The Long Dark- A Journey Through Frozen Hell

Weathered Rifles

About a day passed as Yukari and Miho sat by the fire, talking about their old lives and the things they've seen while on Great Bear as a blizzard roared outside.

"And that's how I killed the Old Bear." Miho said.

Yukari stared in shock, smiling too.

"That's crazy." She said.

"Yeah. This whole place is crazy." Miho said.

"I hope Jace is okay." Yukari said.

"Me too..." Miho said solemly.

A noise that sounded like a thud echoed outside as they both looked towards it.

Suddenly, the door swung open as a man in a large coat walked inside, holding a rifle and sack, slamming the door shut.

"Fuck." The man said, exhausted.

He set down a large sack and looked at the girls.

"I see you're both alive and well." The man said through the thick scarf and mask with goggles that covered his eyes from snow blindness.

He set his rifle on the table, taking off his thick coat and unwrapping his scarf.

"Who are you?" Miho asked.

The man pulled the goggles off his face, revealing his pale, grey eyes.

He took off the balaclava to reveal his face.

A fair skinned man without facial hair, a sharp jaw, and brow hair that was well kept somehow, despite all of this.

"My name is Joshua. Joshua Vaughn." He said.

"My name is Miho."

"I'm Yukari."

"Well, it's nice that you two are okay. I see you have some soup on the stove." He said.

"We have enough." Miho said.

"Well, if you don't mind giving me some, that would be great.

The three sat around a small table and ate as the girls examined the man.

His hands were pale and calloused with a tattoo of a star on it.

His hands were small despite his larger size.

A small scar ran across his neck with another across the bridge of his nose.

Yukari looked at the weathered rifle.

It was not in great condition. The brown stock had been weathered until it was tan with many splits being glued on and taped together. The magazine was weathered with many scratches, but the barrel and mechanisms were well oiled. Maintaining their black color without any rust.

The rifle forend didn't extend all the way down the barrel like Yukari's or Miho's rifles did. It resembled a Remington rifle but chambered in .303 like every other rifle in Northern Canada.

"So what were y'all doing out in that blizzard?" Vaughn asked.

"We were escaping from the prison convicts from Blackrock." Miho said.

"We fell into a river and managed to lose them." Yukari said.

Joshua hummed, eating his soup.

Miho and Yukari glanced at each other before resuming their meal.

"So the prisoners are loose?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Miho said.

Vaughn frowned but finished his soup.

He stood up, and walked into his bedroom.

After a while, he came back, and by then, the blizzard died down.

He came back and picked up the sack.

He walked into a door and walked to the pantry, setting the sack into the freezer.

"I got a dog sled." He said.

"Really?" Miho asked.

"Yep. Do you want to see the dogs?" He asked.

Yukari and Miho looked at each other and smiled before standing up and putting on their coats on.

They walked outside where they could see the dogs.

Six husky, Chinook, and Malamute dogs jumped in the snow as Joshua whistled.

The dogs ran up and panted as Miho and Yukari smiled, petting them.

"That's Bodega, the big boy, Snoopy, lazy girl. Betty, the wild girl, Junior, the hunter, Pinetop, a helluva tracker. Their leader named Currie. A strong leader. He's one of the smartest dogs I've ever seen." Vaughn said, staring at the dark furry mass that surrounded them.

"They're cute! Miho said, trying to pet all the dogs.

"I'm going to go grab some wood. Just stay here, okay?" Vaughn said.

"Okay." Yukari said.

Vaughn walked towards a shed and picked up an axe, walking to the woods.

"What should we do?" Yukari asked.

"I'm not sure. We should at least help clean up around here." Miho said.

"Yeah." Yukari said as both of them walked to his shed to check it out.