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It was unreasonably cold, heavy rain plummeting from the sky like stones, with a freezing, blowing wind crashing down on Johan and Anna. They were walking on a long, lonely road that stretched into the horizon, surrounded by fields of grass with a few solitary, lone trees scattered across it. The grass was supposed to be a beautiful kind of green, but because of those towering clouds above the sky, it was all grayish cold grass, with the trees violently shaking from the wind.
"Brother, it’s cold..." Anna whispered in a soft, shivering tone.
It certainly was. The boy led the way while the girl stayed close behind, squeezing his hand tightly. They were both visibly shaking, teeth chattering as they trudged forward, each of their free arms raised to embrace themselves against the wind, against the freezing cold.
"I... I can't..." Anna said with such a fragile, begging tone.
Johan stopped, turned, and looked at her. He couldn’t ignore her pained expression. She was soaked in water, standing there stiff, trembling, with her little teeth chattering. He always hated when she was visibly pained and discomforted.
Johan and Anna had been on the run for quite some time, running from the monster. They wandered around the whole country, visiting countless cities across the Czech Republic. They encountered so many people along the way. They couldn't take any public transportation, because it meant that they could gather attention to themselves. Who knew what anyone who saw two weak, starving children might do? The adults could compromise them, resulting in falling into the police and the monster’s grasp.
They had to do something against this freezing weather. It became so ridiculously cold that they might freeze to death out here.
Johan looked off the road to the left and saw a small wooden shack. "Look, there is a house there," the boy said, pointing at a small remote shack off the road on the grayish grass field. "We can try and see if there is anybody there."
Anna glanced at him and nodded.
They both diverted from the main road and made their way through the cold grass to the shack. With every step, they soaked their shoes on the wet, muddy ground. Johan walked stiffly, thinking about who might be inside. Johan couldn't trust anyone, not adults. Though some adults had shown hospitality during their journey, he still couldn't trust them. Just like the two adult men that had barged into their home, their world. No, the outside world was cruel; they couldn't trust anyone. They were the only living things in this wretched world.
As they approached the little shack, the boy started to inspect it before knocking on the door. He looked through the window on the side and saw there was no one inside. The shack was deserted, with dust covering everything and broken wooden furniture. The boy decided that it was safe to enter. He opened the door for Anna to enter first, and only when Anna was fully inside the shack did he enter, after scanning the area outside one last time.
Johan and Anna entered the house and felt a little better. The rain no longer poured on them, and the temperature inside was slightly warmer, albeit still too cold. They were still soaked, so it didn't relieve much of the discomfort they already felt, and they were still in danger of freezing if they didn't find a way to warm themselves. Johan saw what the house really looked like. He hadn't seen the full picture from outside the window, but now they could take a full glance at the shack.
The shack looked fairly small, with an unlit fireplace, empty open drawers by the windows, and a broken wooden bed frame deep inside. It seemed that the shack was deserted with nothing to scavenge that might help later in the journey. The only thing they found was an old, gray-brown mattress on the floor.
“Rest here,” Johan said to Anna as he put one hand on her chest and one hand on her back, gently lowering her onto the floor to sit and rest. He then went to the window to scan the outside again for any potential threats.
Anna curled up on the floor, tightly hugging her legs into her chest, still shaking from the cold. She let out a soft gasp—not too loud, but enough for Johan to hear. Johan didn't budge his focus on the outside, but to say he hadn't heard her little cry for help would be a lie. He heard it loud and clear.
Anna was breaking, right there on the floor. The pain she must be experiencing, the cold she was in... Johan immediately went into his backpack and grabbed a matchbox from deep inside—the same matchbox he had used after burning the Tri Zaba inn. Perhaps he could light the fireplace to get warmer.
He tried to light the match, but it didn't spark. Anna watched him fail to light the last matchstick they had, looking at him with a defeated, tired face. She let out another soft gasp, quieter and more timid this time. “Brother…” she whispered, pained.
Johan crouched to her, looking into her eyes. He immediately shifted his glance to her nostrils, spotting snot running down her nose. He delicately wiped the snot away with his soft little finger and rubbed it on the carpet. Johan planted his lips on her forehead, checking if there was a fever. Admittedly, he couldn't even tell, because the cold temperature had pretty much numbed his lips, so he couldn't tell if she was sick or not. He planted a kiss on her forehead before bringing her head back to the position she was in before.
