There was no warning.

You would think that the end of civilization would be global warming; with how bad the pollution to the environment and ozone was. Nothing could have prepared us for this. Even with all of the monitoring from the scientists; they couldn't have prevented this. The government had no disaster plan for such a catastrophic event. So we're all on our own now.

Yellowstone was such a beautiful place. They always said it was overdue for an eruption, but that wouldn't have been for another 30,000 years. Now more than half of the United States is destroyed and covered in ash. The east coast and south east coast are the only areas that's left. The ash covered the world. The temperatures have dramatically dropped now that the ash blocks out the sun. All the animals leaving the area months prior should have been a sign but nobody thought anything of it. The eruption was only a month ago, but it feels longer than that. They aren't exactly sending out rescue teams until they have enough resources. In the meantime, it would be best to just stock up on supplies before heading south.

"I just need enough water to last me for the next few days until I can make it to Florida." Every river, creek, and lake was contaminated with ash. There was no point in gathering water when there was no way to purify it from the chemicals and debris from the super volcano.

"What do you have to pay or trade with?" A man dressed in a dark hoodie stood in front of a large locked wooden crate, he wore a gas mask and a pair of protective eye goggles to keep the ash from entering his eyes.

"I can trade a pack of protein bars for a few bottles. I don't have much cash on me."

"What's your name? Are you affiliated with anyone?"

"My name is Sierra. And no... I'm not affiliated with anyone. I'm not apart of any gang if that's what you're asking." It was obvious that her tone was irritated. She just needed water and she could be on her way.

"How about you give me the heart locket around your neck? Looks like it's pure silver. I could make your life a lot easier if you pay with that."

The heart locket? There was no way she would be giving that up. That was the only thing left from her parents that she had. She had hoped they had made it to safety but she wasn't even sure if they were alive at this point. The world was a much darker place than before the eruption.

"I'll pass on that. If you won't take what I have to offer then I'll just look somewhere else."

"Fair enough. Be on your way then." The man sounded angry, it was off putting but she decided it would be best to leave. The people here were sketchy. Everyone seemed hesitant around them. It may have been foolish of her to turn down the man's offer but the sentimental things in life now have a whole different meaning than they used to.

There was no point staying in the area. Now that the man running the trade stand for water was angry; it would be best just to move on. It wasn't worth the risk of putting a target on herself for what she had. It wasn't worth risking her life over. There was always another chance in the next town.

Sierra reached down to open the heart locket as she walked, a photo of her mother and father were carefully placed on each side. She could only hope that she could find safety and solace somewhere in her upcoming journey.