Bleak Winter -

Chapter 6: Where Were You That Night?

**TW: This Chapter contains scenes of kids in deadly situations, some of which result in bodily injuries. Viewer Discretion is Advised.**

Wednesday, December 19th, 2001 - 6 PM

By the time Xochitl and Luis had managed to get to the soccer field, the sun was mostly set, the already cold air virtually unbearable thanks to the freezing gusts of wind, and Gilbert was left sitting on the bench for over half an hour, waiting for someone to come pick him up. When Xo arrived and saw her little brother huddling himself within his own body while shivering, she was horrified and quickly ran over to pull him into a hug.

"¡Ay, Dios! Gilbert, I'm so sorry, I tried to get here as fast as I could, but Papi didn't call me until the last minute! You must be freezing!"

Gilbert returns the hug as he looks up at his sister. "It's fine. I just hope next time I have a Gameboy Advance to play while I wait!" He jokes.

Rolling her eyes, Xo's face turned stern as she released Gilbert and crossed her arms, "Honestly, the fact that the coach didn't let you stay in his car is despicable! I may have to have a talk with hi-"

"No Xochitl, you don't understand! He asked me if I wanted to, but I said no!"

Xo's head shifted to the side as she raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Why?" She asked unsure if Gilbert was even telling the truth, "Why would you tell him that!"

"I don't know, guess I didn't think you'd be so long!" the kid replied, his eyes pointed at the ground.

"Alright, that's enough you two!" Luis interjected by stepping in between them, "The important thing is that we're here now, so we can go home and get out of the freezing cold!"

"Oh, hi Luis!" Gilbert said, his face immediately shifting to an excited smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Just making sure you and your sister stay out of trouble!" Luis said slyly, putting his hands in his coat pockets.

"He offered to come, and I could honestly use the extra help," Xo spoke up with a bit more chipper tone, holding her hand out to Gilbert. "And Luis is right, we need to get back home!"

"Alright, let's go!" Ignoring his sister's offer, Gilbert kicked his ball up into his arms and started walking ahead of the group. "So Luis, what you been up to?"

"Not much, just got a Nintendo 64 and have been kicking your sisters as-BUTT in Mario Kart!"

All Xochitl could do was let out a sigh, give a small laugh, and then follow behind.

About half an hour into their trek back home, the sky had blackened completely, meaning the trio had to rely on street lamps, bright signs, and traffic lights to see where they were going, even if they had to take a slight detour whenever Gilbert would start kicking his ball into the air and it would bounce into a parking lot or off a window. But soon enough, they had left Town Square and had to cut through a mostly dense and desolate area to get to the Plaza. With most of the lights gone, Xochitl had to brandish her trusty flashlight to keep everyone on the trail home. But the minimal light the kids had only made the forest surrounding them feel even bigger. What didn't help were all the sounds they could hear, from the whos of the owls, the humming of the crickets, and even the crackling ice from the grass they were walking on. But the most mighty aspect of the forest was that despite them not even being in the midst of it, they still felt trapped by it, with a border of trees surrounding them on both sides and ahead they could still see the silhouette of the Watcher staring down and watching them.

But soon enough, the kids came across a brief respite from the forest, a hint of civilization in the lone road that lay between Town Hall and The Plaza, First there was a parking lot that felt huge, lined with dozens of empty spaces all illuminated by rows of the same looking street lamp. Shining her flashlight to the side, Xochitl saw what the parking lot went to, which to them, felt like a grand sprawling tower. The building stood at the top of the hill they were on and was in a standard rectangular shape, made up of brown bricks, with numerous stained glass windows lining the walls, and a huge arch pointing up from the front with a cross at the top.