It is a stark visual: a handwritten black number on a pristine white board. The number changes daily - usually down, up much more rarely.
The number on the board is meaningful - it represents the fine line between a race's survival and extinction. A count of those left, those that survived.
A dying woman, their leader, tends to the board, changing the number with shaking hands. It represents both her burden and her hope.
Wiping the board clean could signal a fresh start, but usually only heralds more lost souls. The human race hanging in the balance, barely holding on
