the big markets.
03:05Only fools would do that.
03:06My mom used her connections as an actuary to contact the major food factories and medical wholesalers.
03:11The first delivery was 3,000 boxes of pot noodles and 500 sacks of rice, each weighing 25 kilograms.
03:17When all these things arrived in the huge living room, the sight gave me goosebumps.
03:21The sacks of rice were piled up, leaving only a small gap to walk through.
03:24Only carbohydrates aren't enough.
03:26My mom held a notebook looking like a strict general.
03:28We need fat and protein.
03:30Go order 500 cases of luncheon meat, 1,000 cans of meat sauce, plus dehydrated vegetables.
03:35We shouldn't rely on fresh greens.
03:36Once the temperature drops, the dehydrated vegetables will be golden.
03:39My mom was even stricter about the medicine.
03:41She didn't just buy any random medicine.
03:43She used her connections to buy ibuprofen, antibiotics, and huge amounts of iotaphore.
03:49Under extreme temperatures, even a small cold could be lethal.
03:52We also cleared out all our store's stock overnight.
03:54We didn't use the lift because we didn't want to raise any suspicions.
03:58I hired a dozen people who didn't know each other and said we were moving our boss's
04:01stuff and hauled everything up 32 floors in shifts.
04:04Every single room in the apartment, even the bathtub, was filled with goods.
04:10Seeing the large apartment filled with goods, I had an unusual feeling of security.
04:16These weren't just goods.
04:18These were our bargain gifts in the upcoming apocalypse.
04:20Just when we were moving the last 50 gallons of water, an uninvited guest showed up at the
04:24store entrance.
04:24It was my ex-husband, Andy Burke.
04:26He was the guy who sold me for half a loaf of bread during my previous life.
04:29Andy was wearing a suit and was leaning against the car he bought with a car loan.
04:33He looked at the store disdainfully.
04:34Why did you close the store, Hazel?
04:36My mom was planning to come to buy some whiskey tomorrow.
04:38Go get some out of your stock.
04:40I looked at his arrogant face and nearly crushed the tape cutter in my hand.
04:44Memories of my previous life flashed in my mind.
04:46My mom went down on her knees in the snow to beg him to save me some water, but he
04:49just
04:49kicked her aside.
04:50We've been divorced for six months, Andy.
04:51I looked at him with cold eyes.
04:53Nothing in this store has anything to do with you.
04:55Hey, how could you say that?
04:57Are we not a family just because we're divorced?
04:58I'm only here because my mom speaks highly of you.
05:00By the way, why are the shelves empty?
05:01Are you trying to move your assets and dodge taxes?
05:03I'm warning you, my uncle works at the business bureau.
05:06Andy was just a leech.
05:08He didn't care about the unusual weather.
05:10He only cared about whether he could leech off others.
05:12My mom walked out of the store with a list of unpaid bills in her hand.
05:15Andy, you're here just in time.
05:17You borrowed $50,000 from Hazel when you divorced her, plus all the things your mom took from
05:21us over the past six months.
05:22It totals to $55,000.
05:25Sign here.
05:25If you don't pay us back, I'll take this to court and have your BMW confiscated.
05:29My mom's voice wasn't loud, but it was very authoritative.
05:33Andy was stunned.
05:34Mrs. Taylor, you must be joking, right?
05:36The money.
05:36Who's joking?
05:37Call the police, Hazel.
05:39Tell them that there's a thief.
05:40My mom picked up her phone indifferently.
05:42Andy started to feel afraid under my mom's cold gaze.
05:45He spat on the ground and cursed.
05:47You two are so unbelievable.
05:49You can keep all your crap.
05:51My mom was right.
05:52You're just a jinx.
05:53This door will definitely close down soon.
05:54I watched as he drove away.
05:55My mom breathed a sigh of relief.
05:57It's better to sever ties with someone like him.
05:59Now, we need to deal with our fortress.
06:01My mom found someone who designed bank vaults to add insulating layers to all the walls,
06:06making them 20 centimeters thick.
06:08The windows were switched to bulletproof glass.
06:10The most important thing was the heating system.
06:12Star Bay had underfloor heating, but under extreme weather,
06:14the power and gas supplies will definitely be cut off.
06:16My mom installed a small diesel generator in the loft and three 1,000-liter tanks.
06:21To not raise suspicion, the tanks were disguised as water tanks.
06:24They were slowly moved upstairs on pickup trucks.
06:27Remember, Hazel, in the apocalypse, heat means survival.
06:30My mom pointed to a corner in the living room.
06:32There were 500 sets of body warmers and countless thick duvets.
06:37By then, there were only one day's left before the apocalypse.
06:40The temperature outside was around 40 degrees Celsius.
06:41People were complaining about their electricity bills.
06:44What they didn't know was that this heat was the last bit of warmth they would experience.
06:4725 July, 2025.
06:49The temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius.
06:51The asphalt streets were starting to melt.
06:53People outside looked dehydrated.
06:55Everyone was storming the markets for ice and bottled water.
06:58A bottle that used to cost 30 cents came to $1.40 on the black market.
07:01But mom, grandma, and I were holed up in our fortress at Star Bay.
07:05The A.C. hummed quietly, holding the room at a comfy 24 degrees Celsius.
07:09Grandma bustled around the big kitchen, tossing dried mushrooms from our stash and canned luncheon
07:13meat into a sizzling stir fry.
07:14It smelled amazing.
07:15Eat up, Hazel.
07:16It'd be a shame to let all this food go to waste.
07:19Grandma placed food in my bowl joyfully.
07:21She still didn't know about the apocalypse.
07:22She just thought that my mom and I made a fortune.
07:25Mom sat at the table, sipping a glass of Coke while scrolling through the residence group chat.
07:28The Star Bay group chat was blowing up.
07:30Unit 302 resident at management.
07:32What's going on?
07:33The elevator's out again.
07:34The ice I just bought melted before I even got home.
07:37Property manager.
07:38We're sorry.
07:38The usage is insane.
07:39Two transformers blue.
07:40We're on it.
07:41Unit 2501 resident.
07:42It's so hot.
07:43My kids already got heat stroke.
07:45I heard the residents on the top floor have generators.
07:47Can I borrow one?
07:47I can pay you.
07:48My mom sneered at her phone and just left the group chat.
07:51Borrow?
07:52I might never get the generator back.
07:54My mom said calmly.
07:55Right now, it's just the heat wave and no one's stepped over the line.
07:58When the temperature drops, people will show their true colors.
08:01At that moment, the doorbell rang.
08:03The surveillance showed a woman in a silk nightgown standing outside.
08:06She lived on the 28th floor and claimed she was a KOL.
08:09She was always sending photos of her designer bags in the group chat.
08:12Anybody home?
08:12I know you've got water.
08:13She forced a smile at the camera.
08:15I don't have any water left.
08:17Can you spare me some?
08:18I can give you $100 for the water.
08:20I stood behind three layers of steel doors.
08:22My voice was cold.
08:24We don't have any.
08:24Get lost.
08:25What the hell's wrong with you?
08:26We're all neighbors here.
08:27Can't you help us out?
08:28I saw you moving all bottled water upstairs.
08:31Can't you spare me some?
08:32Do you know how many followers I have?
08:34One video and they'll overwhelm you.
08:36I pressed the mute button.
08:38My mom walked over and patted my head.
08:40You did the right thing.
08:41Remember, Hazel, the first rule of an actuary.
08:43When resources are limited, the core unit survives first.
08:47Everyone else is just expendable data.
08:50That night, we lost all signals.
08:52The city went dark.
08:53The only faint light was from our house.
08:56The diesel generator was idling.
08:58My mom pulled out a notebook.
09:00Its pages crammed with notes.
09:02Diesel stock.
09:033,000 L's.
09:04Estimated to last for 18 months.
09:06Fresh water.
09:065 tons.
09:07With recycler on, it's estimated to last for 24 months.
09:09Food.
09:10At 2,000 calories a day.
09:11It's estimated to last for 48 months.
09:13Let's get some rest, Hazel.
09:14My mom closed the notebook.
09:16The world's going to be different tomorrow.
09:17The cold woke me up.
09:19Even with the heating and thick duvet, I could still feel the cold.
09:23I jumped out of bed and ran to the balcony.
09:26Through layers of insulation and bulletproof glass, I saw something I would never forget.
09:30The city that was hot and muggy last night was now buried under a thick layer of frost.
09:34The sky wasn't dark blue, but a weird shade of dark gray.
09:38The thermometer outside had already frozen and shattered.
09:41But my mom installed a digital one indoors.
09:43Outdoor.
09:43Negative 72.5 degrees Celsius.
09:45Inside, 22 degrees Celsius.
09:47The once-busy street below had vanished.
09:49Every car was frozen in the middle of the road, like rows of metal coffins.
09:53There were figures by the side of the road.
09:55They were people who tried to escape the heat outdoors.
09:57They didn't even have time to scream before they were frozen on the streets.
10:00Oh my god.
10:01Grandma stood behind me, staring out the window.
10:03The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor.
10:06It's all right, Grandma, I said as I held her.
10:07We've got food and heating.
10:09My mom walked over with some hot tea.
10:11The first cold wave is the worst.
10:14The power, water, and gas systems all failed at 2 a.m.
10:18Right now, the whole city's a giant freezer.
10:20That was when a dull thud sounded at our door.
10:24Bang, bang, bang!
10:25Someone was trying to break in.
10:27The surveillance showed that the corridor was packed.
10:30The once-elegant residents were now wearing curtains and carpets.
