WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

51: Winter's Warmth

Lucas' POV.

When I opened my eyes—

Ow...! Damn it! Ugh...! What with the sudden headache?!

And I had to squeeze my eyes shut again.

The last time I felt like my head was going to burst like this was when I bottled up a liquor to keep myself warm. It didn't just warm me, but it was like I swallowed a piece of charcoal. My inside felt twisted and I ended up throwing up what I ate. And drank.

I was young. And dumb. And I—

Ow...

My body, my neck, my arms, back, surely my skins were raked by something. The hell did I walk into?! A fucking forest of thorns?!

I wanted to scream and curse but nothing came out. My throat was dried.

I need water... I'm thirsty... But I'm... Cold? But... Not that cold? Huh? What?

My sense came to me, especially in the dark, it sharpened. I could feel and hear everything.

Though my body didn't feel as hot as before, I still needed some water. Maybe the temperature of the night was cranking up? It was getting colder and colder, ain't it?

Okay, Calm down, Lucas. Don't freak out. It's not one of those dreams.

Because I could feel it, I could hear it. I knew it like the back of my hand and it never was my cup of tea.

There... I heard it. The sound of a small bang to the window.

Not just a heavy snow but a blizzard.

Of all the weather, I hated winter the most. It never given something good to remember about. No place to sleep. No food to eat. No fire source. No warmth.

I remember I had nothing but with an extra hoodie over my shoulders. I had two layers of shirts but I still needed the hoodie. That was also why I liked wearing hoodie. I used to use them as blanket, sometimes my pillow during the winter nights. In every alley I could find, any temporary shelter to sleep, I made it work.

Rainy season wasn't any better but less shitty than winter because I could always find an abandon building to sleep and the cold wasn't as harsh.

I remember the feeling of starving for warmth, an actual warmth place, more than I craved for food.

Food was not the problem for me. I could eat and I could just go a few days without it. Or I could always return to that bakery where that girl would hand me some leftover bread.

If I was desperate enough.

That girl, she was... Alright enough to even ask me to stay the night. The place she offered me to sleep was in the kitchen. It wasn't much but surely, I could remember the warmer air inside the shop. It was... Nice.

But in the end, I refused because it was no less than hiding under the nose of her family. Her rich family.

I heard she got in trouble for keeping the fresh bread for me. I thought it was leftover bread. She told me so. But when I dropped by during the day time, I heard the argument. That was how I found out about the bread.

So since then, I left without a word. Not a thank you or a goodbye.

Need I say those words?

I didn't think so. I didn't even know her name and I didn't even remember her face. So it's worthless overall. I thought it didn't really matter whether i said goodbye or not. It's just one of those 'Good' people in this shit hole and I had nothing to do with the rich.