My name is Burma Hylpa, and I have a younger sister called Jennifer Hylpa. Mark Alexander Hylpa and Valeria Haggan-Hylpa were my parents, but now you know what happened to them. People usually call me Hill and my sister prefers to be called Jenn or Jenny. I’m 18 now, and she’s 17.
Dad is an American from Dallas and Mom is a Scot from Edinburgh. I have Dad’s brown hair and Mom’s blue eyes, while Jenn gets Mom’s blonde hair and Dad’s brown eyes. We are both white, like our parents, though I got Dad's slightly darker skin tone.
I’m taller than Jenn, but she’s catching up. She’s my collar bone’s height now. We moved to Iceland when I was a year old, Mom told me. She wanted to move here to avoid Dad’s work, never told me any details. She used to tell me stories about Scotland, where my parents met and lived when I was born. It’s here in Iceland where I’m raised though, so this is where I call home. I lived in Grindavik, southeast of Keflavík International Airport, where my dad usually took his planes to work abroad.
We’re the Hylpa siblings, but I would prefer if you forget that.
A nightmare got to me last night, again, and I woke up with my face burning, again. Past experiences would’ve told me to stay in, but it’s been a bad week, and Jenn and I don’t have enough supplies to eat for the next few days, winter has been harsh, doesn’t help that it’s at its coldest now. I would consider not eating, but with all the hunting and fishing I’m going to be doing to catch up with my food supplies target, I have to. Not to mention Jenn’s eating more than usual, these last few years. She grows up so fast. More reason to get more food, 3 days ago was her birthday.
I spot a deer in the distance, near a surviving patch of grass. I prone and pull some snow and dirt, putting it on top of me, masking my smell and silhouette a bit more. I store some of the pebbles and rocks that came with the dirt in my back pocket.
A smaller deer approaches the mature one, asking for its attention, and memories intrude on my focus.
Not now! Not now!
I came back to the bunker after things had calmed down. Burying our parents was hard, but… I had to. I’m just glad Jenn wasn’t there to witness. I did it quickly while mostly looking away, not wanting to see them for too long. Not wanting this to be their last image burned into my mind.
I grabbed Dad’s radio and transmitter, his rifle, still laying in the rocks near our cave’s opening, and his knife, still on the bed near where he died. He fought to the end the way a true Hylpa should, Dad is many things, but he sure is a man of his word. His pistol was broken so I can’t use it even if I want to. The rifle ran out of ammo, but I figured it might come in handy if I can find some. That decision paid off in the end.
After meeting back with Jenn, I was honestly pretty lost. I didn’t know what to do or where to go, so I just consulted a map I had and started searching for nearby spots. Gardabaer was the closest city, I figured I can search for people there.
It turned out to be a big mistake. Not long after we reached the city, an old man invited us into a run-down house he probably used for shelter. Being tired after a 3-hour walk with a 9-year-old in my arms half of the way, I hesitantly accepted. Should’ve trusted my guts. He grabbed Jenn almost immediately, holding her with one arm and pointing a knife at me with the other, demanding I give him Dad’s rifle.
Not seeing much of an option, I used my right hand to drop the gun, what he didn’t know is that my left hand is already unsheathing Dad’s knife. When he let go of Jenn to grab the rifle on the floor, I immediately stepped on his fingers, producing a wet-sounding crack. The sudden action caused Jenn to run outside, hiding from the man. While he’s still screaming, I quickly stabbed the knife to his throat repeatedly, silencing him since now all he can do is gurgle and hold his neck.
He deserved it, nobody should threaten Jenn. I stab at his head one more time, making a mess of red on the floor. Half to confirm the kill and half as payback. I went out to look for Jenn immediately, fearing she ran away out of fear. Luckily she’s just around the corner, hiding on the side of the house.
“Let’s go. It’s not safe here.” I tap her shoulder twice, she uncurls herself.
“Where… Where is the bad man, Hill?”
“He won’t be a problem anymore.”
“What happened?”
“It was just a minor scuffle. Let’s go.”
“Is he still up? Is he okay?”
“Bad men don’t deserve to be okay, Jenn.”
“What happened, then?”
Instead of answering I grabbed her arm and take her back where we came from, to the open fields.
“Aren’t we going that way?”
“Not anymore, apparently.”
“Okay…”
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m fine,” I said with a smile, petting her hair.
