Noah of the Ark. I understood what he implied immediately. The Ark. I was at the Ark. It was real. For a moment, I felt faint. I stumbled to the side before catching my grip on the door. My leg dragged. Chance skittered out of the way, gaining the man's attention. His eyes widened.

    "You have a dog."

    I looked down at Chance before nodding slightly. The man gestured at the chair again. Still stunned, I obeyed and stumbled forward. My hand helped leverage me onto the seat. My left leg sat at a funny angle as I tried to prevent my hip from getting any more damage.

    Chance circled my feet. The man turned to the side and looked at me. "May I?"

    I shrugged lightly. He offered his hand to Chance. The dog skittered back to my feet. My lip quirked slightly. "You're the third person he's met. He's shy." My voice was still raspy.

    "I understand," said the man. He straightened. "May I ask for you to remove your scarves?"

   My spine clenched. "Afraid not."

    "The room is heated," he stated. "You will not suffer by removing them. I want to see who I'm talking to."

    Heated? My eyebrows pulled together. I couldn't tell. Wouldn't I have felt the warm air? Curious, I carefully pulled down one of my scarves. My eyes didn't water from the chill. Awed, I pulled all three down. For the first time in months, my eyes were free of all covers. I pulled down my hood. There was still no warmth against my cheeks, but they weren't cold.

    "Frostnip," remarked the man. "Your ears might have frostbite, but you can't feel the heat yet. Give it a few minutes. You'll feel it eventually. I'm Azra." He offered his hand.

    I shook in return, still in shock. "Drifter Webster. Is this really the Ark? It's real?"

    Azra nodded. "It's real."

    I shook my head slowly. "It doesn't feel like it. I can't believe it." This is the Ark? Is there any way this is real?

    "That's understandable. How long have you been traveling?"

    It was weird to have my face exposed after so long. I thought about my answer. "Perhaps four and a half months? I started in a northern U.S. State."

    Azra whistled. "Congratulations. How did you survive?"

    "It wasn't easy. When it wasn't as cold, I could risk spending nights outside, but I traveling by hopping between towns and sheltering for the night." I hesitated. "If I can ask, how do you have power?"

   "We have geothermal and gravitational energy," he replied. "There are machines that use Earth's gravity to build friction, where we can harness it. Before Lover's passage, several machines were planted miles within Earth's surface and they gather geothermal energy. With those combined, as well as some good old-fashioned man-generated friction, we can power the surface compound as well as the underground system."

   "Man-generated friction?"

   "A machine where several people stay in shifts, running on old treadmills and using stationary bikes. We use the friction from the machines to gather more energy. At the same time, we stay in shape."

   "Clever," I muttered. "You use the man-generated power to jumpstart the other systems. The other systems power the treadmills and bikes."

   "We also use hydro-power," he added. "It's enough to run all emergency systems."

   "That's brilliant," I admitted. "How does the underground system work?"

   Azra didn't seem upset with my questioning. My heart was starting to race. "Several large cave systems. They're large enough to have housing, gardens, and factories. The caves were constructed before orbit was broken. The gardens work with artificial light and the water we gather from the water system, which melts snow and runs it through a filter. Oxygen is recycled through the gardens, because the plants outnumber other organisms three to one. There's a back-up life support system, though."

   My mind raced. "The underground system is right below us, isn't it?"

   "What makes you think so?"

   "The lack of ice outside. Everywhere else has a thick layer of ice on top the snow. There's none inside the fence. Something's keeping it too warm, probably from below the surface."

   Azra nodded, his face devoid of any emotion. "Speaking of which, how did you get inside the fence?"

   "Oh." I winced. "I built a ramp."

   "A ramp?"

   "I built a sail-powered sled a few weeks ago. With the wind at my back and a good start, we managed to clear the majority of the fence. I got clotheslined on the top, though."

   Azra visibly flinched. "That explains your limp. A sail-powered sled? How on Earth did you manage that?"

   I shrugged slightly. "I got lucky and had the supplies." Chance sat on my foot as I met Azra's eyes, finally voicing the question that had been sitting on my tongue since realizing this was the Ark. "Does this mean I made it? May I stay?"

   Azra hesitated.

   All hope fell into my feet, leaving a gaping hole where it used to be.

   "I'm afraid not, Drifter. You're just barely too late."

   All I could do was stare. My eyes remained glued to his feet. I was rooted to the spot. Too late? The words echoed in my head. What did he mean, too late?

   "Too late?" I echoed.

   Azra nodded. "We have a limit for the carrying capacity of the complex. We reached it less than an hour ago. Someone else arrived just before you." At my blank stare, he continued. "A woman, actually. You might know her, seeing as how close together you two were. She has dark hair and she's rather short. I believe her name is Tonya."

