The Survivor

The Cold

This afternoon I saw a group of four people looting stores. The amber glow of the warm campfire keeps me from dozing off. The last thing I need is to drift off and get robbed in my sleep. I know they see the smoke, but for my sake and theirs, I hope they don't come investigate. Meeting other humans is almost always imminent violence. That's when I feel it. The eerie, dark chill beginning to form. The Cold is coming, and I don't have much time at all. I hastily throw all my strewn supplies into my dark green backpack, and start yanking out my protective gear. I grab my neon yellow Thermo-Coat, and hurriedly pull it over my vulnerable arms. There is no time to put on the Thermo-Pants. My legs will just have to deal. Quickly, I throw my bag against a tree, pull my coat around my legs, and prepare for the climate change.

The coldness creeps up on me quick, like a cheetah. The temperature drops from 75 Fahrenheit to zero instantly, numbing my entire head from such a temperature change. The 0 turned to -10... Then -20... my Thermo-Hat is barely able to keep out the bitter cold that stings my legs, and clings to my chest. The adaptation that was caused by these climate changes causes humans to instinctively go unconscious, and then our blood heats to keep us alive. I feel myself losing consciousness slowly, but the ominous cold bites at my nose and frosty eyelashes. Slowly my eyes close, and my body's natural response takes over. 

I wake up laying on the grass, stiff and in pain. I check my temperature watch, and the temperature has returned to its previous state at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I unzip my Thermo-Coat, and stuff it into my backpack, along with the matching Hat. Another typical day in the new United States. I must have been out for at least three hours. The sun barely peeks out from behind a distant building, signifying morning, so I sling my pack over my shoulders, buckle it on the front, and head toward the city. Every building is a new opportunity for supplies, more chance for survival. 

I grasp my crowbar firmly, and walk to a mysterious white rock laying inside the ground. 

Wait.

This isn't a rock.

It's an egg,

And not just any egg.

It's a monster egg.