Irradiated

Chapter 24: Quiet Like the Snow

Swift movements in the surrounding wind snagged at my light brown hair, waving in the night breezes. It was quiet and only five sets of lungs gave out soft breaths. The trees let out distant moans, creaking at the rustling of their branches. Once again, I was unable to feel these subtle things, but somehow, it didn't bother me anymore. I was getting used to this vacancy, and the dusk gray sky confirmed the emptiness.

We had already said our farewells. We already knew what we were getting ourselves into. We just didn't know what lied ahead. It was times like these that I felt as if I had gone through this a million times. It never occurred to me that lately, the only reason why I was ever afraid of leaving a place behind was the fear of never coming back.

"You guys ready?" My brother asked silently, his deep ember eyes shimmering lightly. The five of us were wearing heavy coats, gloves, and snow boots to accommodate the weather that was soon to come and smack us in the face.

"More ready than we'll ever be." Angeli nodded, looking persistent. Her face was serious and etched with much worry, but she wasn't facing me. I couldn't assure her without saying something verbally.

"We will be coming back." I stated quietly. She turned back to face me and a faint smile curled on my lips. "We will." I repeated. She returned the smile and nodded, the worry flushed out of her mind in an instant.

"Shall we go, then?" Derrick swept a gloved hand over his hair and briskly looked up at the dark sky. Snow fell, but it melted quickly as it reached the ground. He was never fond of the snow and was sensitive to weather changes, as I noticed. He was probably having second thoughts in his own genius idea.

"Good a time as any!" Samantha smiled broadly, being the first to march into the deeper recesses of the forest. Derrick sighed softly, a look of fear flashing his uncovered eyes. He truly had something nagging at his mind, but there was no way to tell what it could be.

"Okay?" I asked him lightly and could visibly see him shiver at the growing cold. Unaffected by this, I walked in constant strides.

"Hate winter. Always so cold in Wales." He muttered. I had never heard that from him before.

"So you did live in the UK? I mean, before all of this happened?" He nodded curtly and watched the approaching mounds of snow with narrowed eyes.

"Not that I liked it very much. Honestly, I hated everything about my life before this." He admitted. "Nothing felt right, you know? It was like..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head. "Never mind." He shooed away the conversation and stared straight ahead, where I continued to look at him cautiously.

"I know what you mean." I agreed, stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Life was never truly good. There were times when I just wanted to die." Derrick looked up for a moment, shocked.

"How come?" He asked curiously, shaken by this newly found fact. "Don't tell me you actually tried to-"

"No, no." I cut him off. "Just thoughts. I only wondered if I would be happier that way. Strangely enough, I don't feel that way now. I feel like I have something worth living for." I smiled lightly as the thought of Angeli came to mind. I only felt needed in this world because I had to protect her in place of the sister she lost.

It was a promise - one I could never regret keeping.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't actually try. If I may ask, what were the reasons?" I tilted my head at him.

"You want the truth?" He nodded in response and I sighed, watching the foggy breath leave my mouth. We were now stomping through the blissful and silent snow. The vast land of whiteness seemed to grow more as we got farther and farther away from the Golden Foxes' base. "Let me explain something first." I finally looked up at him.