- Spring 2030 Washington D.C.

“Huh, wha, huh?”  Sabine said.

She felt like she was being shaken, but she just couldn’t get her eyes open. Her eyelids felt so heavy and lifting them seemed to be too much work.
“Just 5 more minutes” she said groggily.

“We don’t have 5 minutes damnit!”

“Oh, it’s you again!” She exclaimed as she forced her eyelids open.

“Look Sabine, I know you are tired, but I need you to be alert now. There is no way that they haven’t seen the smoke from the fire. I need you up. I can’t carry you and protect us.”

“Wait, who is they?” Sabine asked.

Grady waved his hand in the direction of the gunfire. Sabine was alert enough to hear it now.

“We need to get a move on. We need to get out of here, quick as we can.”

“No, wait.”

“Wait for what woman? To get killed?”

“No, I mean, that is my group being chased by the Archangels.”

Grady laughed out loud.

“The Archangels? How did you folks anger God?”

“Not actual Archangels you smart aleck. I mean the gang that has been terrorizing these parts.  Listen Grady, my group is mostly a bunch of professional types, not exactly survivalists. It is sort of a miracle we have lasted this long if I am being honest. But there is no chance we survive with them shooting at the group. We must help them.”

“What is this ‘we’ business?”

“Oh, lower your fake façade. If you were really that callous you would have left me there in the snow.” Sabine said, gesturing to the general area of the snowbank Grady found her in.

“I had half a mind to leave you there you know. Sort of wishing I had now.”
“Oh, shut up you big grump. At least give me your gun if you won’t do anything.”

“Fat chance Sabine. Fine we will help, but we can’t just go running in there.” Grady said fishing around in his bag.

Grady began pulling out his slugs and emptied the shells on the ground.

“What exactly are you doing, why are you emptying your ammunition?”
“Typical woman. You don’t know a damn thing about shotguns do you?” Grady asked, as he continued making the switch.

“Why don’t you educate me?” Sabine fired back in a snarky voice.

“Shells have a bunch of pellets in them. Fine for shooting game at close range, but not very accurate at longer range. Slugs are bigger, give you more accuracy at distance.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”
“Now this isn’t exactly a sniper rifle, but if there aren’t too many of them, I might be able to give your group a fighting chance. This shotgun will hold 5 slugs.” Grady said, waving for Sabine to follow him.

The two of them crept away from the fire, and immediately both felt the chill of the surroundings. It was a particularly cold night, probably because the sky was uncharacteristically clear. As they got closer to the commotion they could hear gunshots – and screams.

Grady quickly ran to a nearby building when he felt it was safe to do so. He was carrying only his shotgun, keeping the extra slugs he brought in his pocket. Sabine followed as closely behind as she could in her still weakened state.

“You stay down here and signal to me if anyone comes near the window” Grady instructed as the two made their way inside through it.

Grady quickly scanned the building until he found what he was looking for, a staircase. He ran to the staircase and climbed two flights until he reached the third floor, or maybe the fourth, he couldn’t tell how much snow was on the ground at this point.

Grady set himself up in a window, waiting for anyone to come in range.

“Wait!” Sabine whispered loudly to him. “How will you know who to shoot?”

“The ones with the guns!” He shot back.

“No, some of us have guns too.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Come up here.”

Sabine made her way up and crouched by the window next to Grady.

“You see that one right there, he is in range. Is that one of yours?” Grady asked.

“No, you can kill that bastard.”

Grady quickly took aim and fired. Sabine had to look away, she had never seen a hole so big in someone.

“What about that one over there?”

“No, that is Joe.”

“Ok, this woman here?”

“Get her!”

Another shot rang out.

“There is someone in the building!” A distant voice proclaimed.

“You better hope there isn’t too many more of them, or we will be sitting ducks.” Grady said to Sabine.

“I think there is maybe 7 or 8 as far as I can tell.”
Grady reached down and grabbed two slugs from his pocket to replace the ones he had already shot.

“Joe, it’s me Sabine!” Sabine yelled out.

“Jesus, woman, I would like to keep my eardrums.” Grady replied.

Joe comes running to the side of the building. Grady peers down at him and realizes he must be in his late 20’s or early 30’s, a man quite a bit younger than himself. Joe has a lean build, from a couple of years of rationing, and short dark hair. His face is angular, and a bit of stubble adorns his face due to the lack of time to shave.

“Is that your boyfriend? Husband?” Grady asks.

