It was a lovely morning on the toxic surface of Ituria. A pale sunrise peeked over the twin mountains in the east, illuminating the yellow-gray clouds that droned ever slower across the sky. Cad brushed aside a layer of ash from the breaker box then adjusted his plexi-mask. The corroded edges of the box made it hard to pry the lid off, but with an extra tug, it snapped open. The switches inside had corroded too, half of them nothing more than exposed, fraying wires. Cad said a silent prayer then clicked the top switch. A distant hum from somewhere inside the concrete wall brought a hidden smile to his face. He flipped another switch and a bulb flickered back to life above the steel door on his right. He had checked the door first and found it unlocked, but only a fool would’ve gone inside with nothing more than a flashlight. Now, as he opened the door, he saw stairs outlined in a dull orange light that felt somehow more natural than the green tinted sunrise in the sky. The door creaked closed behind him as he descended into the substation. He thought it strange to have found this place in the middle of a dead forest, covered in a layer of undisturbed gray ash and hidden by hundreds of charred pine trees. It was bound to be a goldmine of supplies: batteries, wiring, radio - maybe even food. The passageway turned sharply to the left as the stairs continued downward, eventually spilling Cad out into a large square room with rusted pipes running along the walls. At the far end was a desk littered with papers and two floor to ceiling shelves. He slid his backpack off and plopped it on the desk, his eyes hunting the gunmetal shelves for anything of value. It was better than he imagined. On the left were brand new plexi-masks, boxes of fresh filters, and four military grade walkie-talkies. He scooped up the walkies, shoved them in his bag, then he took a deep breath and unbuckled the clasps of his mask. The new mask was so clear - he hadn’t realized how scuffed and foggy his had become over months of use. He’d just assumed the dust clouds had gotten worse. The forehead cushion was much better too, softer than the old one. He took the other two masks, put them in the bag. On the right was a quart of black sealant, the lid partially opened. It was probably useless, but he added it to his things anyway. That’s when he saw the stack of canned beans on the bottom shelf. He crouched and started examining them one by one. He was too busy to notice the footsteps. “What do we have here?” said a muffled voice. Cad turned to see a lanky man in filthy overalls with a rusted machete in his hand. His face was hidden behind a discolored pair of goggles and a black respirator. He lunged toward Cad, arching his blade through the air. Cad jumped out of the way and pulled the blade from his belt in one fluid motion, slicing upward as he moved around the attacker. There was a muffled squeal. The man wildly swung his blade behind him, the crusted edge grazing the front of Cad’s mask and leaving the man completely open. Cad took his chance. He dashed forward, grabbed the man’s arm and stabbed his knife under the respirator. It sunk deep into the man’s neck, ejecting a dark red splatter across Cad’s arm. The machete chattered on the ground as the man stumbled back grasping at his neck, choking on his own blood. He slid to the ground by the desk, frantically kicking his legs. Cad put his knife away and ran a finger across a long scratch in the middle of the new plexi-mask. He sighed and looked at the bloodied man on the floor. “Seriously?!” He kicked the body over, grabbed his backpack and left. He tried to wipe the blood off his arm in the grass, but it didn’t work. Now he had to explain to Naya what happened. She’d tell him how reckless he’d been and that the supplies weren’t worth the risk, but she’d accept the contents of his backpack just the same. They needed the food, and scavenging from the supermarket wasn’t an option anymore. Pretty soon, they’d have to leave their bunker for good or starve to death in the darkness. Cad shook the thought from his mind and began walking home. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”