The Mindless Man's Paradise

Chapter seventy-five

  Our fire was still alight when we had returned, and our kills hung ominously from the wire, having de-bowelled them all. Cyrus and I crowded the fire until our hair was dry, and I was warm to the core.

  We then made our way to the tent where we shared a large sleeping bag to keep each other warm.

  By the time we had fallen asleep, I assumed it was almost morning time, because when we woke up, the sun was beginning to set.

 “Holy crap.” I said, in awe. “I can’t believe we slept the whole day away.”

  “It must have been the hike up here and then hunting for the day.” Cyrus supplied.

  “Must be.” I replied.

  We mutually agreed that we were going to go back to the cottage even though night was approaching with haste. We gathered our game, our tent, our packs, and our blankets.

  The trip took longer on the way back then it did on the way there, since we had the burden of several dead animals in addition to our usual luggage.

  I had become extremely familiar with the woods within a mile radius of the cottage in my time there, so I knew when we were close to home when I saw my rock. It was the same rock I went to when I needed to draw, or write, or even just think.

  I would probably be there the following day to think about Axel’s proposition, matter of fact.

  “Hey, Aspen. It’s snowing.” Cyrus noted.

  I looked to the sky to see dainty white specks floating slowly to the ground, and falling into Cyrus’s hair.

  “The first snow isn’t supposed to be for a few weeks, though.” I replied.

  “I know, that’s why I was surprised.” he said.

  Something about the snow seemed suspicious. I stuck my tongue out to catch a flake on my tongue, but when one finally landed there, it was warm, and tasted burnt.

  Then, as I inspected closer, I noticed that the so-called snowflakes were floating just above the ground in a whirlpool-like fashion.

  That was when I realized, they weren’t snowflakes. They were ashes.

  “Cyrus, this isn’t snow, it’s-”

  “Ashes.” He said, completing my sentence.

   Something about this made my stomach flip, and Cyrus was thinking along the same lines, because he dropped everything and ran the remaining distance between himself and the cottage, which wasn’t yet visible.

  I tore after him, at first attempting to bring my load, but then realizing I would have to ditch my things as well. Hopefully, my instincts would be right so that we wouldn’t have to go hunting again, but at the same time hoping they were wrong so that the cottage would be okay.

  Once I was close to the clearing, I saw jittering shadows casted by an orange light. The shadows of the trees were a little nerve-wracking. And then I smelled it.

  A burnt, charred scent.

  Something was burning.

  Immediately I called out to Cyrus and burst into the clearing to see the cottage.

  But the cottage was nonexistent now, now the cottage was a motley of huge, roaring flames that seemed to reach like fingers into the sky.

 Tears leaked from my eyes; probably a combination of the smoke and then the realization that Aurora, Jensen, or Kian could be in there.