Amidst the flakes.

~Prologue~

My face felt frozen as I took another big step. I had been out in the snow for just fifteen minutes yet I was sure the grimace stuck to my face. Just few more steps, I convinced myself as I pushed the wheelbarrow up the ledge but obviously a stick had to fly my way. I quickly dodged it and gasped. My energy levels were depleting and I wanted to desperately get back to the comfort of my house. However, I had to get the wood or else I'd freeze in my own house. Not literally, there were heaters installed in every room but without the fireplace lit, the house was going to be haunted with wails.

Ya Allah, please give me patience!
I mumbled to myself as I bent down to pick thick branches the size of my arm. I was glad for the winds that came with the snowfall cause that meant branches got picked from deciduous trees and settled on the ground. I sighed in content as I placed around twenty pieces in the barrow. They were heavy and thick meaning they were going to last the whole night, oh I was so looking forward to a night with hot chocolate and marshmallows.

But all my excitement died when I heard a groan nearby. Or was that a growl? I had never stumbled upon a wild animal for the past 8 months that I was living here but that didn't mean they didn't exist. The groans continued and so did my fear rise. I quickly pulled my walkie talkie out and pressed the button quickly,

" Urm Subz, Do you think there's wild animals in the woods behind our house?" I talked into the talkie as I crouched behind a thick tree. I was nervous, scared and bloody tired. Who said going in the snow with a backache was ideal? When I got no reply from my elder brother, I gulped.

My fear skyrocketed when I felt the groan just above my head. Ya Allah, is this how I was destined to die? With the teeth of an animal or even worse hypothermia? I knew mama was right when she told me not to move to Canada but did I want to listen? Obviously no, now I was going to die a slow excruciating death without anyone knowing.
Oh lord, please forgive me, I ...

And in the midst of my prayers, something fell over, bumping my shoulder before crushing in the snow. I screamed bloody murder and scooted further into the bark of the tree. But the black thing didn't move and that's when I realised it was a body. A human being!
Oh no!

I quickly rushed towards the person and rolled the person over to see a man who had purple and green bruises on his skin.Blood was oozing from his forehead and his lips were pale. No way was I going to touch a stranger, so I slowly kicked his leg. But he remained frozen like the snow around him.
Oh Shit was the man dead?
.Forgetting all boundaries I had, I put my head on his chest and covered my other left ear till I heard a faint heartbeat.
Shukr Alhamdulillah! He's alive!

I pulled the man up and grumbled. He weighed a tonne! I dragged him up against the tree bark before shaking him again. But he didn't budge.
Ya Allah! What do I do?

Just then I saw my handy barrow and got an idea. I dumped down some of the sticks and rushed back to the man. I didn't want him to die when I knew I could help him. Thus I pushed the barrow closer to the man before I bent down to lift him up.
Ya Allah, forgive me for touching him.
I hooked my elbows under the unconscious mans armpits and slowly raised him to a standing position. With him wobbling, I had to quickly placed my right leg between his legs to make him more stable and then gently, I pushed him down to the barrow.

I turned the heavy barrow around and thanked goodness as I had to go downhill otherwise I. I took quick, big steps to avoid getting stuck in the snow as I pushed the barrow in front of me. I glanced at the man and missed a small protruding rock that was on the way. The barrow roughly went over it and I nearly lost control but in the last minute I gripped the bar tightly. I huffed and thanked the lord when I finally reached the backdoor of my house. Quickly opening the door, I pushed the barrow inside towards the heater.

The man needed to get warmer. I lifted him up with great effort and made him lie down on the warmer wooden floor. I checked his pulse again and sighed when I could hear it. I then worked on removing his shoes and socks before grabbing a scissors to cut out his wet coat. That's when I noticed his undershirt, my mouth opened and my eyes widened when I saw the amount of blood soaked.
Ya Allah, what exactly happened to this man?

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