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There was a humming from what looked to be an old freezer used to store animals who had been hunted and stored before their slaughter. Darkness. Cold. A winter breeze screeched between window panes as icicles fell from the warmth of the sun.

She looked around to see if there were any last tins of food that had been left behind. Nothing. Everything is different this year, she thought to herself... C-19 ruined the normal influx of young, rich, and attractive influencers. No social media mavens to leave behind a few morsels of gluten-free snacks. This was going to be an impossible winter. Without food she would never survive, and in these conditions that meant maybe not more than a week. It had already been eight months and she had been living off one can of tuna a day, with a spoonful of peanut butter for dessert. Before C-19 she would have been able to collect food and clothing to make it through winter, even a harsh winter like this was turning out to be. Now everything had changed. Everyone had left on ferries and the bridges were blocked by The AGOY family who only allowed passage for the price of $20,000. Who had that sort of money anymore anyway? Five years before C-19 the government and major banks had been in a bidding war over Social Coin. If you did not have all your information internally programmed you would not be able to access any of the money you had before The Change.

Counting the tins she had left and assessing everything she had to last for the next four months - she knew she had to make a decision - and soon. Night was coming and it would be the coldest yet. How would she be able to make it through tonight? How would she keep warm with the few old yoga blankets she had? The down feathers in her coat had lost their density and were no longer keeping her warm. A feeling of hopelessness washed over her as she stood there holding onto the last of her food. Not even enough for the week. Anger flooded her veins and boiled hot as she threw a tin against the wall cracking the thin wood that seemed to shatter like glass in the extreme cold. She stood there, tears falling freezing against her cheeks as the sun moved overhead, and a sliver of light shown through the crack. Moments passed her by as the light grew dimmer and dimmer before she realized the sun would set in an hour.

"And now I have ventilation I don't need" she muttered to herself as anxiety crept up and her heart began to race. How much colder would it be tonight, especially now with the hole in the wall? Would she freeze overnight?

She reached up to touch her frozen cheeks and sighed, "I am alive, I am still here."

Motivated by the anxiety she began to think about how far it would take to reach The Landmark. She knew it was too early, that maybe He would not be there, and if she missed the handoff with Khai... Thing was she did not actually know what would happen. She was never told what the Journal contained, what was written inside? All she knew for certain was He had put her behind The Wall, given it to her then, told her to hide until everyone was gone and that she was the only person who would be able to help save the survivors. Something in that little black book had to be what Khai needed to finish his Project and help the remaining survivors.

She would die if she stayed in the cabin that night. She had to leave. It was her only choice. The only way to keep her word to Him and Khai.

All she needed to do was gather the few items she had and make it halfway to The Landmark before it got too dark. She had enough time and knew The Path from when they would play hide-n-seek in school during lunch break.

She secured the few items she had by tying some rope around her waist, and a paring knife fastened around her ankle then opened the door. Cool air kissed her face before she turned to have one last look... The sun was setting to the west - same direction she had to go anyway - so it seemed The Angels were on her side.

By the time she reached the halfway mark she was exhausted and unable to feel her fingertips, face or even her legs. Her entire body felt made of lead and the only pain she felt was that of hunger. Determined to not have made the trek in vain she gathered tree branches and snow to build a makeshift shelter before using her paring knife to open a can of tuna and rehydrate with more snow. Securing the Journal so it would not get wet she finally fell asleep.

In the morning she woke to the smokey smell of a wood burning fire and bacon. Startled she jumped up and reached for her knife. Checking for the little black book she looked around frantically. The warmth from the fire enticed her for a moment when she heard rustling behind the trees.

" I would be careful if I were you." A voice whispered out from the thicket falling onto her ears... She hadn't heard another's voice for over eight months.

She turned, frightened by the sound, and peered more closely into the brush. Was the sound familiar? Was that her imagination? How long since the Great Pause had it been since they saw each other? Since he had hidden her and disappeared?

Was that Him?

Holding onto her breath - a gasp escaped her lips as she muttered "Is that you?"

It was Him.

They stood there and stared into each others eyes for eons. She drank in His eyes and lips, the corners of His mouth as they turned up slightly with a smile. The sparkle in his ice blue eyes that she loved so much glistened in the reflection of the sun from the snow. Frozen limbs reached out for each other as they melted into each others arms. Locked in a familiar yet, foreign embrace they stood there clinging to one another.

They both knew this would be dangerous if they stayed together for too long. Flooded with questions but she knew there was no time to ask where he had come from or found her. Using the Silent Code they both learned in school they began to communicate... Do you still have it? He asked her. Yes, it is here. She responds before handing him the little black book, the precious Journal that would be everything Khai needed to help the survivors. Only their eyes communicated as he handed her back a parcel wrapped in rabbit skins.

The parcel had everything she needed to make it over the bridge. Trinkets X and the codes to hack her Social Coin, more than enough to pay The AGOY and make it up to Maine. Everything she needed to rebuild The Community. Tears flooded her eyes blurring her vision, and as she wiped them away she saw him by the fire. He looked at her and communicated she had everything she needed now. That her duty was done and that she must go and save herself, and rebuild The Community before the next Pause.

She looked down at the parcel, clutched it tightly to her chest before looking back up only to see Him walking away with the little black book. She knew He would give it to Khai now. Her duty was different today... And she had some bacon.

A tear fell from her eye and froze once again on her cheek. She will rest one more day. Then begin again.