The Cold
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The Cold
3TK Sisters
|Faith Hope Love|
Setia Kurniawan
Vonni Gustimego
Theadosia Kurniawan
Tatiana Kurniawan
Thalia Thérèse Kurniawan
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Copyright © 2014 3TK Sisters
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other
noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events
and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used
in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Katharina
Beep, beep, beep.
1200 hours. It’s time.
I trudge though the filthy muck of ash, debris and blood, mixed in this frozen
atmospheric water vapour they call snow. To think that during my childhood, I would
fantasize these cold masses as soft, fluffy and pristinely white. I am glad that my
childhood ended quickly, no more time wasted with foolish and redundant notions.
What a bunch of hot air. Hot air, how I long for some right now, instead of sloshing
through this dirty heap and soiling my new boots. Relax Katya, being part of the
Evacuation Corps was all you’ve dreamt about, I think to myself, amidst the quiet
curses spurting of out my shivering mouth. But it's true.
Ever since the Hypoextremus broke out in this strange country, I wish to be
part of the Corps. I want to become one of the Heroes, to find the lost, re-home the
homeless and warm the cold. I yearn for respect and pride. I know I am born an
extraordinary person, this is the time to show it. Yet, amidst this terrible weather, I’m
starting to have second thoughts. No, I shall persevere. Every Hero has their fallbacks.
Conceal all pain, Katya. You must succeed.
Snow continues to fall steadily as my little mantra helps me walk on for
another two kilometres. In close proximity, I begin to sight the familiar shape of a
worn down building. To stranger’s eyes, this rectangular construction could just be
one of the abandoned shacks scattered amongst the vast empty city, but it’s far more
than that.
The Corps claimed the place when they first settled here ten years ago. Seeing
that it was still in good shape they brought over their equipment from home: cables,
transmitters, microphones, computers, the whole lot. They were setting up a radio
station. A month later they began work on the transmission tower. The beautiful steel
lattice structure was finished in just under two months. A barrier with reflective
panels surrounded the tower to keep it pretty much invisible, although frequent winds
and snowstorms circulating the area were already helpful enough. To this day, the
station is fully functioning and well used by Corps members. A daily report is
transmitted to our homeland to give superiors constant updates of our activities and
the total count of evacuees.
Fortunately my arrival is unbeknownst to most, regardless of the fact that I am
five minutes late. I shake off the snow on my boots and outerwear, before stepping
inside and bolting the door shut. I am just about to head to the toilet when a booming
voice rings in my ear from behind. “You’re late.”
I curse quietly for the fortieth time, then turn and flash the man my politest
smile. “I do apologise sir, I was trying to console the last evacuee who claimed to
have lost her prized locket in the snow, when the snowmobile left without me. It took
half an hour to find the locket and a further twenty minutes to persuade her to enter
the Thermocapsule. Then I had to walk all the wa-”
“Enough of your excuses!” the Deputy Commander booms again, “You will
be in that meeting room in 20 seconds or I will get a replacement Canine Chief and
Evacuee Nurse” He then shoves me towards the direction of the meeting room. I
hurry as fast as my frozen legs could carry me, still within earshot of the Dep.
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“I already can’t sleep with them stupid mutts barking every night. See to it that
you and your dogs buck up or we’ll see how far you have to walk when we fly back
and you’re left here alone.”
I curse for the forty-first time. Relax Katya, being part of the Evacuation
Corps was all you’ve dreamt about.
Florence
The cold front bites into my flesh. I convulse uncontrollably, feeling as if I’m
being torn apart, like I’m prey for the Alsatian Hounds. Those savagely manipulated
beasts feed on almost anything, especially innocent beings that won’t… co-operate.
They lurk the city every night, prowling, watching, stalking, with movements ever so
soft against the snow. Their amber eyes gaze across the vastness, constantly hunting
for signs of life. It is as if they are part of the devil himself, luring me into his icy
abyss.
It is only in these times that I begin to fear the silence. Am I afraid? That is a
question I have no answer for. I am overcome with so much never-ending dread that
fear is no match for the feeling that is consuming my body, sucking out all life and
love. I am emotionless.
I lift my heavy eye-lids and peer around for light, unsurprised to find none.
