A Ghost of You

Chapter 20

The day became crisp with cold winds and constant snowfall. You weren't used to the weather, and Ghost was well aware of that. Your breathing was becoming heavier and icy. On the other hand, Ghost had the great advantage of the mask. You made your way next to Ghost, "How much longer do we have to walk?" you said while struggling to keep the same pace as his. 

He glanced down at you and gave an annoyed sigh. "As long as you can get used to the weather." 

"That's cruel." You mumbled.

"What you said, soldier?" He stopped abruptly in his tracks and looked down at you. "You have the nerve to say that this is cruel?" He looked intimidating, but as he said, you have more nerve.

"It's cruel making me walk around like this." Your body shivered, and you looked straight at him. You could hear his breathing getting heavier and a little chuckle. "Is this funny to you?" You said in a stern tone. His body shifted his weight to his right leg, almost like the contrapposto. You gave a warm sigh and looked away.

"Are you cold...?" His voice was low and somewhat concerned from what it was earlier. 

"Isn't it obvious?" You crossed your arms.

He chuckles and looks around. "There's an abandoned shack near the woods here. We-"

You stopped him from speaking any further, "You want us to go to an abandoned place and possibly get killed?". 

"Can you trust me?" He said bluntly.

"I have to, don't I?" 

"Your choice." He said and quickly made his way down to the snowy forest. You grunted and started following him. "At least slow down!" You yelled at him. The trip was getting longer now and draining. But something kept motivating you to keep moving. Maybe it was the need to prove to him that you can do so much, or perhaps it was seeing him walking before you. His body pushes through the thick snow, leaving a trail for you to move. It was the small things that carried you. As you were lost in thought, Simon stopped dry in his tracks, and you almost bumped into him.

"What-" You spoke, but he raised his index finger on his mask where his mouth was. You quickly knew that the forest had visitors. The ones that weren't remotely close to the team. You could sense someone or something watching you. Ghost quickly signaled to lower our stance towards the snow. Thankfully, the white of the outfits could hide Ghost and yourself. 

The silence was deafening, and the only thing left was beating your heart, pumping the blood across your body slowly. By pure curiosity, you lifted your head and looked around. The woods were slightly dark, but you knew something was wrong. A tall shadow was behind the trees, with a sickening smoke hovering around the upper silhouette. Ghost grabbed your arm and looked at you.

"What do you see...?" He said in a concerning yet demanding tone. 

Your breathing got slowly heavy, "There's a silhouette...", then pointed at the tree. He slowly turns his head towards the direction you pointed. "Oh..." he breathed out and looked back at you. "We got to move." 

The moment felt intense, but seeing Simon's reaction, you couldn't help but get on your feet and automatically start running towards the direction you had previously come from. You passed the forest, into the abandoned buildings, and then to the team's cabin. Your legs gave out, and your body fell on your knees, then landed on the floor. The running and fear affected you entirely, and you felt a lump in your throat. A loud cry came out from you, and Simon quickly held you. 

"Y/N, you have to breathe in and out." He said in a low tone, and he contracted on you. You don't know why your body reacted in such a way. It was as if the fear you didn't feel in the forest was delayed, and it's all coming now. Sure enough, you start to come to your senses. Your body was still being held by Ghost.

"Kid...?" He said softly in a concerning tone.