I'm in it for the Long Run // Edge of Winter

12

My journal entry was interrupted when Caleb came barging through the door. I slammed my book shut and held a finger to my mouth while motioning towards Bradley. "Shhh!" I scolded. He placed a hand onto his face and mouthed the word 'sorry'. I chuckled at him as he lurked his way over to me.

"Where's dad?" He questioned, making sure his voice was low enough so we couldn't wake Bradley.

"No clue. Nobody was inside when Bradley and I came out, not Elliot, not Richard, not Luc." I answered. He distorted his face, then placed his hands on his knees and looked me right in the eye.

"I'm going to go find him." He announced. As he began walking to the door, I managed to snatch his arm and pull him back.

"No! Dad said not to leave without his permission!" I reminded. He scoffed and ripped his arm from my grasp.

"I don't care. He's out there somewhere and I've got to go find him." He strutted towards the front door and ripped it open. I blinked my eyes when I saw the sun reflecting off the white snow.

"Caleb!" I whisper-shouted.

"Caleb!" He mimicked, then he shut the door behind him gently. I slouched my shoulders, showing signs of defeat as I heard something outside. I began to push of the couch, but was greeted by a sharp pain in my abdomen.

I hadn't realized it, but man was I hungry. The last time I had eaten anything was yesterday morning. I wasn't even sure if we had any food with us, but there was only one way to find out. I pushed through the pain and made my way to the kitchen, stretching in the process.

As I opened and closed doors looking for something to eat, it became clear that the noises outside were voices. I opened up the last drawer and found a box of crackers, so I pulled out a sleeve and ripped it open.

I sat back down and did my best to listen to the conversation outside. There was no way I could understand what they were saying, but I did my best to hear who was speaking.

One was definitely Caleb, his voice was a lot higher than anybody else here. The other seemed to be deep and thick, it was probably Luc. I think Richard's voice was a bit more calm than Luc's, thats how I could tell the difference.

The conversation ended with footsteps heading in opposite directions. One coming towards the house, and one up the hill and towards the main road. For some reason, I was certain that Luc was going to walk through that door, so I faked being asleep to avoid talking to him. I laid across the couch and stuffed the crackers in my jacket, then shut my eyes.

The door swung open again, and this time I could feel the cold reach every single corner of the house. "You don't have to pretend to be asleep, I know you're awake." Caleb laughed.

I popped my eyes open and sat upright, scratching the back of my neck a bit embarrassed. "Oh, oops. Thought you were Luc." I stuttered. I pulled out the crackers again and tossed one to Caleb. He devoured it in one bite, none of us had eaten anything in a while.

"Nope, he's heading up to find dad and Richard. Apparently they left hours ago to find the car, but they haven't come back yet. I offered to help, but he wouldn't let me go." He explained, cracker bits spewing from his mouth.

"It's better off that way. You get to stay with us and your dad can't yell at you for leaving the cabin." I pointed out. He shrugged his shoulders and began walking towards the couch.

"I guess you're right." He admitted. As Caleb walked over, Bradley began to toss and turn in his sleep. But eventually, he woke up and saw Caleb standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey. Where's everyone at?" He muttered under his sleepy breath.

"It's just us three. According to Luc, dad and Richard have been gone all day. He's heading out to go find them now, but he wouldn't let me go with him." Caleb answered.

Suddenly, we heard a large 'bang' come from the the woods behind the cabin. But the noise was a much too familiar gunshot. Caleb turned and began sprinting through the front door, and out of instinct I went chasing after him.

"Caleb stop! It could be dangerous!" I warned, trying to catch up to him. Caleb continued running, as I heard something crunch from behind me. I whipped my head around and saw Bradley trudging through the snow. I stopped in my tracks and waited for him, making sure I kept one eye on Caleb.

"Go Belle, I'll be there in a second." He motioned for me to continue my chase, then picked up his pace and made his way over a large branch.

"Absolutely not. You're sick Brad, you should be in the cabin!" I yelled as he stopped next to me.

"Well I'm not, so let's get going." He panted. I shook my head and began running again, Bradley not too far behind this time. When we made it up and over the hill, I saw Caleb and Elliot hovered over a dead dear. Then from behind them, Luc was emerging from another part of the woods. But there was still no sign of Richard.

Luc made his way over to us at the same time we arrived. There was guts spilled all over the floor, and blood flowing deep inside the snow. Elliot set down a knife that was covered with the red fluid. He stood back up and smiled at us.

"He should've been here by now." Luc stated. Elliot turned his attention to him, surprised to see him at first. "Did you do something to him?!" He accused. Elliot didn't reply, making him look extremely guilty.

He stared down at the deer, and I watched as his eyes climbed from the animal to the knife. I held my breath as I watched him take in a large gulp. He had done something to Richard! Luc caught onto this and shifted his gaze onto us.

"Go back to the cabin!" Elliot ordered, trying to block us from Luc. However, Luc managed to get past his arm and opened himself up for us.

"No, you are coming with me." He replied. He wafted his hand in our direction, the three of us shifting our feet. Half of me wanted to trust Luc and take off running, but the other half told me that I needed to stay here with Elliot.

Luc began speaking in French again, but this time it was too advanced for any of us to understand. He was talking much too quick and Elliot was yelling over him, making it harder to hear. I shook my head, frozen in fear of what would happen next.

"Je ne comprends pas." Bradley sighed. I believe that he had told Luc that he didn't understand, but my ears were starting to go numb, just like the rest of my body. I pulled my hat over my ears, asking every fiber to bring me warmth as quickly as they could.

The next thing I knew, Elliot's right arm was swinging around until it met Luc's face.