10:33Some even ripped apart their leather sofa.
10:35Their faces were pale and their eyes wild.
10:37Open up!
10:38Open up!
10:39We know you have a generator.
10:40You can't just stand by and do nothing.
10:42We're freezing out here.
10:43Let us inside.
10:44My mom walked over and pressed a button.
10:47It was the intercom that we had installed.
10:50Guys, this is a bank-level security door.
10:52All gaps are sealed using aerogel.
10:54If you keep this up, you'll all die of heat loss instead of opening the door.
10:59It's negative 70 out there right now.
11:01I'd suggest you all go home and put more clothes on.
11:04Maybe then you can survive a little longer.
11:07My mom's voice was indifferent, like a machine.
11:10You bitch!
11:10You've got so many resources.
11:12What's wrong with sharing some?
11:13Andy's voice sounded from the crowd.
11:15He's here as well?
11:17Andy, if you're still yelling, then it's not that cold.
11:19Have you ever thought this would happen when you took my water in my previous life?
11:22What the hell are you talking about?
11:24Open the door!
11:24I'm your husband!
11:25My mom turned off the intercom.
11:26She turned to the kitchen and asked Grandma,
11:28Mom, what do you want for lunch?
11:30That crate of Kobe beef is brand new.
11:32Let's make some steak and add more butter for extra calories.
11:35Outside, the wind roared like a chorus of wailing ghosts.
11:39Inside, steaks sizzled in the pan.
11:42And the smell of butter filled the room.
11:44It was the scent of life.
11:46Watching Mom calmly flip the steaks, I suddenly understood something.
11:49The apocalypse wasn't about saving the world.
11:51It was about being able to have warm food in this cold weather and keeping my family safe.
11:55As long as this door remained closed, we would be the last survivors on this frozen planet.
11:59The blows on the bulletproof door were heavy and chaotic.
12:02Through the camera, I saw Andy panting as he swung a huge fire axe with both hands as he tried
12:08to bust open the door.
12:09Hazel, open up!
12:10I own half the house as well!
12:11But he ignored a basic law of physics.
12:13At negative 70 degrees Celsius, regular carbon steel would become brittle.
12:17On his 40th swing at the door, the axe shattered.
12:21A shard cut into Andy's thigh.
12:23Dark green fluid crystallized midair.
12:26Andy felt no pain at first.
12:28Not until his pant legs stiffened.
12:30A few neighbors crept closer.
12:31They had starved for three whole days.
12:33They had become hungry beasts.
12:36Andy's scream cut off.
12:37My mom covered Grandma's eyes and walked her back to the warm bedroom.
12:40That's nature.
12:42My mom handed me a glass of Coke.
12:43When supplies are running out, only those who have basic knowledge and can keep calm will earn the right to
12:48survive.
12:48It was the fifth day of the extreme cold.
12:50Order downstairs had totally collapsed.
12:52Property manager Gary Wilson used the spare keys he had and the riot shields from the storage room to summon
12:56all the guards and control the ground floor.
12:58Residents of 3201, listen up!
13:00This is Gary Wilson from property management.
13:01Because you refused to share your supplies and caused other residents to be in danger, we've cut off your water
13:06supply.
13:06You either open the door or die of thirst.
13:08My mom's listening to the broadcast.
13:10As she peeled a hard-boiled egg for Grandma, she pointed at the pressure chart on her phone.
13:13Mom, he's shut off the main valve.
13:15He knows nothing about physics or plumbing.
13:17Shutting off the valve to the top floor will only jack up the pressure on the lower floors.
13:20Our five-ton storage tank is an isolated system.
13:23The pump runs on the generator, totally off-grid.
13:25As for our excretion, my mom installed a biodegradable toilet.
13:28At that moment, Gary's scream came from the surveillance.
13:30He forced open the fire hydrant on the 31st floor.
13:32As he tried to spray water upward, the water froze instantly.
13:34Gary immediately became an ice statue.
13:37The guards were terrified.
13:38They dropped their shields and fled.
13:40The air in the corridor kept getting nastier.
13:42At negative 70, bacteria couldn't multiply.
13:44But a heavy, hopeless vibe was spreading through the building.
13:47Peaked through the peephole.
13:48A few frozen corpses were stacked in the corridor.
13:50These elites had become nothing but obstacles.
13:52The KOL on the 28th floor was wrapped in Hermes carpet, kneeling pathetically at the neighbor's door.
13:56She pounded on the door with her cold hands.
13:58There was only silence.
13:59In the dead of night, some neighbors torched a leather sofa as they tried to warm themselves up.
14:03Black smoke went up the vent shaft.
14:05The smoke alarm screeched like crazy.
14:07Grandma was terrified.
14:08It's alright.
14:09Close the internal circulation.
14:10Hazel, switch on the pressure defense mode.
14:12I immediately pressed a button on the control panel.
14:14The variable speed motor roared to life.
14:16The airflow pushed the smoke back into the corridor.
14:17The arsonists almost choked on the smoke they created.
14:20Meanwhile, we were sitting in our living room, which was at 22 degrees Celsius.
14:23To see how the people outside were holding up, my mom decided to do an experiment.
14:27She took out a drone fitted with a low-temp battery.
14:29I strapped a pack of expired hardtack to the landing gear and tied on a bright red ribbon so everyone
14:34could see it.
14:34Hazel, keep your eyes on the feet.
14:35Log every reaction at every window.
14:37The drone flew out the window and over the once luxurious community.
14:40Most of the French windows were already shattered, patched with soggy cardboard and grimy sheets.
14:44When the drone hovered outside a window on the 12th floor, a guy went nuts and lunged onto the balcony.
14:48He reached for the biscuits and forgot about the ice piled up along the edge.
14:52He went over and slammed into the snow 10 stories down.
14:55The rest of the survivors went crazy after that.
14:57Some took out a slingshot and tried to shoot the drone down.
14:59Others waved frantically, screaming for help, using every bit of that feedback.
15:02My mom calmly marked crosses and tickets on her spreadsheet.
15:041201, adult male, mid-level threat.
15:062005, gang cluster, high-risk threat.
15:09The food wasn't charity.
15:11That pack of biscuits was pure bait.
15:13Drawing out anyone who might endanger our fortress so we could tag them one by one.
15:17Frontal assault didn't work.
15:18The scavengers started looking for a way in from below.
15:20Late at night, a power drill whirred under the floor.
15:23Grandma was taking a nap, hugging a hot water sack.
15:25The sound was razor sharp.
15:26Mom, the people on the 31st floor are drooling their ceiling.
15:28I clenched my compound crossbow, palms slick with sweat.
15:31But my mom remained calm.
15:32She pointed to the renovation log we kept.
15:34I put manganese steel plates under the concrete and packed in high-density fire-retardant insulation.
15:39It would take them forever to break through.
15:41Still, my mom planned to fight back.
15:43She took out two big subwoofers, flipped them face down over the noise spot, and played a custom track.
15:49It was a digitally warped horror soundtrack laced with infrasound that scrambled the heartbeat.
15:53She pressed play, sending the vibrations to the 31st floor.
15:57Within 10 minutes, the drilling stopped.
15:59It was replaced by something heavy falling to the ground and loud arguments.
16:02When people were starving and freezing, such mind tricks could kill them.
16:07Peeking through the periscope, I saw the crew downstairs beating each other up.
16:10Their alliance was ripped apart by sheer terror.
16:12Day 12 of the extreme cold.
16:14The intercom lights started flashing like crazy.
16:16On the screen, a guy wrapped in a thermal suit showed up.
16:19He was wearing snow goggles.
16:20His chin was covered in stubble.
16:21From his stance, I could tell he had military training.
16:24Owner of 3201, how about we make a deal?
16:26He took a heavy blue cloth pouch out of his coat and slowly opened it in front of the camera.
16:29Inside was a pile of gold jewelry.
16:31Gold won't keep you warm in the apocalypse.
16:33It actually takes the heat from you.
16:34If you're here to swap it for food, you're in the wrong place.
16:36The man pulled out a combat knife and a pistol from his belt.
16:39Gold might be worthless, but these aren't.
16:41The name's Clark.
16:42Unit 11.
16:43Former special rescue member.
16:44My teammates got a fever.
16:45I need a bottle of amoxicillin.
16:46I don't want to use force.
16:47I'll trade the knife and make two promises for the meds.
16:49My mom studied Mr. Clark on the screen.
16:51She pushed up her glasses.
16:52Deal.
16:52The meds are in the pass-through box.
16:53Keep the knife.
16:54I want to see what you'll do next.
16:55The deal was made quite quickly.
16:57We used the one-way rail system under the door
16:59and gave the man two boxes of antibiotics
17:01and a pack of vacuum-sealed rations.
17:03Once Mr. Clark received the goods,
17:04he gave a slight nod to the camera.
17:06He handled the bodies like a pro.
17:08He hooked their frozen ankles with an iron hook
17:10and dragged them into the elevator shaft.
17:12Broken pieces of a fire axe
17:13and the ashes were swept clean.
17:14Then Mr. Clark pulled out a small bottle
17:16of industrial alcohol from his bag
17:17and sprayed it on the floor for disinfection.
17:19It evaporated fast, taking the stink with it.
17:21The corridor was icy but spotless again.
17:24Mr. Clark aced the first round of the trust test.
17:26My mom put a star next to his name.
17:27That night, we sat by the crackling fireplace
17:29watching the spotless corridor on the monitor.
17:31That long-lost sense of security
17:33caused me to sleep like a baby the first time.
