Evolved

30. Cliché.

Her body was wracked with pain from the rejection, from the blame pouring out of Theo's body. All directed at her. She turned and ran for the door, jamming the lock so he wouldn't easily follow after slamming it shut. 

She shoved her feet into her shoes and shuddered at the coldness before sprinting into the forest. She didn't want to hear another stupid word, or another fucking thought, from Theo.

 He blamed her for Jane's death. And yes, she supposed. Technically, she didn't save her, but she panicked, and Jane told her not to. 

Hera's mind continued to race as she ran through the snow and trees. 

If she was to blame for Jane, she could easily say Theo was to blame for Jackie. If he hadn't betrayed them, then she wouldn't have killed those agents, and Azrail wouldn't have killed Jackie. 

Hera almost tripped on a hidden branch before righting herself and continuing her rambling thoughts. 

"Azrail. Fucking asshole, piece of shit, Azrail." The wind stole her words as quickly as she uttered them. "It's all his fault, and now somehow he has Theo and me fighting over it! I hate him so-" 

This time the uneven object had Hera flying half a dozen feet. Surprise took her when she slid across the ground, and a fine layer of snow shifted with her. Hera realised in horror that she had run right onto a frozen lake. 

Of all the cliches! She wanted to scream until the force shredded her vocal cords. Instead, she went on all fours when dozens of cracks formed on the thin surface of the ice. It had been warmer for a few weeks, so there must have only been two to three inches of ice covering that section of the lake. 

She tried to commando crawl back to the hidden dock she had flown off when she saw Theo running to the edge of the forest. His amber eyes met hers, and fear shot through him. He made his way to the end of the dock and extended his arm for her to take, but she was still a few feet out of reach.

"Go away. I will do it by myself." She shouted at him. Her voice trembled, and she held back the tears that wanted to fall.

"Crawl this way." His voice was softer as if not to startle her, but she was still furious.

"Go away, Theo. I don't need help from someone that is going to blame me for something I had no control over." Her body shook as she crawled closer to the docks. She thought briefly about trying to thicken the ice somehow, but her emotions were so out of control she was frightened she might accidentally do the opposite and fall into the frigid waters. 

She tried to push down the rising anxiety as she thought about how she couldn't swim, and she crawled ever closer to shore.

"I'm sorry I said that." He ran his hands through his hair and looked guilty as she slid along the ice.

"I don't care if you say you're sorry. You still believe it's true. Now go away." Her vision blurred, and she began to sob. "I didn't want her to die! She was the only person who helped me on that disgusting ship, and I cared about her." 

Her progress was halted as she shook uncontrollably. Her cries escalated as the ice cracked louder around her, and she was more afraid than she had ever been. "I didn't want her to die." Hera's voice broke. "I'm sorry!"

Theo's face was coated in tears of his own, "Don't say that. Keep crawling this way. I was wrong, Hera. I was wrong. You were right about it being Azrail's fault. I should never have blamed you..."

Her whimpering ceased for a moment as she processed what he said. "Were you listening to me?"

"You were yelling pretty loud." He tried to smile, but he could see the fissures in the ice around her. The lake was one wrong move away from total collapse. "Please, keep moving. I can almost reach you."

She sniffled as she crawled a few more inches, reaching for his hand when the ice gave way. Her whole body submerged, causing her to gasp involuntarily. Her face breached the surface momentarily, and she coughed and sputtered the water from her lungs as she hyperventilated. Theo had managed to grab her sleeve as she submerged and pulled her up as fast as he could. "Give me your other arm!" He shouted desperately. 

His voice barely pierced through Hera's shock-riddled brain, but she lifted her hand, and he grabbed it firmly, dragging her sodden form on the solid ground. Her lips had already turned blue, and she struggled to stand. 

"I'm going to carry you." He said, holding her upright, searching her face. She nodded before a coughing fit took over, and she vomited some lake water onto the snow. Theo scooped her into his arms and ran back towards the cabin. Fear rushed through his body as she shook in his arms. Hypothermia, shock, and secondary drowning occupied his mind as he kicked the front door open.

 "We need to take off your wet clothes now." Hera nodded, but she was dazed. He carefully removed her top layer until she was just in underwear and laid her in front of the fire. 

His energy was low, but he cradled her head and encouraged her lungs to bring up any residual water in her lungs. A small trail left her lips, and her coughing quieted. He sighed in relief and threw a few more logs on the fire before barring the front door and removing his wet layers, laying them all in front of the fire. Hera was shivering and pale, but her breathing was stronger, and Theo was grateful as he wrapped a sheet around her. 

In her disoriented state, she reached up and pulled on his shirt. He confusedly removed it and put it on Hera to give her more warmth, but she only groaned and tossed it on the mattress. Sweat lined her brow as a fever coursed through her body, and panic fueled him. He couldn't cope if the last time he spoke to her with a clear head, he blamed her for his mother's death. 

Regret was weighing on his heart as he tucked himself in next to her and held her close. He was too drained to regulate her body with his Evolution, but he prayed the old-fashioned skin-to-skin would be enough as he fell into a fitful sleep.