Sabine is clearly taken aback by the question.

“No he is not.”

“Well, why not? He seems handsome enough, isn’t he? Probably about the right age for you too.”
“I am not about to take relationship advice from an old hermit like you. For your information, I don’t have a significant other, and he does.”

“You a lesbian?”

“Excuse me?”

Grady waves his hand out the window.

“Is that one?”

“Wait, what?”

“Pay attention woman, is that someone I can shoot.”

“Yes.”

Grady gets ready to pull the trigger, but another shot rings out. Joe took care of that Archangel.  

“Well, are you going to answer the question?” Grady asks.

“No! I mean, no, I am not a lesbian. That isn’t really any of your business anyway.”

“What the hell is wrong with you academic types, you don’t know what is really important in life. You should be married already.”

“Are you gay? I don’t exactly see a woman hanging around you.”

“Touche. I was married when I was quite a bit younger than you, for your information.”

“What happened? She couldn’t stand you and left?”

“Something like that.” Grady replied, with a sullen look on his face.

Grady gestured out the window again and Sabine shook her head yes. Another shot rang out from Grady’s gun.

Grady looked emptily at the person he had just shot. He thought about speaking but decided against it. He wasn’t in the mood for conversation anymore. At that moment he felt something hit him on the top of the head.

“What the hell was that?”

“You didn’t hear the bullet, Grady? They are shooting at us in here.”

Grady instinctively pulled his head down away from window, crouching lower now than he had before. He periodically peaked over along with Sabine, pointing to potential targets.

“That one over there!” Sabine instructed.

“Too far, I can’t do anything about it. But your friend Joe seems to have a rifle, maybe he can get it.”
“Joe look over there!”

Joe leapt up from his crouched position next to the corner of the building and took a couple of shots, finding his target. Just then Grady took aim at Joel and fired, hitting a man who was ready to pounce on him.

“Thank you stranger!” Joe exclaimed.

Just then Grady heard some kind of horn blowing.

“Great, what the heck is that?” Grady said aloud.

“That is something we haven’t heard too often stranger. That is a retreat call for the Archangels.” Joe replied.

Grady and Sabine watched as the remaining Archangels ran off into the distance. Grady tapped Sabine on the shoulder, signaling her to head back down the stairs. Grady took the lead, shotgun at the ready, as Sabine followed behind. Grady stepped out the window, silently as he could, still alert and ready to fire at any time.

“You can let your guard down stranger. I have been fighting the Archangels for quite a while now. I know their customs. They aren’t used to losing, but having you here today was a huge help. As you can see, there aren’t too many seasoned warriors in our group. How did you meet Sabine?” Joe asked, extending a hand for a handshake.

“In a snowbank.” Grady snorted, ignoring the hand.

“It’s true, this old grump saved me. I got myself into a bad situation when my fire starter stopped working.”

“You had a fire starter?” Grady asked Sabine.

“Yes, yes I did.” Sabine replied.

“How long were you out there for? It must have really been buried; I didn’t find any fire starter on you.”

“Yes, a strong wind came up and started blowing snow all over the place. I tried to move toward shelter, but I couldn’t even see 10 feet in front of me. After a while I just blacked out, and when I came to your ugly face was the first thing I saw.”

“That isn’t very nice.” Joe said.

“Well, he deserves it, I promise you.” Sabine replied.

“I am sorry to move things along, but do you think we could regroup and see who survived?” Joe said.

“I think you folks are good now, I will be heading back to my place.” Grady responded.

“Leaving so soon? I am sure the group would love to see Sabine’s savior. And you probably saved us in that gunfight too, setting yourself up in that building was a great maneuver.” Joe replied.

“I am no savior, just a guy who happened to be in the right place to help. And I don’t need the appreciation of a collective, I am just fine on my own.”

“Don’t mind him, he is just a damn libertarian.” Sabine said.

“Don’t start with me lady.” Grady snapped back.

Sabine ignored him and ran out to a couple of her group members to check on them. Joe ran over to what appeared to be a sled carrying supplies. He was shuffling around for something, from what Grady could tell it was medical supplies.

With no wind, and no fog, the landscape was quite clear. It would have been pretty, but there was quite a bit of blood everywhere, ruining the aesthetic. In the distance Grady saw a couple of other people with rifles run over to Joe and chat with him. Sabine was walking around, checking on the other members, and some people who were lying on the ground.

“I don’t have time for this.” Grady said aloud to himself, as he turned and began walking away.