My knees feel weak. I'm shivering, from both shock and the bitter cold. Max probably notices because the next thing that happens is as follows:
Max gives me his jumper and is left in a t-shirt and jeans and so we begin to walk back to the tunnel. I. Am. Terrified. I don't know why. I just am. Or maybe I'm cold and a bit nervous? I can't tell anymore. Honestly, I'm too tired to care - or care too much, rather. At the moment, all I know is that I'm here, and I'm alive. Not living, alive.
***
We near the looming metal and Max asks me,
"Are you going to be okay?"
"I most certainly hope so," I reply. I imagine that I do not sound as calm as I intend to, but that's too bad, I suppose. We clamber down the ladder to be greeted by Jamie with a simple 'hi'.
"Faye and Vyne aren't here by the way," he adds.
"Oh. Do you know where that are?" Max asks.
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. They went out somewhere. I'm not sure where though."
"Ok." Max wraps his hand around my wrist. It's gentle, and warm and not even slightly painful. He leads me away, past the kitchen, to the living room. He looks at me. Right in my eyes, before pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around me. It takes me a second to process before I do the same. He is surprisingly warm for someone who has just been outside in the freezing cold without a jumper. It's comforting, really. I can hear him breathing, slowly, quietly. I get very nervous, I feel like I might explode if I stay still, or let go of Max. I would like to stay here forever.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Labyrinth of living
AdventureKnowledge is power. But too much can kill a man. Every step into knowing they step onto thinner ice. There's only so much it can take before the ice cracks and they escape the labyrinth.