17:35It was an ice age outside,
17:36but up in the attic,
17:37it was a completely different world.
17:39The once spacious attic
17:40was now painted in a mirror silver color.
17:42Rows of LED grow lights glowed pink and purple.
17:44Vegetable and foam boxes were growing like crazy.
17:46The lettuce was thick and green.
17:48Cherry tomatoes and dwarf wheat were thriving.
17:50Grandma's hands trembled as she held the scissors.
17:52She snipped a few tender leaves
17:53and dropped them into the soup.
17:55A light herbal scent filled the kitchen.
17:57Hazel, come quickly!
17:58These greens look way better
18:00than anything at the market.
18:01This bowl of soup was now more than just food.
18:03We sat under the warm glow of the lights,
18:04breathing in oxygen that plants had just produced.
18:06My mom looked at that tiny patch of green
18:08and added another line to her notebook.
18:10Resource recycling system, operating normally.
18:12Psych eval, family bonds getting stronger.
18:14Day 20 of the extreme cold.
18:15Thick layer of ice coated the generator's exhaust vent.
18:18It was the residue fused with frozen vapor.
18:20The RPM was dropping.
18:21We had to shut it down for four hours of maintenance.
18:23My mom looked at the gauges with a serious expression.
18:25We all scrambled into our cold weather gear.
18:26We wrapped ourselves in coats and sleeping bags.
18:29My mom fired up the backup smokeless coal stove.
18:31Such an old heating method.
18:32It wasn't very efficient,
18:33but it kept the core area above freezing.
18:35We curled up on the sofa and hugged each other.
18:38White mist could be seen with every breath.
18:40The temperature in the room soon dropped to zero.
18:42To calm grandma down,
18:43my mom told stories about her actuary days.
18:45As long as we calculate all angles,
18:47then nothing can be a threat to us.
18:48She squeezed my hand.
18:49Her grip was solid and confident.
18:50Four hours later,
18:51the generator roared back to life.
18:52Warm air flooded the room again.
18:54I felt the blood flowing in my veins again.
18:56It was the second month of the extreme cold.
18:58At dawn,
18:58I scanned the streets below with binoculars.
19:00The snow was over 10 feet deep.
19:02Huge white creatures had peered.
19:04Thick silver white fur covered them like armor.
19:06They had long limbs,
19:06and their claws could be seen.
19:08Mom,
19:08those are no stray dogs.
19:09They move in packs across the snow.
19:11When they claw out a frozen body,
19:13their jaws could snap the bones like twigs.
19:16The lead giant wolf lifted its head.
19:18Its red eyes locked onto the vents on the 32nd floor.
19:21Heat from the generator formed a rising column.
19:23To these predators,
19:24it was a beacon.
19:25It jumped up.
19:26Its claws dug into the facade grooves.
19:28It climbed up slowly,
19:29but determinedly.
19:30They can smell strangers.
19:31My mom stepped onto the balcony,
19:32gripping her compound crossbow.
19:34Hazel,
19:34double check every door and window.
19:35Humans are no longer our only enemies.
19:37We're now food to those monsters.
19:39I ran off to secure every door and window.
19:41The mutant wolves were climbing way faster than we thought.
19:43Their claws dug straight into the gaps in the insulation.
19:46When it reached the 15th floor,
19:47those blood red eyes burned with hunger.
19:50Hazel,
19:50treat it like a moving target from physics class.
19:52My mom took out a compound crossbow and handed it to me.
19:55It had a scope and carbon fiber bolts.
19:57She slid the window open a little.
19:58Gust of icy wind blew into the room.
20:00Range,
20:0182 meters.
20:01Elevation,
20:0262 degrees.
20:03Wind,
20:03moderate.
20:04Northerly.
20:04Aimed two centimeters above its nose.
20:06I held my breath,
20:07finger on the trigger.
20:07Through the scope,
20:09a giant wolf seemed to slow down.
20:11As my mom gave the order,
20:12the carbon bolt ripped through the air.
20:14It punched clean through the lead wolf's left eye.
20:16The force yanked it right off the wall.
20:18The rest of the wolves bolted in panic.
20:20The first threat is neutralized.
20:21One bolt used.
20:22Defensive premium equilibrium.
20:23Accurate calculations and clean executions is what we rely on to survive.
20:26Day 25 of the extreme cold.
20:27A burst of static crackled from the radio.
20:29Mr. Clark's voice was weak and strained.
20:31Martha,
20:32I need help.
20:32The frost wolves have eyes on my building.
20:34They've got explosives and I'm injured.
20:36I'm pulling back toward your place.
20:37I held the radio and turned to look at mom.
20:39She snatched a pen and started crunching numbers.
20:41Mr. Clark has provided effective intel three times.
20:43He has cleared 12 bodies.
20:44He can be trusted.
20:45Let's help him.
20:46Hazel,
20:46prep the rooftop basket.
20:47Mom,
20:48set out the iotaphore,
20:49suture kit,
20:49and cephoperazone.
20:50Ran to the roof and fired up the industrial winch.
20:53The steel wire basket lowered into the blizzard.
20:55Three minutes later,
20:56the line suddenly lurched.
20:57Mr. Clark was inside,
20:58half conscious,
20:59drenched in dark green slime.
21:00A penetrating wound was on his left shoulder.
21:02I dragged him into the warmed quarantine room.
21:04We had rigged it into a mini operating room.
21:06This warm room was Mr. Clark's last shelter.
21:09When Mr. Clark woke up,
21:10it was already the afternoon of the next day.
21:11His first reaction was to grab his gun,
21:13but he found his wound had been neatly stitched up.
21:15A steaming bowl of plain rice porridge sat by the bed.
21:17This is the Taylor family's turf.
21:19You're safe now.
21:19She popped the mag,
21:21checked it,
21:22reloaded,
21:22and handed the gun back to Mr. Clark.
21:24Mr. Clark stared at the bowl of porridge.
21:25His Adam's apple bobbed.
21:27Miss Taylor,
21:27from now on,
21:28my life belongs to you.
21:29My mom nodded
21:30and produced the Taylor safe house rules
21:32she had drafted overnight.
21:33Mr. Clark,
21:34starting today,
21:35you're our head of security.
21:36Your duty is to guard the corridor and rooftop
21:38and watch for anything
21:39off within a three kilometer radius.
21:41We'll provide you with food,
21:42water,
21:42and meds,
21:43but you must obey my every command.
21:44Mr. Clark scanned the detailed rules,
21:46which even listed
21:47health me grams of food would be given per meal.
21:49A helpless smile appeared on his face.
21:50He knew that he had a better chance to survive
21:51if he stuck with us.
21:52It was the second month of the extreme cold.
21:54Diesel reserves were running low.
21:56We were burning through fuel
21:57faster than any model predicted.
21:58We had to do something.
21:59There's an industrial district.
22:00They would have a backup diesel stash.
22:01If we can bring back 500 L,
22:03we can last another three months.
22:04My mom sat at the control desk,
22:05giving us the bird's eye view.
22:06Before we headed out,
22:07Mr. Clark ran a check on my gear
22:08and on the custom trailer
22:09that could carry five drums.
22:10When we pushed open the heavy fire door
22:12and stepped outside,
22:13I felt like my lungs were filled with needles.
22:16I was no longer familiar with the city.
22:18Follow my footprints.
22:19Stay clear of manhole covers.
22:20With every step,
22:21Mr. Clark probed the snow with a crowbar.
22:23Mom's voice sounded in my Bluetooth earphones.
22:25Hazel,
22:26two o'clock.
22:27There's an overturned truck.
22:29Watch the glass shards.
22:31Wind's picking up.
22:31You've got a 45-minute window.
22:33Countdown starts now.
22:34In this white, silent world,
22:36every extra second out here was torture.
22:38We were about 200 meters from the gas station
22:40when Mr. Clark signaled for me to stop.
22:41He dropped into a crouch,
22:42half his body disappearing into the snow.
22:44I copied him instantly.
22:45The drone's overhead feed showed
22:47four thugs prying at the fuel tank lid.
22:49And Taylor,
22:50they've got heavy crowbars.
22:51It's already halfway open.
22:52If we don't drop them now,
22:53they'll grab all the diesel.
22:55Don't go head-to-head with them.
22:56We can use our chemistry knowledge.
22:57Hazel,
22:57you've got potassium permanganate
22:58and glycerin in your bag.
22:59Use the ratio I taught you
23:00and whip up a smoke bomb.
23:01Toss it up, wind.
23:02Mr. Clark,
23:03take the leader out once chaos hits.
23:04I yanked two vials from my pack
23:06and mixed them with pinpoint accuracy.
23:08As I hurled it hard,
23:09a cloud of thick black smoke appeared.
23:11The thugs were swallowed by.
23:13Sudden darkness,
23:14choking,
23:14using the smoke as cover.
23:16Mr. Clark snuck behind a sentry
23:17and dropped him silently into the snow.
23:20The other three panicked,
23:21firing crossbow bolts everywhere.
23:23Soon,
23:23they all fled.
23:24Mr. Clark connected the hose,
23:26pumping the precious black fuel
23:27into the barrels.
23:28Killing was just a method
23:29to get the supplies we needed.
23:30By the time we brought
23:31500 L's of diesel back home,
23:33the sky had turned dark gray.
23:35The two massive drums
23:36left deep marks in the snow.
23:38Each breath frosted
23:39the inside of my mask.
23:41Wait.
23:42Mr. Clark yanked the tow rope,
23:43pointing at a mess
23:44of broad tire tracks
23:45by the main entrance.
