Nathanael put on his new warm clothing. The coat was comfortable to wear, and the real fur inside would keep him warm from the harsh, cold temperature. His trousers had many pockets, but Nathanael didn’t see any use to any of them at the moment. At the end of his trousers had straps that he tightened around the top of his shoes, to keep the snow away. Double layer of socks and leather gloves. And, of course, a warm hat.

“Remember this. Night times are the most dangerous. Without fire and shelter from wind and snow, you’re dead. Just like that.”

Nathanael also had two, thin-layered sweaters, and also thin-layers within his trousers. Being in all of this while still being inside the house made him much warmer than needed.

They walked outside, and that cold breeze hit his face quickly and hard. He could already feel his nose start to freeze up. He pulled up the scarf he wore around his neck, only his upper face was left exposed. Thankfully, he was given goggles he could use for the exposure, but it was rather hard to see through as it has been used for a while.

Also, he was given a gas mask that he hung around his neck.

“What’s this for?”

“You’ll never know when the air becomes toxic. We likely won’t be needing them for where we are going. But it won’t hurt to bring them if actually needed.”

Before they left the vicinity of the house, Seth showed Nathanael a second house that he didn’t notice through the windows. He likely didn’t see it as it was directly facing the front entrance of the house.

It looked to be a small warehouse or a workshop as Nathanael saw the inside. There were many various tools on the walls and table. Some tools he had no clue what they were for. Metal and wood materials were stockpiled in a corner. Pickaxes, axes, shovels, and other equipment for gathering hung neatly in their stations. A small sled with sticks sticking out a bag. And a rifle that was located within a locked, glass case.

What stood out the most was in the center of the workshop. A snowmobile, half-covered with a tarp. Its rear tracks were removed and on the floor, gears and other parts missing. Most likely it was being fixed.

When he wandered closer towards the vehicle, Nathanael started to notice damages than just missing parts. There were small holes on the side of its plating, which looked to be pierced from the outside. One of its front lights shattered. And scrape marks covered its left side.

Seth pulled the rest of the cover over, concealing it from view. The man ignored the questionable look on Nathanael’s face.

“The two sleds over here,” Seth said, diverting the attention away from the hidden object. “We’ll be taking this with us. The wood inside the bag is essential for nights and extreme colds. I’m not saying we are going to be out at night time, but like I said before, who knows what could happen.”

The sled was made to carry goods, not to be ridden. A tight rope would be around Seth’s waist, towing it through the snow would be no problem. And the sled was connected to another sled by rope, making a small train behind the old man.

Most of the space was empty, a sign they would be taking something with them back.

Nathanael would be carrying a backpack, containing food and other supplies. But for now, he kept that in the sled. The sled was also equipped with two pairs of hiking poles strapped to the side.

Seth took a pair for himself and gave the other to Nathanael.

“And with that, we’re off.”

Seth’s house wasn’t in sight anymore.

Though Nathanael knew these lands were nothing but plains of snow, he could tell the hidden high and low grounds were there.

Because everything was so white, and with the sun hiding behind the veil of clouds to show no shadows, it was really hard to tell. But while walking, he could feel the elevation changing from time to time, though only slightly.

“Is there anything besides snow?”

“Of course. Cliffs, mountains, forests, and other natural places far, yet also close, from the house. But today, we won’t go to any of them.”

No places with bark or stone. They ventured on a path only Seth knew across the planes.

There didn’t seem to be any kind of landmarking around. Except perhaps for the mountains, though they were really far to be used for precise use. Sure, they could still be used as some sort of compass, but Nathanael still couldn’t understand how Seth would know where he was going. If he would lose Seth, there was a high possibility of losing his way and getting lost. It’s best to stick close.

Ahead seemed nothing but… well… nothing. The far beyond was odd, Nathanael would think he could see something more in the distance, but something was blocking his sight. The mountains looked to be further than this abstraction in front of him.

Yet another oddity.

“Where exactly are we going? To get some supplies?” The near-empty sled got him that idea.

“There are a few structures we are heading towards. Their caches should have been renewed.”

Renewed? As in newly resupplied?

“So they are for us?”

“Everyone. We’re far off from civilization, it’s pointless going so far when we have these structures.”

What Seth said only gave Nathanael more puzzles.

“So… people store food and other things in these structures? For us and others?”

“You could say that. Honestly, I’m not sure where it all comes from. All I know is that there are some who help people survive the snow, they leave small supplies for others and never show themselves.”

“I… see…” Nathanael still didn’t understand.

The first structure was at sight. It was buried within the snow, the door was a hatch on top. Seth told him it was a bunker.

“The hatch here is often frozen solid with ice. We can easily break it from the outside. But from the inside, it is much harder, and you could end up dying of hypothermia. So don’t ever think of sleeping in one of these, despite having a comfy bed.”

