The Lazarus Effect: Injustice

Thirty Nine

Sam Smith ft Normani- Dancing With A Stranger

Ilya: 

The cold is cutting at me as I tried to move through the trees. Father had made it very clear when he gave the conditions of my pardon. I have to survive out here. The winter is relentless. There's no way in hell I'm going to make it through this like this. 

The snow is staying off the floor for now but what little does make it down melts into the earth before it freezes. There is no warmth in any of this that I can draw from. I need water. I can feel the stream up ahead. It's coming down the mountain. It's not cold enough to freeze it over yet. 

I've been moving through the woods for days now. I have to survive this winter. The first step is getting colder than this cold. I can feel someone or something watching me. They have been for a while. An animal perhaps. It might be waiting for me to weaken in order to strike. I hope it's something with fur. 

I broke the treeline to find a river.  On the other side is a cave. Luck seems to be favoring me right now. All I have to do is get across. I looked around making sure that I'm alone. I pulled my robe off along with my dress and sandals. I tucked them into one another before using the leather of my shoes to secure everything to a rock. 

My clothes need to stay dry. I picked it up taking a stance at the edge of the river. I spun around and launched it. The clothes landed at the opening of the cave with success. This is the hard part. I stepped back a few paces before I completely made up my mind. I rushed towards the water and dove straight into it. The cold momentarily stung throughout my body like my skin was sliced right off my body.

As soon as I broke through the shock I began to swim up. My head broke the top of the water. I tried to take in a small breath to keep my lungs from going into shock. I swam to the edge barely able to drag myself out of the water. I scooped my clothes up heading towards the cave. I put everything on as soon as I was surrounded by darkness. 

"You are insane," I pulled my dagger out from where I had hidden it in my robes.

"Who are you?" I asked covering up my chest. 

"Does it matter?" he asked. He motioned me to follow him. "You are not some stranded woman in the middle of nowhere, are you? ," 

"Are you just a man, stranded?" I asked. He looked over at me with a glare.

There is a coldness in his eyes. Those familiar cool teal eyes staring back at me. The harshness of his features. This man is wild. He doesn't know what he's doing for me. What he will always do. In this life and the next. 

I shivered to shake the memory when she stopped at the riverbank. Warmth flooded through me making me smile. That cave no longer exists. The river had flooded the entire area that had been the place in her memory. I climbed off the bike after securing it. 

"You're going to have to dive for them," she said walking towards the edge of the river. 

I pulled my backpack off and set it aside after pulling out an air mask from inside. She had been specific on what I needed on our trip. I placed the backpack on Jason's bike. I can't believe what she had shown me. As I take my clothes off, I replayed the images of him in my head. Jason is a reincarnation of someone she knew. Someone she loved more than she ever loved Erin. 

"You lied," I said tying my hair back. 

"You asked me if he was the one that always finds us. I said he wasn't," She smirked smugly. I glared at her as I walked over to the edge. "It's a small stone box,"