Frozen Isolation

The great Canadian sky hung above me, a beautiful facade masking its deadly nature. A bright blue sky splattered with large, puffy clouds. In the distance, a snow peaked mountain range surrounded by white spruce and pine trees eclipsed the sun as it began its descent. It would have been beautiful if the cold wasn't killing me. I shivered as an icy breeze penetrated my jacket and numbed my pale skin.

Snow fell softly to the ground, sticking to the road like glue. I held out my phone, trying to gain reception with no success. I was cut off entirely from the world, left to fend for myself.

In the forest.

In the cold.

Surrounded by the unknown, it was frightening to think that I might have been the only living person thousands of kilometers in all directions. Hell, it was easy to believe that I was the only living person anywhere. It was not a comforting thought.

The snap of a twig almost made me trip in terror. I spun around, holding my hands out in a feeble attempt to protect myself, but all I could see was the vast expanse of forest that disappeared the farther I tried to look. Cautiously, I continued down the rundown road infested with weeds and grasses that emerged from cracks in the asphalt. I felt my heart begin to pound like a drum in my chest. My eyes darted around, searching for any signs of movement. This time, I did trip as the sky flashed with a spiderweb of light that cracked down in the distance. I screamed, but it was drowned out by the ear-splitting boom that quickly followed.

I jumped up with a look of pure terror. I looked around and with a yelp, I saw the dark clouds gathering behind me. A storm. I turned away and hurried down the street with new purpose. I could not be caught in this storm with no shelter. It was already cold enough, and now this? I heard a howl in the distance, and part of me wanted to collapse right then and there.

I was beginning to get more and more desperate as the road continued on with no semblance of civilization in sight. It was getting darker and darker as both the clouds turned to coal and the sun fell under the horizon. And with that, the temperature dropped. The branches above me convulsed viciously, throwing their needles to the ground. The snow began to fall harder until my vision was obscured by its opacity. And then I saw it.

The rough shape of a house emerged from the void until it gradually became a reality. And then several buildings began to take shape. A spark of hope ignited inside me as I stumbled off the side of the road and found shelter underneath the portico of a cabin. I knocked on the dark green door and waited for a response. When nobody answered, I tried the knob. Surprisingly, the door swung open when I pushed it. I threw myself inside and slammed the door shut and locked it, believing that whatever was inside was better than what was outside.

Light seeped into the small foyer through the crescent moon-shaped window on the front door, casting an eerie shadow of myself that extended into kitchen ahead. It wasn't much light, but I could still see in the immediate vicinity. The foyer was about the size of my closet back in Montana. It had a few hooks attached to the wall, along with a few coats. A mirror on the other side was adorned with flowers and a pinned photo of a lady with long blonde hair. I strained my eyes to the see into the kitchen, but all I could see was darkness.

I took a step forward, and the old planks underneath my boots creaked. I heard the faint sound of water dripping from a broken faucet and the hissing of the wind outside. I took another step, proceeding until I found myself in a large room that resembled a loft. I had to get closer to see the kitchenette to my right. It was a mess. A box of cereal lied on the edge of the counter, a pile of dull colored crisps underneath it. The sink was full of pots and pans, and the window above it had its curtains drawn. Someone had left in a hurry.