Nobody has seen light in thirty years. Day and night seems to have merge into one
period of frost and fog. We rely on electricity and artificial heat from the Thermohubs
to sustain life here. Many lives have been lost to hypothermia amongst other
infections. Yet each morning, I still hope. Hope is what carries me to go on. It is a
miracle I have kept my children and myself safe. My darling children, there are only
twelve now. Orphans. I regret not being able to save them all, and our home. All our
beautiful memories destroyed in mere minutes. That was twenty years ago. Life
before the cold.
I open my pocket-watch, 7:25 am, and stretch my arms and legs awake. Our
make-shift shelter is a lifeless office building with three floors. Remains of desks,
chairs and cabinets lie around, longing for mending and use. After tidying myself in a
bathroom on the first floor, I took the stairs up to the second, to wake the children.
Katharina
I open the meeting room door to find twenty pairs of eyes glaring at me. I am
in deep trouble.
“Nice of you to finally join us Katharina, I trust my men did not leave you to
walk back here from the Transport Station?” a sly smile stretches across the face of
the Head of Evacuee Control, Gustav Elgar.
I give him a straight face. “Your men are worthless, immature beings, but
seeing as I have intruded into the meeting already, why don’t we talk it over lunch
later? I believe these dignified people wouldn’t want to bother listening to you whine
on in defense.”
Gustav is about the fire back when an authoritative voice from a TV screen at
the front of the room silences him. “Miss Krauss please sit down. We must continue
with this meeting. I do not have the luxury of time.” It’s the voice of Mr. Hueber, our
superior. A video chat transmission has been set up in the radio station, for our
weekly board meetings. Hueber is currently in charge of the Rescue Operation, ever
since the former leader Mr. Clarkson, was assassinated on his way home from a
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meeting. All fingers pointed to the Ethical Justice Party but no resolution has been
met so far.
I apologise for my tardiness and sat in my designated seat. The meeting went
on.
“We all know the Corps has been successful in evacuating Australians to safer
tomorrows. The world is proud of our work and is continuously supporting us!”
Hueber says, his double chin jiggling. His entire face is shining with grease and his
stubble is in a messy state.
The congregation agrees with nods, then chants our famous motto. “Better
mind, better life! Better mind, better life!”
Hueber signals to silence. “Yes, my friends we all have worked hard and done
well. I am proud to have received this morning’s daily report stating that the Western
Australian region is now free of evacuees.”
The meeting room erupts with cheers. Even Hueber begins to smile. “Now
five of six states are cleared. There are reports that two are still being tracked down in
the Northern Territory. Once they have been re-homed, we can proudly proclaim that
the Corps has successfully saved the country!”
The cheering continues, but Hueber’s face becomes serious. “Now people, this
is still no time to celebrate yet, for evacuation is only the first part of our plan. Phase
two is where it gets tough. You see people, we have struck a gold mine. Australia is
soon to be emptied out. It will be a vast land of cold and ruin. But there is more than
meets the eye.
“Australia is home of one of the world’s largest source of Uranium, an
element highly sought after because it contains great amounts of concentrated energy.
By eradicating all Australians we are now faced with mines filled with these ores, just
waiting to be extracted!” Hueber grins.
The officers share confused glances at each other. Hueber disregards them and
continues. “Imagine the possibilities my friends! The power we will hold! We will be
controllers of the world’s most powerful and efficient energy source. Nuclear power
is the new future solution! Australia will become the world’s largest Nuclear Power
Plant.”
A cold chill runs down my back, and I don’t think it’s because of the weather.
I shoot out of my seat and leave the room as fast as I could.
Florence
Before the cold, I knew where I was. Perth, Western Australia 2017. My home was
the Stella Maris Children’s Orphanage in Adelaide Terrace. Six sisters and I operated
the home, giving shelter and protection to helpless children around town. We were the
signs of hope; we were the light in the darkness.
Darkness. I shiver everytime I remember that date.
18th February 2017. It was all over the papers, the local scientists who became
“Saviours of the World”. It was the cure to global warming. They named it
Cryoatmos. This chemical was injected into our atmosphere to cool it down. At the
same time it protected and repaired the ozone layer by reacting with greenhouse
elements to form harmless gasses that were collected in tanks and converted into
renewable energy. I did not know how they did it, but over time success was evident.
