Stéphanie silently looked at the calendar displaying the month of December. Nine squares had been checked off with a black ballpoint pen. There were only two weeks left until Christmas.

Despite the approach of winter, there was no sign of snow. It was still too mild, and even if it did snow, it wouldn't stick to the damp ground. In the next room, almost the entire team was gathered around a cozy fireplace. After being in constant use, Mathieu's small house had taken on the smell of smoke and burning wood. The fire was only put out at night for safety, but the house still remained cold. Everyone had to stay bundled up to avoid getting sick. Stéphanie wore an oversized gray turtleneck sweater and thick tights under her somewhat clean, faded blue jeans.

The wood came from trees along the roadside or between fields. It was hard work, but no one took risks while doing it because no one ventured into those areas. Since Paris had emptied of its inhabitants, the zone had become safer. There were still a few thieves, but their numbers were very limited. They were much less active since the fence surrounding Mathieu's fields had been reinforced with traps worthy of a besieged fortress. These were just pits with thick branches sharpened to points.

It was a cruel measure, but did they have any other choice? Their defense and the preservation of their harvest were at stake. They could only rely on themselves. A few bandits had been caught by these additions and left limping away. There was no doubt their injuries were serious and required a surgeon, but such help was now impossible to find. These thieves would have to manage and rely on a comrade to disinfect the wound before sewing it up. Both options seemed unlikely in the current context, but it wasn't their problem.

The thieves had made the decision to come to their place and now had to live with the consequences. Almost every morning, Mathieu made the rounds of his fields and inspected the fence and traps. In some places, the wire mesh had been damaged, but they had suffered very few losses.

"Ah, Stéphanie! Come over here."

"What's happening?"

"Mathieu has brought out the Christmas decorations!"

"Really?"

Stéphanie looked around for Mathieu but didn't see him. Kévin noticed and answered her unspoken question.

"He's upstairs. He's already brought down two boxes."

Two?! How many does he have?

Stéphanie was surprised, not by the quantity of decorations, but because Mathieu had so many when he had lived alone before she and her sister came to the farm. At their parents' house, there were easily two large boxes and separate decorations. One box held all the garlands and the other held the rest: colorful balls, string lights, decorative stockings, the star for the top of the tree, window decorations, outdoor string lights, and so on.

Stéphanie's father loved celebrating Christmas and had accumulated many decorations throughout his life. Some even came from his own parents. Each year, he made a small purchase. Christine would roll her eyes but let it go because she knew it made him happy. Everything was left in their old house.

Mathieu wasn't like Xavier, but he still had a good number of decorations. Just then, Mathieu appeared with another box. It was very long but seemed light.

"Here it is! The most important one!"

"What is it?" asked little Zoé, approaching the carefully taped box. It wasn't a neutral box but the original packaging. It had aged, but the texts and images remained perfectly readable.

"A Christmas tree!" exclaimed the little girl joyfully.

"Yes! There's no Christmas without a Christmas tree, is there?" Mathieu replied with a huge smile.

Naturally, it wasn't a real tree but a plastic one. The model was quite old and not very realistic. From a distance, it still gave the illusion if a green garland was added around the fake trunk.

Dad used to buy a real tree. I miss the smell.

Stéphanie watched Mathieu set up the tree, which was done in less than two minutes. The fake branches were deployed, and they began decorating it with shiny garlands of all colors. Everyone was invited to choose a garland from a bag. Stéphanie chose a golden one. Then, they did the same with the balls. Again, a choice had to be made as it was impossible to hang everything.

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The activity didn't last long, but Stéphanie had a good time. It brought back many happy memories. The fact that she couldn't do this in her own living room with her parents pinched her heart.

I miss home so much…

She felt the tears welling up and, with great effort, managed not to cry. Marie, probably because she was her sister, approached her and hugged her affectionately. This action, coupled with a few whispered words, completely broke her resolve. No one commented, leaving the sisters in peace.

There were several hours left before nightfall, but in this season, darkness came quickly. Without electricity, one needed a flashlight to see anything, as the sky was too overcast to let the moon or stars shine through. It was easy to get lost at night. The danger was real. Without a fire, one could easily lose their bearings and head in the wrong direction. Although it wasn't cold enough to freeze to death, it was enough to get sick. Without proper medication, a simple cold could quickly turn into something much more serious.

