The Wielder's Winter (The Manifests Series #1)

[3] The Frosty Snowmen

A numbing pain in the back was the first thing Zeke felt before he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a light gust of ice and snow. He shivered greatly at the cold wind hitting his face. Covering his eyes with his cold hand, he tried to crawl out of the mess of broken metal pipes and flattened boxes. He then blindly reached for his bag, pulling out a hoodie and wearing it. He took time to warm himself a bit using the thick hoodie and then manages to sit as he slowly tried opening his eyes again. His vision was blurry, but soon his eyes adjusted to the view. He looked around.

Daegu was buried in ice and snow. Dark, thick clouds covered the sun entirely. A lot of the buildings were either leveled, flattened, or smashed, and alot of icy craters were on the ground. Some that were still barely standing have giant, glowing icicle structures forming on to them that served as a light source in this now dim and desolate land. The cars on the street share the same fate.

Around Zeke were several scraps of metal, plastic, concrete, and lots of scattered goods and products, and a huge icy crater where the cube bomb once landed-- the only remains of the once lovely grocery store. He couldn't even tell if he was still in the stockroom, either-- everything near him, even the walls, were destroyed.

Zeke tried to stand up. It took him a while, but he managed to, eventually. He rubbed his eyes to see the area more clearly, and then he saw a figure lying nearby, not moving even an inch. He slowly approached the figure and was horrified when he came to realize who it is.

It was the cashier, completely encased in ice. His face looked relieved as he was looking at his phone in his hand. By the looks of it, he did get his cellphone. Only that, he didn't make it out himself, and he basically froze over.

Zeke backed a bit in fear. He then remembered to check his own phone, which was surprisingly still alive, only low on battery. He squinted at the dim screen to check the time.

January 6, 2023, 3:41pm.

He realized it has been more than a day since the meteor fell.

Questions begin clouding Zeke's mind. What the hell just happened? How did he even survive? And more importantly, how could he get out of this?

He shook his head. He needed a plan.

He tried to contact his parents, to no avail. The signal was dead. The Wi-Fi and GPS are down, too. He was basically lost, for real this time, and he didn't like it. The only thing that's on his mind right now was to get the hell out of here.

He then saw boxes of food and water still intact. He opened these with much effort and carried a few bottles of water and canned goods. He didn't want to pack heavy in case he needed to sprint. With a last look at the cashier encased in ice, he gave a deep sigh, said an audible apology, and took off, walking aimlessly through the ice and snow.

He had no direction. All he ever hoped was to find someone else. Or at least, find a shelter for him to stay on. As he wandered, he saw more and more of the aftermath of the horrific disaster. Freezing remnants of the cube bombs on the streets, people and animals frozen inside shops, homes, out the sidewalks, and inside cars. Some looked like they were about to check on what's going on, but were probably too late to be aware of the disaster that was about to fall upon them. Others looked terrified, their faces contorted in horror to the sheer thought of impending doom. Either way, the sight was too scary to see.

After a few more minutes of walking, Zeke then notices a crystalline cube gem on the ground. It's strange how perfect the cube looked. It must've been a valuable gem. As he looked closer, it started to shake, and in a matter of seconds started absorbing the snow around it and it soon begins to take the form of a humanoid figure. Zeke retreats for a bit.