Noticing Jin come up beside her, Reliq could feel the uncertainty and confusion emanating from him as she began to speak. “All we can do now is wait,” Said Reliq as she continued to stare out at the winter storm.
XI
A strong wind ripped through the trees, throwing shards of ice and snow against Jacobs raw and exposed skin. The sun slowly began rising over the mountains exposing the town far down in the valley below. Shivering against the cold, Jacob sat on the barren cliffside with his back against a large tree, feeling it sway as he longed for the day to bring some warmth. The night had been long and cold after the group had been forced to find shelter against the coming storm. The town they fled now looked so peaceful far below in the valley. As a fresh blanket of snow now covered the entire landscape, making the once fire ravaged town appear still and silent against the icy backdrop.
Haunted by the memories of the night before, Jacob sat waiting in the cold, dark, silence, waiting for the wind to fade and the coming of day. After leaving the basement, Jacob and the others had made a run for the mountains. Remembering the fear and anxiety he felt as they made their way through the abandoned streets as the intense artic air started to roll in. Sudden changes in weather extremes were quite common to Jacob, especially in the late autumn months, and most of the time Jacob enjoyed these seasonal storms. However, that was the distant past of adifferent world. A world when Jacob had the safety and warmth of his house and family. Now in those cold and abandoned streets Jacob and the others tried to fight against the growing storm. They moved quickly through the dark, pushed forward by the sound of footsteps close behind and the constant fear that their enemy lie waiting to attack around every building and street corner. As if they were being herded as the group pushed on, heading towards the river and out of town. Looking back, he remembered the streets always remained still and empty, there was never anyone waiting around the corner. As the bridge came into view the pace quickened with excitement. They had to made it to safety, to the mountains on the other side.
The sound of the water raging against the rocks below filled the air as Jacob and others approached the bridge. They waited before crossing for what seemed like hours, Jacob could remember the feeling he had, there was something not right. Why would the red-suits let them escape? Jacob thought to himself as he looked out towards the darkness on the other side of the bridge. The bridge was open and exposed they would be easy targets, even in the dark. The fear of what waited for them when they crossed was becoming as unbearable to Jacob as the cold before Dawn gave the order to cross.
They almost made it to the other side, Jacob remembered the brief period of relief he felt as the far side drew near. But it was a trap. There was no warning, before the red-suits started shooting from both sides of the bridge. Everything after that became so hectic and blurred. Darren was shouting over the sounds of the gunfire and the raging current below. The sound of bullets hissing by and hitting the metal parts of the bridge, seemed be getting closer and coming from every angle. Frozen with fear, Jacob felt someone grab his arm and yell for him to jump. The water was cold and the current fast as Jacob fought to stay above the surface, before being pulled to the shore downstream. He remembered the bridge; it was barely visible in the distance, just before he followed the others into the safety of the dense trees. It was not until they had been traveling for a while that Jacob realized Darren wasn't with them, that no one had seen him make it off the bridge.
“We need to keep moving... Or this cold will kill us before the red-suits,” said Dawn, placing a hand on Jacobs shoulder.
“They took everything... everyone I knew is dead or gone. Darren was the last person I knew from before...” Responded Jacob, without looking at Dawn.
“I would like to tell you it gets easier Jacob... or things will get better. But I don’t know. I don’t know if things will get better. What I do know though is we will die if we don’t keep moving and our only chance is over these mountains.” Said Dawn.
“What’s the point...” Jacob replied, as he wrapped a thin wool blanket, Orm had taken from the house, tightly around himself.
“What's the point? The point is kid, we are here, and many others are not so lucky. The point is Darren died on that bridge so we can live... The point is there are many others taken that we may be able to help. So as Dawn said, it might not get easier, but our only chance is over these hills and we need to get moving... So kid, it’s time to stop thinking about what they’ve taken and start thinking what you are going to about it.” Said Orm as he approached, holding out his hand to help Jacob to his feet.
The terrain became increasingly difficult to transverse as Jacob followed Dawn and Orm deeper into the wilderness, periodically looking behind in hopes Darren would somehow be there. Falling further and further behind as they trekked up the mountain, Jacob found it increasingly hard