23:46They were carved in deep,
23:47with clear stud marks for traction.
23:49No way those came
23:50from regular snowmobiles.
23:51These were heavily armored
23:52off-road rigs.
23:53Mr. Clark dropped to the snow
23:54for a closer look,
23:55face darkening.
23:56It's the Frost Wolves.
23:57At least five vehicles.
23:58They've started coordinated raids
23:59on upscale blocks.
24:00Miss Taylor looks like
24:01they've got their eyes
24:02on the luxury complex.
24:03My mom's voice crackled
24:04in my earpiece.
24:05Her voice was cold,
24:05but serious.
24:06I've got them on the drone feed.
24:07They're sweeping floor by floor,
24:09grabbing every scrap of firewood
24:10and can of food.
24:11Hazel!
24:12Clark!
24:12Fall back!
24:13Take the maintenance ladder
24:14in the elevator shaft.
24:15From now on,
24:16we're at DEFCON 1.
24:17We slipped in
24:18through the secret tunnel
24:19and hit the 32nd floor.
24:20The sudden warmth
24:21nearly made my knees buckle,
24:22but my mom didn't let me rest.
24:24She pointed
24:24at the live camera feeds.
24:26A squad of men
24:27in matching black parkas
24:28packed the lobby
24:28on the ground floor,
24:30hauling welders
24:31and explosives.
24:31They're no ordinary people.
24:33They're coordinated raiders.
24:34My mom highlighted
24:35the wolf head emblem
24:37on the leader's chest.
24:38They only believe in power.
24:40That mindset
24:41could endanger our fortress.
24:43If we go head to head,
24:44we've got maybe
24:44a 30% chance of winning.
24:46We need to use
24:46scarcity economics
24:47to fracture their ranks.
24:48I glanced at mom's calm,
24:49razor-sharp profile,
24:50realizing what lay ahead
24:51was a war for humanity itself,
24:53far harsher than the cold.
24:54The frost wolves
24:55didn't hit the 32nd floor
24:56right away.
24:57They first set up a base
24:58on the 20th floor.
24:59They had beaten everyone
25:00and stolen every last scrap of food.
25:02On the security feed,
25:02we saw those bastards
25:03were vicious,
25:04but their hierarchy
25:04was airtight.
25:05The bottom grunts
25:06got nothing but a dribble
25:07of watery rice porridge.
25:08Good, my mom muttered.
25:09She pushed her glasses
25:09and armed the drone's payload bay.
25:11We didn't drop bombs.
25:12We showered the 20th floor
25:14with flyers,
25:15scrawled in bright red marker.
25:16The pitch was simple.
25:17Rad out one member,
25:18bring his badge
25:19to the 32nd floor
25:20for two packs of food.
25:23Miss Taylor,
25:23you sure this'll work?
25:24Mr. Clark frowned.
25:25They're all on the same team.
25:26When resources are scarce,
25:27alliances are nothing.
25:28It's called
25:29marginal cost baiting
25:30to a grunt at the bottom,
25:32offing the boss
25:32who's been riding them
25:33will get them food
25:34and freedom.
25:35All it costs
25:36is a single treacherous thought.
25:38Soon,
25:38my mom's method worked.
25:39On camera,
25:40the 20th floor camp
25:41erupted into chaos,
25:43followed by dull thuds
25:43and shrieks.
25:44One member with frostbite
25:45all over his body
25:46waited until his leader
25:47was asleep,
25:47then caved his skull
25:48in with a wrench,
25:49snatched the metal wolf head badge
25:50and bolted for the staircase
25:52like a lunatic.
25:52He dropped to his knees
25:53in front of the heavy steel door,
25:55howling and clawing at it.
25:56Through the slot,
25:57my mom passed him
25:58two packs of food.
26:01He grabbed them,
26:02didn't care they were rock hard,
26:03ripped one open
26:04and shoveled it
26:04straight into his mouth.
26:05Eyes blazing
26:06with post-apocalypse mania.
26:07Just watch,
26:08my mom said coldly.
26:09Once he goes back,
26:10he'll be a walking billboard.
26:11The Frost Wolves' trust
26:12between members
26:12was no more.
26:13The battle at Star Bay
26:14slid into a weird stalemate.
26:16Because of our plan,
26:17the Frost Wolves
26:18had to waste their energy
26:19on purges
26:20and backstabbing.
26:21Meanwhile,
26:22Grandma was also busy.
26:23She dug through
26:23those hundreds of boxes
26:25of old clothes
26:25we'd hoarded
26:26and salvaged piles
26:27of cashmere yarn
26:27and thermal batting.
26:28Sitting by the fireplace,
26:29her fingers flew like lightning,
26:31knitting a dozen thick
26:32wool knee pads
26:33and fleece gloves
26:34with grip dots.
26:34Hazel,
26:35you'll need knees
26:36when you go out.
26:36If you injure your knees,
26:37then you're crippled for life.
26:39She passed me
26:39a stack of knee pads.
26:40Her eyes were full of kindness.
26:42My mom looked over
26:43the pile of crafts
26:44and her eyes lit up.
26:45Mom,
26:45you did a great job.
26:46These are high value,
26:48handmade goods.
26:49That very day,
26:49we flew the drone again
26:50and dropped the gear
26:51to residents
26:52still in the building
26:53with a little note.
26:54Give us intel
26:55on Frostwolf ammo
26:56and you'll get
26:56one pair of knee pads.
26:58The trade fired
26:58the survivors right up.
27:00Neighbors who'd been pissed
27:01but didn't dare speak up
27:02became our eyes and ears.
27:04Thanks to their tips,
27:05Mr. Clark rigged
27:06precise booby traps
27:07in the corridor,
27:07blowing up two Frostwolf scouts
27:09sneaking upstairs.
27:10Miss Taylor,
27:11what a great move.
27:12Now the whole building's
27:13watching those guys for us.
27:15The credit's not mine alone.
27:16Mom handed Grandma
27:17a hot drink.
27:18It's a trade.
27:18In this world,
27:19brute force only lasts
27:20for so long.
27:21Only the people
27:22who bring essentials
27:23and warmth
27:23can really lay down order.
27:25Grandma's knee pads
27:25carry more warmth
27:26than bullets,
27:27which makes them deadlier.
27:28Day 45 of the extreme cold.
27:30Our old radio
27:30was hissing with static
27:31then suddenly
27:32snagged a faint
27:33government channel.
27:34This is the emergency
27:35shelter center.
27:35All surviving citizens
27:36proceed to the downtown
27:37underground city.
27:38Warmth and government
27:39rations are available.
27:40Abandon your private shelters.
27:41Grandma's face lit up.
27:43Hazel,
27:43the government's coming for us.
27:44Why don't we move there?
27:46There's safety in numbers.
27:47My mom remained on the sofa,
27:48writing equations
27:49on a scrap of paper.
27:50Five minutes later,
27:51she looked up.
27:51There was no joy
27:52in her eyes,
27:53only seriousness.
27:54No,
27:54that place is a death trap.
27:56Why?
27:56I asked,
27:57baffled.
27:57The numbers don't add up.
27:58Mom turned the notebook
27:59for us to see.
28:00They say the shelter
28:01holds 500 that's and people.
28:03At our city's survival rate,
28:04at least 3 million
28:05will flood in.
28:06The oxygen system,
28:07waste processing,
28:08the power supply,
28:09none of it
28:10can handle that load.
28:11Foods,
28:11the killer.
28:12With broken supply lines,
28:14everyone inside
28:14gets under 200 grams
28:16of starch blocks a day.
28:17That's not a rescue.
28:18It's hurting people together
28:19for a quiet massacre.
28:21My mom stood up,
28:22staring at the white world outside.
28:24When resources are fixed,
28:25the denser the crowd,
28:26the likelier individuals
28:27would be sacrificed.
28:28We stay in Star Bay.
28:29It might be isolated,
28:30but we control all the resources.
28:32Going there,
28:32we'd just be expendables to them.
28:34Mr. Clark nodded too.
28:35A place like the underground city
28:36will inevitably turn
28:37into gladiatorial arena
28:39of survival of the fittest.
28:40Ms. Taylor's calculation is right.
28:41We shouldn't go.
28:42We turned off the radio.
28:42At that moment,
28:43this decision to refuse official rescue
28:45was the last
28:45of our clear understanding
28:47of this world.
28:48Late at night,
28:48the brutal cold outside
28:49seemed to hit its limit.
28:51In the pitch black sky,
28:52ribbons of green light
28:53suddenly bloomed.
28:55They rolled
28:55and intertwined overhead.
28:57The aurora.
28:58My mom stood
28:58at the bulletproof window,
28:59her voice for once soft.
29:01The atmosphere's hot,
29:02cold currents
29:02are out of balance,
29:03so the geomagnetic field
29:04is going haywire.
29:05Such beauty in the apocalypse
29:06shot through
29:07with a killing chill.
29:08A gorgeous view like this
29:09deserves a feast.
29:10Grandma grinned
29:11and began cooking.
29:12My mom popped a precious can
29:13of premium Russian luncheon meat.
29:15Mr. Clark added
29:16a few frozen wild eggs
29:17he had scavenged.
29:18Grandma used
29:18the attic-grown lettuce
29:20and dried chilies
29:21to cook up
29:21a steaming plate of greens.
29:22The staple food was rice.
29:24Power and gas
29:25had been dead for ages,
29:26yet we dined on the
29:2732nd floor of Star Bay
29:29with the heater humming.
