Survivors By Night

Part 2

Early the next morning, you crawled out of your lean-to and looked around desperately. Then you noticed that the fire was down to embers. "Shit..."

You scrambled to collect more sticks and revive the fire.

A couple hours later, you had managed to craft a water canteen using the leather parts of your jacket and your boot laces. You used it to carefully boil a clump of snow into drinking water over the fire.

The melted water inside was just reaching a boil, when you heard a twig snap in the woods.

You stood up and scanned the forest.

Footsteps crunched in the snowy leaf bed. You hurried over in the direction of the sound.

A few more yards away from your little campsite, Jack's human form collapsed on the ground. He groaned.

"Jack!" You ran to him.

"Mi amor." He groaned and tried to lift his head. His black pants were horribly ripped and dirty, the shirt and jacket from his suit were gone, leaving his body cruelly vulnerable to the cold. And you had thought the cut on your ankle was gnarly, but he was crisscrossed with shallow lacerations.

"Oh hell baby boy..." You tried to lift him, but he didn't cooperate with that yet and so you only managed to turn him on his back.

"I'm so glad to see you my love." He mumbled.

He looked pale and he felt like ice.

"Let's get you to the fire." You tried to lift him up again and succeeded this time.

That was the last thing Jack remembered before he passed out. He woke up again under the lean-to on the bed of pine. You were tending to his many cuts with some lichen that you had found and knew to be naturally antiseptic.

He shifted and mumbled. "My sweet, what...what's happening?"

"Shh, it's okay." You kissed his face.

He groaned like every muscle in his body ached. "No...no.... what happened?"

"I'm applying some....rough and ready first aid. Do you think you can sit up and drink some water?"

"Thank you...thank you mi amor. But I meant...." He shifted to look down at his body with disdain. "Dios mio..." he groaned.

"Shh baby, what did you mean?"

"I meant what the hell happened last nigh- Are you okay?" His concern for you switched on like a light and suddenly he was more awake and alert.

"I'm fine."

He hoisted himself onto his side. "Are you sure?"

You laughed humorlessly, "Yes Jackie! I'm doing better than you right now, you need to rest."

He noticed your bandaged ankle. "Your leg-" he started.

"Is fine." You finished. "I'm fine. Stop your worrying."

He sighed and managed a weak smile, "Yes, my bossy sweet."

"Good boy." You helped him sit up.

You lifted the leather canteen to his lips.

"You found water?"

"Yeah, it's called boiled snow. Drink."