Six months passed in the blink of an eye. Just like that.The cabin sat at the edge of a frozen lake in northern British Columbia, so far from anything that the nearest town was a three-hour snowmobile ride through trees that all looked the same. We'd found it through resistance contacts, a place so remote that even satellites had trouble spotting it through the canopy.Winter had settled in deep by the time we arrived. Snow up to the windows. Temperatures that made your breath freeze before it left your mouth. The kind of cold that got into your bones and stayed there.We'd spent the first month just surviving. Chopping wood. Melting snow for water. Learning how to live without stores or roads or any of the things normal people took for granted.The kids adapted faster than any of us.Maja took to the cold like she'd been born in it. She'd go outside in weather that would kill a normal person, build snow forts, make snow angels, come back in with cheeks red and eyes bright."She's par

We moved through the woods for three days before we found a place to stop.It was an old hunting cabin more beat down than the last one. The roof was half caved in and the windows were busted out. But it had walls and it had cover and right now that was enough for us.Caiman went in first. His big frame filled the doorway as he checked every corner. When he came back out he just nodded once and we moved the kids inside.Leo was asleep on Kenji's back. The kid had stopped asking where we were going. He just held on and closed his eyes and trusted that Kenji would keep him safe. Maja walked beside Elena with her small hand wrapped tight around Elena's fingers. Lars stayed close to me not touching but near enough that I could feel him there like a shadow.We got them settled in the back room. It was the one with the least broken windows. Elena spread out blankets she'd carried for two days. Maja lay down first and Lars curled up next to her. Leo didn't want to let go of Kenji's neck.Ken

We didn't sleep after that phone call.No one suggested it, and no one said we should. We were all sitting in the dark with the weight of twenty-four hours pressing down on us like a hand on our chests as the fire died and the wind tore at the walls.With his tablet plugged into a portable battery pack, Borealis was back at work. The speed of his fingers had reduced. Every few minutes, he would stop, rub his eyes, stare blankly, and then continue.Kenji sat on the floor with his back to the wall. He was not wiping his knife, even though he had it out. He was simply holding it, flipping it over in his hands, and watching the blade catch the scant light from the fire.As usual, Caiman was at the door. His eyes were fixed on the darkness outside, and the majority of the wind was blocked by his body.Borealis and Elena were seated at the table. She now had a tablet of her own that we had taken from the station before it blew. She was working with data, maps, and lines that connected citie

The bunker was cold when we got there. Dark too. Elena found it in the database. Old resistance place from before everything went bad. Built into the side of a mountain. One way in and one way out. The kids didn't complain. They never did.We had been there for the past three days and Kenji just came back from scouting. He walked in with snow on his shoulders while carrying Leo in his arms. Leo had run out to meet him at the door so Kenji picked him up. He did not say anything. He just held him. Leo's face was red from the cold but he was smiling.Elena was at the table with the maps. Borealis was on his tablet. Maja was sitting on the floor with Lars. They were drawing something with sticks on the concrete. I was by the door.Kenji put Leo down and walked over to the table.He said "The routes are good. We hit them in two days."Elena nodded. "Caiman checked in. His route is solid. Mine too."Kenji said "Then we do it."Leo walked over to Kenji and tugged his sleeve.He said "Uncle Ke

The warehouse sat at the edge of Berlin. Gray building with no windows. One door for trucks and one door for people. Borealis had the schematics on his tablet. Four guards outside and eight inside. Cameras every twenty feet.Kenji killed the engine three blocks away. Rain was falling but not heavily.Leo was in the back seat. He was not supposed to be there. None of the kids were. But after Vienna, Leo refused to stay behind. He said he could help. He said he was tired of hiding. Kenji argued with him for an hour and then gave up.Elena turned around from the passenger seat. "Leo. You stay in the truck no matter what."Leo nodded. "I know.""If you hear anything you hide.""I know."Kenji looked at him in the rearview. "I mean it."Leo looked back. "I know Uncle Kenji."We got out. Rain was on my face and it was cold. Borealis had the charges in his backpack. Caiman was already at the fence cutting through the chain link.Kenji took point and I followed. Elena was behind me and Boreal