Gloom (complete)

No Snow

It took her nearly an hour and a half to create a decent fire, even with her handy-dandy lighter and a bottomless supply of burnable objects. Her fingers were numb along with her face, the icy wind kept blowing her hair in her face and snow blowing in through the window made everything wet. It was difficult at first.

When she finished and she had a nice fire blazing by a shattered window in a tin bucket found in a supply closet, her happiness had a wide grin taking over her face. Green eyes had instantly sought out Blain. She found him still sitting and staring outside through the one window not covered in long strips of paper with wide unreadable eyes. His body was wrapped in a blanket and shivering.

"I created fire," the girl sang, "I created fire."

He glanced over at her. "I noticed. Say why again, is your wonderful creation out here when we go to sleep in there?" He nodded at the open door leading into Mr. Arnold's office.

"Its safer out here in the open and it'll keep us warm for now." Jacey said and rubbed her stomach. She had yet to eat today.

"That's right, we're going to exchange body heat at night." He nodded with a small smile.

"No," Jacey quickly said, although last night had been the warmest the girl had been in days. "No need, not with our blankets and all of those extra clothes you found in those lockers."

Blain had gone on his own little excursion before her waking. She found herself being yanked out of a blissful sleep by a loud popping noise. Frightened, she had ran out of the office after awkwardly slinging on clothes nearly falling on her way out. A few feet away she found herself staring at Blain who was happily yanking locker doors open with the locker opener and one hand, slinging things around he found useless.

He found a couple of sweaters, a few T-shirts and a few pairs of smelly sweats, mostly old PE clothes. She had happily slid into one of the green and red sweaters. She also pulled on a pair of sweats underneath her skirt.

"We no longer have to share body heat." Her hands warm as she holds both in front of the flickering orange flame. "How about we eat a little of our food?"

After a meal of animal crackers, mango juice, chips, and thawed, soggy hamburger buns, she curled up in her blanket on the floor intent on taking a nap. It wasn't even fifteen minutes later when she was a woken again by Blain calling her name insistently from above her.

"What?" Her voice croaked. "What is it, Blain?" She awkwardly rubbed her face with one hand, while helping herself sit up with the other.

Blain was looking out the window when she finally looked at him. "It stopped. Look out the window, not at me, you bird."

Ignoring his insult, her gaze landed and settled on the window against the far wall of the office. Everything outside had stilled, as if frozen, becoming painfully quiet. No longer was she able to hear the howl of the wind. Still and white, everything was still.

She climbed onto her feet awkwardly and stepped forward and stared outside. An oddly foreboding feeling tingled at her skin as she gawked. It was quiet. Too quiet.

"When should we go look for help?"

Blain's questioned snapped her out of her sudden tense thoughts. She glanced up at him and bit her lip. "We... it could start up again," she quickly said. "We have to make sure its actually over. Being stuck out there in it would without a doubt be a bad idea." She had a bad feeling about going out there. It was like the time when she and Andy were at Heather's aunt house in the mountain's and Andy had hit a huge hornets nest with a plastic baseball bat on accident. Nothing happened at first, nothing but utter hush, thick silence, one that noted a commencement of a something foreboding. Not fifteen seconds later, a lo A chill ran up and done her spine, wiggling across her back. For whatever reason, she was suddenly feeling off about being inside too.

The blizzard's sudden halt couldn't be good.

"Yeah, I guess we can wait a couple of hours," Blain said. He tugged at his dirty hair with his good hand, still staring outside grimacing a little when his fingers snagged a tangle . "You take your nap and I'll search for stuff we could use."

Her lips parted, she was going to argue but had no good arguments against his idea. They did need help. Blain's arm needed medical attention too.

"Alright, but be careful."

He waved her off and stepped out of the office.

Going to her blanket, her legs folded underneath her as she heavily sat. Her gaze went to the office's door, left ajar by Blain. She bit her lip. She couldn't understand why she was so worried.