130

The house was so much darker after they had stuffed the windows with crumpled newspaper, but it certainly kept it warmer. The front door, a leaky thing even when there had been heat, took more papers than Gerta had thought it would, but she managed it. The ill-fitting storm door was locked and then screwed shut for protection, then filled with papers pressed in place with cut cardboard as she filled it. The inside door locked tight and duct taped around the edges. But it was so cold that winter. So very cold. The old lady upstairs died. So many people did, but that was the closest death to Gerta. They buried her in the snow out back, but Gerta doubted she was still out there. Scavengers ate even the roughest of meat.