The weather stabilized, the air cleared and many critically endangered species were
salvaged due to this break-through. Two years after the introduction of Cryoatmos,
life was bliss. Diseases and illnesses were very rare, almost gone. Flora and fauna
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flourished, as if Mother Nature was bursting with relief and joy. The scientists were
famed everywhere for their discovery, receiving all honours and respect, but fame got
the best of them. Fame and greed.
They decided to further improve their chemical. They wanted Australia to
become the utopia of the world, with the cleanest, healthiest environment for
livelihood. Cryoatmos MMXVII was born. It was same basis, however this vapour
will only work within Australia, due to their brilliant innovation of atmospheric
limitation. 29th November 2020 they injected their proclaimed creation into the air at
a highly-anticipated broadcast event in Alice Springs, the heart of Australia. It
worked. A month later Australia saw a rapid increase in tourism and population. The
economy was stronger than ever.
A year later it died.
Cryoatmos MMXVII showed its side-effect: total destruction. So much
cooling vapour had been pumped into the Australian atmosphere with nowhere else to
go, that it began to get very cold country-wide. Sooner than most expected, Australian
border cities were faced with terrible frost. Snowstorms attacked the perfect skies.
Nature was imprisoned in ice. Panic broke everywhere, and our country had the
highest death toll of the year. World leaders argued meeting after meeting to find a
fast solution. The famed scientists were imprisoned, and an evacuation plan was
called for. Australia became the continent of an endless cold worse than any other.
The Corps arrived on the 17th of March 2022. Formally known as the
Demographic Evacuation of Australian Territorial Hypoextremus, they were the
product of many intergovernmental meetings. Corps Officers would come into the
country to aid and give warmth. After setting up shelter camps they brought over
Thermocapsules, aircrafts with build-in warming systems that would transport people
to other countries for re-homing. It was their peaceful rescue solution. The Corps
transported most of us in just weeks. The remainders were either emotionally
damaged due to shock, or were insistent on staying as Australia was their only home.
The Corps found it difficult to negotiate until it was decided that Mind-Conditioning
systems were to be inputted in the Thermocapsules. This system was introduced with
much contradiction from members of Ethical Justice Parties, but they were hushed not
long after. The world had changed. Right and wrong was no longer distinct.
Propaganda spread the world to support the updated Rescue Operation. “Better
mind, better life. A safer, warmer tomorrow is just a flight away.” The remaining
population were Conditioned with that phrase and not long after all Australians had
left.
Except for me, and my children. The thought of having to lose all the
cherished memories we share together makes our hearts break. We are going to stay,
and stay we shall until this storm has passed. We have love and we have each other.
That’s all that matters.
Katharina
I don’t understand why I left. I am happy that we are succeeding, but in the back of
my mind I feel that dominating Australia because of this nuclear energy resource is
too far. It doesn't sit right in me. What is this Katya? Are you giving up already? You
are tasting victory. Soon, they will call you a Hero, isn’t this what you always
wanted? Sometimes I feel conflicted coping with how fast this new world is evolving.
I shake away my burdening thoughts as I head towards the kennels.
“Anya! hergekommen!” I call out.
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A few seconds later, I hear the heavy padding of paws upon the snow. A four-legged
shape moves towards me across the thin glacial fog, a dog, my Alsatian Hound.
We have transported hundreds from our homeland. All were programmed and
strictly trained at our Instruction Conditioning Facility for a year before arriving here
for examination by the Dep. Upon approval, they were transported to the Corps base
of each city.
My role in the Corps is both Evacuee Nurse and Canine Chief. I was primarily
offered the position of Nurse, to console the emotionally damaged evacuees and help
them feel save, and protected, eventually persuading them to aboard the
Thermocapsules. A year after, I was discovered to have a close and easy relationship
with dogs and after a few tests I was appointed Canine Chief for the Perth City Base
as well.
