Chapter Text
My skin, burning, was the first thing I noticed. But it wasn’t flames that licked my flesh; it was the cold that bit right through it. I opened my eyes and was blinded, not by the sun or the light, but by the brightness of everything around me. The ground, every tree, and every rock were covered in a thick layer of pristine white snow, and even the sky looked as if someone had erected a canopy of pure white linen. The only contrast was the black wood and me.
I stood up. My winter coat, made for European weather, was utterly useless in these freezing temperatures. My boots and socks were already soaked through, and there was no sign of a city in sight. My breath formed small clouds in front of my face; moisture which immediately froze on my eyelashes again and did nothing but soak my scarf. My eyes darted around the scenery. Had I not been close to hypothermia, I might have even called it beautiful. But right now, it only sparked dread in me; a deep lump of hopelessness formed in my stomach, a complete loss of orientation.
“Hello?!” My scream was swallowed by the snow. “Help!” I tried again, now with tears in my eyes. My hands frantically searched my pockets. They contained my wallet, my phone, my keys, and a lighter, all useless. My phone didn’t have any signal, not even for emergency calls, and what was I supposed to do with a lighter when all this wood surrounding me was wet to its core? It wouldn’t burn, even if I’d soak it in alcohol prior.
“Try anyway,” I told myself. Try to survive. Move now, so your body doesn’t get any colder. Find food, if only a couple of winterberries or tree bark. Find shelter. Find something that isn’t wet. The mental list was a start. It helped me sort my thoughts, see my priorities. And it helped me push my tears back. What use were tears right now, other than wasting water and energy and bringing me a headache afterwards?
So I started moving, every step more exhausting than the last. I couldn’t feel my toes, but I forced myself not to think about it, even if they were dying off right now.
I continued walking, probably for an hour or so. But I couldn’t tell anymore, with the trees and rocks all looking the same. I had tried to get a signal every once in a while, but every time my phone showed zero bars, I couldn’t even get a GPS signal. I couldn’t remember how I had gotten here. I had played through every possibility, but none made sense. Last night, I had been watching TV on my couch in Berlin, procrastinating on uni homework and stuffing my face with chips, all the while cuddling with my cats and wrapped in a wool blanket. Oh, how I longed for that blanket now!
Then, a change in scenery. It made me freeze for just a second before I pursued the small wooden cabin with such fervour that my feet nearly tripped in the snow. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. “Hello?” I called. Again, only silence responded. I tried the handle, and the door opened for me. There was no one inside. The place seemed empty and abandoned, as if someone had left in a hurry. But I didn’t care. Whatever had made them leave wasn’t here right now. All I saw was a fireplace with wood stacked beside it, a warm blanket on a stool, and some dried meat hung from the low ceiling.
I took off my boots, shook off the snow, and carried them to the fireplace. I managed to light some of the wood, placing my boots beside the low fire to dry them, and then dared to roll the socks off my feet. They were blue, and they were painful to touch. But I felt the warmth of my hands and the fire, so, despite the burning sensation of my nerves waking up again, I cried with relief. I hung my socks up to dry, and also took off my coat in exchange for the blanket. It smelled musty and scratched my skin wherever it was exposed, but it was warmer than any blanket I had ever owned. The meat was hard and cold, but replenished my energy nevertheless. I tried for a signal again, but still nothing. My battery was nearly empty now, only 8% left. I sent out a message to all of my family and friends, in the hope that my words might somehow find their way to the people I cared about, and who cared about me. Nowhere in the cabin did I find a power outlet or a light switch of any kind.
“Must have been a hunting cabin,” I mumbled. It was so quiet here. I lay down by the fire to rest on a soft animal fur. I don’t know for how long I dozed off, but I was awoken by the sound of hooves drawing closer.