Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Intricate white fairies danced downwards towards the blanketed earth. Azure pools broke the light gray pattern in the sky, which otherwise mimicked the world below. A chilling breeze, occasionally interrupted by powerful, penetrating gusts, made Boy's emerald eyes darken and crevices form underneath loose wisps of copper hair. He looked back, towards the origin of the gusts, towards the forgotten city of stone. Past once-tall buildings, the pattern was a vast, unbroken wall—darker and unyielding to the sky piercers.
Boy sluggishly quickened his pace—soft powder swallowed his ankles with each step. The straps of an olive green rucksack fluttered aimlessly. It bulged oddly; its base wide and rectangular. As it rose, the bulges grew smaller and less defined, resembling an uneven, lumpy pyramid. Inside were insignificant treasures of immense value, meticulously packaged and placed so as not to be damaged.
As Boy trudged forward, something reflected in his eye. He noticed. Small enough to be held in two hands, a creature made of cotton balls tried to slink away while blending in with the pure white snow. Creature subtly favored all but its left hind leg. Boy cautiously approached while digging inside his coat pocket. Stopping a few feet from Creature and gently kneeling, Boy revealed a handful of white, nearly-frozen frostberries. He tossed a couple in front of Creature. At first hesitant, it clumsily plucked each berry from the snow with four large bony protrusions in its mouth, before swallowing.
Reaching outward with an open palm full of sustenance, Boy let slip a smile as he coaxed Creature closer until he could delicately cradle it in his arms. Boy continued trudging into the forest, scouting for a suitable location to hunker down and bear the fast-approaching wall. The seemingly endless forest possessed a tune of monotony. Tall trees emerged from the earth, showcasing scaly, dark brown bark and moss-colored needle-like leaves—obscured beneath a pale white coat—that breathed life into the blanched expanse.
Soon, Boy found what he sought—a small clearing just large enough for a single-person camp. He kneeled and gently placed Creature on the powdery landscape before removing his rucksack. Creature sat silently, its head tilting and ears twitching as it observed.
Boy unhooked a small shovel from his pack and cleared the snow in a safe spot, ensuring his camp wouldn't collapse under falling debris. He then retrieved sturdy poles, thin metal sheets, and a tarp from his rucksack. Small dents marred the sheets' surfaces and reflected light in peculiar ways. After connecting the sheets to the poles, Boy swiftly laid and secured the tarp over them.
In about ten minutes, his odd structure was complete. What stood now mirrored a half-completed tent. The side facing away from the approaching wall was open. Opposite that were the tarp and metal sheets.
During his work, the gusts had begun growing stronger and more frequent. Even the steady wind had noticeably increased in speed. Boy hurriedly started his search for wood dry enough to start a fire. He focused his search on branches, still connected to a tree, that had no snow on them. After around fifteen minutes, Boy returned with two armfuls of branches, twigs, and bark.
He set the supplies down directly in front of the tent-like structure and began working. In the center, he placed dry bark and twigs to be used as kindling. Encircling it, in a formation resembling a teepee, were small branches. For now, Boy left the rest of the fire supplies next to his rucksack inside the half-tent. He noticed Creature curled up tightly in the back left corner, seeking refuge.
Outside, the steady wind had grown as strong as the gusts initially were. Boy removed the glove insulating his right hand. Immediately cold seeped into it, at first stinging before quickly going numb. Unzipping one of his coat's many pockets, he pulled out a small, mostly depleted matchbook. With fumbling fingers, he retrieved a match and struck it against the bottom of the matchbook.
The resulting amber flame reflected in Boy's eyes. It danced brilliantly, whispering promises of safety and warmth. Boy delicately lit the kindling in the center and softly blew on it. Soon, the flame grew and strengthened enough to require minimal assistance. Admiring his work, Boy sat back, supporting himself with his hands behind him. Creature limped over and snuggled up against his leg before drifting off to sleep.
Something caught Boy's eye. A dark figure stumbled along in the distance. It was wrong. It possessed a too-long head, a too-long body, too-long legs, and too-long arms. It stopped before a tree and stared down at the roots. The thing primed itself, its too-long arm connected to its right shoulder slid back and up, elbow bent and hand straight, dagger-like, too-long fingers pointed at the tree's base.
Everything was still for a single moment. The world held its breath, intently watching. The next moment, the tree's base exploded. Snow and splinters flew in every direction. The muffled sound of the collision rang out. Slowly, Thing slid its arm back again, revealing a small burrower mouse. Its grip was mercilessly tight. The mouse's body bulged awkwardly in the gaps between Thing's fingers. It lifted the mouse above its blank, featureless head.
Then, impossibly, its not-face opened. It split at the center, slowly pulling apart. Inside were thousands of tiny, finely pointed, ivory teeth and a deep purple, too-long tongue that unfurled towards the unmoving mouse. The teeth wiggled back and forth in anticipation as Thing's jaw slid forward out of its head. Thing loosened its grip and slowly coiled its tongue around the mouse before—almost instantly—whipping its tongue inward, snapping its jaw shut, and its not-face returning to a blank slate.
Startling Creature awake, Boy jumped and scrambled to douse the fire. He seized the shovel, laid next to the pile of branches, and furiously began tossing snow over the crackling wood and onto the bare, frozen ground, undoing much of his previous work. After the flames were out and the wood was completely covered, Boy snatched Creature and shoved it deep into his coat. Then he frantically packed fistfuls of freshly shoveled, powdery snow down the front and back of his shirt, up his sleeves, on the back of his neck, and on his face. Finally, Boy pressed himself firmly to the ground, keeping his face in the snow and limbs spread wide.