29:30The temperature was set
29:30at 23 degrees Celsius.
29:32Mr. Clark felt
29:33a little awkward
29:34sitting at our table
29:34for the first time.
29:35Mom piled him
29:36a mountain of rice
29:37topped with two thick slices
29:38of luncheon meat.
29:39Mr. Clark,
29:39you've been working hard lately.
29:40We've got plenty
29:41of food for you.
29:42My mom raised
29:43a glass of Coke.
29:44Thank you, Miss Taylor.
29:45His voice was a little hoarse,
29:47eyes fixed on that plate
29:48of vivid greens
29:49rimmed with tears.
29:50Out there,
29:50that kind of green
29:51was a myth.
29:52In here,
29:52it was dinner.
29:53Outside,
29:53the aurora lights
29:54shined over the ruined city.
29:55Countless people froze
29:56or starved to death.
29:58Inside,
29:58warm amber light
29:59wrapped around us.
30:00Spicy hot pot steam
30:01curled upward.
30:02Looked at mom and grandma,
30:04then at Mr. Clark beside me.
30:05The apocalypse
30:05didn't break us.
30:06It just burned away
30:07the fake social crap.
30:08We went back
30:09to blood relations
30:10and promises.
30:10As long as we were
30:11still family,
30:12this coldness
30:13was nothing but scenery
30:14to us.
30:15The calmness
30:16was ripped apart
30:17by the low,
30:18glooming roar
30:18of engines.
30:19Day 48 of the extreme cold
30:20through a high-power
30:21thermoscope,
30:22I saw five modded
30:23heavy off-road trucks
30:24spreading out in a fan
30:25around the Star Bay building.
30:26Knife-edged snowplows
30:27were welded to the grills.
30:28Blinding searchlights
30:29glared from the roofs.
30:30Miss Taylor,
30:30they've rounded up
30:31every stray scumbag nearby.
30:33Mr. Clark checked
30:33his rifle safety
30:34while giving mom
30:35a rapid sit rep.
30:35There's roughly 40 of them.
30:37Their leader is the head
30:38of the Frost Wolves.
30:39His name's Scar.
30:40They're loaded
30:40with homemade bombs
30:41and industrial cutters.
30:42Looks like they're set
30:43on busting into the lobby
30:44of the ground floor.
30:45My mom didn't panic.
30:46Instead, she pulled out
30:47Star Bay's structural blueprints.
30:48A frontal assault
30:49is inevitable.
30:49Their supplies have ran out.
30:51If they don't take ours,
30:51half of them
30:52will freeze to death tonight.
30:53The lobby glass downstairs
30:54is reinforced,
30:55but a homemade charge
30:55will blow right through it.
30:56Hazel,
30:57Mr. Clark,
30:58abandon the first 10 floors.
30:59Lock every fire door.
31:00Lure them into the shafts
31:02and stairwells.
31:03Those tight vertical tubes,
31:04their numbers
31:05turn into dead weight.
31:06It's the best choice we've got.
31:07Mom noted the energy drain
31:08in her notebook.
31:09This time,
31:09we burned 3 kilowatt hours
31:11and 10 liters
31:11of industrial lube.
31:12They flooded into the lobby
31:13like a tide.
31:14Mr. Clark,
31:15get ready for the next wave.
31:16They're going to use
31:17the cutters.
31:18They don't know that.
31:19From the moment
31:19they stepped into this building,
31:21they had entered
31:21my mom's death trap.
31:23In this vertical steel chimney,
31:24each floor they climbed
31:25would cost them
31:26precious stamina
31:27and oxygen.
31:28The thugs
31:28quickly realized
31:29that the fire escapes
31:30to the upper floors
31:31were sealed
31:31by over a dozen steel doors.
31:33Scar,
31:33their leader,
31:34wasted no time
31:35giving orders.
31:35He told a couple
31:36of his nimblest guys
31:37to climb the elevator shaft.
31:38Few agile members
31:39started scrambling
31:40up the cables.
31:41They've gone into the shaft.
31:42I kept my eyes
31:43on the pressure sensors
31:43on the monitor.
31:44Mr. Clark had mounted them
31:45on the cable base
31:46in advance.
31:46Start the lube plan.
31:48Mom gave the order.
31:49Mr. Clark hit the remote.
31:50All four spray tanks
31:51we had hidden
31:52in the machine room
31:52fired at once.
31:53A torrent
31:54of industrial lubricant
31:55cascaded down
31:56the four main lift cables.
31:57Even at mega
31:58to 60 degrees Celsius,
31:59that stuff
31:59was still very slick.
32:01After that,
32:01Mr. Clark hooked
32:02a high voltage
32:03discharge module
32:04to the cables.
32:05It was stripped
32:05from a Tesla battery pack.
32:07The thugs
32:07who'd been climbing
32:08like monkeys
32:09a moment earlier
32:09knew something was off.
32:11The instant their hands
32:12touched the cables,
32:13that greasy mess
32:14made it impossible
32:14to keep a grip.
32:15Then a blue arc
32:16ripped down the steel lines.
32:18Screams echoed
32:19through the narrow shaft.
32:21Losing their hold,
32:22the thugs dropped
32:23from various heights
32:24and landed hard
32:25at the bottom
32:26of the shaft.
32:27Take away friction
32:27at a blast
32:28of high voltage
32:29and we just wiped out
32:30five of their best men.
32:31Repeated setbacks
32:32made Scar furious.
32:34They stacked a mountain
32:34of junk tires
32:35and cheap plastic
32:36on the ground floor,
32:37doused it in gas
32:37and lit it up.
32:38The thick, toxic smoke
32:39powered by the chimney effect
32:41rocketed up the vents
32:42toward the higher floors.
32:43Miss Taylor,
32:43they're trying to choke us
32:44to death!
32:44Mr. Clark's voice
32:45sounded through his gas mask,
32:46low and muffled.
32:47This tactic is a joke
32:48against a modern building.
32:49My mom pushed her glasses
32:50and started working the console.
32:52Hazel,
32:52switch the air ventilation
32:53to reverse
32:54and hope that crate
32:55of concentrated CS gas
32:56to the atomizer heads.
32:58I sprinted to the machine room.
32:59I twisted a cylinder
32:59labeled CS tear gas
33:01concentrate into the port.
33:02Three giant centrifugal fans
33:04lured to life,
33:05spinning in reverse.
33:05The rising smoke
33:06was blown back down
33:08to the 25th floor.
33:09At the same time,
33:10air laced with tears,
33:12gas flooded every floor
33:13through the vents.
33:14Contact with it
33:15would make one feel
33:15like their skin
33:16like their skin
33:16is on fire.
33:17Breathing would cause
33:18one to go blind.
33:20Soon the stairwell
33:21echoed with coughs
33:22and puking.
33:23The raiders quickly
33:24dropped their cutters.
33:25They stumbled in the dark
33:26like headless chickens
33:27trampling on each other.
33:28That's the power of chemistry.
33:29Mom watched the monitors
33:30as the figures on the floor
33:31writhed in agony.
33:32No bullets needed,
33:33just change the air composition.
33:34It can destroy
33:35their organizational cohesion.
33:36Mr. Clark,
33:37prepare for the
33:37decapitation strike.
33:38Scar should be hiding
33:38on the 10th floor
33:39where there's no ventilation.
33:41That's his only way out.
33:41And that's where
33:42we'll catch him.
33:43Scar has to die.
33:44If he's alive,
33:45he'll always be a threat.
33:46My mom drew a circle
33:47on the map.
33:47Her eyes had that cold,
33:48number cruncher look
33:49only an actuary would have.
33:50Mr. Clark suited up
33:51in a lightweight
33:52spec ops rig.
33:52Two coils of high tensile
33:54Kevlar rope
33:54were slung across his back.
33:55He glanced at the blizzard,
33:56howling outside the window.
33:57Ms. Taylor,
33:58I'll rappel straight down
33:59the outside wall
33:59to the 10th floor.
34:00At that height,
34:01they'll never see someone
34:02dropping in from above.
34:03Hazel,
34:03you handle the drone.
34:04Use the strobes to blind them.
34:05I'll blast high decibel static
34:07through the building's speakers
34:09to jam their short range comms.
34:11Once we move,
34:12make it fast and clean.
34:13I piloted the modified drone,
34:15easing it down
34:15the outside of Star Bay.
34:17Bathed in moonlight
34:18and the aurora lights,
34:19Mr. Clark slid down
34:20the outside wall
34:21with practiced ease,
34:22skating past
34:23every jutting icicle.
34:24The second my mom
34:25hit the static button,
34:26deafening white noise
34:27flooded every motion sensor
34:28speaker in the building.
34:30The roar was ear-splitting.
34:31At the same moment,
34:32I jerked the drone
34:33to hover outside
34:34the balcony of the 10th floor.
34:35Four high-power LED strobes
34:36were turned on,
34:37turning the room
34:38into daylight.
34:39Scar hacking behind.
34:40The curtains
34:40was blinded immediately.
34:41He pulled out
34:42his homemade shotgun
34:43and fired wildly.
34:45At that moment,
34:45Mr. Clark broke into the room.
34:48He didn't say anything
34:49and just swung his knife.
34:51Scar didn't even have time
34:51to close his eyes
34:53before a warm jet of blood
34:54burst from his neck
34:55and became a red mist
34:56in the cold air.
34:57Scar's head
34:58was hauled into the lobby
34:59on the 20th floor
35:00by Mr. Clark.
35:01The thugs who survived
35:02the tear gas
35:02were now huddled
35:03under blankets,
35:04shaking.
