Fwoooosh~~~!
The wind howls along by the window, threatening to spill in.
Covered in blankets to retain whatever heat remains left in his body, Juno once again awakens to face the reality of the now snow encrusted world.
Five months ago, the first snowfall arrived carried by the wind, signaling the arrival of winter.
Thought to be a normal change of seasons, everyone continued on their lives as if nothing changed. Parents readied to their car, children arrived at school, and workers began their shift.
Embracing the snow, many laughed and reveled at the fun of throwing snowballs at friends.
However, as the time ticked on by through day and night, the snow never stopped.
Day 1: The buildings and roads became a snow wonderland.
Day 10: The weather has only been a bit unusual, around −15°C.
Day 15: News erupts of a world-wide snowfall.
Month 1: Panic slowly blooms as grocery stores become emptied.
Month 2: The government announces military order.
Month 3: Shelter in place orders are issued as electricity shuts down.
Month 4: Order collapses as neighbors turn to raiders.
Month 5: Whispers spread around of monsters, what monsters? Raiders?
Resident on Green Hill Apartments, a 36-floor building on the 24th floor lives Juno. After his parents died in a tragic accident, with himself being the single child, he inherited the wealth and apartment 241. Alone at the age of 18, he decided to live a simple life and became a librarian making a meagre income.
However, all of that no longer matters.
Covered in a blanket burrito and dreading the thought of the cold, Juno mustered all his strength to begin the day.
Unraveling and standing up, he sighs.
"Sigh, will this snow ever stop?"
Juno yawned and after a quick stretch to fight off bodily stiffness, heads to his kitchen for breakfast.
Even after joining the buying craze and rationing his meals, all he was left was a couple of biscuits.
With 5 months already having gone by in this winter storm, food has become scarce and even more valuable than gold.
Grabbing the last packet of plain biscuits from his lightless silent fridge, the realization of having to head outside and scavenge again hits him.
Walking back to his insolated room and doing the only thing he can do, think about how his life has led him to where he is. He nibbles on a small piece of biscuit and sips water from a cup filled with melted snow collected from the balcony.
*DING!*
*Mutation has reached sufficient level, System unlocked!*
"What?!?!"
Juno stammers looking around his room.
"Who said that!?"
Quickly grabbing his makeshift spear next to his bed made of a broom handle and a knife, Juno slowly makes his way to his door.
Checking the living room, the kitchen, and the second bedroom, only after he was sure he was safe did he start to calm down.
Before the electric grid went down, multiple social media users were warning others to be careful of raiders. In addition with the occasional screaming and wailing within the building, Juno dares not be complacent.
Feeling his rapidly heart beat calm down, Juno murmurs to himself of what he heard.
"Mutation level was reached? System?"
*Ding*
==========================
Name: Juno Kim
Race: Human
Mutation: 1/100
Ability: Power Source
Strength: 3
Constitution: 4
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 5
Points: 0
==========================
"What?! What ability? What's with this screen?"
Exclaimed Juno, frightened of the unknown.
"I have an ability? What's power source? Did I become a battery"
After 5 months of boredom, Juno's excitement and curiosity couldn't be stopped at the slightest bit of attraction.
With this unusual and seemingly never ending weather, who knows when everything will return to normal.
He deeply desired to figure out what his ability does.
"Since it says power source, maybe I'm a generator or a battery? Can I power things on?"
Walking to his kitchen and looking at the fridge that stopped working ages ago ever since the electric grid went down, Juno grasped both sides with his hands.
"Uhhhhhh, now what?"
Confused on how to use his power, Juno did the first thing that came to his mind.
"ACTIVATE POWER SOURCE!!!"
". . . . . . . . . . ."
Nothing.
"Cough, let's try something else."
He muses.
Instead, closing his eyes and trying to feel if anything changed after his mutation, Juno inhaled and exhaled.
Inhale.
Exhale.
With deep concentration, Juno felt it, a swirling energy on the right side of his chest, as if a second heart.
Ecstatic, Juno had to calm himself down. Locating this source of energy, he tried to feel what he could do, which wasn't much. Juno felt as if this energy was contained within a ball, unable to escape.
Inspired by the idea of a second heart, he imaged veins and arteries for this source of energy, a way for the energy to cycle through the body as if blood.
Juno's imagination resulted in creation, and with it resulted in the formation of such incorporeal arteries and veins. Gradually, pathways began to form within his body. Multiple paths heading to different areas of his body, the brain, torso, and limbs. An energy cycle now existed.
With a pathway for the energy to travel through, Juno focused on directing the flow of the energy out from his source and to his body. And to his barely contained excitement, he felt it. The gradual cycle of energy throughout his body, and with it, the fatigue and chill within his body slowly dissipating, even feeling stronger and limber than before.
"Yes!!! Success!!!"
Yelled Juno in satisfaction.
"Now that I can control this power source, maybe I can power the fridge now?"
Feeling pumped after his first success, Juno soon again entered his concentration state.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Feeling the pathways extending from his power source, towards his arms, to his hands, and to the palms of his fingers. Juno willed and guided the energy under his whim.
Finally, with the energy at the ends of his palms, Juno created an exit. A small leak, a nozzle, directed towards the outside world. And behold a sight that will forever be solidified within Juno's memory, seared into his retinas.
From his palms, emitted a glowing misty fog that coated the fridge all over.
Then.
*Beep! Vooooooom!*
The fridge turned on.
"LEEEEEEEEEEEEETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Juno exclaimed in excitement at the discovery.
"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP!"
A neighbor next door yelled out after hearing Juno's raucous for the past minutes.
"Sorry~"
Juno eeks out.
With the excitement dimming, suddenly, a wave of dizziness hits him.
Feeling uncoordinated, Juno stumbles around, grabbing onto the fridge to steady his balance.
His brain felt as if needles were being stabbed into him.
Losing feeling in his limbs and his vision blurring, Juno mustered all the strength left within him to fall onto his couch and not on the hard ground.
*Ploop*
Lights out.