Moon of the Crusted Snow

Evan visits his secret project, a shelter in the bush he began building after the brawl at the food line. Over the course of a few weeks, he built a tipi, something he learned from an outdoor survival magazine. The shelter is a contingency for his family against the growing civil unrest. Evan builds a small fire in the tipi and is soon lulled into sleep.

He has another nightmare. He is in the morgue, the scene lit by a pulsating, crimson sun. All that remains of the bodies is tattered blankets. A deep growl alerts him to the arrival of a disfigured, monstrous creature, emaciated and covered in brown hair. Though the features are distorted, it clearly has Scott’s face. It lunges at him.

Nicole does laundry in a pot on the useless electric stove while her children play with toy blocks. Though she is no longer keeping track of time, she reckons it to be past the peak of winter. Signs of spring are beginning to appear. Nicole boils snow for drinking water and stores it in the basement.

Tyler arrives, asking for Evan. He bears bad news: Aileen has died.