The dogs are taught to only understand commands in Alsatian, their tongue of
origin. They are obedient, stealthy and ruthless. All other characteristics and
emotional traits have been cleansed away during Conditioning. Anya is the leader of
the Pack. Every night The Pack is released to search the area. They hunt for any last
few evacuees, and if the humans try to retaliate, the dogs show no mercy. I am based
in Perth, and it has been reported that there is no one left in this state, so I do not
command Anya with any particular orders besides the regular instructions. In fifteen
minutes, The Pack is gathered and they being to run, scattering the area. They will
come back in 6 hours, where I reward them with food, shelter and further
Conditioning. In the meantime, I retire to my camp. Perhaps some much-needed rest
will remove these challenging thoughts out of my head.
Florence
“Rise and shine all! Let’s wake to a fresh new day!” I call out as brightly as I
could, gently nudging the legs of the children. They all begin to wriggle and yawn.
Angelina, Richard, Thomas, Alexandra, Myrna, Louis, Jonathan, Phillip, Mary,
Stephen, Jane and William, the youngest. All have suffered great turmoil with the loss
of their other friends, but I try to care for them as much as possible. They are all I
have left, after all.
“Sister Florence, why do you wake us up early everyday? There is not much
left for us to do here except hide all day and search for food.” Thomas whines.
Jonathan shushes him. “Oh please Tom, just be grateful that you’re still alive.”
Thomas puts on a grumpy face and gently hits him with his blanket.
A few minutes later all thirteen of us are dressed and ready for the day. As
with any other day, we start by saying grace, thanking the Lord for his protection and
love. Then we would look for food.
When the Corps first arrived, plenty of food was given to the people, further
persuading them to evacuate. Now, with us thirteen on the hiding from the Corps, we
scavenge for anything we can find to sustain us. I remember one day Stephen
suggested that some of the them should go on the search to find the Base Camp and
take some of their food, but I would not let him speak anymore of it.
Most of the time we source dry snacks such as biscuits and hard bread in the
cupboards of farms not too far from the office building. We try as much as possible
not to take all the food at once for storing to avoid The Hounds smelling it during
their night watches. The easiest way is to take portions day by day and eat them
immediately. The food is cold as ever, but we are used to it now.
“Sister, there is no more food left.” Phillip says.
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“But there were still plenty yesterday! All those biscuits, remember?” Jane
looks confused, Richard nods in agreement with her.
I too, am slightly shocked to discover that there is no more food in the
cupboards. The Hounds must have reported to their officers and had it taken away.
The children begin to panic.
“Now there is no need to be frightened. We shall simply look elsewhere.” I try
my best hide my nervousness.
We walk on for hours, and it seems that all of the food had been taken by the
Corps. I check my watch, 4:43 pm, we ought to be heading back before The Hounds
come. I started to do the headcount when Jane shouts. “Sister Florence, where’s
William?”
William. He was with us moments ago, how could get lost without any of us
knowing? I scan the surroundings. He is gone.
Florence
I find William by a bramble bush 400 metres away from the furthest farm we
scavenged earlier today, after a half hour’s search. The rest of the children are back in
our shelter, safe and protected. William is sitting in the snow, craning his neck around
the hedge, as if waiting for someone or something to appear from the other side.
“William what in the world are you doing out here? Do you know how much
panic you put me and the others into? Stand up this instant! We are going back home
and we will…” the words vanish from my mouth as I gape in horror. From the other
side of the bush out steps the figure of a dog, a hound, an Alsatian Hound. Its eyes are
bloodshot red, and its razor-sharp yellow teeth are barred as it looks at me. Its fur is a
mix of black, brown and grey, colour I have never seen. All the Hounds that scout the
night are white, camouflaging with the snow, there is something different about this
one, something not right.
I slowly step towards William and reach out my arm towards him but he
shakes it away and stands up, walking towards the dog. My face forms an expression
of bewilderment and fright. “William, no!” But he ignores me and continues towards
the dog. I pray to the Lord seeking help and to my shock William reaches out his hand
and touches the hound’s nose. As soon as he made contact the dog’s eyes turn from
red to a calm blue-grey, and it begins to pant and wag its tail, innocent as ever. It’s as
if the evil has left from its body, and it sits and barks softly, wanting for William.
“William, what have you done?” I shudder. This is not right.
“Fear not Sister, Anya is as friendly as ever! Aren’t you my girl?” William
bends over to give the dog a scratch under her chin, which pleases her very much. She
barks again, eager for more.