So people turned out to be pretty dangerous in an apocalyptic scenario. Learning from my mistake, I decided to head south instead. The southern part of Iceland is quieter, so we don’t have to interact with people and take risks as much. If we stick to the coast, I can even fish if I come back empty-handed from a big-game hunt. Along the way, we found a few small settlements in places that used to be empty fields. I guess since most of the major cities are full of turned Mazemasters, it’s safer out here.
I considered going to one, but settlements are still overcrowded and prone to attacks, especially then in the early years. Last thing I want is to get blocked exits if something bad happens, so I keep interactions to a minimum. But I did manage to trade with some of the survivors from various settlements and most settlers are nice enough for me to continue trading with them. At first, I traded the extra small animals I could hunt with my baton sword and knife. Eventually, I stocked enough to get some ammo for Dad’s rifle through trading, which then allowed me to trade for things like cooked meals for a portion of the animals I hunt from settlement chefs. After we reached the southern coasts of Iceland, we simply went back and forth, heading west, then east, then west again. I didn’t want to stay in one spot for too long, the cave bunker and multiple reports of settlements getting overpowered are proof that strategy won’t work. I met more looters and Mazemasters along the roads I took than I’d like, but every cloud has a silver lining, I guess, the silver lining being lead getting sprayed at me or knives getting stabbed into me enough times to teach me how to fight better. Love them or hate them, they made me pretty good at that aspect of surviving. Jenn said my cooking still needs some work, but unless she learns how to cook, she’ll keep eating burnt meat.
Speaking of Jenn, she likes to play around with devices I found, clocks, hinges, even broken sticks are sometimes enough for her to make toys and such. She’s a genius with those kinds of things. Most of her creations are hunting traps, but her most impressive contraption would probably be the sensor I have on my hip.
After hearing rumors of the Mazemasters speeding time up from The Church of Father Clockwork, she investigated the correlation between the Mazemasters and time. I didn’t allow her at first, but she agreed to let me do the testing while she stays in our shelters. She discovered that the Mazemasters affect the gears in a clock, not time itself. All I understand is that if a Mazemaster teleports, the gears inside go crazy and I feel a vibration on my hip.
She continued questioning about how the Mazemasters powers work but her device works perfectly, so I never questioned it, which irks her. Truth is I’m just not that curious anymore, I’d like to know how things work to use or fix it, but nothing more than what I need.
She does the thinking, I do the killing. And we’re very good at doing our respective jobs.
Speaking of The Church of Father Clockwork, We heard of them from the radio. There’s no more news but each settlement’s transmission acts as a replacement. It’s mostly just settlement inviting people in, asking for help, or burning down while their radio is still on. Jenn is always scared of the last possibility because she’s made some friends in a few settlements when I bring her with me for a trade. I have objections about that but I suppose it’s not better to keep a moody teenager from her social interactions. Every now and then though, a few interesting figures or groups are mentioned.
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The Church of Father Clockwork. They were a cult, I remember hearing about them when news stations were still on. Now though, they’re much more established. They believe the invasion was fated, and that a godly figure called Father Clockwork will be the one to save them. Some settlements eat it up almost instantly, giving them some power over the wasteland we live in now.
Doppel. This one is pretty new. He’s some kind of local hero. Some even call him a superhero, because he can multiply himself. I don’t buy it, probably multiple people in the same costume. Still, they could be useful for protection if I can contact them.
And finally, The Ghosts. The government finally made a counterattack against the Mazemasters in the form of these Ghosts. They’re a private group, separate from the government, but right now they’re basically the official military, so they have the most power. Firepower-wise and politically, if politics still matter at all. Maybe I could join up if I ever meet them. Hopefully, they can provide more stable support for Jenn. But with dominance comes corruption, and that is the thing I’m watching for. Their operations are spread almost evenly throughout Iceland, but they never got that close to my region here in the south.
Life continues that way for several years. I kill, hunt, and loot, while Jenn fiddles with things I don’t understand. I do understand her curiosity though. I was kind of curious about the world too when I was a kid. Jenn has been raised here almost her whole life, the invasion started when she was around 7 and we’ve survived without our parents since she was around 9 and a half, maybe. I don’t know, that year was a blur. You’d think remembering the age of a girl born on the 1st of January would be easy.
She had her childhood playtime in this apocalypse when I brought her to settlements to play with other kids or the few times we’ve spent on Vik’s Black Sand Beach. I can only take her there a few times in the year though.