Within seconds, Boy was shivering uncontrollably as his body fought against him. Rosy nose and cheeks turned pale. The parts of the body furthest from his core became stiff and numb, reluctant to move. Breathing, interrupted by involuntary gasps, was rough and sharp as his throat dried and chest tightened.
Creature squirmed between Boy's coat and body. It let out muffled, squeaky yelps, but Boy made no effort to silence it. He merely remained as still as possible, battling against his body's attempts at staving off the cold.
During Boy's struggle, Thing had begun stumbling along in no apparent direction, drawing closer to the hastily ruined camp. Upon reaching the edge of the clearing, a powerful gust interrupted the steadily strengthening wind. When it hit, tiny, inky tendrils erupted from Thing's form towards the growing wall.
Thing's head snapped so its not-face pointed towards the origin of the freezing winds. Simultaneously, its body shied away and tried to make itself smaller. But Thing did not flee. There was a slight disparity in the temperature of the earth. Where the ground should be monotonous, there was a slight increase in heat, cleverly masked by some unknown.
Thing noticed.
Thing froze.
Thing's body turned to face the break in monotony.
Thing's too-long arms reached the ground.
Thing tensed, its muscles rippled.
Thing's knees bent and locked.
Thing's weight shifted forward.
The world held its breath.
Boy noticed.
Boy tensed.
Boy's frozen body no longer shivered.
Boy's hand crept to a large, zipped shut, coat pocket.
Boy carefully unzipped it.
Boy's hand wrapped around an oddly shaped object.
The world released its breath.
The earth erupted.
In a blink, Thing was within 20 feet of Boy. Boy no longer laid on his stomach. He positioned himself awkwardly on his knees and pointed the object at Thing. Then, in that same instant—just as suddenly as everything began—everything stopped.
A whisper. A single whisper.
Thing felt it.
Boy heard it.
Thing stood impossibly still. Its right arm stopped in the middle of a downward arc towards Boy's head. One leg was raised, prepared for a violent step. The other was tense, prepared to violently push off the ground.
Boy kneeled impossibly still. His hands clutched tightly around a decrepit pistol. His finger was a hair's breadth away from pulling the trigger, prepared to violently trade Thing's life for his own.
Thin, barely visible wisps of some unknown mist licked at their feet.
Thing whipped around and bolted back from whence it came. Boy—not wasting a moment—stuffed the pistol in his pocket, jumped up, and sprinted perpendicular to Thing.
Boy's face twisted. His eyes widened and mouth hung open, drawing in as much air as possible. He lost all control of his breathing and only focused on gaining distance from the mist. By now, the snow had climbed almost halfway up his shin, and the wind fought furiously to knock him down.
At last, Creature worked itself to Boy's collar and stuck its head out warily. After hearing the whispers behind them, it no longer attempted to wriggle free. Rather, it kept its body tucked away and out of sight inside the coat.
Boy's sprint quickly degraded into a teetering run. The whispers slowly grew quieter but remained ever-present. The intricate white fairies had formed into thumb-sized clumps of ice, intent on piercing anything they hit. The distant wall—now directly overhead—flooded the darkness it cast with all its fury.
The forest, littered with tall trees that shielded Boy from the effects of the unforgiving wall, was growing sparse. Failing to realize this, his legs continued pumping and his arms continued swinging. Soon, another vast, undefined, blanched expanse filled his vision.
Instantly upon escaping the forest's embrace, the wind slammed into Boy and sent him tumbling. His roll halted before it could begin. Boy lay there, dazed. A warm, dim, orange light shone through the white wall that enshrouded him, forming an orange haze. Boy clung to it. He forced himself to his feet and took a few steps before hearing a faint squeak behind him, almost completely drowned out by the ferocious winds.
Boy turned to see Creature struggling to reach him. Wisps of the mist were now stretching past it. Hesitating, Boy hurriedly ran to Creature, swooped it up, stuffed it back down his coat, and again bounded towards the dimming light.
Clumps of ice, now the size of fists, punched into Boy and his surroundings. The fallen powder now swallowed everything below his knees. Snow still being thrown through the air stung and blinded him. His wet clothes were now stiff and latched onto skin. Ice and snow clung to his dark copper eyelashes.
"Brother…"
The mist whispered, once again licking at his feet. It moved steadily, never slowing, never quickening, never changing course.
"Please…"
Boy attempted to cover his ears but his unprotected face was swiftly punished by the wall's fury.
"We miss you…"
A different voice. Boy was almost entirely enveloped by the mist. The distant light continued growing smaller and dimmer.
"It's been so long."
"Aren't you tired?"
Boy screamed. Tears froze before they could leave his eyes. Silhouettes danced through the mist.
"It's warm here."
"And so much food!"
"Don't you miss us?"
Boy's body burned and ached. His left leg went limp mid-step. He dropped like a boulder in water.
Boy limbs trembled as he picked his leaden body up and made a strained effort to walk. His limp leg dragged through the snow for a few yards before he collapsed again. Boy attempted to stand but his legs refused to listen.
"Don't leave us again."
Boy clawed forward—even after his gloves soaked through and hands went numb—until his arms mimicked his legs.
"We miss you…"
"We'll always be together."
"We love you!"
Boy's body was exhausted and his mind weary. He acted on without any thought, curling into a ball—knees to chest and chest to knees. Boy's arms held Creature tightly in his coat.
Creature looked up at Boy. Quivering, inaudible squeaks escaped its throat.
Boy looked onward. A warm, dim, orange light shone through the white wall that enshrouded him. The light was small and fading. Boy breathed one last time…
"I'm sorry…Bel."
The light blinked out.