“How long have you known this dog? Do you know what she is? She is one of
the Corp’s Hounds for goodness sake, she could report to them about you! About us!
We could get evacuated or even killed! What have you done! And how do you know
her name?” I shout. I cannot stand this madness.
“Sister Florence! Calm down! Her name’s on her collar, see?” William shows
me the tag by her neck. “She caught sight of me a few weeks ago when we were
scavenging. I was scared at first but there was something about her that made me face
my fears and come over to her. We were both scared, but we are now close as ever.
Sister, she is more scared than me. The Corps have brainwashed her into being the
killing machine she is, and she is fighting as hard as she can to be free from the
Conditioning! We must save her! Please we must take her home.” William pleads.
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That is the last straw. “Take her home?! Now you are being ridiculous! No,
you must leave her here and forget her. From now on you are to stay under my direct
supervision during scavenges and if I see you separating from our group ever again,
God help me I will have no choice but to keep you in the shelter at all times!
Understood?” I whisper as loud as I could without being heard within a kilometer. It
is almost nightfall and The Hounds could be out by now.
William is about to open his mouth when I take him by the arm and drag him
away. I walk ten steps when Anya begins to whine and whimper, and this time it is I
who stops. I am not sure how to describe what is happening, but I turn by head to face
The Hound with the strange, furry colouring, and suddenly a rush of warmth envelops
my body. A warmth I have yearned for since the day the Hypoextremus came over us.
There really is something different about this dog.
“See Sister, I know you are feeling it too. Anya is special” William says with
assurance. H lets go of my hand and I do not hold back. I follow him towards the dog.
Anya beings to bark and jump and we approach her. She then begins to walk away
from us and checks over her shoulder after a few steps, urging us to follow her. The
warmth overcomes me and I take Williams hand again. Together we walked close
behind the dog.
Katharina
A cantankerous storm begins to brew overhead as I wake from my slumber. I
head for the cafeteria to fill my grumbling stomach. The cook is German, so we have
to deal with sausages for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I am thankful as the warm
oil begins to enter my body and satisfy my hunger. The Corps have been given
enough funding to house 4 large generators for the Base Camp and a further 20 for
around the state, to give warmth to the evacuees before were transported.
Now that everyone but the Corps have gone, we are trying to get them all back
to Base. They power up all the artificial heating and light and of course provide
electricity. I grovel down a few more Bratwursts before heading to the radio station to
get the latest updates on the Uranium Excavation Phase. It seems that Hueber is keen
on starting Phase Two as soon as possible in the Western Australia state, probably
since it’s the largest state in the country, highly likely that a few of the mines are
located here.
I enter the station to find officers working with every single computer in the
building, transmitting messages through codes and scribbling like mad when they
receive responses from the other side. I tell them that dinner’s ready, but they take no
notice of me. It seems like we’re all robots here, we work more than we socialize, eat,
sleep and even sometimes breathe. All of a sudden the building begins to shake a
little. The ground is vibrating and on the roof I can hear heavy pelting, possibly hale
stones? The officers notice the shift as well and slowly took off their headphones,
searching each other with looks of confusion and worry. What is happening? No one
wanted to open the door and find out.
Florence
Anya led us to a cave. A limestone cave. Limestone was commonly found here in
Perth before the cold, but now, I am amazed to find that such a marvel still exists.
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Anya scampers inside and barks at us, beckoning again. She is full of excitement, like
she is about to bring us great news.
It is a miracle that my assumption is correct. As I walk in I become transfixed.
Even William gives a gasp of amazement. The cave is a true living wonder. It is very
warm inside, as if the outside cold is a whole world away from us. There is a small
hole above us, where the soft light of the stars seeps through creating a weak but
comforting glow around the grotto. This is paradise. William holds my hand and
looks up at me with his face brimming with happiness. I begin to have tears in my
eyes. We hear a gentle trickle beside us, and Anya leads us to a pond, filled with
water that is cooling and welcoming to my touch. I cannot believe my eyes. William
and I laugh and embrace and Anya laps the water.
“Thank you very much Anya, thank you for showing this to us.” I say to her
between tears. She really is different.
