Northern Awakening

Prologue

Alfred's gaze was fixated on the woods through the window; the trees were a pale color in the foggy air outside and didn't look real. He had that surreal feeling, so familiar to him. 

Jan sat in the reclining chair across from him. She had the same sort of feeling but she stared stupidy at Alfred, her eyes not looking at all like they would if she were a normal person, without addictions. She did not have any thoughts, any desires except for the man sitting before her; her husband. 

The room was lit low. A clock ticked. A radio played faintly. The lovers had forgotten to turn it off for three days. But Alfred and Jan paid no mind to any of the sounds their subconscious heard, and they hadn't for quite some time.

Jan took a drag from a cigarette slowly, not releasing her eyes from her husband, then in her ruined voice called out to him quietly. "Fred."

Alfred did not look at her. He continued to stare through the window, vacantly.

After a long minute or maybe two, Jan placed her cigarette in the ashtray, without putting it out, and rose. She made her way toward Alfred, bumping into the coffee table that sat between them on the way. She grinned and stumbled onto his lap.

Alfred stirred and made a groaning sound.

Jan began to kiss his neck, wrapping her arms around him weakly. Alfred began to awaken from his stupor. His mouth curled ever so slightly and he began to kiss back. 

Before long, the lovers were making stoned love as the sky darkened outside and the woods became less and less visible and the air became colder. 

Neither Alfred or Jan had bothered to turn on the thermostat or even light the fireplace. They were too much engulfed in their world of ignorant bliss to notice the building cold inside of their house.

Twin baby girls lay side by side in a nearby room, cold, malnutritioned, trembling from their weakening and immature nervous systems, and hardly able to hold their eyes open or summon the energry to cry any more. 

There had been many hours of agonizing terror and intense needing in which they had pleaded for attention with their cries, but no longer. They were strangely calmed now, feeling only each others' cold flesh and each others' fading breath. 

Something was either ending or beginning.