Donny looked at the map and the path Cat pointed out. He had his doubts. [color=firebrick]"Walking the surface huh? Normally I'd avoid that but... You're not wrong either. Doesn't seem like there's been too much salvaging around this area, or at the very least it's mostly been done in the metro. Could be stuff on the surface to find, but there's also a chance for danger too. Harder to get your bearings if there's a storm up top, which there usually is... But if you think it's a good idea, let's at least see how things are up top. Better than digging through rocks at any case."[/color] Memorizing the path, Donny and Cat would head out towards the surface. The path was pretty save aside from slightly slippery floors, as this area still had frost from yesterday's Cold Wave. But the fact the frost was here also indicated no one had been here since said Cold Wave. Soon the two would find a small service staircase leading up. Unsurprisingly it was covered in snow, but still solid enough for the two to make their way to the surface. 

Much to Donny's surprise, it wasn't snowing. Didn't mean it was safe however: there was a cold wind that left a chill in the bone, and occasionally it would whip up a flurry of snow that could blindside you. But this was a rare moment where the clouds weren't dropping more snow and ice, and it was merely windy. It was also vaguely day: the sky was a dull grey, indicating that the sun was up albeit still blocked by the snow clouds that have been here ever since the apocalypse came. It made Donny think back to that doodle from those dead kids. Now he really wished he didn't think about it.

Looking back at the map, it wouldn't help them on the surface but as Cat mentioned there may be more metro entrances along the way. Only problem would be finding them beneath the snow. Not to mention the temperature: the metro was bad, but livable as long as you weren't caught in a Cold Wave. But the surface sapped your strength constantly due to how cold it was, and Donny had to turn on his armor's engine just to resist the freezing temperatures. [color=firebrick]"Let's move quickly. It might not be bad now, but I don't want to be here when it gets worse."[/color]

Trekking through the snow and ice, there wasn't much initially. The first thing they came across was an abandoned car. Seemed like someone had already broken into it however: the dashboard was stripped of it's radio and other electronics, someone siphoned what little fuel was left inside, and the trunk was broken into. Even the upholstery was torn up, though this might've been due to mutants rather than scavengers. The only thing worth grabbing was perhaps the tires for rubber, but Donny wouldn't bother since he lacked the tools or the immediate need for frozen tire rubber. Moving on, they would encounter something a bit more interesting. Beasts and people weren't the only things that have mutated in these conditions. The radiation that has leaked out into the world to create bizarre and strange creatures have also created strange fauna, so Donny and Cat would actually find a grove [i]cacti[/i] growing out of a snow bank. [color=firebrick]"Oh shit, prickle pears! Seems like heading to the surface was a good idea after all."[/color] Donny eagerly went up to the cacti, taking out a knife and opening his bag.

[color=firebrick]"Prickle Pears grow on these spiky plants. You want to get the small white ones at the top: they're edible and have seeds you can make into a porridge. If I wasn't freezing my ass solid right now I'd try to prune the needles off and take some of the body. If you heat them up over a pot, you can siphon fresh water from them. Most creatures eat them whole, and when they die the seeds inside feed off the corpses to grow into these cacti. Fact there's so many here must meat something big died here a while ago... So take what you can."[/color] Donny already harvested most of the Prickle Pears, carefully avoiding getting stabbed by the needles. Despite being plants they were almost as hard as steel, though easy enough to remove from the sides. Evidentially they were meant to break off once stabbing into a creature, ensuring a slow and painful death long after the creature or person left. Even plants were violent in this day and age.