The fire crackled softly in the corner of Nia's small home, casting flickering shadows across the worn walls. Alex sat on a rough wooden stool, grateful for the warmth that spread through his cold limbs. Across from him, Nia's mother moved gracefully around the room, adjusting the fire and tidying up the few items they had scattered about. She moved with the ease and grace of someone who had once lived in a very different world, a stark contrast to the harshness of the Rust Quarter.
Nia sat next to him, resting quietly after the ordeal with the boys in the street. Her mother gave Alex a grateful smile, then sat down across from him, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders as she looked at him with kind but weary eyes.
"Thank you again, Alex," she said softly. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been there."
Alex shrugged, trying to play it off as no big deal. "Anyone would've done the same."
Nia's mother raised an eyebrow, a knowing look in her eyes. "Not anyone. Especially not these days."
The room fell into a brief silence, filled only with the soft crackling of the fire. Alex could feel her eyes on him, studying him, and it made him feel a bit uneasy. There was something about her presence—calm, but also full of unspoken weight. She had seen hard times, that much was clear, but there was also a strength in her that Alex couldn't ignore.
"What's your name?" Alex asked, realizing he hadn't even learned it yet.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Serena," she replied. "I'm sure you've already heard a bit from Nia."
Alex nodded, glancing at Nia, who was watching the fire. "Yeah, she mentioned her dad… that he hasn't come back."
Serena's smile faded slightly, her eyes lowering to the floor. "Yes… my husband. He's been gone for years now. He used to take scavenging runs outside the Quarter—dangerous work, but it paid well enough to keep us alive. One day, he left on a longer run, hoping to bring back something valuable… and he never returned."
The sadness in her voice was palpable, and Alex felt a pang of empathy. It wasn't an uncommon story in the Rust Quarter. People went missing all the time, either lost to the wasteland outside or caught up in something dangerous within the Quarter itself.
"I'm sorry," Alex said quietly. "That must've been hard."
Serena nodded, her hands resting in her lap. "It was. It still is. But I couldn't afford to break down, not with Nia depending on me. I had to keep going, keep surviving. That's all we can do here—survive, one day at a time."
There was a quiet strength in her words, one that Alex respected. He had seen people fall apart in the face of loss and hardship, but Serena seemed different. She had built something here, fragile as it was, and kept herself and Nia going in a world that seemed determined to break everyone down.
As the conversation paused, Alex glanced around the small room. It wasn't much, but it was warmer than most places in the Rust Quarter. It felt like a home, something he hadn't felt in a long time. For a brief moment, he wondered what it must have been like before—before the world collapsed, before people were forced to scavenge for survival.
"You don't seem like… most people here," Alex said cautiously, unsure how to phrase it. "Did you live here before? In the Rust Quarter, I mean."
Serena's eyes flickered with a hint of nostalgia, and she shook her head. "No. We came here after… well, after everything fell apart. I grew up in one of the wealthier districts, back when things were still functioning—when there was still order. My husband, too. We both lived comfortable lives until the collapse hit, and then, like so many others, we were thrown into the chaos."
Alex's curiosity deepened. The Rust Quarter was filled with people who had been displaced after the collapse, but few had come from the wealthier parts of the world. The divide between the elite and the rest of the population had only widened since the collapse, with those in power hoarding the remaining resources. It wasn't often that someone like Serena ended up here, among the poorest of the poor.
"What happened?" Alex asked, leaning forward slightly.
Serena sighed, her eyes distant. "When the collapse came, it was chaos. The wealthier districts were able to hold out longer than most, but eventually, they couldn't protect everyone. My husband and I were forced to flee when the riots began. We ended up here, like so many others, trying to survive. We thought we could rebuild, find a way to create something stable for Nia… but the world doesn't work like that anymore."
Her voice trailed off, and Alex could see the weariness in her face. Even now, years later, the memories of those days weighed heavily on her. She had lost everything, and yet she had managed to hold onto what mattered most—her daughter.
"Do you miss it?" Alex asked after a moment. "The life you had before?"
Serena smiled faintly, though there was no joy in it. "Of course. We all miss what we lost. But there's no point in dwelling on it. The world we knew is gone. All we have now is survival."
Alex nodded, understanding her words all too well. The collapse had taken everything from everyone, and there was no going back. The only way forward was through the rubble and ruin that the world had become.
As the conversation continued, Alex couldn't help but glance at Nia. She sat quietly, listening to her mother's words but saying little herself. The resemblance between Nia and Serena was more striking now, especially with the firelight casting shadows across their faces. Alex wondered if Nia would grow to carry the same strength, the same beauty that her mother possessed—if the Rust Quarter didn't wear her down first.
Serena caught him looking and smiled softly. "Nia's strong," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "She'll survive this, just like I have."
Nia glanced up, offering Alex a shy smile, her face softening for a moment.
"I hope so," Alex said, returning the smile. "This place… it's hard on everyone."
"Harder on some than others," Serena replied, her voice quiet but firm. "But we do what we must."
The fire continued to crackle softly as the three of them sat in the warmth of the small room. Outside, the cold, unforgiving world of the Rust Quarter pressed against the walls, but for now, it felt distant. In here, there was warmth, a sense of family—something rare and precious in a place like this.
For the first time in a long while, Alex felt a small flicker of hope. Even in the darkest corners of the Rust Quarter, there were still people like Serena and Nia, still fighting to hold onto what little light they had.
But as he sat there, listening to the soft murmur of conversation, Alex knew that the world beyond these walls was far from forgiving. And he still had his own fight ahead of him—one that might drag him into even deeper dangers.