It takes around 3 days to get there and back, and that’s not counting the setbacks, like looters, Mazemasters, weather, and such. All in all, it could take me a whole week to get there and stay a few days to let Jenn play then come back.
She’s also made the friends I talked about in these wastelands. When I take her to settlements, sometimes she’ll ask the other kids about their radio info. I never allowed her to tell our location or give her real name, of course, but I guess friendship doesn’t take a lot of trust in these unstable times.
She radios them late at night sometimes, using the multiple radios I’ve looted over the years to hold many conversations at once. They never did anything out of line to her, so I guess I can’t tell her off.
It’s not like she would listen right now anyways. I never had my teenage years but I assume I’d be pretty rebellious. She’s going through her “not a phase” phase now, something I read about in a pre-war teenage parenting book I found. The book didn’t help at all though, especially when she was 14. When she was at her worst behavior. That was when I really wished Mom was still here to help me sort things out between us.
We found the bunker we’re staying in now close to a campground near a church. From the outside, it looks like a golden manhole cover, not a very appealing entrance other than the fact that it’s golden, but shelter is shelter. I found it when the sunlight flashed on it and caused it to light up. Jenn immediately investigated it, while I was more hesitant, but I decided to take the chance anyway.
After checking the visible sides of it and figuring that it couldn’t be too dangerous to check out, I allowed Jenn to press the button near the manhole cover. She pressed on it multiple times but nothing happened. I thought it was broken or just coded, but Jenn insisted that I try. To my surprise, it did open when I pressed the button.
Pulling Dad’s rifle out and pushing Jenn back, I descended the ladders into a hallway. In the center, I can see a table with 6 chairs and the walls have a glass pane covering running gears, it’s otherwise empty. To the sides are 6 doors, 3 on the left and 3 on the right. The signs on top of the doors on the right are labeled Bedroom 1 to 3, the doors on the left are labeled Supply Room 1 and 2, and a Bathroom, all in Icelandic. I checked out each one and… yeah, they’re as labeled. A lot of things popped into my mind when the bunker first opened, but a bathroom wasn’t one of those things.
Seeing the benefit of staying here, I decided that we could stay. Why search for an unknown figure or group if I can provide Jenn’s safety here? Jenn almost immediately picked her room and set up a workshop there. She made her custom crossbow her first year here, it’s a crossbow I traded from a settlement. She modified it to shoot from longer ranges. Her craftiness never ceases to amaze me. This place is perfect for us, so we have stayed here for the last 4 years.
I’ve always felt safe in it, until 4 months ago. The gears on the wall stopped turning, and Jenn couldn’t figure out why. I checked all the functionalities, doors, water taps, and whatnot, and they all worked fine, so I figured it was nothing.
My mind snaps back to the cold sensation in my skin, better get back to earth before I die of freezing. The two deers are still together. I’m sorry little buddy, but my sister needs food.
Breathe in.
Pause.
Beep! Beep!
Bang.
The sudden alarm startled me, causing me to miss. The deers are running away now, but that doesn’t matter anymore.
9 years.
That’s how long it took for them to catch us by surprise again.
I have to get there before they get to Jenn.
I run through the forest, dodging roots, trees, rocks, and everything else, reloading Dad’s rifle and storing the old magazine on my vest while running.
As soon as I get out of the woods, I spot a group of armed people. No uniforms, no armors, just guns. These are probably looters since there are no nearby settlements to patrol.
They spot me too and open fire. I need to retreat to the woods.
Really not a good day for this kind of luck, Hill.
Think.
Hide and get them searching and isolated. I can’t face them head-on, they have fire superiority.
Their aim isn’t that trained. Amateur looters. Won’t take long for them to make a coordination mistake and split up.
The greenery here is thick, perfect for hiding. A couple of seconds in and they’re already searching. 5 in total. 1 with a butcher knife, 3 with a pistol, and 1 with an auto rifle. Pretty well geared. They’ve split up, a pistol guy is isolated. Perfect opportunity. Silence him first, then go for a kill. Walking from bush to bush, I gag him and drag my knife across his neck. 4. I grab his pistol and check the ammo. 3 bullets left. I hide again in a nearby tree.