35:04The instant they saw
35:05that head,
35:06their will to fight,
35:07disappeared.
35:08From now on,
35:09Frostwolves is no more.
35:10Mr. Clark's domineering voice
35:12echoed through
35:12the silent hallway.
35:13My mom,
35:14wrapped in a heavy mink coat,
35:16was escorted downstairs
35:16by Mr. Clark and me.
35:18She stood among the crowd,
35:19pushed her glasses,
35:20and opened some files.
35:21My name's Martha Taylor.
35:22I'm the one in charge here.
35:23We don't feed dead weight.
35:25Anyone with a medical license
35:26or mechanical repair skills,
35:27step up.
35:28Anyone with farming
35:29or electrical experience,
35:30step up.
35:31Under the threat
35:31of death and hunger,
35:33the survivors raised
35:33their trembling hands.
35:35Good.
35:35Mom jotted their names
35:36in her notebook.
35:36Dr. Wallace,
35:37Mr. Barton,
35:38Mr. Brooks,
35:39you are tier one tech labor.
35:40You live on the 30th floor
35:41and have meat
35:42with every meal.
35:43Everyone else who's young
35:43and fit falls into tier three
35:45manual labor.
35:45You'll clear snow
35:46and patch the walls.
35:47Do well and you can move up.
35:49As for the ones
35:49with criminal records
35:50or who just want a free ride,
35:52Mom glanced to the pitch black
35:52ice field outside.
35:53Her tone remained flat.
35:54Mr. Clark,
35:55toss those last five punks outside.
35:56This is a fortress,
35:57not a charity.
35:58Every calorie has to be earned.
36:00The sounds of the five
36:01begging for mercy
36:02were swallowed by the blizzard.
36:03Star Bay had finally
36:04set up a hierarchy.
36:05This new order,
36:06built on supplies
36:06and skill
36:07was far sturdier
36:08than any rule of brute force.
36:09The entire Star Bay building
36:10was cleared out
36:11and split into zones.
36:12My mom named the place
36:13the Taylor Cooperative.
36:15She set up
36:15a precise point management system.
36:17Hazel,
36:18you don't run a crowd
36:18with force.
36:19You bait them with payoff.
36:21She sketched a pyramid
36:22on the chalkboard.
36:23The 32nd floor
36:23was still the core
36:24restricted zone.
36:25Only our family
36:26and Mr. Clark lived there.
36:27We kept the generators,
36:28the seed bank,
36:28and most of the premium supplies.
36:30Floors 30 to 31
36:31were turned into a tech hub.
36:33Dr. Wallace,
36:33plus our two mechanics,
36:34Mr. Brooks
36:35and Mr. Barton lived there.
36:36They kept everyone healthy
36:37and the building running.
36:39Floors 20 through 29
36:40became the labor zone.
36:41Those guys took turns
36:42scavenging fuel
36:43and clearing threats nearby.
36:44Mom gave each of them
36:45a custom point token.
36:47The amount of food or fuel
36:48one was allowed to trade for
36:50was labeled specifically.
36:51Betray us,
36:52you starve.
36:53Obey us,
36:53you live.
36:54Such simple logic
36:55is the most effective.
36:56Grandma became
36:57the logistics chief.
36:58She and a crew of women
36:59built a bigger
36:59indoor greenhouse
37:00on the 25th floor.
37:02They used scrap plastic
37:03to do so.
37:05They composted kitchen waste
37:06with water
37:06pumped up from the basement.
37:08When people got
37:08their first bowl of food,
37:09which was a mixture of rice,
37:11meat bits,
37:11dried vegetables,
37:12many just dropped
37:13to their knees and cried.
37:14In a time when morals
37:15had collapsed,
37:16Mom used ice-cold calculus
37:17to give these desperate souls
37:19the illusion of order.
37:21Day 60 of the extreme cold.
37:22An armored vehicle
37:23pulled up
37:23at the building entrance.
37:24It was a matte black
37:25armored truck.
37:27The government shelter logo
37:28was plastered on the side.
37:29Two envoys climbed out,
37:30wrapped in high-tech
37:31exo-armor
37:32and sealed helmets.
37:33They stopped
37:33at the locked steel doors
37:34and barked through a megaphone.
37:35Manager of Star Bay,
37:36we're here on behalf
37:37of the central underground city.
37:39Under emergency regulations,
37:40you must hand over
37:41all remaining supplies
37:42and generators.
37:43Everyone will be relocated.
37:45My mom stood in front
37:45of the monitor,
37:46sneered,
37:47and pressed the intercom.
37:48Relocation.
37:48You mean,
37:49turned into labor
37:49for your bunker
37:50or maybe forced to dig mines
37:51for your rich pals?
37:52We've got no spare supplies,
37:53just landmines,
37:54locked and loaded.
37:55You should leave.
37:55The envoys clearly
37:56didn't expect anyone
37:57to defy the authorities.
37:58Ms. Taylor,
37:59face reality.
37:59The underground city
38:00has real troops
38:01and a full industrial base.
38:02Resistance is pointless.
38:04You have 24 hours to comply
38:05or you'll face the consequences.
38:07Mr. Clark tightened his grip
38:08on the sniper rifle
38:09and glanced at my mom.
38:10Ms. Taylor,
38:11they're after our resources.
38:12Sure,
38:12the underground city's big,
38:13but with this weather,
38:14their supply lines are cut too.
38:15They're here to steal our resources.
38:17They're desperate.
38:18If they still had resources to spare,
38:19they wouldn't just send two envoys.
38:21They'd kick things off
38:21with attack choppers.
38:2224 hours?
38:23That means they're hesitating.
38:25Hazel,
38:25haul out that crate of antibiotics
38:26we've been hoarding.
38:27We're not surrendering
38:28our resources.
38:29We can make a deal with them.
38:30When the envoys
38:31knocked on our door again,
38:32my mom kept them out
38:33and sent Mr. Clark
38:34outside with a crate.
38:35He popped it open in the snow.
38:3650 boxes of amoxicillin,
38:3820 bottles of ibuprofen,
38:39and 10 bags of saline
38:41were stacked neatly.
38:42Even through their masks,
38:43I could hear
38:43those two envoys panting.
38:45Call it a welcome gift.
38:46Mom's voice boomed
38:47from the speaker.
38:48Right now,
38:48you don't lack gold
38:49or generators.
38:50You lack meds.
38:51I can keep them coming,
38:52but you need to trade for them
38:54with what I want.
38:54What do you want?
38:55The envoy asked.
38:56Voice suddenly polite.
38:57Heavy weapons.
38:58Two QJG-02AA guns,
39:01three crates of grenades,
39:02and schematics
39:02for two nuclear fuel cell interfaces,
39:04plus intel on whoever's
39:05bankrolling the Frostwolves.
39:07The envoys went silent,
39:08clearly checking with HQ.
39:10That violates protocol.
39:11Rules don't mean anything
39:12at minus 70.
39:13Without the meds,
39:14then you'll have
39:15a hundred extra bodies
39:16in your clinic by dawn.
39:17Deal or war,
39:18you've got 10 minutes.
39:19The armored truck
39:20finally dumped
39:20two crates of heavy ammo
39:22and left with the medicine.
39:23Mom eyed the brand new guns,
39:24turned to Mr. Clark
39:25and said,
39:26mount these weapons on the roof.
39:27They won't let this slide.
39:29They gave in
39:29because they needed time.
39:31Once they're ready,
39:32they'll come back
39:33in a larger scale.
39:34We need to use these weapons
39:35and turn Star Bay
39:36into a fortress
39:37they can't punch through.
39:39Just as we were scrambling
39:40to get ready,
39:40a weird illness
39:41suddenly broke out
39:41inside Star Bay.
39:42Two workers on the 25th floor
39:44started puking
39:45and getting fevers.
39:46But unlike a normal cold,
39:47their skin turned
39:48to creepy bluish purple,
39:49like ice shards
39:50were running through their veins
39:51instead of blood.
39:52Ms. Taylor,
39:53it's the low-temp mutant virus.
39:54Dr. Wallace,
39:54wrapped in a homemade hazmat suit,
39:56reported to Mom
39:56from behind the glass
39:57of the observation room,
39:58this virus is most active
39:59around negative 40 degrees Celsius.
40:01The infected first feel
40:02unbearably hot,
40:03then die when their organs
40:04flash freeze.
40:05If it spreads,
40:05the whole co-op is finished.
40:07Everyone in the building
40:08began to panic.
40:08People started eyeing
40:09each other with suspicion.
40:10Some even tried
40:11to bolt out of the building.
40:12Lock down every passage
40:13from the 25th
40:14to the 30th floor.
40:15Hazel,
40:15take out those 50 crates
40:16of antibiotics,
40:17the antiviral syrup,
40:18and our mountain
40:18of vitamin C.
40:19Tell everyone that
40:20as long as they stay
40:20in quarantine,
40:21there's more than enough
40:22meds to go around.
40:23Mom took the mic herself,
40:24voice steady and commanding.
40:25Listen up,
40:26we've got plenty of medicine.
40:27Take your preventive doses
40:28on schedule.
40:29And this thing is curable.
40:30Anyone who tries to hide
40:30their symptoms
40:31will be executed.
40:32Anyone who stirs up trouble
40:33will be executed.
40:35Mr. Clark,
40:35lead a patrol.
40:36Under that mix of threat
40:37and promised meds,
40:38the panic miraculously died down.
40:40Mom never had any magic cure.
40:41She had just done the math.
