Into The Darkness

Chapter Nine

It took a few hours for me to warm up, now I've decided that I hate winter. I just know I'm going to be sick after staying out in the snow all night long. Now that I'm warm though, I have something I need to do. I got up from the floor, and headed towards the door.

"I'm going outside for a bit." I informed them, then slipped outside.

Across the snowy graveyard was my mom's gravestone. I cleared off the snow and sank back down onto the cold ground. Seeing her picture on the stone make my heart swell, I miss her so much it hurts.

"What are you doing?" Alex popped up out of nowhere startling me.

"Oh, I'm just visiting my mom." I patted the ground next to me for him to join.

"Her name was Rose?" He asked, seeing my mothers name engraved.

"Yep, we named my sister after her. She died not long after little Rose was born."

Alex cleared the remaining snow off of the photo of my mother, "You two look a lot alike."

That made me smile, "I used to get that a lot actually... she was an amazing person, I wish you could have met her." there was a long pause, "Alex, do you want to talk about Ollie?"

Alex squeezed my hand, but instead of talking about his brother, he changed the subject.

"Do you wish your mom was still here?"

"No."

He looked at me with confusion all over his face, "Why not?"

"Because my mom wasn't built to live in a world like this. She was sweet, wouldn't hurt a fly, so I know she wouldn't have lasted long out here. She would probably think I'm a monster anyway, for all the things I've done."

Alex shook his head, "She would be proud of you, because you have done some hard things. But it was all to keep the people you love, alive."

I don't know about that, I'm sure she would have a few things to say about the things I've done. But it doesn't really matter, because I can't undo it.

The two of us sat in the snow for a while, just watching the snow birds around us. I know Alex is hurting, Ollie was his only family left and now he's gone. I know how he feels, but if he doesn't want to talk about it, I'm not going to make him. We all grieve in our own ways.

Alex grabbed my hand and hoisted me up with him as he stood. "Come on, we need to go inside before we get sick."

I followed Alex, and just before we went inside I spoke up, "If you want to talk about last night I'm here for you. I loved him too..." My voice cracked, but I need to stay strong for Alex.

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Once the sun came up on the second day, the three of us decided to venture on to my house. The rotter hoard went in the opposite direction so we should be safe there. But as we walk towards my home, I can't help but feel the dread in my gut. I don't want to see either of my sisters as a rotten monster...

We made it halfway to my house when Richard sat down on a fallen tree, "Give me a minute, I'm old guys. I need to rest."

I let out a scoff, "Richard, you are only in your late forties, you aren't old."

He grinned at me, "Well I feel old."

We were only here a few minutes when I noticed a rotter bobbing in and out of the trees close by. I pointed it out, and instead of killing it, we just moved on. After another hour of walking through the deep snow, and getting lost, we emerged out of the trees in my front yard.