With plastic buds spilling sweet sounds into my ears, I scrambled up the demolished building, my hands protected by palm gloves but my fingers shredding. My bag hung heavily on my back. After reaching the top of the ex-house, I started searching through the rubble. 20 minutes passed and I stopped to check the sky. As if waiting for me to do this, the sun burst over the peaks of the skyscrapers surrounding me: almost midday. Again on cue, my stomach grumbled and I headed back to the centre of the city.

The razed streets were abandoned by everything but the wind and its echoes. However as I removed my earphones, I heard the whisper of voices. Immediately I was on alert. I drew my gun. Crouching with my back against the wall, I fired a warning as I saw a figure edge around the corner. They darted back with an exclamation and then I saw a head peer back around. I shot again, this time aiming closer. The person yelled again, but this time, my name.

"Rose you fool! It's us!"

I recognised the voice of my sister's friend; Dan. Always looking out for me, always in the way. He strolled across the street with his scavenger team trailing behind. I scowled at him as I hid a grin. I hadn't seen him in awhile.

"So Rose, how are you doing? Long time no see."

"Something I am glad about," I retorted with an eye roll. He chuckled.

"Still not wanting to join your sister's old team then?"

"What do you think?" Grinning, I shook my head at the 19 year old.

"Well it was worth another shot. I'm guessing you'll be needing to get back to Emma soon. Any signs?" I shook my head and the hopeful light in his eyes faded. He sighed.

"Right. We must be going. You'll be at the market later right?"

"Probably," I answered. "See you later."

I ran back home, purely for fun and often taking detours up vertical buildings for the view. When I arrived back, I unpacked my bag and took off my equipment, relaxing into the feel of being in a safe environment again. I wandered into the next room, humming. In the centre of the room was a futuristic, portable table-bed, covered by a plastic dome, as long as a sleeping human. The edges had monitors attached with cables connecting them to a screen hung on the wall, depicting the statistics of my sister.

I took a breath and started my routine of checking all the wires and observing the screen. I hummed louder and took a few dancing steps as I swung around the bed, my head in the clouds. I paused and looked at my sleeping sister. She had been asleep for two years now. Ever since the rebellion. She and Dan had led the rebels and were the greatest leaders our people had seen, despite the fact they were only 17. But just as the battle was ending and our side had almost won freedom, a bullet skimmed past Dan and struck my sister. The wound in her neck caused her to lose 2.5 litres of blood. I do not know how, but our best medic got there just as she was closing her eyes, and she survived. Dan started screaming, orders and curses and threats and pleas. And I stood there in shock as my sister, my idol and the closest person I had to a parent fell asleep. For two years.

I shuddered out of the memories and blinked rapidly. I hurried back to the main room and spent the remainder of the afternoon adding more graffiti to my mural. When I was four, I started scribbling on every wall or table or pathway. When I was seven, Emma gifted me with my first pad of paper, and the next year I found the remains of a set of paints. Since then I had been swirling designs and patterns onto our main room walls. Everything and anything that had caught my eye or inspired me had found its way into the piece, and hidden within the storm of colours were little scenes from around the city and the sun's rays striking against the peaks of the buildings. Just off from the centre was a tiny freeze frame of Emma and Dan laughing and another one of a young boy sitting cross legged on a mat, trying to hide a grin.

The evening approached and I crept back through the city to the shopping centre. My bag was stocked with items I had scavenged from the city outskirts; my weapons hung from my waistband, and a knife was stashed in my boot. It seemed excessive but all our people were desperate and sometimes, well, trading markets got competitive. And ugly.
I wandered around the market, sticking to the friendly parts, and nodding a greeting to familiar faces, mostly from Dan's team. After I had sold the majority of my findings (and flicked the fingers of pickpockets), night had fallen. The other traders had started drifting towards the camp fires. I quietly packed up and joined the throng. I weaved through the crowd, silently thankful for my small size, and found the camp fire where the most rumours went around. I had often done this, eager for the extra hints about good scavenging spots. Over the past two years I had gained an advantage by doing so, in spite of the times when they proved to be false. However, that night I heard something that could change my world. And it did.

A whisper started going around, raising an unearthly sound from the people gathered. My hair stood on end. I shifted, uncomfortable, but I did not know why. Then it stopped and a somebody stood up. They were wearing travelling boots, gloves and a warm coat. When they spoke, their voice echoed around, loud and strong, and the nearest other campfires fell silent in awe. The man's voice was rough and cracked with weariness as he spoke.

"I have come from the next two cities over. Like you, our home was destroyed by the war, and like you again, we fought back. But we, also, lost the war. For a few months we lived like this," he gestured, pointing out the poverty, the mismatched and make-do settlements and stalls. "And then our city was destroyed. Totally."

He paused, letting what he just said sink in. A low chatter rose.