Stéphanie, aware of the dangers, had no intention of being outside after sunset, but she wanted to explore the area with a clear goal in mind. She wanted to find a Christmas gift for her sister. She had talked to Mathieu and Jérôme about it since they had helped her find a gift for Marie's eighteenth birthday. Despite their reluctance, they agreed on the condition that Jérôme accompany her.

The two of them set out without a dog this time, crossing the silent highway still cluttered with vehicles that had broken down on the day of the blackout. Little had changed except for the accumulation of grass on the sides. It spilled slightly onto the pavement, but it would take years for the road to completely disappear.

On the other side, the industrial area seemed as dead as last time. Some buildings had been burned, likely for the sheer pleasure of destruction. Stéphanie couldn't see any other reason because setting these buildings on fire couldn't benefit anyone.

"Do you think there will still be stuff to bring back?"

"I don't know. It's been almost eight months…"

"I hope there are still some candies at Usines Center…"

Everything they had taken last time had been eaten. Hunger had made candy and chocolate a temporary but welcome respite. As they feared, many visitors had passed through and taken everything they could carry. Nothing was left.

"Let's try somewhere else. There are many places to visit in the area."

Jérôme wasn't wrong, but their hopes were slim. While they worked the land, others had spent their days searching every building in the area, starting with the restaurants. There were many since companies meant employees. Before the blackout, all these people needed a lunch break and a quick meal before returning to work. Numerous restaurants, especially fast-food joints, had sprung up over a few decades. Searching them now was pointless, as they must have been visited hundreds of times since the power cut.

They left the ravaged shopping center and arrived on a deserted street surrounded by restaurants and various shops. Nearby was a large women's clothing store. Since they were looking for a gift for Marie, they entered, hoping for better luck.

It hasn't been emptied! What luck!

Clothes were scattered on the floor, and many shelves were empty, but much remained. Hmm, mostly spring and summer clothes. The shop was in semi-darkness since artificial lighting had ceased to work. Only daylight through large windows, some of which were broken, allowed visibility.

Plastic hangers lay like corpses on the floor. Stéphanie paid little attention to where she stepped because no one would bother her if she walked on a garment or broke one of those hangers. She headed to the nearest section and, finding nothing suitable for her sister, moved to the next. While she searched, Jérôme stood guard at the entrance. He hadn't come empty-handed, bringing a pitchfork to deter potential troublemakers.

The tool was far from ideal for fighting. It was heavy and quite short.

"Did you find anything good?"

"I think I've got something," replied Stéphanie from behind a rack at the back of the store.

"Good, then let's go. I don't want to stay here too long," Jérôme replied, keeping an eye on the street.

"Look what I got!"

Stéphanie proudly showed Jérôme the pair of sneakers she had chosen for her sister.

To Jérôme, they looked ordinary, but to Stéphanie, they were of good quality and brand. Jérôme knew nothing about such things. For him, it was all about the materials used.

"I prefer more classic leather shoes. I probably won't have many opportunities to wear them anymore, I guess."

As planned, they returned to the farm before nightfall. She hid the shoes in a bag under her bed among other items she had brought from her old house. Her sister would never find her gift there, or so she thought as she pushed the plastic bag as far under the bed as possible. But it wasn't long before the evening's quiet, which had just begun, was shattered by terrible screams from outside. From her bedroom window, she could see five points of light moving in the distance.

Stéphanie descended the wooden stairs in alarm and found the whole team near the entrance. The door had been opened, and everyone was trying to see the intruders.

"Did people try to break in again?"

"Yes," Mathieu replied. "I'll wait for them to leave to see the damage and how many traps were triggered."

"There are a lot of torches," Baptiste noted.

"Hmm…"

The intruders didn't leave immediately but tried to steal vegetables stored in the shed despite their injuries. They even had the audacity to knock on their door for help. Naturally, they didn't open it.

Leaving numerous bloodstains and a few potatoes in the damp grass, the intruders eventually left without causing further problems.

We can't go on like this. There are too many attacks. I think we're going to have to leave.