Snow

Chapter Two

"Calestia," my mother whispered, hands cupping either side of my face. Tears filled her light blue eyes and slowly slipped down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

My body shook with leftover adrenaline. I reached out and grabbed her delicate hand. How was her face so pale? I couldn't believe that her life was draining out of her as I sat there. I could barely talk over the gagging in my throat. The tears that dripped down my own cheeks barely registered as they landed on her bloodied shirt. "Mom, no," I mumbled. I wanted to scream, but it still felt like I was choking. "You'll be okay. I can help you. I can..."

My words faded as her eyes focused elsewhere. "Calestia...."

There was nothing left to say. All I could do was watch.

"Seventeen years ago, seeing my baby girl for the first time...you smiled at me." Her body shook as she coughed. "Your smile...it's all I ever wanted to see." I could barely see through the fog of my own tears. "Remember I love you. If there is one thing...that'll save you...it's love... Don't...don't...." She began to cough violently.

And then she turned to me one last time, her pain already fading. "Don't lose that..."

My eyes flew open.

Ice. Cold. Pain.

I was still under the tree.

It took me a moment to remember what had happened. Unsurprisingly, I was covered in snow at least a couple centimeters high. It'd been a few hours. Somehow, I hadn't been killed or captured during that time.

I'd had near encounters with the gangs, but none as close as this. My skin crawled at the thought of how bad that could have gone. For once, I was grateful to be in the snow.

The gangs were just another obstacle in my life now.

They'd been around since the rain. During that first month, crime rates had spiked dramatically. Most people thought it was the apocalypse. Looting and theft were a way of life. People were selfish when it came to survival.

It had been a Sunday morning, rain still pounding down outside, when my mom's favorite news channel came to life and announced the "serious threat of organized crime invading our cities."

Apparently, teamwork made living easier. Rather than robbing alone, people robbed in groups. It merely made them more difficult to stop.

The police gave up. They joined them. I can't deny that I'd been tempted to join at one point. That was before I knew about their horrific methods.

By the time the snow began, many of the gangs had been around for a while. I didn't know when they started kidnapping people as slaves. I didn't know why anyone would find that okay, even in the apocalypse.

I just knew to stay as far away from them as possible. These people were ruthless. They didn't care about anything, as long as they remained at the top of the food chain.

I could barely feel my hands and couldn't feel my one shoeless foot at all. That was a little concerning, but I wouldn't be able to take care of it until I got out of the snow.

I stood up, wiping snowflakes off my stiff body. I winced as my foot hit the freezing ground. First priority: get my boot back. Otherwise, I wasn't sure how long I'd last before getting frostbite - if I didn't already have it.

What if the gang members were still there? I supposed I'd have to take that risk. Possible capture was better than permanent immobility.

I limped away from the tree. The lack of feeling in my toes was concerning. After a couple minutes of searching, I found the spot where I'd been tranquilized. A brown lump was stuck in the snow pile.