The Ridge family has now survived over two weeks in their harsh, post-apocalyptic world. Though they’ve largely solved their water crisis, food poisoning continues to plague the shelter. Their lives may be marginally more stable, but comfort remains a distant dream.
The Search for Metal
Cooking meat was the next step toward survival. Eating raw meat had caused enough sickness. It was time to do something about it. For that, the Ridge family needed metal to build a makeshift furnace cooker.
They devised a two-pronged plan:
- Send an expedition to scavenge sites likely to contain metal.
- Use the radio to call in traders who might have some to barter.
Water, as always, was still in short supply, so the scavenging expedition would have to wait for the next rainfall. In the meantime, they worked the radio. Traders came and went, but none brought metal. Still, the family secured some valuable resources in exchange for antibiotics.
At last, the skies opened. Angela and Martha set out with Max the dog, leaving the children behind to run the shelter and handle any incoming trades. Animal fats from the traps fetched a good price, helping stockpile more essentials.
On the road, the scavengers encountered an aggressive wolf. With Max’s help, they fought it off and butchered the corpse for meat, a gruesome, but necessary task. Any source of food is vital in this barren land and cannot be wasted.
While metal remained elusive in the locations they visited, several roaming traders had what they needed. By the time they returned, they carried more than enough to finally build a furnace.
Now they could cook food. Yet, the makeshift furnace was rudimentary, and the chance of food poisoning didn’t go away entirely.
Child Trauma
Life in the shelter was especially taking its toll on young Debra.
Left behind with her sister, overworked, and weakened by illness, she became increasingly stressed. Eventually, she slipped into trauma, retreating to bed in a haze of anxiety and exhaustion.
The family had just one single teddy bear, so they give it to her. It wasn’t a cure-all, but slowly the comfort of the stuffed toy helped reduce her stress. Eventually the trauma began to fade.
Living underground, surrounded by decay and desperation, was hard enough for adults. For children, it was a waking nightmare.
Black Rain
More rain came—just in time for another expedition. But this time it looked different. Dark and Sludgy. The Ridge family didn’t understand what it meant. But water was water, right?
Debra and Angela used this water to set out on an expedition anyway. They wore masks to protect themselves from any ill effects of the black rain.
While the expedition moved through the wasteland and bartered with survivors they encountered, those back at the shelter realized the truth: the water had become contaminated. The black rain was tainting their reserves.
Martha climbed up to close the valve on the water filter. Moments after she did, the water became clear again. She reopened the valve and watched as their supplies slowly refilled with clean rain.
Darkchester
Debra and Angela’s expedition led them to a new settlement, known as Darkchester in times past. At first, it seemed much like Furholme: buildings with some supplies, and the occasional trader. But not everyone they met wanted to barter. Some just wanted their supplies, and their lives.
After a few violent encounters, Angela was badly injured and bleeding. They couldn’t stop the bleeding completely, only slow it. The pair had no choice but to return to the shelter.
Miraculously, they made it back in time. Angela bandaged her wound and treated herself with the medical supplies in the shelter. She would live, but Darkchester would be remembered. If they ever returned, they would need greater firepower.
Preparations
Upon returning, the family started to expand the shelter. More space would mean more storage, more room for facilities, and a more sustainable way of life.
After a successful trade brought in plastic, they were able to build more gas masks so they. They are essential for going on expeditions, but are useless after just a single trip. Radiation poisoning is hard to overcome if they run out of anti-rads, so it is better to prevent it if they can..
With water in abundance again, Martha and Debra set out on an expedition, this time to a settlement north of Furholme. They hoped the people there would be friendlier. But they didn’t count on it. They brought weapons. And Max.
Nearly a Month
The Ridge family has made it 28 days without a single death. The shelter is expanding. Their water supply is stabilising. Food is edible most of the time. But trauma, predators, and poisonous rain loom in every shadow.
They’re alive but survival isn’t guaranteed. Can they make it to 60 days? Can they build a life? Or are they just postponing their inevitable demise?
