The Long Dark- A Journey Through Frozen Hell

The bank of answers

Miho pulled on her boots, tied the laces, grabbed her bag, and set out to find more food and wood.

Looting through houses and cars, Miho managed to scrape up a decent amount of food. By breaking furniture, she made progress collecting firewood.

While Miho was scavenging through cars, she saw a tunnel cave in.

Miho approached the cave in, somewhat amazed by the destruction when she noticed the word written on the side of the wall.

"Perseverancell." She muttered before remembering a special friend.

"Hey Boko, do you think we should go to Perseverance Mills?" She asked the bear.

"I don't think so. Maybe. Let's see where we go." She said, putting him away.

Miho walked to a prison bus that had been heavily damaged, noticing a small trail of blood leading away from it.

Not wanting to see another body again, she ignored it and walked back to Grey Mother's house.

"I got some firewood!" Miho said, putting the reclaimed wood in the firebox and food in the pantry, keeping some for herself

"Miho, come here, please." Grey Mother said.

Miho approached her, kneeling down.

"There is a tunnel on the far side of town. It is the only way outside of Milton. I need you to go there and find help." She said.

"The tunnel? It's blocked. I think an avalanche caused it." Miho said.

Gray Mother sighed, leaning back.

"Then it is the end of Gray Mother."

"So the tunnel is the only way through the mountains?" Miho asked.

"No. It's not the only way, but my only way."

"There was also a word. Perseverance. Do you know what that means?"

"A word from the old days."

"What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure."

"It was written in blood, I think."

"I recall a town by that name. Perseverance Mills. Old logging and mining town. It used to be an important town, but now it's mostly dead, like Milton."

"How do I get there?" Miho asked.

"By car, before the quakes when the roads were clear."

"I guess I'm on foot." Miho said.

"That's a long road."

Grey Mother leaned back in her chair as Miho sat down, curling up next to the fire, thinking about it.

"I remember something. A farmhouse on the other side of town. The memories aren't clear, but I remember the farmhouse. You'll find a key to a safety deposit box in the bank somewhere."

"Farmhouse? Bank? How does that get me anywhere?" Miho asked.

"This is how we make it right." She said.

"I don't understand Grey Mother." Miho said.

"Go, you will have the answers. Now go." She said.

Miho stood up, grabbed her backpack, and left the house.

A knife tucked in her pants, hatchet tied to the bag with string with the lantern, and bedroll.

She started her long trek to the farm, looking around as she listened to howling.