   Something in my stomach began to tighten around my insides, squeezing and squeezing until it was painful. Her name crashed around my head. Tonya. I felt like I weighed thousands of pounds. Disbelief didn't last long before despair took over.

   Tonya had made it first. The injustice of it made me want to scream. She'd made it before me – after stealing half of my supplies. She was a criminal and a thief! How could–? How could she have gotten here first? How was that possibly fair?

   I'd worked tirelessly to get here for months. I'd suffered for ages, but I'd refused to fall as far as the rest of the survivors. I didn't hurt people if I could help it. I tried to spare lives. How was it fair that Tonya – a thief and a liar – made it before I did? Hell, she only made it because she stole from me! And because of my kindness and her treachery, she'd made. She'd won.

   I looked down, closing my eyes and pressing my lips, trying to keep my reaction from my face. It just wasn't fair. After all that pain – after Doran – and I'd failed. I had failed by just barely an hour. I'd been that close, but it wasn't enough. I'd lost.

   Deep down, I knew that it was fair. Tonya had been willing to do what it took to survive. She'd made it first. Therefore, she'd won her place in the Ark. Even though she'd cut corners and hurt people, she'd won. I knew it was fair. But it didn't feel fair at all.

   Was there even a point to this anymore? After all that work to remain true to who I was – to not become a murderer or dishonorable – I'd still lost. Had it been worth it?

   Yes, said a quiet voice. I didn't believe it.

   Chance shifted his weight again. I opened my eyes to look down at him, distraught. He looked back up before his lips opened in a grin. His tail thumped in his coat. Numb, I reached down to pick him up. Azra watched as I rubbed his head, dreading the words I was about to say.

   "I understand." My voice was quiet, barely audible. "But even if I can't come, can you take Chance?"

   Hearing his name, he looked back up. I looked at Azra. His gaze widened before he glanced at Chance. "You're not upset?"

   I pressed my lips. "He's smart and loyal. He'd be an asset." Please, please just take him in. Please.

   Azra stared at me. "I'm sure he would be a great addition. We could sustain him. But are you sure about this? You'd be giving up your only companion." I heard his real question. Do you really want to die alone?

   I didn't. But I would rather die alone in the cold than see Chance suffer. After all this, I'd do anything to keep him safe.

   My throat was blocked. Instead, I nodded jerkily. Carefully, I scooped Chance from under his belly and lifted him onto the table. He caught his balance before nipping at my glove, his tail thumping. Water pressed at my eyelids. I pulled my hand back, but he chased after it, diving at my chest to catch my thumb.

   Why did this dog have to make things so damn difficult?

   I couldn't stand to toy with this any longer. I gently handed him across the table. Azra picked him up. Chance immediately barked, unhappy with the stranger's touch.

   "Easy, Chance."

   He quieted, but his ears flattened against his ears. I took a shaky breath before getting up. Azra watched, his eyes sad, as I dug into my pocket. I set the gun on the table. Azra eyes widened. "What's this?"

   "I don't want it anymore," I said quietly.

   With Chance secured in one arm, Azra examined the weapon. He looked up, surprised. "Well, you're welcome to any of the supplies in that room. But I must warn you. The moment you leave this building, if you turn back, you'll be shot. The sentries will be shooting to kill."

   Shot. My throat closed, but I nodded curtly. I wouldn't be taking any of those supplies. "You need the supplies more than I do." I took a breath. "Take care of him, okay?"

   Azra nodded. "I promise he'll be happy. Well-fed and loved. He'll be in excellent hands."

   Chance's whining got louder. I nodded again before turning around. Every whimper caused physical pain worse than my broken hip.

   "There's a gate to the fence," added Azra. "You'll find the latch under the snow. Feel free to walk through any of the outside buildings if you need a moment before going into the storm, but don't linger."

   "Thanks," I said quietly. With the door open, it was a physical effort to take a step out. Chance's fussing got worse the moment the door closed. I wanted to plug my ears as guilt wracked me. It's for your own good, Chance. You'd die out here. I'm sorry.

   I was punished by having to walk away from the door. Azra softly hushed the puppy as I limped away. I couldn't really think as I walked through the supply room before pushing the box out of the way. Shaky hands replaced the scarves haphazardly over my eyes before I wedged out the door.

   The cold seeped back into my clothes. I felt naked without the puppy at my feet. My eyes adjusted to the dark storm as I looked outside, my gut sinking into my feet. So, this was it. After all these months, it'd been for nothing. I'd failed.

   I'd never felt so alone.

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