40:42The virus killed the weak.
40:43But for the well-nourished,
40:44the fatality rate
40:45was under 5%.
40:46By doling out
40:47those pricey preventatives,
40:48we not only kept
40:48everyone calm.
40:49We also used the outbreak
40:50to weed out
40:51every last piece of dead weight.
40:53Just as the outbreak
40:53was finally under control,
40:55the underground city
40:55launched an attack.
40:56But it wasn't
40:57armored trucks this time.
40:58It was a full squadron
40:59of attack choppers.
41:00They slipped in
41:00during a lull in the blizzard,
41:02trying to fast rope
41:02onto Star Bay's roof.
41:03They just broke the deal!
41:05A glare of the red dots
41:05on the radar
41:06with cold eyes.
41:06Classic market competition.
41:07Mom took a sip of hot tea calmly.
41:09When looting costs
41:10less than trading,
41:11war's inevitable.
41:12They think we're just
41:13civilians guarding meds.
41:14Mr. Clark is already on the roof.
41:16The two heavy machine guns
41:17we got from them
41:18roared to life.
41:19From our perch
41:19on the 32nd floor,
41:21the choppers were already
41:22fighting the sub-zero turbulence.
41:24One burst from the AA gun
41:25shredded the lead rotor.
41:27A blinding fireball followed.
41:29The birds spiraled
41:30into the abyss.
41:31Hazel,
41:32set off the thermite traps
41:33on the roof!
41:34I pressed the red switch.
41:35A ring of white-hot fire
41:37erupted around
41:38Star Bay's rooftop.
41:39The heat spike
41:39flipped the pressure,
41:41kicking up
41:41a savage updraft.
41:43The last two choppers
41:44were shaking
41:45as if they had hit
41:46an invisible wall.
41:47Their instruments went dark
41:48one by one.
41:48The pilots screamed for help
41:50but could only watch the birds
41:51lose control
41:52as they crashed
41:53into a building nearby.
41:54The deal's off.
41:54Now we must be on the defense.
41:56Mom stood up,
41:57eyes on the distant flames.
41:58As of today,
41:59Star Bay answers
42:00to no one.
42:01We are the new law
42:02of this frozen wasteland.
42:03The fireball from the crash
42:04flared for only a few seconds
42:06in the blizzard
42:06before darkness swallowed it whole.
42:08At dawn,
42:08as the first faint light
42:09broke over the horizon,
42:11I spotted a few giant steel beasts
42:12crawling across the distant snowfield.
42:14They were assault vehicles
42:15painted in white camouflage.
42:16The sound of their tires
42:17crushing the snow
42:18sounded like thunder
42:19rolling over the earth.
42:20They had gone all out this time.
42:21Mr. Clark wiped the frost
42:22off his face,
42:23clutching the binoculars tightly.
42:24Three assault vehicles
42:25and two platoons of infantry.
42:27Miss Taylor,
42:27with armor that thick,
42:28our AA machine guns
42:29won't even scratch them.
42:30They're planning to blast
42:31our building's foundation.
42:33My mom sat at the command desk.
42:34There was not a hint
42:35of panic in her eyes.
42:36She pushed her glasses
42:36and pointed at the temperature
42:37readout on screen.
42:38It's negative 75 degrees
42:39Celsius out there.
42:40Those trucks were built
42:41for normal wars.
42:42In this kind of weather,
42:43their hydraulics,
42:44steel, and lube
42:45are all about to crack.
42:47They're only pushing forward
42:48because they think
42:49we lack heavy weapons.
42:50Mom, what should we do?
42:51My palms were sweating
42:52as those monsters
42:53kept closing in.
42:54We hit them asynchronously.
42:56Hazel,
42:57take out some
42:58hydraulic coolant
42:59and concentrated
43:00liquid nitrogen.
43:01Mr. Clark,
43:02tell every co-op member
43:02to get to basement level two.
43:04We're turning the ground floor
43:05of Star Bay
43:05into a deep freeze
43:06that'll shatter their vehicles.
43:08Facing a sweep
43:08by the regular army,
43:09people in Star Bay
43:10were in turmoil.
43:11Those former thugs
43:12and ordinary citizens
43:13stared at the distant vehicles
43:14with despair
43:15all over the faces.
43:16Some even suggested
43:16opening the gates
43:17and surrendering
43:18just to stay alive.
43:19My mom did a co-op broadcaster.
43:20Her voice booming
43:21through loudspeakers
43:22on every floor.
43:22Everyone,
43:23the envoys from
43:24Underground City
43:24have made it clear
43:25they want the supplies
43:26and the generators,
43:27not you.
43:28In their math,
43:28you're a negative number
43:29on the ration spreadsheet.
43:30If you go with them,
43:31your only role
43:32is slave labor
43:32in the mines
43:33or be left for dead
43:34when the food runs out.
43:35But here,
43:36in the Taylor Cooperative,
43:37as long as you pick up a weapon,
43:38then you'll have hot food,
43:39dignity,
43:39and the right to stay alive.
43:41My mom's words crushed
43:42their illusions and dreams.
43:44Mr. Clark,
43:45hand out the guns.
43:46We dragged out the grenades
43:47we've recently got.
43:48Plus piles of homemade Molotovs
43:49and steel crossbows.
43:50The workers who had been
43:51cowering a minute ago
43:52burst into raw savagery
43:53under the threat of death.
43:54As long as Star Bay stands,
43:56no one will starve.
43:57Dr. Wallace was the first
43:58to shout,
43:58those once selfish,
44:00greedy, petty people
44:00locked ranks
44:01for the very first time.
44:02With brutal honesty,
44:03mom laid out the numbers
44:03and pulled off the tightest,
44:04fastest pre-battle rally ever.
44:05The first armored truck
44:06plowed straight through
44:07the compound wall.
44:08A giant camber,
44:09slow and slow.
44:09You throw in on the
44:10ground floor lobby of Star Bay.
44:11Using its own weight,
44:12you try to ram the main doors.
44:13Now!
44:14My mom roared over the radio.
44:15Mr. Clark charged in
44:16with a team behind him.
44:17They erupted from a
44:17pre-duft sewage tunnel
44:18on the flank.
44:19They didn't have any explosives
44:20on them.
44:20Just a few massive
44:21industrial liquid nitrogen
44:22things roll along.
44:23In an ironing of 973 degrees,
44:24the nitrogen spray
44:25made a temperature
44:25around it drop drastically.
44:27The truck cracked
44:27and almost already brittle
44:28from the cold
44:29under the influence
44:30of the liquid nitrogen
44:31began to screech loudly.
44:33That's the physics
44:34of cold embrittlement.
44:35Under such brutal
44:35temperature swings,
44:36alloy steel turns as fragile
44:38as glass.
44:39Spotting his moment,
44:40Mr. Clark lifted
44:40a weighted industrial
44:41sledgehammer
44:42and smashed it down
44:43on the track joint
44:44with a sharp metallic
44:45cracking sound.
44:46The assault vehicle,
44:47which weighed tons,
44:48cracked into pieces.
44:50After being immobilized,
44:51it was now a steel coffin
44:53in the snow.
44:53Members of the co-op
44:54poured a gas cocktail
44:55from above.
44:56The flames couldn't melt
44:57that armor,
44:57but the whiplash of heat
44:58against deep freeze
44:59made the viewing ports
45:00blow out one after another.
45:01Their commander
45:02could only watch helplessly
45:03as the vehicle
45:04was turned to scrap.
45:05Seeing a ground assault
45:06bog down,
45:07the underground city commander
45:08ordered the last two choppers
45:09to skim low
45:10to cover the rooftop
45:11and the repelling troops
45:12with machine gun fire.
45:13Hazel, bring out
45:14the big surprise
45:15we've prepared
45:16for three years.
45:16It was a crate
45:17of high-density display fireworks.
45:18Um, snagged them back.
45:19The apocalypse
45:19sees were no ordinary fireworks.
45:21They were pro-grade flame jets
45:22used in big shows.
45:23Mom, you really think
45:24these can take down a helicopter?
45:25I wasn't so sure.
45:25They don't have to punch
45:26through the fuselage.
45:27Just blind the heights
45:28and scramble their senses.
45:28Up here,
45:29the hot gold air currents
45:30are a mess.
45:30A burst of metal powder
45:31makes a brutal heat bubble
45:33that chokes a turbine
45:34in seconds
45:35and fries the infrared sensors
45:36immediately.
45:37When the choppers hovered
45:38at less than 20 meters overhead,
45:39I hit the remote.
45:40Dozens of fireworks
45:42shot towards the sky,
45:43detonating right under the rotors.
45:45Lazing white fireballs
45:46bloomed like tiny suns.
45:48The glare stunned the pilots
45:49for a moment.
45:50To the real killer
45:51as magnesium aluminum ash
45:52sucked into the intakes,
45:54triggering catastrophic
45:54mechanical failure.
45:55The birds spiraled out of control
45:57like a hammered drunk.
45:58Tail smashed to the lighting
45:59raw roof.
45:59With a hopeless roar,
46:01it cartwheeled
46:02into the office building
46:02across the street,
46:04scrawling a brief,
46:04brilliant streak of fire
46:05across the gray sky.
46:06The attackers
46:07were completely crippled.
46:08Broken tanks
46:08and burning wreckage
46:10littered the snowfields.
46:11The remaining infantry
46:11were stuck out there
46:12at minus 70.
46:13Their morale had hit
46:14an all-time low
46:14with no supplies
46:15or heat.
