He took a long drag off of his cigarette and threw it off the dock into the water. That was his last one. Looks like it's time to quit.

He could see his captain screaming at his fellow squad mates from here. If he listened he could almost hear it carried on the wind.

Poor bastards.

It wasn't their fault that the captain had wrung them up on the shore. No one was exactly at their best right now and the Captain was no better. Technically it wasn't even the Captain's fault. He'd done the best he could with no equipement and no radio to call for help.

A few yards away the Captain slammed his heavy boot into the ass of his scambling crewman.

"Get it TOGETHER! Move your ASS!" he emphasized with another well-placed boot to the backside.

Ever since the breakout the radio had been down so there was no way to call in their distress. They were on their own and needed to get as much of their stores as they could off of the boat and into the nearby town if they were going to have any chance of surviving this.

"Captain, sir." a young faced man saluted his superior officer quickly and stood at attention awaiting his assignment.

They stood at the back of the boat as 3 other men moved quickly taking boxes off of the ship and moving them across the frozen lake towards the village for safe keeping.

The boy looked as exhausted and ragged as the rest. It had been a long trip and they were all worn down to practically nothing.

"Scout ahead. I want you to check and see what's out there beyond that ridge." gesturing over his shouder behing him, "and tell me what you find. We might be here a while and we need to know what we're up against.".

"Sir!" he saluted and ran off along the barge towards the ridge as ordered. There was a small cave that looked almost perfectly cylindrical. He pushed on towards it until he was standing in it's open mouth. He lit a red flare to help himself find his way back should he get lost. He didn't trust his equipement anymore. Not after what just happened.

He pushed through the cave and came out a small opening that overlooked a Lumber company nestled along a creek. He took the first creek path and after walking a few feet decided it best to light another flare.

Can't be too safe he thought as he pressed on. He pushed forward to a small delicate frozen lake and what appeared to be a fishing cabin. There was even a snowmobile on the side which if it worked would make his job a lot easier. Crouching low he took a step onto the ice.

A crack of light lit to his left and he had no time to see the sniper waiting in the saw mill window. He was toast.

* * * * * * *

The shot echoed across the barren landscape and the Captain looked toward the sound of the distrubance.

He was toast.

His men looked at him blankly showing little concern and shuffled back to work.

He stared off at the distance and could see the oil rigs still lit in the water. A few months ago they were so important to the war-effort and now they were just statues. Monuments of a dead ideal that no longer mattered.

A loud creak and moan from the ship startled the Captain and sent him running from the wreckage with an unexpected sprint. The massive boat shifted and screamed under the pressure of the unforgiving ice and slammed to it's side looking as though it might finally fall through the dark water into oblivion and be gone forever. It was now securely pinned between boulders, ice and glaciers. It wasn't going anywhere. Ever.

Letting out a long whistle he motioned for his men to fall back to the village to warm up and rest. There was a building with an operating furnace and he wasn't going to sit around here any longer than he had to. Leading his defeated men into the "Icebox Storage" building Captain sat heavily on the crates they had hauled in all day. There was a roof, fresh water and heat. He was happy. Very happy, considering.

Hopefully his men would take advantage as he planned to.

Everyone found a little corner of the room and fell down hard. Some fell down right in front of the furnace, some slept on the crates along the walls as soon as they were horizontal. One even made a bed on a long dolly with some crates still on it. They were so exhausted they could have easily had a great nights sleep on a bed of cactus.

Captain leaned over to his second-in-command, Memory, and muttered a silent order that was returned with a chuckle just as he settled in to fall asleep.

They should send out a search party for the young boy Ferny's body. They should secure the building. They should make sure they have their supplies off of the boat.

None of that mattered now.

They had all lost family, wives and girlfriends to the plague. They had lost men trying to get out and survive. They had lost everything. The government had no containment. Now that the radio had gone dark and it was obvious what had happened.

It was all lost.

Needless to say, no one was coming to get them. Not for a long time.

