How long had it been snowing? She was shuddering, each jagged tremble reminding her broken body that she was hurt, but she couldn't remember when the snow had started, or how long it had been falling. How long had she been walking? How far had she come? Snow coated her hair, fell on the skin exposed through tears in her clothing. Her lips were blue and trembling with cold, but her mind was deaf to her body's pleas for warmth. Her mind was consumed with a singular focus: safety. She just had to make it somewhere safe, somewhere her jagged grief that grew heavier by the second could be released. Birch's mind told her to lay down, to find some shelter and simply give up. Just a minute, that calculating voice whispered to her. A minute is all you need. Why don't you sit down and catch your breath? Her shivering escalated as she fought to ignore that malicious siren in her head.
But when she stumbled, when the snow grew deep, she lay there for a long moment. And then, somewhere in the darkness ahead, a light trembled into being. That light chased away the darkness inside her mind, burned away the cobwebs. Every inch of her body was brought back to life, agony coursing through her veins even as she forced her stiff limbs back into movement. She just had to make it there, to the light. Her feet felt like blocks of lead as she dragged them through the snow, her breath a pale cloud in the night. Almost there. Just a few more feet, just a few more steps, almost there. She stumbled up the front steps and collapsed heavily against the door. Birch's head tipped backwards, her body struggling to find the energy just to lift her hand and knock. She was so cold, and so tired. Maybe she'd just lay down here, for just a second. Losing the battle at long last, Birch slumped to the side with another loud thunk, her head knocking against the frame as her eyes closed. |