46:16If they don't get back
46:17to Underground City
46:17within an hour,
46:18they would freeze to death.
46:19Mom had Mr. Clark
46:20set up a huge screen
46:21at the entrance.
46:22There was no threat on it.
46:23There was just a detailed map.
46:25It tagged three hidden
46:26supply caches
46:26around Underground City.
46:27A thundering loudspeaker
46:29carried our offer.
46:30Commander,
46:31this is Martha Taylor.
46:32You know exactly
46:32what that unit of yours
46:33is worth.
46:34Instead of letting them die
46:35in a pointless siege,
46:36how about we make a deal?
46:38The enemy commander's reply
46:39crackled over the public channel.
46:40He sounded lost
46:41and exhausted.
46:41What do you want?
46:42We want access
46:43to your city's energy nodes.
46:44In return,
46:45I'll hand over the locations
46:46of those three caches.
46:47They're packed
46:47with antibiotics
46:48and concentrated fuel
46:49enough to squash
46:50the outbreak in your city.
46:52Plus,
46:52Star Bay gets official status
46:53as an independent district.
46:54We mind our own business
46:55but trade when needed.
46:56My mom played
46:57a dangerous game.
46:58Those three spots
46:58did have supplies
46:59but they were all
47:00booby trapped.
47:01But at that moment,
47:02facing total annihilation,
47:04Underground City
47:04had no choice.
47:05Deal.
47:06The commander's tone
47:06finally softened.
47:07In this fight,
47:08Mom won
47:08with almost no losses
47:09and bought the cooperative
47:1010 years of legal standing.
47:12Three days after the deal,
47:13the Underground City.
47:14Convoy returned to Star Bay
47:15but this time,
47:16they weren't hauling ammo.
47:17They brought precision parts
47:18and high-grade industrial alcohol.
47:20Star Bay was officially renamed
47:21the Taylor Zone.
47:22Mom met the city's liaison
47:23in the living room
47:24on the 32nd floor.
47:25She held a steaming cup of tea.
47:26The liaison stared
47:27at the fresh lettuce
47:28on the table.
47:28He swallowed.
47:29Ms. Taylor,
47:31our experts are curious
47:32about how you set this place up.
47:34How are your living standards
47:35so high
47:35when resources are so scarce?
47:37Through actuarial science,
47:38every habit gets a calorie audit.
47:40Every input has to equal output.
47:42In your world,
47:42people are dead weight.
47:44In mine,
47:44people are part of the cycle.
47:46Now everyone in the cooperative
47:47is fired up.
47:48They just have to
47:48mine the greenhouse
47:49and patrol the corridors.
47:51Mr. Clark had become
47:51the Zone's official instructor.
47:53He trained all the young
47:53and strong male members.
47:54With just a calculator,
47:56Mom carved us a slice of land
47:57out of these ruins.
47:59Day 70 of the extreme cold.
48:00Something worth celebrating
48:01had happened in Star Bay.
48:02Dr. Wallace,
48:03the woman Mr. Clark saved
48:04whilst on patrol
48:05after working together
48:05for weeks.
48:06The two of them
48:07developed feelings
48:07for each other.
48:08Mom decided to throw them
48:09a simple wedding.
48:10It was in the hall
48:10on the 30th floor.
48:11There was no wedding dress,
48:12no fresh flowers.
48:13Everyone showed up
48:13in their tidiest parkas,
48:14a red plastic blossom
48:15pinned to each chest.
48:16Grandma took out
48:17her most valuable treasure,
48:18a few pounds of flour
48:19and some butter.
48:20She personally baked
48:21a big and tasty cake
48:22just to stay alive
48:23in the apocalypse
48:23and still meet the one
48:24you'd spend forever with
48:25was a true blessing.
48:26Grandma smiled
48:26as she wiped her tears.
48:27Mom stood up front
48:28as the witness.
48:29She raised a glass
48:30of sparkling water.
48:31Here in the Taylor Cooperative,
48:32marriage means
48:32sharing every risk
48:34and living a happy life together.
48:35May your love last forever.
48:37The hall erupted in applause.
48:39That day,
48:40everyone got
48:40a tiny slice of cake.
48:41That long lost
48:42buttery sweetness
48:43made most people's eyes
48:44turned red.
48:45Outside,
48:46it was minus 70 degrees Celsius.
48:47Inside was the glow
48:48of the warm lights.
48:49For a moment,
48:50we almost forgot
48:50it was the apocalypse.
48:51It was the third year
48:52of the extreme cold.
48:53There was a tiny bump
48:54on the temp chart.
48:55Mom, look!
48:56I pointed to the screen.
48:57The temperature's gone up
48:58to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
48:5940 degrees Celsius.
49:00That was hell.
49:02Now it felt like
49:02the first hint of spring.
49:04Throw on a lighter parka
49:05and took Mr. Clark's
49:06recon team with me.
49:06This outside starbase
49:07mean gate for the first time.
49:08The snow was still thick,
49:10but that cold wind
49:11had finally eased.
49:13In one corner of the garden,
49:14a weird pale purple shimmer
49:15caught my eye.
49:16Under a thick layer of ice,
49:17a plant had broken through.
49:19Its tiny green tip
49:20shined under the sunlight.
49:21Life would always find a way.
49:23Mr. Clark crouched down.
49:24His rough fingers
49:25brushed the green.
49:26Miss Taylor was right.
49:27As long as we survive
49:28the coldest days,
49:29the rest is just rebuilding.
49:30I took out my camera,
49:31took a picture of the first plant
49:32after the apocalypse.
49:33That day,
49:34everyone in Star Bay
49:35rushed to the windows.
49:36When they saw us
49:37returning with that pot
49:38of sprouting grass,
49:39the whole building
49:40exploded with cheers.
49:41We didn't just survive.
49:42We caught the first spark
49:44of new life.
49:44As the temperature
49:45slowly rose,
49:46Mom tweaked
49:47the cooperative's
49:47development plan.
49:48Supplies would run out,
49:49but knowledge
49:49and productivity
49:50wouldn't.
49:50She started
49:51an apocalypse school
49:52inside the co-op.
49:53Grandma taught the women
49:53to turn scrap clothes
49:54into gear
49:54and make compos.
49:55Mr. Clark showed the men
49:56how to keep the machines running
49:57and stay alive outdoors.
49:58Dr. Wallace ran
49:59basic first aid classes
50:00and Mom personally
50:01taught the surviving kids
50:03math and logic.
50:04Why are we learning
50:04such things?
50:05A little boy
50:06clutching dry biscuit
50:07asked,
50:07It's nothing but snow
50:08outside.
50:09Will math scare off
50:09mutant wolves?
50:10Mom patted his head calmly.
50:12That won't kill wolves,
50:13but it'll tell you
50:13the odds of a pack
50:14showing up.
50:15Logic keeps you clear-headed
50:16when everyone else
50:17is losing it.
50:18Civilization isn't a skyscraper.
50:19It's how we make sense
50:20of the world in our heads.
50:21The co-ops started
50:22expanding outward.
50:23Using the underground
50:23city's heavy machinery,
50:25we cleared the nearby streets
50:26and set up small settlements
50:28that could back each other up.
50:29Star Bay was no longer
50:30a fortress cut off
50:31from the world.
50:31It became a beacon
50:32that lit up
50:33the surrounding area.
50:33Mom still wrote
50:34in that old notebook
50:35every day.
50:36She was crunching numbers
50:37on food and on the future.
50:38She wanted to combine
50:38the survival tips
50:39into a set of rules
50:40to be passed down.
50:41Three more years passed
50:42in the blink of an eye.
50:43I stood on the rooftop
50:44of Star Bay.
50:45I was already 26.
50:46The temperature had gone
50:47up to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
50:48The sky was no longer
50:49that dark gray color.
50:50In the distance,
50:50the snow was melting,
50:51revealing the outline
50:52of a ruined city.
50:53Snowmobiles zipped
50:54through the streets
50:55and smoke curled
50:55from chimneys
50:56were telling me
50:57that mankind
50:57were taking back
50:58their lands.
50:59Hazel, don't stay up
51:00there for too long.
51:00Grandma made some pork.
51:02Come have some.
51:02Mom's voice echoed
51:03in the stairwell.
51:04She still sounded calm
51:05like before.
51:05Turned around
51:06and saw Mom
51:07and Grandma
51:07at the door.
51:08Grandma had aged a lot,
51:09but she still looked energetic.
51:10Mom had a few more
51:11streaks of gray hair,
51:12yet those eyes
51:13behind her glasses
51:14still gleamed
51:15with wisdom of an actuary.
51:16Mr. Clark was downstairs
51:17training the new guards.
51:18Dr. Wallace and his daughter
51:19were in the rooftop greenhouse
51:20picking our first strawberries.
51:22Mom, you said that the apocalypse
51:24was a test of humanity.
51:25I wrapped my arms around hers.
51:26Mom, you said that the apocalypse
51:27was a test of our humanity.
51:29No, it's just one massive ledger.
51:31It erases every phony value
51:33and leaves only what's real.
51:34Blood, courage,
51:36and the urge to survive.
51:37We never save the world.
51:38We've only saved ourselves.
51:40I gave Star Bay,
51:41the building that sheltered us,
51:42for six years.
51:43One last look.
51:43In my past life,
51:44I died from the cold and betrayal.
51:46This time,
51:46I used my knowledge
51:47to build a fortress
51:48that no one could break through.
51:49No matter what the future was like,
51:51as long as we had family,
51:52as long as we had hope,
51:54life would always carry on.
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