He didn't know who would be out here since he'd recieved intel that the military had taken over this area about six months ago. Possibly a few straglers? Or a small base camp of soldiers?

Either way, it was getting dark and it was cold. They hadn't slept in weeks and this was their first moment of safety in months.

They were taking the break.

No debate.

* * * * * * * * *

"...Sir?", Evol whispered to his Captain, "...she's making a-- a-- a snowman. Do I take the shot?"

Captain could hardly believe his ears.

"Say what?"

"I said she's making a fucking snowman. A man of snow. She's making one. Do I kill her or not?" Evol repeated more slowly than necessary.

"Has she seen you?", Melvin chimed in impatiently.

Evol nodded his head no as we watched fixated on the girl placing the head on her masterpiece with glee. She looked so happy.

"What's up with this chick? She's gonna start making fucking snow angels in a second.". Her ability to take joy in her surroundings aggravated Evol to his core.

He wanted to make a snowman now.

"Son of a bitch" he muttered to himself.

He didn't know if he was more angry that she was playing in the snow or that they had been stuck here for weeks and it never occurred to him to do that, yet.

"Well if she hasn't seen you get away from the door and don't draw attention to yourself. She's scouting our shit so you know she's from the camp of whomever shot Ferny a few weeks ago." "Give her a reward" was all Evol muttered as he pushed himself away from the door and quietly rejoined the squad sitting around the small space. In the past few weeks Evol had not missed that little bastard one second.

Captain eyed his grumpy squadmate as he settled in next to them to quietly discuss what to do about this problem in their front yard.

"We need a plan", Captain offered.

Melvin added gruffly, "Sitting here will get us killed. It's not optimal. We need to see what they have and take it. I guarantee whatever they have is more accomodating than what we have here".

"I don't want to kill anyone we don't have to." Evol suggested as he fumbled with his gun aimlessly.

Captain countered, "Yeah, well, she's well armed and although a bit innocent looking seeing as how she painfully overlooked us right next to her and making snowmen and all but--"

"SnowMAN" Evol interrupted.

".....What?"

"Snow MAN. She's only making one. You said men. You were inaccurate." Evol added defiantly.

"....Whatever. ...Damn it, Evol!", Captain fumed, "Shut the fuck up. It doesn't matter! We have no idea what we're up against. She could have a platoon with her and we don't know."

"Yeah but she could be with a small regiment, too", Evol pushed.

Captain gave Evol a look that told him he'd had about enough of his bullshit which immediately put Evol into a darker than usual mood. He shut his mouth and peered around the corner to see if she was still there.

"She's fucking dancing around it" Evol muttered impatiently.

"Memory, what do you think?" Captain asked side-stepping Evol's fascination with the girl and the snowman.

There was an audible pause before Memory answered matter-of-factly.

"I say we take it. We've got nothing to lose. It's not like we can bake them cookies and ask if we can be bunkmates. It is what it is. Kill or be killed."

He made sense Captain thought to himself as he let Memory's voice sink in. Captain knew that he was right even if he didn't want him to be. He knew what he needed to do for his men but he was conflicted.

"I hate to agree with Evol but I don't want to go and kill a squad just because I need their shit. If this is a new world we need to be better than--"

Captain couldn't finish his thought because a chorus of arm flailing and sighs stopped him short.

"Alright alright whatever. So we take it. ...When?" Captain said deflated.

"Tonight." Melving offered quickly.

For the first time in weeks they had a mission.

The men looked good.

They needed this.

Maybe a little bloodshed woudln't be a bad idea.

Shake off the cobwebs a bit and give them a united mission.

Yeah, maybe this is just what they needed.

"She's heading back the way she came. Looks like she's done playing with her dollies for the time being." Evol reported with a voice full of frustration.

Captain stood up and grabbed his AK-12. He took a long look at his mob and looked out the door after the small girl walking back towards her base.

"Then we take it now. We follow at a distance. See where she ends up....."

There was a long pause while they waited for his final order.