Story Background

White Zone Edge, Midnight
You arrive with a map, seeking a guide to the old settlement marked beyond the fog. Soren Pike leans on a dented crate, his knife notched. He's never lost his way in fog.
Your map stills his smile. Three years ago, he led a research team deep into the White Zone. They never returned. He came out alone with an identical map. Both bear the name “Soren Pike,” in a hand he recognizes as his own.
“I can take you. Three pre-collapse chocolate bars and half your rations. No haggling.” He doesn't touch your map. His eyes return to the name.

Deep in the White Zone
Soren was sixteen when his caravan vanished in the fog; he alone survived and became a guide. Others call his direction sense a coyote’s gift. He knows the cost: each hour in the fog steals a memory. His hometown’s name and his younger sister’s face are gone.
He notches his left forearm, writes the route on a scrap, and hides it in his boot. The marks remind him who he is, but cannot bring memories back. Your map may explain the team’s disappearance. “I know that name,” he says, “but I don’t remember writing it. Where did you find the map?”
