The Freeze

The Freeze 2/2

Soon the stress was defeated by hunger, and she went to the bodies lying outside the food store and searched their pockets. Like the technician, she found nothing. She tried not to look at their broken heads and soon decided that the keys must be in the warden's room. So she made her way there. And indeed she found the keys in a drawer under some old books. She wondered. Finally... for the first time since the storm, she was cheering.

She happened to glance out the window as she left and saw him there again. He was standing outside. A man in a shirt and shorts. But when she went back to the window, he was gone. She tried to look in all directions, but there was no one there. He couldn't have gone anywhere. From the window of the warden's room, all they could see was a wide expanse of white. Just snow. There was nowhere for him to hide. She felt like she was going crazy. It must be the stress. Maybe the food will help.

So she went to the storeroom. With her eyes closed, she stepped over two bodies and opened the door. There was enough food inside to last as long as she needed. Not enough for four, enough for one. She ate so much she never thought her body could handle and slept the rest of the day.

She slept for what seemed like an eternity. When she woke up, she felt much better. She hoped it was all just a bad dream. A nightmare that afflicts restless souls. She hoped to meet her colleagues as soon as she left her room. That nothing had happened, but she was wrong. The two bodies were still lying outside the storeroom. And in the kitchen there was a technician and blood everywhere. It wasn't until now that she realized what had really happened and then she just threw up.

It took her hours to calm down and hours more to make the decision that she had to take the bodies out. They can't stay here. She can't cross them every day. She must bury them. Or at least take them out. The frequent snowfall will take care of the burial, but they can't stay here.

She dressed and went about her miserable work. She secured the door so it wouldn't slam. They hadn't been able to be opened from the outside since the storm. Then she pulled the warden and his wife out one by one. Then she vomited. Finally, she decided to pull out the technician. She left all three bodies near the wall, just around the next corner. She covered them with a thin layer of snow so she wouldn't have to see them.

When it was done, she sat down on the ground and that's when she noticed him standing on the drilling tower. He was leaning against the railing, looking directly at her. Her heart raced, as if perhaps it wanted to leap out of her chest. He stood there looking right at her. A tall man in a colorful shirt and beige shorts. One of the lights illuminated him from behind. In that moment, she realized he wasn't casting any shadows. He must have been a phantom, an illusion, a mere figment of her tortured soul. It wasn't there, it didn't exist. She closed her eyes, counted to five, and when she opened them, he was still there.

He was looking straight at her without a single movement. She started to yell at him, but he didn't move. So she ran to him. She ran and screamed and he was still standing in the same spot. She climbed the ladder after him and he was gone. No one was there. There was nothing but completely untouched snow where she'd seen him standing just a moment ago. More proof that no one was there. Just her dream. She spent the rest of the day cleaning up blood, vomiting and resting.

She saw the mystery man several more times. Each time, he stood outside. She became afraid of him. She was afraid that if he answered her, she would go completely mad. Perhaps that was why she was afraid to go outside. It wasn't until a few days later that she made up her mind. She hoped for the impossible. Outside was a small shed with spare parts in it. Maybe she could find some in there that she could use to fix her radio and call for help. The chances were slim, but it was still worth it. So she dressed again. She secured the door and headed out.