Anya barks and licks my leg in reply, and pads away from us, taking a left
turn, deeper into the cave. William and I continue to stand, curious with awe but then
we hear Anya barking again. We search for her voice until we spot her sitting by a
nook. She pants and looks at us with eager eyes. We bend over the crevice.
“Sister, look!” William shouted.
Lo and behold, we see the greatest of all miracles, a small daisy bush. Flowers
are growing inside this cave!
“My goodness, William! Do you know what this means? There is sign of life
here in Perth! Did you feel how warm the water was and even here, inside this
beautiful cave! It’s so warm. The Crytoatmos effects are wearing off, our atmosphere
must be getting warmer again, how else can this daisy live, and look!” I exclaim,
pointing to the left of the daisies.
The cave’s stalactites drip condensed water from the surrounding warm air,
forming a small but deep pond next to the bush. As we look closer, small fish and
tadpoles swim up and down, wriggling with life. I cried with joy as I hug Anya. I
have found true happiness again.
I hold William firmly by the shoulders, he cannot stop his tears as well.
“William, we have to do something. You are the bravest little boy I have ever known
and I wouldn’t have seen this miracle without you. I apologise for scolding you, but
now we must hurry. We have to report that there are signs of life. There is no need for
Perth to be cleared out, even Australia, why there may be lots of miracles such as this
growing in all parts of the country!” I beam with a new-found triumph.
William looks at me with worry. “But Sister, if we tell the Corps they may not
listen to us. What if we get evacuated?”
“We are not going to tell the Corps Will, we are going even further than that!
Come! You too, Anya, take us out of here!” I take his arm as Anya barks and leads us
out.
“Where are we going Sister?” William asks.
“To the radio station” I answer with confidence. There will be a fight, no
doubt about it, but fear has left me. I am ready, for I have the greatest weapon of all.
I have hope.
Katharina
I stand by the kennel as I supervise The Packs’ return. All but one. Anya, my lead.
Where is she? It is not normal of her to be late. In fact, it has never happened before.
My heart begins to feel heavy with worry. Anya is the closet thing I have to a friend. I
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can’t lose her. She is programed to arrive the first in the group. Something is terribly
wrong. I am about to close the kennel and ask for a search party when I hear her
familiar bark and I sigh with relief. I sight her shadow looming across the fog, but
then I see something else, two human-like figures approaching with her. I don’t know
what is coming over me, but I suddenly feel my body covered with warmth. What is
this? Who are these people? They are to be evacuated! Call for back up, now! My
thoughts are hissing and hectic in my mind and I become dizzy with confusion.
NO!
I will not let them control me, this is wrong, everything is wrong! I banish my
thoughts and all of a sudden my mind and heart feel light. The big heavy boulder of
my suffering is lifted from my body. Something is terribly wrong.
Florence
I am prepared to reason with anyone, everyone, and I see the first of the Corps, a
slender woman with straight white hair and a very pale face staring right at me. Soon
after she calls for back up and a whole team of officers emerge from a rectangular
building, holding arms. I open my mouth when my voice is overpowered by the
thundering bark of Anya, who is now in front of William and I, shielding us. All the
officers stand back in fright except for the pale lady, who is approaching Anya,
calling her name and trying to console her. I assume she is her owner and trainer.
Anya continues to bark and growl, ordering all the officers to stand back. She
moves aggressively towards them, causing us all to rotate in position so that William
and I are now in front of the building. Two officers prepare their guns to shoot when
the pale lady screams. “Stop! No! If you shoot her, you shoot your lead of Pack. We
would have to program them all over again.” She pants as she begins to rip the guns
off each of the soldiers. It seems like she’s crying. She keeps one gun and runs up to
me before I get the change to open the door of the building. “I will not let you enter,
you have hypnotized my precious Anya! I want her back!” her tears flow heavily.
“Please,” I begin softly as I approach the woman. I know in my heart that she
is kind, but has been traumatised and controlled heavily by the Corps and by her own
corrupted thoughts. I need to clear her mind. I can do this. “We have found signs of
life. Your miraculous Anya has shown us a beautiful cave where flowers are
blooming and fish and swimming healthily in the ponds. Perth is warming up, the
Cyroatmos chemicals are diminishing. We can begin life anew here. We have to bring
our Australians back home, where they belong. Please, I know you wish for a better
future than this. Away from artificial heating, artificial light! We need to send out this
message as soon as possible. Trust us, we are here to help. Please.” I slowly reach out
to her, and smile.
