Arctic Angels

Snowed In

Sunlight started to pierce through the window of the shack, I woke up with a cold shutter.  Thinking last night was going to be the end of me I slowly rolled onto my back and placed an arm over my eyes shielding them from the sun.  There was no more heat coming from the little fire place with hardly any embers glowing at all.  

I guess God wasn't ready for me yet.  I thought to myself sitting up right.  My body ached and was cold.  I had been away from Ashley and Kiersten for 3 days now on the hunt for more food for us.  I was also searching for the traveling merchant to sell some furs we gathered from rabbits.  Without that merchant I'm not able to get more ammo, or medications we may need.  

Traveling merchants were godsends to the stupid who moved North to get away from virus.  I don't know how they got their hands on goods that kept the three of us alive, and to be honest.  I don't care.  Rabbit furs aren't worth much but it's all we're able to get, with that we only kept a few rabbit skins for ourselves and sell the rest.

I grabbed my rifle and backpack after I finished packing.  Slinging both them over my back I walked towards the door.  The snow from last night's blizzard came up to my knees as I start to climb over it.   As I continue to walk the wind nips at my skin.  I pull the wool trench coat I was wearing tightly around me as the collar shields my face a bit.  It clashed a bit.  My outfit.  A snow camouflaged pants and shirt that I found while the three of us traveled north, and a black trench coat.  Found in a house we stayed in for one night.

With the crunch of the snow and the howling of the wind.  It was hard to feel tired for how I felt.  I probably had about 5 day's worth of food in my backpack.  I had to return to those two so we could get a recount on our supplies and get some actual rest.  I spotted a forest which we bunked in under the snow after we packed it.  I had returned to camp.

I walked over to a tree.  There was a small hole that I dug at a bit before sliding down into it.  When I slid in guns were pointed at me.

"How many times do I have to say.  Only point those at what you plan to kill," I say crawling to a wall and placing my things down.

"Well it's not like we knew you'd be sliding down, how do we know you weren't a bear that fell down our only entrance and exit," Kiersten said lowering her weapon.

"Simple, if it was a bear, you'd be dead.  Those guns will only just piss the bear off more than he would be for falling down a hole," I said.

"You didn't trade at the merchant," Ashley said confused a bit.  "Why?"

"I couldn't find one, and then that damn snowstorm hit and I had to seek shelter in some rundown shack that I thought I was going to freeze to death in," I said tossing a small amount of wood onto our little fire we had.  

We had to keep a little fire, due to the smoke, heat and position of where we were.  A large fire could cave in our hole and give away our position with the smoke or burn us.  So we keep it small enough to hide but try to keep it big enough to keep us warm.

"I'm going to go check some rabbit traps.  I'll be back in 20 minutes," Ashley said crawling towards the hole.

"You do that," I said.  "I'm going to warm up."  I crawled over towards where we had a few blankets and put my coat on top of them.  I crawled under all the blankets and stared at the flames.

"What was the condition of the shack," Kiersten said looking at me.

"It won't work.  That shack was used before me, people have frequently been there.  I was surprised I wasn't attacked during the night"  I said watching the flames flicker.

"Probably because it was a blizzard.  Amber, it's been a month.  We need to either rebuild this damn hole or move to a different place to call a home." She says raising her voice a bit.

"I know! I know!" I start to yell back before clutching my right ribs in pain.

"Are you okay?" she says crawling quickly to me.

"I'm fine, I just, had an encounter with another person.  He got the drop on me before, well.  I'm back at base alive and he isn't." I look up at the ceiling to our base.  "Kierst, I know we can't live like this.  But we haven't found the materials or traded for the ones to build us anything better.  And I know we're all getting desperate for those supplies."

Just then Ashley slides back into the hole holding up two rabbits by a piece of rope.

"Rabbit stew tonight anyone?"