Two years after Kholm
It's been two years, and I still don't know what place this is. They told me it was Russia, but it's so different from what I remember from the internet.
Weren't they supposed to be used to the cold? Where is everyone? Don't tell me they died in the middle of this hellish snow, what a bunch of softies, they can't even handle a little chill. And where is that bastard Carl? Didn't he flee to this place?
I need to get out of this colony. There's nothing worth a damn left here; they've already picked the place clean and didn't even leave the blankets behind.
If I'd made it here just two days earlier, I might've actually found something. I glance at my watch, 14:34. There's still some time left to keep searching.
The name of this colony was Benshenaya Sobaka, if I'm not mistaken. It's located in the north, so there should've been more people here, I guess they fled to the hills. Anyway, there wasn't much to see, just some patched-up tents and frozen clothes, hard as rock. But there are a few shell casings scattered on the ground.
A fight must've broken out. They look like shotgun shells. A trail of blood leads toward the nearby forest. There's a lot of it... whoever it is couldn't have gone far.
I tightened my grip on the axe in my hands and headed that way. I don't care if he's armed or not, in the end, he'll dead either way.
As I drew closer, I heard rapid footsteps, looks like he's realized I'm here. Perfect. A good run will help warm me up.
— Where do you think you're going!?
No response. Did someone slit his throat? I could make out his silhouette through the trees, stumbling into everything in his path. He wasn't moving very fast.
— I can see the trail of blood! You'd better just give yourself up!
Dammit, he just won't quit. A tree trunk splintered right next to me from a blast, he's got a sawed-off mini-shotgun.
It's a powerful weapon, if only he had decent aim. Pity that model only holds two rounds. I just waited for him to whiff the second shot and made my move. His clothes were thick as hell, but legs are always in the same place.
— What's the rush?
One clean swing of the axe was enough to sever the leg... Wait. It was a woman? Of course it was, that ear-splitting scream could only have come from a woman. She stayed there, thrashing on the ground without stopping for a single second.
— Where did the others go? — I asked calmly.
— Go to hell!!!
— So rude.
I yanked the cap off her head and finally saw her face. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. A bit on the older side, I'd say, but she'd fit right in with a certain terrorist group I know, pity she isn't my type.
I grabbed her by the hair and readied my axe; if she so much as tried anything, her head would be rolling across the ground.
— Where did they go?
— Are you with the "New Brigade?" — She asked, clutching her leg on the ground, or rather, what was left of it.
— What the heck is this "New Brigade"?
She was becoming delirious, the constant blood loss must have already scrambled her brain. She wouldn't last long if I didn't apply a tourniquet, but I wasn't about to waste resources on an old hag.
Taking advantage of her being pinned to the ground, I reared back the axe with both hands.
— No no no, wait!!!
SPLASH!!!
Dead. One swing of the axe to the neck and her suffering was over. At least I got a sawed-off out of it, even if she only had one ammo box with three shells on her. It's better than nothing. Her clothes look pretty warm, too, I should probably take them. I've still got food in my pack, so I won't need to carve off any pieces of her.
Let's see... Two more cans of beef stew, a bottle of water, a map, and a mirror.
Too bad. She wasn't carrying much of value. I tried to look in the mirror, but the reflection is still a blur.
I still can't see my own face, just hope this ends soon. I've heard from others that I have black hair and brown eyes, my mother used to say my eyebrows were on the thick side. I'd just like to confirm that for myself.
Hmph... At least her blood isn't glowing yet. I think I can hold out for another two hours before taking the medicine.
The world has changed so much since I was a kid. I remember going to the beach with my father, even if I can't recall his face anymore. The summer heat... the ice cream I used to love back home in Munich... the good food from the city center. Everything felt so much brighter before the cold took over.
But one day, during a midday news report, the TV announced that the sun was progressively losing mass, at a rate far beyond anything normal.
As a result, the Earth was drifting away from it. Year by year, the cold intensified. Bit by bit, summer was being stolen from us
Over time, crops and livestock began to die off, and food was no longer a guarantee.
The rule of law crumbled. Some nations fell into anarchy, others descended into war. Bit by bit, people ceased to be human. Sometimes, I think this cold didn't just freeze our surroundings, it froze the human heart, too.
But then again, who am I to talk? I'm a man who literally decapitated an old woman just a few minutes ago.
Félix Hoffmann. That's the name my mother gave me, at least, it's what I remember from before Kholm took me. I don't remember much else... I suppose my best memories are of when the world was still warm. But those days aren't coming back.
— Sigh. — If only that bastard Carl were here, it would save me so much time. Clever son of a bitch.
Night is closing in. Staying on the move now is out of the question, the cold intensifies so much it's impossible to survive more than an hour outside. The colony is too far from any city, so I had to hole up here for the night.