“Brother, it’s cold…”
“I know, I know…” Johan murmured. He scanned the room, searching for anything that might warm them up, but he couldn't find a thing. Guilt washed over him. He shouldn't have chosen this day to travel; he should have known better. They should have stayed another night in the rural town they left earlier that morning. The people there had shown them hospitality and attended to their needs, but Johan had been desperate to keep moving. They were getting so close to the Czechoslovakia-Germany border.
“I know, sister. It’s been rough these past couple of weeks. We’ve been through so much. I just want you to know I am proud of you," Johan spoke, as he started rubbing her shoulders delicately. "I am proud of how brave you are, how hard you pushed through these last weeks.” Johan meant his words truly; he didn't lie just to comfort her. Johan was such a weak person, looking everywhere and finding only despair. Anna, however, always managed to find the light, the good. How was she able to? Anna was too pure for this world, too pure for the adults that lurked around every corner, too pure for himself—the monster. Anna was the only thing that meant anything. She was the most precious thing to Johan. How could he have led her to this state?
More guilt pent up inside Johan, and he started frowning. Then, he got an idea that might save them from this chilling breeze and death by hypothermia. He nudged Anna to move off the carpet, then pulled it up, shaking it firmly to get rid of any little dust.
He signaled her to come to him. She went with no hesitation. Johan released his grip on the carpet, and it fell gracefully, tucking them both inside it. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. He embraced her as tightly as he could and tried to gather any heat he could for her. He rubbed her back soothingly, as he rest his chin at the top of her head head.
Not long after, he felt her face vibrate against his chest, and the warmth of her tears soaking through his shirt. All he could do was show how much he loved her. He would protect her from anything in this world. He couldn't lose her; she was the last human connection he had.
“It's ok, Anna,” he whispered to her. “I am here.” His voice started to crack. God, now he was going to cry here. He was supposed to be strong for her, be the big brother for her, her protector. But even he was breakable; even he was fragile. He felt weak, and he hated it. He couldn't hate himself more than he already did. He himself suffered a ton; all this cold weather and the burden of making sure Anna was safe tired him, but at last, he suppressed his need to cry too.
He planted a kiss on her messy wet hair as he tightened his grip on her body even more, “Remember, I always will be here for you, always" he said it in fragile tone but full of emotions. Anna tightened her grip on him as well as she heard those words, burying her face deeper into his chest, soaking up the warmth from it.
After a while Anna seemed to calm down a bit from the crying. It's seems johan managed to warm her enough. she revealed her face from Johan's chest to peer at him; Looking at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “Don't worry,” Johan said reassuringly. “From the map we have, we are soon going to get to our destination, out of the monster's reach.”
Anna didn't seem to be satisfied by the answer. “Ok,” she whispered so quietly Johan would barely have heard the word if not for her lips moving.
“Hey, are you doubting your brother?” Johan said teasingly. He then lifted his finger and poked her nose, which made Anna giggle. Johan was truly the best brother she could have ever asked for. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose her dear, precious big brother.
“No, I am not,” she said while trying not to giggle more, as she felt a bit embarrassed by the question. “It’s just… it’s been rough, but I know I would be ok since I have you.” Anna said, her tone having a tinge of hope, place entirely on her brother that one day they could escape this hell. She softly smiled as Johan started to carcess her small temples with his little fingers. Johan could feel a little warmth sparkling inside his heart after seeing Anna’s mood getting a bit better.
Johan flipped from his side to his back to rest more comfortably, while still maintaining his hold on Anna. He put Anna’s head to rest on his chest, with her torso resting on his body. He cradled her head with his hand and started caressing her hair. The soothing touch and the trapped warmth that formed under the carpet made Anna melt against his body. Her shivering almost stopped as she sank her face deeper into Johan’s warm chest. She could hear the rhythmic and comforting sound of his heartbeat in one ear, and the drops of rain outside that poured at a steady pace in the other. Her expression started to smooth out, as slowly and surely she started closing her little eyes. Johan felt a spark of pride in his heart at that moment; he had calmed his precious Anna, as she now seemed to be falling asleep, probably tired from all of today.
“It’s probably good if we decide to rest here all day, and then travel when there would be no rain,” Johan whispered in her ear.
“Ok,” she whispered even more quietly, any signs of anxiety or dread from her voice almost fully disappeared.
Johan raised his head a bit to plant another kiss on her hair, then returned his head to the rough ground.
Johan listened to drops of rain still plummeting outside, hitting the roof. His alert mind settled when he could feel Anna’s warmed relaxed breathing on his chest, and he glanced at her to see her fully asleep. Only then could he allow himself to calm down, relax, and start to sleep.