Elizabeth tried to be optimistic, mostly for Victoria's sake. It is rather hard, when you are orphaned and stuck in a world that is being destroyed. They were taken under the care of an old lady, named Mrs. Kotts.

The first thing that was going to happen was a gathering of all survivors. Without technology, the messages to meet were carried through messengers, who had to make it across the dangerous land. Lava was everywhere, and the earthquakes still continued. Their safe haven had to travel across a state to get to the meeting place.

The group consisted of a wide variety of people. Victoria, who was 5 at the time, was the youngest. An old man who everyone called Pa, was 87. The group was made mostly of middle-aged adults, with a few children and some seniors. Elizabeth and Victoria mainly stuck with Mrs. Kotts.

As they made their way across a dried out lake, Elizabeth noticed a young man, with a scowl on his face.

"Who's that?" she asked Mrs. Kotts.

Mrs. Kotts turned to the direction in which Elizabeth was pointing. "Oh, that's Cornelius Snow. He's had some bad luck recently, and is a bit bitter. Watch out for him, and don't get in his way."

Elizabeth nodded, surveying Cornelius.

Their journey lasted nearly a month. In that time period, two people died. One died out of lack of food, and the other from ash inhalation. The ash was so dense and thick; it was surprising that they knew where they were going. Yet some people had salvaged maps and others had seen destroyed road signs. There were moments when it felt like the ash would clear, and they might be able to see. But those moments never last. One of the adults found a doll for Victoria. Victoria never let the doll go. It was the one thing that was helping the little child.

Eventually, the group made their way to the meeting. It was in a high school that wasn't completely destroyed. Entering it, Elizabeth saw the remains of the human race.