The Cold

PART II; INFILTRATED

BANG!

Alice dropped to the ground, blood pouring from her head.

"ALICE!" screamed Ted, dropping the can of food on the floor and running to the love of her life who lay dead on the cold snow. "ALICE! Baby wake up please". He held her head up so she didn't get cold and he cried over her dead body. The blood from the bullet wound in her head dripped onto his hands but he didn't care. "Wake up please, please wake up Alice" he cried, begging for his love to wake up. The blood flowing from her head like a crimson river.

BANG! BANG!

Ted looked up in fear. Had he just lost more of the people he cared about.

"He's dead" Alex said, now holding the gun. "Who's dead Alex?" Cassie asked, worried. "The shooter, as soon as I heard the gun shot, I rushed him and we wrestled for the gun a little but I got him. It's okay guys, we're safe". Cassie ran to Alex and embraced him, this was the first time someone had saved her. Alex held her back. "Ted. I am so sorry" Abel said, kneeling down to be with his brother who was still crying over the loss of his girlfriend. Abel held his brother, and sat with him as Ted cursed the world. "Are you okay?" Alex asked Cassie. "No" she replied, bursting into tears. "Hey, it's going to be okay Cass. Trust me, I got you", he held her tight.

The night wasn't as silent as the one before, the wails of Ted and the cries of those who loved Alice just as much echoed into the distance. No one knew what happened from here, where to go, what to do. "What happens now Ted?" Cassie asked. Ted ignored her. All he could think about was how empty his life was without the love of his life. He sat there flicking the torch on and off and holding his hand against the light, watching his hand light up and feeling the subtle warmth on the palm of his hand. "I don't know, Cassie" he finally answered. "I think we should move on tomorrow, its not safe here, we need to move on, we need to get up north to where it's safe" Abel interrupted, breaking the tension. "You think we should go up north to the compound?" asked Cassie. "I think we should, it's practically guaranteed safety" said Alex. Everyone agreed, except Ted. "You just expect me to carry on tomorrow morning like my girlfriend wasn't just murdered in front of me? You just expect me to pack up and leave her here in the snow?" he said, standing up with a hint of aggression. "What else can we do Ted?" Cassie asked. Cassie was known for constantly trying to deescalate tense situations. Her parents would fight often and ever since she's felt the need to avoid conflicts. "I'm not going anywhere, I'd rather be killed here with Alice than killed further up north just to get some food". Everyone went quiet. No one dared say anything, mainly for not wanting to upset Ted, but also for not knowing what to say.

The morning came and as always, no birds, no sun. It was hard to tell the difference between night and day. Ted didn't sleep, he lay next to Alice and watched her, waiting for her to wake up. Hoping it had all been a bad dream. The blood had stopped flowing and her body had turned to a pale color, snow starting to build up on top of her body. "Look at what a mess you are" he mumbled, wiping the snow off her and placing his Jacket on Alice. He knew how cold she gets.

"Has he slept at all?" Cassie asked, "I don't think so, poor guy. I think he keeps waiting for her to wake up" Alex replied. Cassie and Alex slept beside each other, and Abel slept next to Ted as a way of supporting his brother, being there for him. Ted and Abel came from a rich family, Ted was a scruffy, tough kind of guy. He never opened up about his feelings with anyone except for his brother Abel. Abel was an academic, always doing his family proud. Their parents divorced years before the war began and Ted and Abel looked to each other for comfort. They would spend their time playing games together and Ted was always there for his younger brother. At the beginning of the war, Ted and Abel were walking down by the river, they liked to go down there and talk. It was something they would do as a family. They returned home to find their parents with slit throats laying in a pool of their own blood. From that day on, Ted vowed to protect Abel at all costs. "You doing okay?" Abel asked, placing his hand on Ted's shoulder. "I'm fine" he replied. "You know it's okay to grieve, but we really need to get going Ted. That guy Alex killed last night is going to have people who will notice he's missing" Abel continued. "Yeah I know" Ted replied. Abel stood up and put his hand out to help his brother up. Ted took Abel's hand and stood up. He brushed the snow off himself. "We do need to leave, we need to leave now" Ted announced, "are you sure Ted?" Cassie asked. "Just when your ready Ted" Alex added. "No, we need to go, it's not safe here". Ted bent down to pick up his Jacket, he picked it up and stared at it for a second. He thought to himself, and lent back down to gently place the jacket on Alice, like a warm blanket, tucking her in for the last time. He got down on his knees and pressed his lips on her cold forehead. "I love you, and I'm sorry" he whispered. He placed his hand on her chest. One last connection between the two. And then he stood up. "Let's go"