"What I mean by this is that every building, every tower block, every street utterly and completely levelled. By the end of two days, there was only rubble, knee to waist high, to be seen. Then two days later, all that was gone too. My people had evacuated when the machine first arrived but a few of us ventured back to be greeted with no sign that we had ever lived there.
"We all travelled to the next town and started rebuilding our lives there. We began to settle in again and then the same thing happened. Another whole city gone. My city was destroyed four months ago, the next city was two months ago. For the last month I have been tracking the progress of the machine... and it is coming here next."

Silence hung. Then chaos descended. People stood and shouted. A mob surrounded the traveller. Finally a powerful voice echoed around, demanding silence.
"Quiet!" Dan bellowed. Even after two years, people still respected him. "Give the man some space. Now, who are you? What is your name?"

"Ivan. Who are you?"

"I am Dan. The co-leader of this city during the war. Why have you brought us this news? And what do you want from us?"

"Nothing really, just a part of tonight's meal. I only came to warn you so you may leave before it arrives. It will be here soon. It was only a short time behind me and I arrived this morning. I advise packing up and storing food and water. Do you know of a place you can go?" Although his tone stayed respectful, he looked like he did not fully believe that Dan was one of our leaders.

"Woah hold up," a anonymous voice in the crowd called out. "Are we supposed to just believe this guy and leave our home? How do we know if we can trust him?"

Another chorus of protests started up, this time aimed at Dan. He stood there listening until they had calmed again. Then he beckoned to the stranger and they walked off into the market. As they disappeared from sight, Dan turned back around and scanned the crowd. His eyes skimmed over me but he quickly looked back at my position. Before he saw me I ducked behind the person next to me. Dan had seen me here before and had told me to stay away, and I didn't want him to find out I ignored him. The evening's entertainment seemed to have ended, and I reckoned that there would be no more to find out from this group for a while, so I walked off behind the stalls, to an alcove in the oldest part of the city, where the walls were made out of crumbling stone. Sitting on a mat covered with mechanical and computer parts was a boy the same age as me.

He rubbed the side of his head.
"Evening, Crow."

I stood there with my hands on my hips. I raised an eyebrow. He caught the look and put his hands up in defence.

"What? Only Dan and Emma allowed to call you that?"

He picked up a computer piece and started adjusting the wires hanging from it. I rolled my eyes and sat down. Jay hummed quietly as I thought of a way to get to the point. However, there was no need.
"I'm guessing you want to know if I've found any keys" he murmured. He glanced up briefly as I nodded. Jay carried on tinkering, then placed it down and reached for a bag behind him. Clearing a space, he tipped the contents out. An assortment of multicoloured, plastic cased, electric access cards and futuristic swipe cards tumbled out into a heap. I ran my hand through them and Jay separated the possible from the unlikely. To be honest, I had no idea what sort of key I needed but Jay had taken a look at Emma's container and had been on the hunt for a key ever since. Even when he couldn't find one, he would listen out for good scavenging places and recommend them to me.

After a good ten minutes, we had three piles: possibles, not right but able to be sold, and damaged beyond repair. I picked up the five remaining cards and thanked Jay, before slipping them in my bag. I nodded goodbye and went to walk away, but just as I was about to reach the corner he called me back.
"Hey! Rose! Just to let you know, Dan's looking for you. We're going on a scavenge tomorrow and Dan wants your help. I don't know this of course," he signed off with a wink.

"Well in that case, I don't know either. Thanks Rook."

"Oi!"

"What? Only Dan and Emma allowed to call you that?" I teased.

"Very funny. Now scram. See you tomorrow. And I hope the keys work."

"Thanks. See ya," I gave a little smile for before heading off to see Dan. Normally Dan is a fairly easy person to find, but tonight he seemed to have disappeared. I was just about to go home for the night after searching for him, when he grabbed my arm.

"Rose! I was looking for you. Tomorrow, could you join us on a scavenge? We're searching through the business district but we have a few problems due to the infestation there," we shared a knowing look. "You know how to handle them so if you could lead half of the team, I'll... I'll... erm... not tell you off for being by that campfire?"

I scowled at him. "You sure know how to make a deal. But I'll do it anyway. Although what else would I gain from it?"

He gave me an exasperated look before mentioning the fact that "there may, or may not, be an unexplored hospital in that area..."

Now it was my turn to be annoyed at him. "What?! There is an unexplored hospital over there and you didn't tell me about it before now?! Dan! This is all about Emma! Your best friend! How could you not think to tell-"

He cut me off before I could carry on my rant. "Hey. I only found out today. Blame Jay if you want to shout at someone. But I'm taking this as a yes, yes?"

I agreed, still a bit miffed he had not told me sooner, but thankful he had eventually. He tugged on my hair as he turned to go, and I hid a smile. That was what Emma used to do. Despite our four year age difference, even for sisters we looked remarkably similar, especially with our choppy, black hair and piercing eyes. It was one of the things that made us so close. Reminded about Emma, I hurried back to our base, stumbling a bit it the dark, but making it back in one piece.