Zero Two Three One | John Laurens X Reader [Hamilton]

XVIII: Ninety-Eight Degrees or Higher

❝Without you to hold, I'll be freezing.❞
—Ed Sheeran

I should be dead. But I'm not.

As my hearing comes back to me, I gently prop myself up on my knees. My memory is failing me and I temporarily forget what happened. How did I get in the snow?

I use the back of my sleeve to wipe away the snow that sticks to my cheek. It's cold, and it doesn't melt. Odd.

A bullet whizzes by my head, barely missing me. I drop back to the ground, sensing the danger I'm in. From my safe position on the ground, I reevaluate my situation, regaining memory of where I am and what is happening.

There are several widening holes in the ice. The edges of the holes fall apart at rapid rates, broadening the space and bringing soldiers down. Some soldiers desperately swim back to the surface, but it's hard to get back onto land when the ice breaks with pressure.

Noticing that a hole nearby is widening and coming my way, I ignore all other threats and address the impending danger. I stand to my feet, ejecting my shield and immediately blocking seven bullets. I run around the openings, following the soldiers that escaped. They're making a beeline for the building further away. It seems like a good place to hide. Alexander is probably there, right?

I want to believe this. I want to believe he isn't underwater. I glance at the large holes. They've stopped widening, but now they're freezing over again. This water... it freezes too fast. Far too fast. The soldiers will get trapped underwater!

I take a deep breath and try to ignore the screaming in my mind. My inner conscience is going wild.

The open ice field, once filled with soldiers, is almost empty. There are only a few soldiers left on the surface, shooting at the enemies in the trees. Everyone else is either retreating to the building or trapped under the newly-formed ice.

All my comrades... they have the pure intention of leaving those underwater behind to drown.

I bite my lip. Through the clear surface of the thickening ice, I see about seven soldiers furiously pounding on the underside. They can't break through it. It's far too thick already. Do I get to safety before I get shot? Do I help them?

I need to find Alexander. I really need to find him. And yet, I can't bear to turn my back on these helpless soldiers. Not now.

Without another moment of hesitation, I slide over to the place where the soldiers are pounding. I kneel on the fresh ice, lift the butt of my TFX in the air, then strike it down to the ice. It does minimum damage.

I can see the desperation in their eyes. I can feel the constriction in their lungs. They've been under for far too long. Another minute and they'll all be dead.

I glance around once more, realizing I am one of the only ones left here. I don't make out any faces of those who are still here, but I decide it's irrelevant. I'm grateful for them nonetheless; because they're shooting the enemies, they keep them at bay, meaning I'm not getting fired at.

I try to strike down at the ice again. Still, no damage is done. This fake water must have already frozen to its previous thickness. Panic sets in when I see one of the soldiers underwater open their mouth, breathing in the water, and sinking into the darkness.

I'm hysterical now. I pound my gun into the ice repeatedly. I feel a glimmer of hope in me when a single crack forms in the ice. I go faster now, lost in a fit of hysteria. I'm no longer doing this rationally. I'm barely conscious.

I'm so unconscious that I failed to recognize the ice was a moment away from breaking. Unfortunately, I was too late to notice. I hit the ice once more, then a large space breaks in the surface. I was kneeling right over it, and I end up falling right into the water.