Chapter 5 — Rebirth 10 Days Before the End of the World

5

I went to the monitoring room and looked at the screen. Outside, the snow was as high as a floor. Luckily, when we installed the camera, we placed it quite high to avoid detection, otherwise it would have been buried by snow. But that also means we are safe. The snow is this deep, even if others knew we had supplies, they wouldn't be able to get there. And even if I try, I'm afraid I'll freeze to death on the way. Early the next morning, the snow finally stopped falling. The whole family wrapped up tightly like banh chung, sitting huddled around the electric heater in the living room. The temperature in the cellar has dropped to minus thirty degrees. So what about outside? For the first time, I clearly felt how small humans are in front of nature. In just one night, everything changed so horribly. As for me, the only thing I can do is take my family and hide in this cellar to hold out. I don't have the power to save the world. Everyone was anxiously scrolling through their phones to check the news.

"Ah, there's no signal. Is everyone still there?" my sister exclaimed.

“No. No one left.”

That's very normal. The snow is so thick, the broadcasting station must have collapsed a long time ago. What's more, we're still in the cellar. Truong Thanh took out the drone.

“Try flying out to see the situation.”

Through the drone screen, we saw that the houses in the village ahead were almost completely buried in snow. There are only a few roofs left with smoke rising. In rural areas, every family has the habit of storing food. There's also a wood-burning fireplace. As long as they have enough firewood and food, they can still hold out for a while. Drones fly even further. Before my eyes there was only pure white. The whole world seemed to be swallowed by snow. Desolate, without a soul. It was so cold in the cellar, I didn't dare to imagine what the temperature was outside. My father went deep into the cellar, took the bricks and cement left over from the repair, built a large fireplace in the middle of the living room and burned wood. The whole family gathered around to warm up. The three children did not understand what the end of the world was, nor why they had to live in a cellar. But seeing that all the adults were burdened with thoughts, they obediently sat by the fireplace reading books. That afternoon, no one had any appetite. We roasted sweet potatoes and corn on the stove and ate quickly to finish the meal. Days go by like that. The two mothers planted vegetables in a corner of the cellar, then covered them with thick blankets, saying that they would not freeze to death. The children watched cartoons, read books, ran and jumped in the basement. A few of us young people gathered to play mahjong. That's right. My sister's biggest request for supplies was to buy a mahjong machine.

“Without this, how can we live?”

The snow outside stopped that day and did not fall again. But the temperature still steadily drops every day. Each day is three or four degrees lower than the previous day. My father sat on the sofa tinkering with an old radio. From time to time, a few intermittent sounds came from inside. Drones were released a few more times. There are probably still a few households left in the village, because smoke can still be seen rising from the chimney. But most of the houses are silent. I know, either freeze to death or starve to death. I don't know how long life like this will last. I don't know what the outside world is like now. But I'm very grateful. Thank God for giving me this opportunity. Let me be with the most important people. Maybe you will live like that for a long time. Maybe a lot year. Maybe until we run out of food. But whether we live or die, being together as a family is still the best thing. Maybe one morning, the weather gets warmer and the sunlight shines again. It's also possible that Dad's radio suddenly rang clearly: We won. This extreme cold has passed. (Complete)