The Cold

Cold. All that is known is the cold. The Sun died long ago, leaving the Earth on its last breaths. We struggled on; but the cold was everywhere. They tell me that when I was little, the sun was there. High and strong and yellow. I don’t know about that, but I do remember the warmth. I remember being warm and the dark coming like some someone has just flicked a light switch. At first our power held out, history tells us about a year. Then the plants started to die. The ones that adapted turned white and frail. Ugly things to look at. My parents went soon after that. Constant cold and winter was forever. We have ice everywhere, but the wood is slowly going away. Those of us who can find it are considered rich, or at least someone to be reckoned with. The hard part really is keeping the wanderers from it. Mostly its just me, but I find people every now and then. I’m one of the lucky ones they say. A greenhouse my parents and I used to tend to plants with. Now I’m just here with Bonnie and we take care of the only things that matter�" The trees. Some make us food. Some make us heat. Either one dies and we die, but I don’t care. We’re gonna die anyway so I just figure why fight it? Bonnie doesn’t believe that though. She believes that somehow we are here for a reason. She keeps talking about some higher power. She’s not as bad the religious nuts who run our section of Earth, but it still strange how she always seems so warm even when there is nothing but the cold. Today we’re supposed to go and meet in the town. Useless I think, but she says that we have to remake some form of civilization. I want to stay, make sure The Wanderers leave our life alone, but she insists everything will be fine. Again, I don’t know, but I have to make things work. 

“Amelia? Do you have the rover ready?”

“Of course its ready Bon, been ready for an hour. What have you been doing?”

I look her over. Her face looks different somehow, her dark brown chestnut hair still frames her face, same dimples and goofy grin, but she’s to perfect. Its not like her at all. I search for something I know is there, the zit that was forming just by her left eyebrow. It’s gone. A little bump, but the angry red is gone. Her lips are more red than usual.

“Stop looking at me like that, its just make up”

I narrow my eyes. That kind luxury costs almost a whole branch. Such luxuries could put us out of the warmth we work so hard to maintain. 

“We can’t afford that.”

“Of course we can! We have fourteen trees to our name for fire alone!”

She doesn’t get it. How could she? She’s just sixteen, never felt genuine warmth. All she has ever known is the cold. A chill goes down my spine but I cut it off. Emotions aren’t allowed to make me cold. I hate the cold. She smiles and her warmth radiates making me give a little smile. I have no clue where it comes from, that warm glow inside of her, or how it could have gotten there in this cold cruel world.

“Come on, we have to go.”

She climbs into the rover and I pull the tarp over us. The rover jolts forward and struggles along the snow that covers the ground. Stones jut out over the earth, but i just ignore them. Pictures I’ve seen made them look so beautiful, but now the soil is dead, frozen. The grass stopped growing, and the stones now stand like tombstones, here lies the earth. Bonnie snuggles up beside me and shares her warmth. Something not many have now. The town rises in the miles that we travel. The fence stands high, one or two people shuffle between buildings trying to find a vent, The Wanderers, second class people who believe the sun never died, just got covered by some government. I don’t know what they think now that the government has collapsed. I look to the sky and see the stars and a black space where the white moon is, hiding without the sun to show its beauty, no one has seen it in years. I pull up to the gate and the guard shouts as he pulls it open. He’d be an idiot not to for us, we control most of the food. The tent comes into view as we pull in, the only place where everyone is allowed. Bonnie and I get out, but I stay close to her. I will never let The Wanderers take her, she is just the kind of person that they would take to those places, no one has ever returned. I shake my head and enter the tent and see the steam. My eyes widen while I try to figure out where it’s coming from and all I see is more of the blue cold. It doesn’t make any since until I hear the man speaking, the leader. He knows where to find warmth, or at least so he says. Bonnie believed him, until now I never did. She steps forward and reaches out to touch its billowing folds. The steam seems to caress her hand and it just keeps going out further up her arm. No, she’s going to it, I follow awestruck. 

“Amelia, isn’t it beautiful?”

The Leader touches my arm, and jerk away. No one can trust a man like him

“How?”

“The Core silly. it’s just been there waiting. A couple trades and I have the equipment to harvest it. We could be warm for years to come!”

My eyes widen. He can’t do this, this is what my parents warned against. We will simply die faster.

“You can’t.”

“I’ve already started, love.”

He smiles, it seems to be genuine, but I know better. I know what no one else does. I know about the killings, and the thefts, how he left people outside during the storms to die, or be taken by wanders. I’m not sure which fate is worse. Bonnie wraps her arms around herself, letting the warmth seep into her. 

“What’s wrong? Just enjoy it Amelia. It’s warm. You love the warm.”

The cold in his eyes grows. I don’t know how I can pull away, his power is so strong here. I glance over to Bonnie, she is still standing by the steam, reveling in the warm.

Reviews

[Titania]

This concept is interesting! I'm immediately intrigued. I am a sucker for survival based stories. The constant referral to the cold and the warmth painted a nice picture, and the contrasting temperatures really made a dramatic effect. Really like it :)

[Ashley G.]

=D Wow, I've missed reading your stories and poems. I skimmed over this pretty fast but I'll come back later to reread it. So far I'm wondering if your planning to continue or not. I'll see if I have more questions after I reread it.

[marie]

lol alright!:) i'm hoping to continue it this is the first story in a while but i'm hoping this spree continues:) but (fingers crossed) THE BLOCK IS OVER!! :D