Frostpunk: The Last City On Earth
Chapter 1: A New Day
We had fled, away from our homes, and away from the cold as far as we could. But all around us was nothing but ice and snow, covering everything in our path. We thought it was just an early winter, but it lasted more than a year now.
London was slowly dying, and we needed to leave. And without the warmth, the cold would consume us all. We built massive machines to slow down its process. With the help of the greatest minds of London, we have made heat generators.
We have sent out so many to their designation, and most of them had made it. Those that didn't have already died to the snow. There are stories of these struggles for survival, like the class conflict with the lower and higher class. Or a group of professors from Cambridge and Oxford sent to preserve the last traces of plant life on earth.
And even the first few constructions of the generator, where there were still grass, trees, and even the ocean.
But for now, we will start the first story in New London.
A group of survivors from London had reached the site, only to find it in a crater, and abandoned. There was supposed to have people already waiting for them, but there wasn't. Recently their convoy was separated by a blizzard, and only a handful of them made it to the generator. They settled in and tried to make the most of it. They shared concerns for their loved ones as the night draws near.
They slept on the snow-covered floor, hoping that there would be a better tomorrow.
When the next day arrived, it was a fresh start of a new day. Everyone had gathered outside of the Captain's tent, anxiously waiting for him to come out. Two guards were standing guard outside of the tent, preventing anyone from coming in.
Inside the tent was the Captain, a young man, freshly promoted before departing from London. He stands at the exit of his tent, hesitating, thinking about what he should say next.
He takes a deep breath and steps outside.
As soon as he appears from his tent, everyone went silent, watching him, staring at him. The Captain looks around him, seeing lots of worried and frustrated faces, waiting for him to say something, but he didn't. Instead, the Captain starts walking towards the generator, his guards following closely with him.
He reaches the generator and looks up at its massive structure, feeling intimidated by it. He walked to a lone wooden crate by the generator and stood on top of it, giving him a good view of everyone as they gathered around him, he begins his announcement.
"Good morning, people of New London. I understand that the recent blizzard has separated us from our loved ones. But do not worry, once we have settled ourselves quickly, we will have a better chance of finding them faster. We have come this far, and now is the time to build a city where we will endure this winter. And hope that we will live long enough to feel the warmth again." Said the Captain.
He hears a lot of agreements, but some still have doubts about it.
He continues, "First things first. We must gather these items that are important to our survival. Coal will be most important to keep our generator running and prevent us from freezing. This crater alone will not be enough to shield us forever. There are lots of wood and steel scattered around us. We can use them to build homes and shelters. Lastly, we'll need food. We'll need hunters to go out and bring us back some food every day." Said the Captain.
The response he has gotten from them were moderate, and everyone seems to agree with what he said. But someone wasn't happy about it, "What about you? Are you just going to sit and relax while we peasants do all the work? All your high-class pricks had already stomped on us even before this winter came!" He yelled.
"What are you blabbering about peasant! You don't know the struggles that we had to deal with on our end!" Shouted a man from a higher class. Soon others have joined in and started arguing with each other. The Captain knew this would happen eventually. But he didn't expect it so soon. The class structure has been a touchy subject to deal with, especially among the lower class.
And with the winter on their heads, it didn't make it any better.
"Come on, you filthy peasant! You ain't got the balls to hit a lord!" He taunted. "Fuck you!" Shouted the peasant. He punched the nobleman and hit him directly in the face. The rest joined in, and everyone was fighting.
"Stop the fight!" The Captain shouted at his guards. They nodded and got into the fight, but some of the lower class decided to attack the Captain as well. "Get back!" Shouted the guards. The Captain turned around, away from the fight, and began to contemplate. He struggles to think of a solution, trying to avoid looking at the fighting.
Should he force them with power and fear to keep them all in line? It seems like a good idea at the moment, but he doesn't like it. There has got to be another option, maybe- "Agh!" A woman shouted, the Captain quickly turns back to the front.
The woman was lying unconscious on the ground. A lord was standing in front of her. "I-It, it was an accident! I swear!" He pleaded, his fist still up shaking in fear, stained with blood. Seeing the woman's head bleeding and lying on the ground, a small child ran to her.
"Mommy!"
It was a little girl. She looked no older than six years old. She kneeled next to her mother, helplessly shaking her mother's limp body furiously. Unfortunately, her mother did not move. So she started crying, burying her face in her mother's chest and hugging her tightly.
The rest of the lower class got more agitated. And the guards were having a much harder time trying to stop them. The Captain immediately pulls out his Webley Revolver from his holster, cocks the hammer back, and fires a round into the sky.
That shot did the trick. "That's enough!" The Captain shouted. Everyone went silenced from the piercing sound of the bullet's echo. All eyes were on the Captain now. He holsters his gun and speaks, "I know this is a lot to ask from you all. And I know our differences may be obvious otherwise," He looks at everyone for a moment, "So, to make things fair. Everyone, even the higher class, and the guards will be helping to build our new home together. I will be joining you all as well. It's only fair that all of us play a part in it." Said the Captain.
The Captain paused, hoping that his proposition would be good enough. To his relief, the citizens began to settle down and back away from each other. However, the child was still crying to her mother. The Captain quickly addresses them, "We can all deal with our differences at another time. But right now, that woman needs help. We need to start gathering our resources and establish a medical tent immediately, now move!"
