Alone at Winter

Cold Days Before The Warm

Alex laid silently in the snow, his body twitching ever so slightly with the cold now breeching into his skin. He felt the blood plastered onto his skin withe every slight movement of his body, it tore the skin that it had since been frozen to. He stayed there in the snow, his fate was imminent. He took it upon himself to let himself finally give up and rest for eternity. After all he had been through up until this point, he saw that he would return to his family a changed and broken man, not the Alex they knew.

"Just like that, huh?" Alex heard as he shut his snow touched eyes.

"W-what?" Alex replied as he painfully lifted his head slightly. Only to see a dark, cloaked, lanky figure sitting on a snow sheeted rock.

"Just going to give up there? After everything you've done for them?" The figure asked as they sat on the rock, sharpening a blade.

"What else c-can I do? I'm as good as d-dead." Alex replied as he painfully contorted his body to sit up straight in the snow.

"You can keep going. Just because you're as good as dead doesn't mean you give up." The figure stayed on the rock, not even looking toward Alex.

"But I did. I lost my friend, I've lost myself. Everything is gone." Alex said as he looked at the white floor. The figure finally turned to face Alex and they moved next to him.

"Why did you run from the helicopter, Alex?" They asked as they knelt beside Alex.

"To get the bear my daughter dropped." Alex shook as his eyes glistened with tears.

"Where is that bear now, Alex?" The figure asked again, it's black coat shading the white of the snow.

"It's in the bag." Alex said as he wiped away the tears forming in his eyes.

"Wouldn't Anne love to have her bear back? Along with her dad?" The figure asked as they sat beside Alex.

"Wait, how do you-"

"Wouldn't Oscar be glad to see his husband again? After all the time he's spent alone and having sex with another person, he must dearly miss you, Alex." The figure stood, it's voice deepening. Alex looked on in terror and anger as he shook his way on his feet again.

"N-no! You're lying, you son of a-"

"Just more to add to the list of the people you've disappointed. You giving up will make that list grow, Alex." The figure said as they stepped closer to Alex.

"No, y-you're wrong! I haven't disappointed anyone!" Alex yelled with whatever was left of his voice, the figure laughed as they looked toward Alex.

"Cut the shit, Alex. Even you know how many people you've let down. The ones you've failed. Or are you really that obsolete?" The figure menacingly asked as he stepped even closer to Alex.

"I've done what I had to for survival!" Alex yelled as he cried, looking into the black abyss of the figure's eyes.

"So, running after an easily replaceable bear? Killing Lucas? Holding your friend as he slowly died? That was for your survival, Alex?" The figure asked as it leaned closer to Alex.

"I did I thought what was right. I'm sorry." He looked pleadingly up at the figure.

"You've failed everyone. That woman, Lucas, Champion, Anne, Oscar. But out of all the people you've failed, the one you've truly failed, is yourself, Alex." The figure said as they stepped away, Alex now standing in the snow, his face laced with shame.

"Its not me you should be saying your pathetic apologies to. Its them you need to make amends with." The figure slowly started to walk into the distance.

"Who are you?" Alex asks as he looked at the figure, it turned to face Alex one more time before speaking.

"A figment of your fractured brain, you see me as Death. But with your state of mind I could be anything. Now get back to your family, Alex." Death said before they disappeared without a sound. Alex marvelled at the event that just took place in front of him, and with new found dedication he started limping forward into the distant unknown.

He continued limping, panting vigerousky with every step in the snow. But as time dragged on with his movements, he soon realised that the layers of snow were getting thinner. His face lit up with joy as he started making his walking quicker, going to a quick jog as the snow grew thinner and thinner with every few steps. His job the soon turned into running, the luggage and the weight didn't bother him, the pain he felt as he ran never came to mind. He ran closer to civilization.

In the distance, he saw something he thought he would never be able to see again. Buildings. At the sight of the barely snow touched buildings made him run quicker, occasionally tripping as he ran. He let out tears of happiness at the sight of the buildings, the layers of snow growing ever thinner as he finally made it away from the snow and onto grass. A sight he hadn't seen in a while. The sight of the green made him genuinely smile as he continued running. He soon made his way into the city, his run became a slight jog.

That's when his moment of joy depleted, everything was getting hitting him now, even with some added exhaustion. Alex soon came to a complete stop as people glared at him in confusion and shock, for they saw all the damage on his body. Alex then closed his eyes and collapsed on the paved floor. A swarm of people quickly surrounding him, all on their phones. Alex's vision was impaired and everyone was a blur. All apart from one figure, a cloaked figure who stood out from the others. The figure knelt down beside Alex and closed his eyes tight.

"Welcome home."