After the collapse and reduction, there were not enough people left to rebuild the way things were before.What we could rebuild was... different .There were some small improvements: Without a power grid to light up the night sky, the stars were easier to see. - The obesity epidemic wasn't a problem anymore. - There were no more traffic jams, and pollution wasn't really a concern. Other than that, life was ghastly and bleak in almost every way.Scattered families scratched out lives, hid from thugs and roving bands of Skullers.One night, Autumn, a resilient girl in an impossible situation, made a simple choice that drastically altered the course of many lives. She decided to run.