Freeze (The Jewel Project #4)

23.1|| Sinking ships

Kay hugged herself tighter. The wind was once again blowing and each touch of the breeze made her entire body shudder. She'd never been so cold in her life. Kyle wrapped his arm tighter around her shoulders and pulled her closer. His body was the best cure for hypothermia and she tried no to think how his jacket was wrapped around her while he faced the cold.

"I can handle it," he said, as if reading her mind.

"Can we go yet?" Tom asked, bouncing on the soles of his boots.

"Just give me a second," Sam mumbled, his hands pressed against his temples.

Fortunately, everyone was up, though none of them looked happy. Jimmy had his eyes closed and his head in his hands while Jessie was white as a sheet, her lips trembling uncontrollably. Tom and Jerry were the only ones standing, Jerry putting away his bandages.

"Vodka would be pretty good right now," Kay muttered.

"Hell no," Kyle said, and he finally sounded amused. "You're a sad drunk."

"I'd at least be a warm drunk."

"It's an illusion," Jerry answered, always the scientist. "Alcohol is actually not recommended when you're very cold."

"I'm with Kay," Jessie said. "Reality sucks too much right now."

"You know what sucks more? Angie not being here. And Billy and Tina," Tom said. "We need to find them."

"We're going." Sam got to his feet with obvious effort, but stayed vertical. "They should be somewhere in front of us. If we go that way, we should at least find footprints."

"Groovy. Let's go." Tom swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the hill, between the trees.

Kyle stood too and bent to pick her up, but she held her hand up. As tempting as it was, she couldn't let him carry her. As much as he tried to hide it, she'd never seen more exhausted than he was now. The only comparable situation was when he'd almost drowned.

They all set off after Tom, walking slow at first, but picking up the pace as they went. As tired as she was, Kay felt a sudden need to run. It would surely warm them up and she was really worried about Angie. Billy and Tina were on her mind too, but Billy was proficient at surviving and Tina wasn't her childhood best friend.

Tom let out a sound of victorious satisfaction and Kay could soon see the footsteps, too. They continued their jog for what seemed like forever, but the fact the tiny paw prints had disappeared only gave them more energy to tread on. The others had gotten away and they were... Where?

She stumbled and Kyle grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"I'm okay," she whispered, but Kyle ignored her and picked her up. "No, really, I just tripped."

"I need you to get warm," he said, squeezing her harder against him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead against his chest. Tears burned her eyes for needing his jacket, for being a dead weight in his arms and enjoying it. Because there was nowhere in this world she'd rather be. Well, maybe except last night.

Kyle stopped all of a sudden and she took her face out of his chest. They'd all stopped at the top of a hill, A wooden two story cabin lay at bottom, smoke coming out of the chimney, lights pouring through the downstairs windows. The footprints led to the door.

Warmth. She pushed herself down, energy flowing through her with the end in sight.

"I wonder what it's doing here," Jerry said.