Chapter 48: Carver Aggregate & Steel

Brooke sat in her office, her hands covered by thick layers of wool and synthetic fibers. Despite the warmth her clothing provided, she breathed into her hands and rubbed them, nonetheless.

It had been nearly two months since the snow first began to fall, and the weather showed no signs of turning for the better. Some days it had ceased snowing, but it never got warm enough to melt.

In fact, the temperature never even rose above the negative. Sunlight had become a rarity, and she, like many others struggled to stay warm, let alone managed to eat regularly. Her cheeks were slightly thinner than they used to be, but were far from the point of gaunt.

And if she was being honest, her clothes in general seemed slightly looser. She didn’t know how much weight she had lost, and she didn’t care to find out. She was too busy, busy trying to coordinate the survival of her employees…. Of her family’s company.

She had not heard from her parents in weeks. They were on vacation in the West Indies when everything had become to collapse. And by now there was no way to gain contact with them.

And she had attempted everything: wireless, landlines, even satellite phones. And that last part had been the dead giveaway that something was very wrong, not just with the world but the space beyond it.

She obviously couldn’t confirm this, nor did she need to. It was irrelevant to her current condition.

Just as she was about to look over the latest logs of remaining rations and how they were being given out a knock resounded on her door.

“Miss Carver… I have your dinner prepared. Can I come in?”

Brooke closed the ledger before looking back at the door.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The door opened to reveal a woman slightly younger than she was. She too was bundled up, and carried a tray that had a ceramic bowl filled with steaming water and noodles.

Plain noodles, perhaps a bit of salt added to the mix if she was lucky. This was all she and her people had left to eat.

And when the bowl touched down in front of her, Brooke was quick to remove her gloves and warm her hands over the steaming water. She wanted more than anything to dive inside its warmth and bathe in it.

But sadly, that was not possible. In fact, she doubted there was anywhere in the world where such a luxury still existed.

As she warmed her hands over the steam, Brooke could see her aide fidgeting. Desperately wanting to join her, and Brooke simply smirked and nudged her head silently.

The aide sighed in relief, removing her own layered gloves and warming her hands along side her boss. There seemed to be thoughts on her mind, thoughts she wasn’t capable of properly forming at the moment, and so Brooke took the initiative.

“It’s a shame that my family’s company specializes in industrial and construction supplies. If we were a military contractor providing MREs to the Armed Forces, we wouldn’t have to bother rationing noodles like this.”

The aide nodded her head in silent agreement, her own mind clearly occupied elsewhere. So Brooke continued.

“I’ve been looking over the latest reports. Our generators can only supply output to the foundry for another month at most. After that, we will either need to find an alternative food supply, or we will all freeze.”

Brooke had wisely and decisively begun rationing supplies, including fuel reserves the moment it became clear that this storm was not ending.

And she had preserved priority for the foundry within the manufacturing and warehousing facility.

The reasoning was simple: the foundry provided warmth, and nonessential areas like her office could be left dormant or cold.

So long as most of the workers trapped in the complex like herself had warmth and stayed in the areas the heat naturally permeated they would survive.

However, the aide was quick to shift the conversation to her thoughts.

“I’m not sure we will make it that long…”

This wasn’t nihilistic fatalism born from despair. This was a very real concern to their immediate survival, which Brooke was naturally aware of, and she was quick to shift her gaze from wistful optimism to cold and grounded resilience.

“They were spotted again on the perimeter weren’t they?”

The aide nodded her head, the fear written on her face betrayed her innermost thoughts. But Brooke remained stalwart and defiant.

“It is only natural… The world we knew is gone: the police, the national guard, city hall, and all the rights that the nation provides. Wiped out overnight by the cold. It took some longer than others to realize this, and by now they have paid the price for their naivety.”

Brooke began to sip from the broth in the bowl, the warmth of the bowl continuing to heat her hands, while her eyes were fixed through the steam, as if gazing upon a mirage embedded within.

“Whomever remains in this world is either like us, clinging on to what little enclave of civility we have managed to preserve. Or they have become wild as the wolves that have reclaimed the snow laden plains.”

Utter silence existed between the two of them for the longest time until the aide finally broached the subject neither of them wished to discuss.

“What are we going to do about it?”

Brooke shook her head, she had known from the moment her security first spotted the men riding snowmobiles in the distance, rifles slung across their backs and pistols clung to their hips that sooner or later conflict was inevitable. And she was resolved to confront it when it occurred.

“We continue with our work. We fortify the plant with what the foundry produces, and we trust in the security my father hired. If things get ugly, we may have to shut the plant down and flee. But… that would be a last resort. It is better to hold the line here, while we still can, than to brave the unknown that lies beyond.”

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