Seth used a small ice pick to crumble the frozen water. And with the help of Nathanael, they pulled the hatch open.

An air of deprivation flew out. The smell was oddly empty, no certain scent of anything peculiar.

The bunker was small. The light from Seth’s flashlight traveled through the cold mist, cobwebs, and old dust particles, revealing a single room. A bed with cushions. A table with writing materials. Near empty lamp. A clock with a broken hour hand.

A chest revealed the cache Seth told him about. A lock was opened and lying on the floor, someone other than them found the place first. There wasn’t much left inside, only one-fourth of the space was in use. Food packages with labels showing fruits and vegetables, no meat. A lengthy rope. A leather satchel.

Everything else inside the chest was air.

Seth tossed the satchel towards Nathanael. “You can have that if you want.”

He opened the satchel. It contained only a notebook. A small latch held it close, but not completely locked. A neat pencil was fastened at the back of the book. Nathanael clicked it open and flipped through the pages. Every page looked clean and empty, a completely new book.

Does the world really want me to write something? Nathanael thought. Back at the house, he only had sheets of paper to write on, no book. And he was stuck on a few words. He did try to think about what to write when staring deeply down the blank page, but nothing came to mind.

It wouldn’t hurt to try again.

Nathanael placed the book back in the satchel and slung the bag over his shoulder. He had a feeling the satchel was the perfect place to keep the book, not knowing why he thought so though. Perhaps because that is where he found it?

“There isn’t anything of value left. Let’s go to the next location.”

Though saying there wasn’t much of value in the chest, Seth still took the food packages and rope, placed them in a bag, and fastened it onto the sled.

Nathanael’s feet trudged on after the other, following the hiking staff he held. He walked beside the aging man and wondered what to say.

It wasn’t exactly needed to hold a conversation, but Seth was still someone he didn’t know. He knew little to nothing of him and wanted to know more.

“Seth, could you tell me more about you?”

“Like what? What would you need to know?”

Need. Not want or like. What would Nathanael need to know?

“Well… have you always owned that house? And have you always gone out to gather supplies from these bunkers?”

Seth stopped. The sled halted once bumping at his back legs.

“Not always. The snow isn’t the only thing I know. I ventured through other lands that are just as harsh as this. And lived beneath different roofs; wood, stone, or nothingness. So many memories… gone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kid, I was once like you. Lost and confused. The world, odd, broken into pieces. The walls high and never-ending. Everything misunderstood, mysterious, and complicated. I still have so much to learn, even as I nearly found every answer that I have sought for for years. Answers which, sadly, I can't share.”

Seth’s enigmatic words weren’t reaching Nathanael’s ears. What was he saying?

“If your memories were still intact, you would remember a false world. Earth, as you remember it, isn’t as you think it to be. Perhaps you won’t remember your past due to this invalid reality.”

Snow started to fall. And Nathanael didn’t get any answers.

Seth and Nathanael opened the door of the fourth bunker. Similar to the others, most of the supplies were already taken. Only scrap remained.

Nathanael left the structure behind Seth. The sled now started to look more full, though only with minimal supplies. At least it was something.

He had his backpack and satchel, to get rid of some weight off of the sled.

Before they headed to the next structure, Seth looked at the plains before him. He did some odd gestures with his hand, then started moving to their next destination.

Seth had done this similar gesture before, after every stop. Nathanael couldn’t see what it was supposed to mean.

“Now would you look at that…” Seth pointed at something in the distance.

“What is that?”

It was too far to tell. But as they got closer, they managed to identify the object to be a snowmobile. Similar to Seth’s vehicle back in his workshop.

It was busted beyond repair and has fallen on its side. Its chassis ripped from the body. The engine showed signs of an explosion, scorch marks covered most of the front. The front lights were shattered and blown away from the main body.

Miraculously, the only thing that looked intact were the tracks. And Seth took notice of that.

“We’re taking the tracks with us, I’m in need of a replacement.”

“Right, I’ll help you.”

In Nathanael’s backpack were the few necessary tools to get the job done. They had no heavy equipment, only lightweight wrenches, screwdrivers, and others.

It took some time. The snowfall was thankfully calm as they took the vehicle’s back apart. Bolts were left on the ground, the plating and gears tossed away.

Seth extracted the tracks from the vehicle. With a satisfying inspection, he fastened it on along the sled.

“What do you think happened to it?” Nathanael asked.

“I’m not an expert to know. But I’m sure this has been here for a while. I’m glad that we stumbled across it, I haven’t ridden my vehicle for a long time.”

Then, once again, Nathanael noticed that same gesture.

“That motion with your hand, what does it mean?”

“Just a ritual I do sometimes,” Seth immediately answered. “A sign of good luck.”