I picked a small cabin, lit the fireplace, and piled on every scrap of fabric I could find. I can sleep right in front of the hearth. It's nearly impossible for anything to catch fire in this frozen hell.
The doors and windows are shut tight, but just to be safe, I barricaded the entrance and nailed the windows shut. When people are this hungry, you can't afford to make a single mistake.
The next morning, I decided to head toward the location marked on that old hag's map. It's not particularly far roughly a two-day trek from what I can see. Factoring in breaks for meals and the overnight stops, I reckon I'll reach it in about three and a half days.
I hope there's a pharmacy there. I only have one box of Axionil left. I forgot to take it yesterday and ended up waking up to a putrid stench in the air.
It smelled like a corpse was rotting right next to me, but with all this snow, that should be impossible. I downed the meds the moment I opened my eyes, but this damn smell still hasn't gone away. I just hope it fades before I start getting hungry.
— Félix, where are you going, dear?
The voice came from behind. It was so familiar... no... it couldn't be... I turned around, a grin stretching from ear to ear.
— Mother!!!
There was no one there. Just my mind playing tricks on me again... Haha... How cruel. Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be my mother? Every time I remember her, I hate Kholm even more.
— Saviors... What a sick joke.
I'd barely taken a few steps before the voice echoed in my ear again, so close it felt like a soft breath against my skin.
— Don't be so hard on yourself, you're just a boy.
Is that what you'd say if you were really here? The voice is comforting, sweet as cotton candy... but I can't afford to lose my mind. Not here. Not in the middle of nowhere. I reached for the Axionil and swallowed two more pills.
Only three left now.
— I just have to reach the location on the map. That's all. Everything will be fine in the end... Everything will be fine...
Three days later, I arrived. It was a large city. Judging by the quality of the houses and buildings, there must still be people living here. These Russian signboards... I can't read a word of them, but they serve as proof that I'm still in Russia. Which means I'm still in this hell."
The roads were littered with footprints scattered everywhere. They looked like they belonged to children. Finger marks were smeared across the red brick walls, and small sticks lay beside drawings etched into the ground. Children... but where were they?
Their tracks led toward a bridge. Half of it had been blown apart, likely by bombs during the war, but its base remained intact, with tarps draped over sections of it. They must have hunkered down there to stay close to the river. A smart move, but the cold would only be more intense down by the water.
My head is killing me, the Axionil is over and the pharmacies have already been looted, this damn smell of rot is impregnated in my nose.
Come on! It's just people living in that house, they might have Axionil somewhere.
Sighs
There was no door, so I knocked on a wood near the tarps to call attention. I heard some steps coming from the inside, I could just try to pull or tear, but it would be a lack of manners, not that I am an example.
— Кто ты? — A male voice asked.
Of course they're Russian. What was I even thinking? Expecting to find Germans out here? I tried approaching him in English to increase my chances of communicating. Luckily for me, he understood.
— My name is Félix. I just wanted to ask if you have any—
— Are you armed?! — he barked, cutting me off.
— No, sir. — I lied.
— Lift your jacket.
He spotted them immediately, my sawed-off and the axe.
— Get lost, or I'll shoot!!
I grabbed my weapons and tossed them far away from me. At the rate I'm going, I won't last another two days. I'm a dead man either way if I don't get some Axionil.
— I'm unarmed now, sir.
— Where are you from? — The voice demanded.
— I come from the Benshenaya Sobaka colony.
— Do you think I was born yesterday?! You aren't even Russian!!
— I was just passing through. — I stared ahead, my voice flat. — The place was deserted, I swear.
He gave me a strange look.
Usually, people beg or tremble with fear when a gun is pointed at them. But I don't feel any of that. I know full well that if he pulls that trigger, I'll die. I'm perfectly aware of my situation, but... I just don't know how I'm supposed to act anymore.
— What do you want?
He kept his gun aimed straight at me.
— Axionil. — I met his gaze, my eyes hollow. — If you have some, I'll be gone in an instant.
Hesitating, he shouted back through the tarp.
— Marry!! Bring the blue boxes!
A middle-aged woman appeared, clutching two boxes of Axionil in her hands.
— Take them and get out of here! — the man snapped.
— Well... don't you want anything in exchange?
He had given them up too easily. Even though this medicine is useless to most people, it still felt like a missed opportunity for a trade.
— I can offer some cans of soup, if you'd like.
— I don't want anything that comes from you!
The woman tossed the boxes onto the ground. I gathered them up with careful, deliberate movements, retrieving my weapons at the same time. I was well aware that a single suspicious twitch would be enough for that man to pull the trigger.
Well... at least I can last another month now that I have these.
I'd better scout a bit of the city before nightfall.