The woman continues to cry and then falls to her knees, dropping the gun into
the snow. I cry too and hug her.
Katharina
This woman, this kind, beautiful woman. Nobody has ever spoken with such
tenderness and love to me before. Only when I was a child. I remember now. I have
too, been Conditioned, and I can’t stand it anymore! I see it too clearly, how bright
and cheerful my childhood was! It isn’t redundant, it was a lovely time. I was
surrounded by people who cared about me, and now I yearn for that care more than
ever!
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I stand up and let go of our warm embrace. The other officers all stood in
shock. Yes, I am betraying them, but I don't care. They were never my family, the
never cared for me. I am no Hero if I support a group that is mainly interested in
turning a precious country into a lifeless Nuclear factory. I give a loud whistle, and
The Pack runs out of their kennels towards me. I command them to deal with all the
officers. The dogs do as I say.
Florence
The lady, Katharina, commands the forty Hounds to shield us from the Corps. What a
feat, it was fascinating to see her command them with such ease! The dogs growled
and hissed as they shoved the hundreds of officers into one big group, trapping them.
Katharina then led us into the building, a radio station. She set up the transmission as
fast as she could and then stood back. “All yours.”
Quickly I reached for the microphone and shouted at the top of my lungs. “My
name is Sister Florence! I come to bring the message that I can prove sign of life in
Perth. We order you to stop the Rescue Operation and bring the Australians back
home! I plead you to listen and come see for yourselves!”
Epologue
Florence
We all crowd around the enclosure, all thirteen of us and Katharina. Louis and
Alexandra are so excited they have already thought up of names! They inform us of
their choices and their reasons, while the other children tell them to keep quiet.
Katharina and I exchange glances and I shake my head. Children, well, I guess they
are children no more, but young adults. They are ready to leave my care and go about
their own lives, for it is safe for them now. I am so proud of them, but I know it is for
the best.
Ever since the Ethical Justice Party took control over much of the decisions in
the intergovernmental meetings, much has changed for the better. The Demographic
Evacuation of Australian Territorial Hypoextremus Corps was terminated, and all
officers were sent back home. Hueber was taken into custody for his crimes of not
informing the World Leaders of Phase Two and many organisations supported the
great clean-up of Australia. Three years later it is all back to before the
Hypoextremus, and every Australian has returned to home soil.
“Look Sister! There are five of them!” Myrna exclaimed.
“Oh they are just adorable, I am so proud of you Anya. You are going to be a
great mother!” Katharina exclaims.
We all crowd around the enclosure even more, as each of us wanted to get the
first look of Anya’s newborns. A warm glow of natural light shines upon us all.
Yes, the sign of new life has returned. Everything is going to be alright. We have love
and we have each other. That’s all that matters.
10
Perth, Western Australia 2051.
Katharina, a nurse, has landed into Australia with the Corps with
one goal, to help evacuate all Australians off the country, now a
lifeless dystopia of endless cold. She is also in charge of The
Pack, a group of Alsatian Dogs, trained to track down any left
over people. Evacuees are transported by Thermocapsules,
aircrafts that keep them warm, and then re-homed in other parts
of the world. Along the way they are Conditioned so that they
will no longer remember of the terror and devastation that has
occurred in their country. Better mind, better life.
Florence, a local nun who formerly ran the Stella Maris
Children’s Orphanage, is living off what she can as she hides
with her twelve orphans in an abandoned office building. The
group is adamant on staying in their beloved homeland, deciding
to spend more time being together and cherishing their fond
memories, rather than being whisked away helplessly and have
their minds Conditioned.
The Cold tells the story of struggle, darkness and terror, yet it
also tells the story of triumph, light and hope. Florence will have
to face her deepest fears in order to witness the biggest of
miracles. Katharina will have to choose between her head or her
heart. A decision, she later discovers, that will change the fate of
the entire world when she crosses paths with Florence.
Recommended for readers 12 and up.
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