On the run

Cold and Numb

It was the next day and I was searching for food and for people. I was exhausted and freezing. I was searching for anything to keep me warm. But being stuck in the forest in winter is not fun.

If I was in the forest, then there was a very low chance of being in New York. Especially if they drove all day with no stops except for the casual stoplights.

I started quizzing myself on the most random things like "who introduced the theory of punctuated equilibrium", to keep myself occupied and to get my mind off of how cold and hungry I was. Every once in a while, I grabbed a small handful of clean snow and slowly eat it.

What seems like forever, the sun slowly sinks down and the sky grew darker. I was only wearing a dark colored tee shirt and jeans and shoes. Not very warm. I was beyond freezing. I could clearly see my breath and my skin was blue. I was shivering non stop. Soon, I couldn't even think straight. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep. I knew if I did fall asleep, that I would probably die from the cold. It had to be three degrees if not lower. I was climbing down a steep hill that had lots of trees that I could lean against. Every limb of my body ached. My head was spinning. I felt like I was about to pass out any second. But I had to force myself to stay awake. I knew that I would die out here.

I heard voices from somewhere. The wind was starting to pick up and it was softly snowing. I had to see where the voices were coming from. See if they could help me in any way possible. Even if it was just let me sit by them for some warmth and food. I walked for a while, but the voices just never seemed to get any closer. I shook my head. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. It had to be from the cold.

Soon, I was at the bottom of the hill. There was a road that looked like it had been used recently. I followed the road, hoping that I can find somewhere I can lay down and sleep. The road seemed forever long. I was hugging myself tightly, trying to conserve as much body heat as I could. The wind was picking up and the snow was falling more. I struggled to stay on my feet and to keep my eyes open. I could barely see five feet in front of me. My whole body was numb. If you punched me, I most likely wouldn't feel it.

Seconds turned to minutes that I was on this road. Minutes turned to what felt like hours. Soon, I had no idea if I was even still on the road. But the trees were cleared, so I assumed that I was on the road still. But as it got further into time, whether it was morning or night, I had no way of telling, it got harder and harder to see even a foot in front of me.

As time went on, it slowly grew into morning. The wind and the snow slowly stopped. I could now see more clearly.