Till The End

Harsh Winter

January, 2020

Jeremiah and Journey walk through the freezing blizzard as the cold wind makes the snow fly into their faces. They wear animal fur around their jackets that remain underneath the fur to stay extra warm as they have hats and gloves on. "M- Miah, I- I'm c-cold..." Journey announces. "Get in here." Jeremiah replies as he opens his massive fur coat. Journey walks inside as Jeremiah wraps it around her, making it warmer. "You see that up ahead?" Journey asks, turning her head and noticing Jeremiah staring ahead, trying to see what she sees as the blizzard makes it hard. "Is that a shack?" Journey asks. "No, it's a log cabin. We have to get in there if we want to get warmer." Jeremiah answers. They begin making their way to the log cabin as snow crunches beneath them while they walk. Jeremiah goes to open the door but can't due to it being locked. "Dammit!" Jeremiah yells, pounding on the door. "Look! Up there!" Journey calls out, seeing a little crawl space for her to crawl through to get inside. "Okay, up we go." Jeremiah replies as he presses his back against the door and holds his hands out. Journey places her feet in his hands and he raises her arm and watches her as she crawls inside, hearing her drop down as she quickly unlocks the door. Jeremiah steps inside and slams the door shut, locking it as it's empty inside. And cold. "I'm still freezing." Journey announces as she rubs her arms. Jeremiah removes his fur coat and places it around her, making her warmer as his leather jacket makes him somewhat warm. Jeremiah drops his backpack down and pulls out dry sticks and things to burn, making a fire to make themselves warm. "Aren't you cold?" Journey asks. "I'm cold, but you need to be warm. I'll be alright." Jeremiah answers as the flames begin burning the sticks, the hay, and the papers. "With all the snow and the blizzards, it's been freezing the monsters. Once they're frozen, they can't get you." Jeremiah calls out. Journey scoots closer to the fire and holds her hands out, feeling warmer as Jeremiah digs into his backpack and pulls out a can of food. "You should eat some." Jeremiah announces. "Well, I can't exactly eat Spaghettios cold. We need to make it warm." Journey replies. Jeremiah inserts his hand into his pocket and draws his pocket knife, flicking the blade open and plunging it into the lid, continuing to do this until he can remove the lid. He then holds it above the fire as Journey can immediately smell it. "Smells good." She calls out. Jeremiah chuckles. "Is that warm enough?" He asks, handing it to her. "It's perfect. Do you have a spoon?" Journey asks. Jeremiah turns around and searches through his backpack, pulling out a bag that has utensils inside. He unzips it and hands her the clean silver spoon, watching as she eats the Spaghettios. "Do you want some?" Journey asks. "Sure." Jeremiah answers. Journey hands him the can and the spoon and looks around as he eats. "We should search this place. See if there's anything we can use as a weapon, find clothes, ammo, anything we need." Jeremiah steps in. "When we're done eating, we can search around." Journey replies. Jeremiah sets the can down with the spoon inside, drawing a knife as he looks around. "Eat. I'll take a look around." He says to her. Journey pulls out her pocket knife, ready for any surprises. Jeremiah enters inside a room and notices a couple laying in bed with a shotgun by the bed with blood above them saying "thieves." He stares at it and raises an eyebrow, hearing something coming from inside the closet as he quickly turns around, bringing his knife up to attack. He slowly approaches the closet and swings it open, only to have a walker burst out and push him on the bed. "Miah?!" Journey calls out. "Stay out there! I got this!" Jeremiah yells, glaring at the walker above him as it growls and chomps its rotting teeth at the fresh meat underneath it. Jeremiah quickly inserts the blade into the walkers chin as all existence of that monster has now died. He shoves the walker as his hand removes the blade from the chin and sheathes it, turning around and grabbing the shotgun before exiting the room. Journey looks up to notice her brother carrying a newly found gun she has never seen or fired before, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "What's that?" She asks interested. "It's called a shotgun. You can't fire this yet because it'll knock you on your ass." Jeremiah answers. "Is it that powerful?" Journey asks. "Better believe it." Jeremiah replies, setting the gun down and sitting in front of the fire. "We started up, now we're heading down. Michigan didn't have anything left. Maybe there's a place somewhere in the southeast that we can settle in." Jeremiah calls out. "Together?" Journey asks. "Together." Jeremiah answers. "You have got to be freezing by now, at least come sit over here so I can wrap this fur around you to make you warmer." Journey announces. "My jackets making me warm, along with the fire. You need that fur coat more than I do." Jeremiah replies. "We won't be needing it here in the next couple of months since it'll be spring, but maybe we can use it as a blanket." Journey responds. "You got it." Jeremiah replies with a smile as he nods. They both sit in front of the warming fire inside the log cabin as all that can be heard is the blizzard outside.