The gate remains closed beneath its chains, and the layered braces hold against the quiet pressure beyond. The crossing lane lies empty under drifting dust.
Inside the service office, the salvaged shelving, wheel rims, steel frame, and tool chest wait beside the broken window. Their arrangement could become a protected sleeping and medical station.
The prosthetic leg gives a faint warning tone, then falls silent. Its armored casing shows dust around the joints, while the integrated weapon rests on standby.
Ammunition remains scattered across the counter with empty casings and a partly used supply box. The battery radio offers only quiet static from the far shore.
Elana
The warning is intermittent, and the crossing remains clear.
No one remains at the truck stop except Elana. The teacher and all the children are across the water, secured beneath the old marina sign with the boats tied nearby.
Beyond the office, the reinforced perimeter waits for its next test. For now, there is time to inspect the failing leg, count usable ammunition, or reshape the room into shelter and aid.
Restore Elana's prosthetic leg