The auto rifle guy is with a pistol guy and the butcher knife guy. Another pistol guy is isolated. A gasp from my left, he’s seen the body of his friend. I jump out of my cover and shoot him. 3. Check this pistol’s magazine. 4 bullets. Put the old bullets into the new magazine. The others are running towards my gunshot. I climb a nearby tree to hide and get a better view.
They’re right below a tree nearby. Need to make sure I can jump down safely if I need to first. I slide halfway down the tree I’m on. Bang. 1 shot. Bang. 2 shots. Click. 3 sh- jammed. 1. The auto rifle and pistol guys are dead, but the knife guy picked up the rifle, shooting at my general area.
I need to relocate.
I can hear a sudden tearing sound in the air.
A ricochet I don’t know where it’s- Argh, my left shoulder! Feels like it’s skin deep, luckily. I’ll deal with it later.
I drop the pistol loudly, attracting his attention. As expected, he approaches the gun. I’m already aiming at him with the rifle a few trees away.
Bang.
That’s all of the looters down. I run again, even faster than before.
I can not lose her.
There’s the bunker, but nobody’s outside
I kick the button that opens the door, revealing a Mazemaster.
Bang. 1 down.
I can hear wails from inside. I’ve alerted them. Good. I hope Jenn is aware enough to use my distraction.
I have to be quick.
The second one comes rushing to the hallway from the first supply room. There’s dark blood on its mouth, probably just finished eating today’s meat. The sensor vibrates. I raise my rifle to block it.
The tips of its claws still pierce my left hand’s skin. Stupid move, Hill. The pain made me drop the rifle. Judging by the sound I think I along with the claws broke it. I grab my baton sword from my left hip and tighten my grip to numb the pain.
I hit the Mazemaster’s head with my baton then quickly detach the sword. I slam the thing’s head down, making it screech. A stab to the head finishes it before it can attack again. 2 down.
I need to get to my sister.
I attach my baton sword to its spear form. “Jenn! Jennifer Hylpa! Where are you?!” I scream, attracting the attention of a third and fourth.
I throw the rock I kept in my back pocket to get one to teleport towards me. The sensor vibrates and I stab forward. It teleports right into the bladed end and dies with its head split into two. 3 down.
The sensor vibrates again. I roll forward, dodging an expected rear attack. Jenn’s scream. A few bolts flew out of her room. Looks like her custom bolts. She is definitely in there.
I have to protect her.
The sensor vibrates one more time. With a strong punch of my baton, I break the Mazemaster’s legs. It shrieks and crawls, teleporting away. It won’t stay down for long. Doesn’t matter. I have to get to my sister first.
I follow the clues and go to her room. She has already managed to hit the freak multiple times in the body with her crossbow. A bolt passes through a hole that was left from the previous shots and narrowly misses me. It stumbles back, and I stab at its head. 4 down. 1 left.
I need to keep my promise.
Before she can speak though, my sensor vibrates longer than usual. The last Mazemaster should be able to get here with only one teleport. It’s probably because its injuries hadn't healed. The last Mazemaster reappears, crawling on the floor, and Jenn kills the Mazemaster with her last bolt.
Breathe out.
“Thanks, but I could’ve handled 3 Mazemasters meself!”
Even now she refuses to thank me fully, it’s an improvement though. I smile at myself. Raising a teenager decent enough to say thanks might not be a big achievement, and I’m definitely not the best role model for her, but I’ll take the little wins.
“Sure, and that’s why you pressed the emergency button AND screamed? It was 5, not 3 by the way.”
I say with a smirk.
“It was… an overreaction on my part.”
“It’s fine, right now we should worry ‘bout relocatin’ though, it’s not safe he-”
Another long vibration from the sensor.
A mistake. I relaxed too soon. Should've investigated the abnormal sensor vibration first.
2 more Mazemasters appear, too sudden for me to react. One got its hand on my face. I can feel the corruption seeping in. I can feel my face cracking into a maze-like shape. I can’t stand up. It keeps pushing me down.
I feel a familiar burn on my face coming from its claws.
All I can do is scream in pain.
I feel my consciousness fading. Jenn manages to get her bearings and hits the Mazemaster hard in the head. it’s hurt and lets go of its grip on me, dropping me to the cold, hard floor.
The other Mazemaster throws her into a corner. I watch in horror as both Mazemaster start approaching her, and time suddenly stops.
No. It won’t end like this. I made a promise to my parents. I will not let them down again.
Move, Hill!
The sensor suddenly vibrates like never before.