Fuck, it was cold.
Early January had just begun to rear it's ugly head. I had always thought of the first month of the year as an old friend, but now it seemed like it was really my enemy. Days had passed since I left my house, but I hadn't kept a close eye on the date. Only a few days after Christmas, the temperature dropped into single fahrenheit digits and snow had flurried onto the ground. My boots crunched upon the snow as I traversed through the middle of the street. Light slipped through covered windows as I passed an intangible amount of houses down that long and lonely street. The cold stung my cheeks and hit my nose as I kept my head down and walked.
I didn't know where I was exactly, all the street names blurred together. I kept closer to the suburbs rather then venture closer to the city. As I approached a turn that would bring me out of the maze of sub-divisions I was trapped in, a loud burst of cheering erupted from the surrounding houses. I guessed that the clock had struck midnight. I had only a backpack with me and didn't carry my phone with me. The device was useless to me anyway, I didn't have anyone to reach out to for help or a place to stay. It would die eventually and there would be no where for me to charge it. Besides, if I encountered some type of danger, I deserved whatever came to me.
Voices gradually became noisier and it stopped me in my tracks. I turned my head to the left and watched as two people tumbled out of a front door, one shirtless and they fell into the snow. The girl's lips were locked on the boy's neck and the boy's arms were wrapped around her back. Their laughter filled the air as they rolled around and the boy's dark hair was a stark contrast to the white snow. I realized that I had been staring and I turned my head to keep going. But as I turned my head, the boy looked up and met my gaze. His eyes widened marginally and he loosened his grip on the girl. I didn't look back and instead started to walk away, though I recognized the teenager.
My heart jumped into my throat as I heard following footsteps. I did my best to quicken my steps without seeming suspicious as I exited the sub-division and entered the empty road.
"Cashlin?"