Immediately, everyone started to form teams and began trudging against the snow to gather resources. Even the lord who accidentally attacked her was working all by himself. But, he seems to be doing the hardest out of everyone.
The Captain sighed relief. There were no conflicts among them, for now. He ordered the guards to attend to the injured mother for a while.
The little girl ran up to the Captain, clutching his leg, "What's gonna happen to my mommy?" She cried. She fears that her mother would not make it. The Captain kneels to her, "Your mommy is going to be okay, I promise. So don't cry anymore." He said. The girl looks at him for a moment before nodding, wiping away her tears.
The Captain smiled but still notices the girl still shaking, without thinking. He hugs the little girl, reassuring her that she has nothing to be worried about, "Everything will be alright." He said as he lets go of her, "Go stay with your mother now." She nods.
He pats her head before he stands up, the little girl watches him walking away. The Captain walks back to the others and starts gathering resources for their stockpile. The people were thankful for seeing their Captain working hard along with everyone.
A group of people came up to him and asked, "Captain, there's so much to do, but we don't have a lot of hands around to do it. A quick way of addressing this problem is to put our children to work as well." The Captain was shocked and speechless.
Child labor? That's not exactly a good thing at the moment, considering the earlier situation was solved not too long ago. And suggesting it so early when we've just started, he knew that the lords wouldn't like it, "I'll think about it. Right now, continue working." The Captain answered. They nodded and went back to their respective work.
The next few hours have passed by so quickly. Everything is going well, so far.
Hope was rising.
The higher and lower classes are working together. The children are a bit relaxed and have started playing with one another. The woman from earlier is now resting inside a newly constructed medical post.
As the gathering becomes more lively, a loud roaring sounded from the generator. It's warmth brought happiness to everyone. At 8.00 pm, the horn sounded.
A guard announced, "The night is coming, put down your tools. Go rest everyone," Everyone stopped work and headed back to the generator, grabbing some supplies of their stockpile, and started working on their tents. They were simple and easy to build.
Everyone felt relieved, knowing that they have a roof, even a flapping one over their heads. But, everyone knew that the temperature would start dropping in the days to come. And these tents would be useless. They would need better homes.
While everyone was building, the Captain made a quick stop at the medical post. Inside was a nurse, attending to the woman who was awake with her child sleeping soundly beside her. He decides not to disturb them right now. He fears that she would not be happy to see him at the moment.
But his stealth wasn't the best.
The mother's eyes turn straight at him. He froze as she stares at him. She signals him over to her, not wanting to wake up her daughter. He obeyed and made his way over to her. The Captain was the first to speak. "Good evening Ma'am. I am sorry about your injury. It was my fault for not controlling the situation. I hope you would forgive me for that mistake."
He waited awkwardly for her response.
She remained silent. She continues to stroke her child's head. "I forgive you. My daughter has told me everything. However, I hope this won't happen again. Wouldn't want it to happen a second time." She said. The Captain nods his head. "Yes, Ma'am. I promise. I will do my best to prevent it from happening again. " The Captain replied.
Her other hand was extended, opening up for a handshake, "Olivia." She said. The Captain shakes her hand, "This little one here is Rose. When I awoke, she was already talking about you, and how nice you were for a higher class," She said with a smirk.
The Captain rubs the back of his head, "Well, it was the only way I could think of to calm her down. She was already shaking when I saw her." He explained. Awkwardness began to fill the atmosphere. "Uh, well. I think it's time for me to go. I have to deal with city planning now. I'll see you two again sometime." Olivia nodded and allowed the Captain to leave the tent.
Once he stepped outside, he noticed someone was waiting outside the tent. It was the lord from earlier.
The Captain looks at him, "You again. I hope you not here to attack her again, I assume?" He said. The lord quickly put up his hands to explain, "No, Sir. I just needed to apologize to her. I didn't mean to make her daughter worry so much like that. You see, I have a daughter too, and I lost her in the blizzard. Seeing that little girl made me think about my daughter. I hope you understand." He said.
He understands. Lots of people had loved ones separated from the blizzard.
The Captain lets him in, "Her daughter is sleeping, watch your tone citizen," Said the Captain, "Of course, sir, and thank you." He said as he enters the tent. As the Captain was about to leave, one of the guards came up to him. He seems serious about something. "Yes, Sergeant?" The Captain asks.
"Captain. The issue this morning was unavoidable. But when facing demands, remember this. People usually look for the quickest solutions, not the best ones. You don't have to agree with everything they ask. You fix the problem your way, that's fine. Just a small piece of advice." Said the guard.
"I see. Alright, I'll keep it in mind then. Thank you, continue your patrol Sergeant." The guard salutes and leaves the Captain.
The Captain stood there, thinking about what the guard said earlier. He thought about it before walking back to his tent. Inside, he removes his coat and hangs it by his desk, and sat down. He placed his hands on his face and let out a sigh. He pulls out rolls of paper and started writing and drawing.
"I need to get our key building planned out as fast as possible." He thought.
He begins to think about the main essentials, food, homes, medicals. He scanned through his plan. Making sure everything is going along accordingly. But, he feels like he's missing something, something important.
After long hours of planning and deciding, the young Captain had made up his mind for tomorrow's plan. He might have to work with the engineers about this. Doing it alone was foolish. Smiling at his progress, he keeps his papers back in his desk and laid down on his bedroll, hoping to catch some sleep for tomorrow.
The Captain was having trouble trying to fall asleep.
End of Chapter 1