It has been seven years now since the "War that is not a war" ended but we are still in the dark.

No electricity

Much of the earth's resources have been depleted maliciously during the war.

The city still operates some generators, but they are used to power the elite of what is left of the city's dilapidated "defense" system. The subway entrances are still open but the trains are stuck in place. There is not enough power to even open the doors let alone get one running. Most of the people down there are scavengers looking for old parts. They can sell the parts for food or some coal. There really isn't a better way to stay warm than to eat a portion and watch a lump of coal burn out to ashes.

All the fossil fuel fields have been burned in the war. There is not much left in the way of energy. Our neighbor tried to harness the wind on top of the roof. He used old bed sheets and tied them together to catch the wind and move a turbine. It actually worked a while until scavengers stole the cotton sheets away. It's difficult to keep the scavengers out.

My Dogs

I kept a pack of dogs with me throughout the whole war. They stayed with me all seven years. I share with this team of dogs what I manage to grow in my courtyard. Most of it is sprouts and mushrooms that grow in very little light. Sometimes we get pests and that's a bonus. At night rats common the garden floor.

For my dogs, that's a picnic. They enjoy the extra protein. Sometimes we are lucky enough to get some pigeons in the attic window. Who wouldn't want to enjoy four and 20 dumb birds baked in a pie? Hahaha. We haven't seen a pie here since before the wheat fields were burned years ago. I boil the birds in a bed of sprouts. Not much flavor but enough nourishment for me and my dogs.

^{Cover picture by bbAAER and this picture by Andrey_and_Lesya}

In hot days we stay cool in the courtyard. In the winters we go deeper into house's inner room. There is a secret place I can burn a fire and indulge in its flames for a few minutes huddled with my dogs in peace.

I reflect on times when a room was airconditioned in the summer and properly heated in the winter. Today it's common practice that no one gets electricity in their house, even water is hard to come by.

When it rains, it pours

When it rains we collect our water on the rooftop and hope that bandits don't steal the water during the dry season. The city has fresh water but there is not enough energy to to pump the water to the citizens.

Most are still in despair about their loses during the "War that is not a war". People live in fear and they no longer trust their neighbors. Maybe if there was trust then a solution would have been found earlier.

There was a time we could contact each other with our "cell phones". There are still satellites floating in the night sky and 5G towers set up throughout the city but there is no power to charge a battery let alone send out a signal.

For a time, social media was king and the world could splurge on ten second dance videos and endless streaming services. Now for entertainment we watch the mold grow on the walls.

Going out during the day is out of the question

I would love to venture out and explore abandoned subways and shopping malls, but I dare not go outside in the day time. We would be spotted immediately and reported. There has been a lockdown mandated since the war began and it's still in effect even though the war is over. We only venture out in the wee early morning hours of the day so we won't be seen traveling around.

My dogs are good at seeing in the dark and they don't bark unless I tell them too. They have a great sense of smell and follow trails to treasures hidden in the city. Their sense of smell also warns me of dangers approaching. My eyes have become adept to living in the dark. I would rather walk out into a dark path than have to squint in the midday sun.

I'm not sure how long I will last. The Virus has spread to much of the remaining population. It is impossible to find proper medicine or any clean products. I should have left this city years ago, except for the family I used to have. They had no strength to flea from the city. Annie stayed with me by my side but her strength just gave out a few days ago. I really don't have any reason to stay in this poor excuse for a city.

Staying is out of the question

Tomorrow night my dogs and I are setting out on a path to the North. The terrain is dangerous and cold, but as soon as we get away from the city we may find an abandoned golf course or an old hotel and build a garden and a fort to keep us safe and well fed.

I have a place in mind. It used to be a monastery deep in the mountains but in the "war that is not a war" the road that leads there was destroyed. Nobody knows about this place anymore. I remember the vineyards that were planted there and the corn. The monastery had their own Chartreuse drink that I could only dream of today. If my dogs and I get over the mountains without getting infected with the virus or attacked by wolves or spotted by the city patrol we will once again enjoy that Chartreuse.

For centuries people stayed away from this Monastery because of their "backward" practices. They never used computers or electricity. They used only the ancient methods. But now the world is so backward that the Monastery seems progressive.

I don't mind crossing leech infested rivers, climbing icy mountains or being shot with guns or chased by the living dead as long as I have that hope of a glass of Chartreuse waiting for me on the other side and a roasted pheasant waiting for my dogs.