“Control the fear, control the people. The world around us dulled itself gray and lifeless; plants now unheard of and strange as the darkness lurking on the depths of the ocean floor. Those who believed the lies stayed and those who disregarded them were soon mixed with the rubble that was left behind.”

- General Sarah Aluri

The night storm came and went, and the loud, incessant thundering of rocks and debris against the cold, metal walls subsided, giving way like the darkness as the faint, sunlight meandered its way through the thick atmosphere. This storm was worse than the others and lasted three days, but after spending sixteen years alone, three days passed quickly.

The heavy, armored door of the vehicle creaked as its rusted hinges groaned and ached as I slowly opened it. Even in the dim light that the sun provided, after three days in the darkness, I was blinded by its penetrating rays. My head emerged cautiously from the vehicle and I gazed at the ground, my vision fuzzy from the light. The surroundings were altered. Old layers of dust and dirt were moved and a fresh coat remained in its place. The ground was littered with new bits of metal and rock brought in from the relentless winds.

“This is a perfect day for scavenging,” I mumbled to myself.

Long ago, I may have even smiled at such fortunate luck, but emotions and feelings soon erode and turn to impassiveness over years of isolation. You become dull, an empty shell like the world around you. The soul reflects the environment it’s subjected to. Even anger and bitterness had no place in my heart.

My feet trudged slowly over the uneven ground, my eyes carefully searching for anything to salvage. I had walked several miles to the northeast and found nothing so far. I stopped and unwrapped the protective cloth around my face and sampled the air. With a sigh of disappointment, I sat down on a rock and gazed at the view. Several beads of sweat trickled down my forehead which I promptly collected in a small jar, a meager contribution that I would add to my Hydro Recycler when I returned home.

The sun itself wasn’t scorching, but after the war, the atmosphere changed and became thick and cloudy. Something invisible had taken place and the weather became hotter every year. I vaguely recalled an Elder talking about trapped gasses, but none of the remaining children had time to learn about the Earth. Safety and survival were the only skills worth knowing.

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Retrieving my water sack, I carefully let ten large droplets of water fall into my mouth to quench my thirst. I savored them, careful not to leave my mouth open for too long and let it dry out. Conserving moisture was one of the first lessons that were ingrained in us.

Mouths closed. Always.

I put the water sack away, saving the other ten drops for the return journey back. I rose to continue walking forward when I heard a faint rustling to my left like sand gently sifting. My eyes flickered across the ground until they settled on a small pile of mixed stone and metal protruding from the dirt. As I carefully approached and bent down for a closer look at the objects, the soft sound came again and the sand shifted slightly. Picking up a large metal object, I was startled when a small creature darted out from beneath it, making me jump back in surprise. The creature scurried around the sand for a moment or two and paused to sniff the air before disappearing beneath the pile once again.

Its tan fur blended with the sky and ground, its tiny form small enough to fit in my palm. It was strange and fuzzy, with a long, hairless tail and four very small paws.

As shocked as I was, I refrained from opening my mouth and risk losing moisture. I could hardly move. “An animal?” I pondered. “They don’t exist anymore. Not in these conditions.”

Curiosity gripped me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the creature was and what it had been concealing beneath the pile. Brushing away the sand, I picked up the large piece of metal. It was shaped like a bowl and I poured out the dirt. An unexpected cling rang through the air as something heavy dropped to the ground. My eyes fell on a small, strange object in the shape of a cube.

I brushed the remaining sand off as I picked it up and held it close to my eyes. It was extremely heavy for its size and appeared to be crafted by an unknown substance. Despite the hot sand it was buried in, the metal remained cool to the touch.

It was symmetrical, with each corner thick and pronounced, the metal protrusions bearing cryptic symbols, forming an intricate pattern. Lines extended from each corner, converging towards the center of each side, where a mysterious eye was carved into the surface. The eye, with its unsettling yet captivating design, contained additional enigmatic symbols.

My gaze locked on the cube and even the thoughts of the creature now retreated to the depths of my mind. I had never seen something so strange, so beautiful. I carefully stowed the cube into my scavenging bag. It wasn’t a necessary find, but something inside of me couldn’t leave it. As I tied the ends of my bag shut, something even more strange occurred. In the far eastern sky, something seized my attention that I had never witnessed in my life. A vivid, instant burst of color lit up the eastern quadrant. It was one of the only three colors I knew...red.