Broken Orbit | ONC

Chance

    The planet grew colder and colder. Light dimmed from dark red to grey. I had grown up in a small, northern town, and had enough winter gear that I wasn't among the first wave of deaths. The homeless were the first to die. They burned all the trash they could find, but soon not even fire was enough to keep them warm. I remained in a safe house until it was attacked by a group of homeless desperate for heat. The safe house was destroyed and I was on my own again.

   Within a week, the difference of the distance of the sun wasn't too noticeable. Three months later and it was a constant snowfall. Light was dim. With little sunlight, all of the plants of the world died. Livestock perished. Everyone fell into a worldwide famine. The temperature outside plummeted to zero degrees Celsius. Knowing that I wouldn't survive my northern town much longer, I packed my things and began to trek south. The Equator was the only place on Earth lacking feet of snow, being the warmest natural place. I knew that it wouldn't last, but the warmth of the Equator would prolong my life along its borrowed time.

   I had also heard rumors of a plan to create underground cities once officials realized that Gliese wasn't the danger. By now, it would have been under construction for nearly a year. Rumors of the Ark had spread through the general population and everyone was in a frantic attempt to get to the Equator. Logically, there was a carrying capacity for the Ark, and everyone that didn't make it inside before it was met would die in the cold.

   As a police officer, I was barely ahead of the curve of the general knowledge. I was hardly days ahead of everyone else. I knew I had to hurry, because anyone that caught me would not hesitate in killing me to get ahead. I pulled my fur coat further around my face, my scruff itching against the fur. My nose felt frozen as a cold wind bit against my cheeks. The constant snow pelted my face. I probably looked incredibly large in my multiple layers, but even in these clothes, I was frigid.

   It was daytime, but the sky was still mostly dark. My legs burned with exhaustion as I lifted my foot, buried in snow, and took another step. I had to get to shelter before night fell. Once the planet turned away from the sun, the temperature would dip past freezing by thirty degrees. I had to make a fire and bundle up before then. My watch had long-since frozen and shattered, so I had no definitive way of determining how much longer I had. I only wore it because it helped me keep track of whether or not I could feel my skin. Once I was unable to feel the leather digging into my wrist, I knew I had to warm up within the hour.

   A faint whining was heard through the whistling blizzard. I didn't want to stop, worried that I wouldn't be able to start again. My eyes found a small path through the snow and a black dot in a pile of it. I shifted direction slightly and saw that it was moving. My heart sank as I saw the frozen body of a bitch, along with three frozen puppies. One was still alive, somehow. It was curled against its mother instinctively. It knew to seek warmth, but it had no idea where to get any.

   It looked like a small husky mix. After refusing to help during the months of anarchy, I wasn't going to refuse to help again. I bent over and unwrapped my arms from my own body. The puppy whined as I picked it up and turned away from the wind. I bit into my dry lip and unzipped my coat slightly. The dog stopped fussing once it realized I was warm. I zipped the dog up into my coat and felt the ice melt against my shirt. It was cold, but I knew that if the dog survived, they'd be warm and we'd be able to share warmth. Food might be a problem, but if the shared warmth prolonged my life, I was willing to fight for more food.

   There were warm pants against my neck as he slowly warmed up. I began walking again, my legs complaining at the added weight. By the time I finally found a small town along the road, night was falling. I pulled the crowbar from my backpack and broke down a boarded-up door. Once inside, I relished in the fact that it was empty of snow. With the boards having been up, that meant there was a good chance that this house hadn't been raided yet. Food and burning material might lurk nearby.

   I had gotten lucky. There was a stack of firewood in the corner. I found cans of beans and soup in the half-frozen pantry. I used the flint in my backpack to start a fire in the fireplace. The puppy had fallen unconscious by the time I pulled him out of my coat. I unloaded some supplies from my bag: the bowls, the blanket, the thermometer, and the pan. I only had a little water, but that was easily fixed. I simply stepped outside and grabbed an icicle from the roof, melted it, and had fresh water.

    The puppy awoke once I began to cook the beans. His nose twitched and his eye opened. I had set a blanket against the fireplace and then wrapped him in it. Somehow he had survived a week or two until he found himself outside. His mother had died, likely to starvation, and her puppies had stuck with her until most of them died. He had only been outside for a few hours. Otherwise, he would have frostbite. He was a lucky boy. I named him Chance.

   Chance took the bowl of water I offered and lapped it up. I gave him a small portion of the beans. He would eat and eat until he was sick, as all dogs, so I would regulate his food so that didn't happen. I knew that he likely would only survive a few weeks, but I couldn't help myself. I'd missed companionship. I'd been alone for three months. Having a dog would keep me sane.

    Night fell further. I set up my bed and took out my can of broken glass necks and bottoms. I set them up under the windows, in front of the doors, and in a circle around my bed. I knew there were likely beds in the house, but I seriously didn't want to be in a confined space. I didn't have the energy to drag a mattress. Besides, I didn't want to sleep too deeply. In this house, I was open to attack.

   Laying beside the fire with a sleeping new friend, I finally went to bed.

1,804 total words.