Wind gusts around me so much that I can barely stay standing. Taking a single step practically knocks me over, and my mind swirls with a list of questions.
"It's the middle of summer! How is there this much snow all of a sudden?!" I shout out loud as I force my feet to move along the snow covered clearing. My skin is still wet from the cold lake water earlier.
But even that doesn't make sense in the slightest. It's the middle of summer so why was the lake cold? My mind wants answers but my body needs warmth.
So I press onward through the growing blizzard. Snow whirls around me, stinging my cheeks, and painting my uncovered arms in a glittering blueish white coat of freezing cold ice.
"What the hell is going on?!" I shout as I step forward once again. My eyes have to squint in order to see what's in front of me, but then I see something in the distance. Light seems to glow in the form of a conveniently placed lantern.
Picking up the pace I finally make out the source of my guidance. A cave wall lined with lanterns of glowing warmth appears before me. Wasting no time at all I waddle my way through the growing piles of snow and into the cave.
It's freezing cold in here and I reach upward, just barely able to uncoil a lantern from its wire hung handle. Then I hear a voice from outside the cave.
"Skye! Where are you?!" Luna's voice echoes off the walls of the cave. I can't see her but the voice came from outside so I unhook another lantern.
Taking a deep breath I launch myself out into the howling snow and ice, shouting back into the distance.
"I'm right here! Where are you?!"
The blizzard hurts my legs but I can't back down, not with Luna out here all alone. Gritting my teeth and clutching the flickering lantern I bear the source of the voice. Luna is there in the snow, walking.
I wave one of the lanterns. "Luna! Can you see me!?"
"Yeah I see you! What's going on? Why did it start snowing all of a sudden?" She shouts as we come closer together.
"I don't know but this sucks!" I shout as I hand her the second lantern. It's a miracle that neither of them flickered out because of the strong wind.
"We're gonna have one hell of a story to tell after this one!" My voice is barely loud enough to break the wind and I clutch Luna's hand tightly, leading her towards the cave I found for cover.
"Is that a cave?!" She pulls her mouth near my ear and asks. Her breath is almost as cold as the snow gathering on my legs but I ignore it to forge onward.
"Yeah, I walked through a clearing and saw lights!" I shout back.
"Survival tip I learned from my step father. When you have nowhere to run and you're in danger of the cold, find warmth and stick with it!" My step fathers lessons from before my parents death surface in my mind. He tought my father a lot.
As I near the cave I practically toss Luna inside of the cover and step through behind her. Our bodies are shivering and the rip in my shorts has loosened.
"Wait here. I'm gonna see if there's anything that I can use to make a fire!" I shout to Luna as my lessons of starting fire burn their own way into my mind. The wind has quieted down now, but my ears are roaring with pain and numbness.
My attention is usually scattered due to my ADHD. Surprisingly though my brain seems to be in alignment with my own wishes. I guess the looming death factor of freshly frozen humans helps.
I'll have to keep that in a mental notebook. Oh who am I kidding, when that's needed my ADHD won't be able to read past the first line under the title.
"Maybe there's something helpful here…" My teeth chatter, and my hands shake as I attempt to sift through the hiking bag to find anything that can help.
"Come on… Please…" Shouts my mind in both an attempt to create tension and to warm my unfortunately freezing headspace. But more often than not I've been disappointed in worse ways.
At first I grip the zipper and pull the bag open just to have my hope shattered in an instant by its summertime contents.
Cooling blankets. "No. "
Two ice packs. "Cmon."
A frozen water bottle. "Please…"
"Yes!" I shout as I find a lighter inside the very bottom of the bag. Swiftly turning my head to the side I scan my surroundings. Sticks are piled up in one corner of the cave near another lantern.
I stand and almost slip from the ice on the ground, catching myself on Luna's shoulder. Her body doesn't seem to be shivering nearly as badly as it was before, and I assume it's because she's becoming numb to the feeling of the chilly air.
"Hey, stay with me!" I shout to Luna whose eyes are now closed. I turn and take two big steps towards the pile of sticks and bring the lighter down to them.
*click click* The lighter sparks then fizzles out. Trying again it doesn't light up at all. "Dammit not now! We need warmth!" My heart shouts within my body.
My fingers are shaking but I can't feel them. The cold is getting to me now as well. Turning my head to Luna I notice she's sinking down into her seat, arms crossed around her motionless chest.
My mind races. "Screw it!" I shout as I grab as many sticks as possible from the pile in one giant scoop. Then I toss them on the ground about two feet from Luna's body. Twirling my head towards Luna's side I notice her lantern.
My brain squeals like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Smash it Skye smash it, light that wood on fire!" My brain practically jumps up and down in my head. With no hesitation I take the lantern and smash it upon the dry pile of sticks.
"I'm o-okay now. I promise." I stammer in response to Skye's hard and unbroken staring. The last thing I remember was sitting down in the cave and losing consciousness. Then I was awoken from a dream to the sound of shattering glass and a fire blazing.
"Are you sure?" Skye asks me as I stick my hands out towards the fire, with high hopes of warmth. Thankfully I'm not disappointed and my hands reflect the glow of the yellow and orange flames.
"Yes. I'm sure." I replied. "But how did this even happen?" My question just hovers in the air unanswered for a minute that seems like an eternity. Then Skye breaks the silence by standing up.
He stretches his arms tightly over his head and then crouches down to a set of lunges on each leg. His gaze turns to me, then the cave's entrance, then to the lanterns leading deeper into the icy cave.
"I'm gonna see if there's anything useful deeper inside the cave. Maybe there's someone else holed up farther down that way." He mutters as his breath turns to mist in the chilled and snowy air.
"Bu-" I open my mouth to protest him leaving but after looking down I instantly feel bad. I have the blankets from the hiking bag piled over my body, while he stands covered in snow in his ripped shorts and oversized t-shirt.
"…Just… be careful. Please." I manage to swallow my fear of being left alone in hopes that my friend can stay warm. I would offer a blanket to him but I know he would refuse to take it from me.
"Don't worry Luna." He turns to me and seems to warm me with the goofy grin spread across his face. "I've been in worse places than this. Be right back!" He turns and not waiting for a reply, he takes off down the corridor with a jog.
I watch his back leading farther and farther away from me. Then he turns to his left, slipping out of sight. Although I hear his footsteps slowly fading I still can't help but feel worried for Skye.
He's done so much for me. Comforting me during both my parents' hospitalization, their deaths, and now during this unfortunate period of weather.
I'm so grateful to him but I can't help but feel like I'm holding him back. If I hadn't followed him into the snow then he would have these blankets for himself.
"But if I didn't come with him he'd be alone right now." I think out loud to steady my growing anxiety. He needs me just as much as I need him right now. I won't let myself be a burden, not now or ever.