09:15 – Day 2
The blizzard was continuing to rage wildly outside, the wind howling around the corners of the cabin. Snow was piling up around the building, proceeding to come down in flurries from the sky.
Petra's eyes were slightly closed as she sat in front of the fireplace with Jesse – who she found out was actually pretty sick – lying down beside her, resting her head on Petra's lap. Jesse's eyes were half-open, her gaze resting on the fire place. She had properly come to her senses again, and was really quite embarrassed for her actions earlier. She could have gotten herself killed.
Jesse glanced slightly up at Petra, who's eyes had fully closed as she relished in the heat from the flames. She was still struggling to take in the fact that the two of them found each other.
Like her, Petra had clearly been through a lot as well. While Jesse couldn't see any injuries on her, other than blood in her hair from a wound at the back of her head, she could tell that her friend's had a tough time as well, visibly worn through.
"Petra?" Jesse asked softly.
Petra's eyes opened, blinking a few times. She looked down at Jesse who was still resting in her lap.
"If you're not feeling well, you can sleep." Petra said to her. "I know this isn't the most comfortable position, but at least we're starting to warm up again."
"It's not that." Jesse said, weakly pushing herself up on her elbow so she was sitting beside Petra. She subconsciously rubbed her arm.
"What's wrong?" Petra prompted gently.
"How did we get into this situation?" Jesse asked her, almost desperately. "Because when I woke up yesterday, I had no clue where I was, or what the hell happened."
Petra sighed softly, pulling a hand through her red hair. "So you don't remember either..."
"What?" Jesse asked in a puzzled voice.
"You're not the only one with a bit of amnesia, Jesse." Petra said. "I also don't have a cooking clue of what's going on here. It's like the past few weeks are just..."
"-gone." Jesse finished Petra's statement softly.
For a second, they were quiet. Petra scooted slightly closer to Jesse, wrapping an arm around her friend's back. Jesse returned the gesture, the two of them silently offering their support to each other.
"Where did you wake up?" Petra asked Jesse curiously.
"Not far from from the cabin, on the other side of the frozen lake." Jesse explained softly. "If I wasn't as close to it as I was, I.. I don't think I would have made it. I think I might have some fractured ribs, and my shoulder feels busted as well. And then, there's these unexplained claw marks on my face, and I still have no clue what gave them to me..." Her voice trailed off.
"Could have been a wolf." Petra thought out loud. Jesse raised her eyebrows slightly, giving Petra an expectant look.
"I was chased by three of them, shortly after I woke up." Petra said. "I'm still trying to take in the fact that I actually managed to get away... unscathed." The lie came almost on instinct for Petra, not wanting to worry Jesse about the bite on her arm.
"Damn." Jesse mumbled under her breath. "You were actually chased by wolves? And I thought I had it bad..."
"Well, on the bright side, I found this." Petra said, reaching over and pulling the backpack closer.
Jesse pretended to let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand on her chest. "You found it, now that explains things. I was wondering why Petra the warrior was carrying around a pink bag."
"Ha, ha." Petra playfully elbowed Jesse, both of them chuckling. She slipped her hand onto the backpack, revealing the hunting knife to Jesse.
"Woah." Jesse said, raising her eyebrows. "You found that just lying around?"
"Somebody else seemed to have been camping out in the same gas station I did." Petra explained, turning the blade slightly as the light reflected off of it. "It's a decent weapon against wolves. If done right, one stab can effortlessly... well, kill one." She slowly lowered the knife, keeping the wolf in the gas station secret. It would simply be too upsetting to Jesse.
"I found food too." Petra said quickly changing the subject. "So, hunger shouldn't be an issue. No water, though."
"Then you must be parched by now!" Jesse gasped. She quickly looked around. "I think I have about half a bottle here somewhere, if I didn't drink the entire thing when I had that fever... There's soda in the fridge as well though, and I believe this place has a bathroom, and-"
"Calm down, calm down." Petra said, placing a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "I'm fine for now, okay? I'll go grab some of the soda you mentioned later, and we can melt snow once this blizzard has settled. No biggie."
Jesse relaxed slightly, giving a small nod. Then her face fell, and she bit her lip. Subtly glancing in the direction of the staircase.
"I think I should mention though..." She said hesitantly. "There's a, um, dead body upstairs."
"Really?" Petra asked in surprise, glancing in the direction of the staircase.
"I'm not sure what killed them, but they're already rotting." Jesse said, shuddering slightly. "Can't say I really hung around to ask what the case of death was. In fact, I completely bolted back downstairs again, mere seconds after seeing them."
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about the owner of this place returning then." Petra said, nudging Jesse to try and cheer her up a bit. Jesse chuckled vaguely.
"Listen, if you want to get some rest, you're more than welcome." Petra said, as Jesse let out a small yawn. "I'll keep an eye on you."
"Are you sure?" Jesse asked softly. "You must be beat as well..."
"I'll survive." Petra said with a chuckle, giving Jesse a light pat on the back. "The more rest you get, the better your chances of recovery are."
"Thanks." Jesse said, managing a small smile. "Seriously, for everything. If you hadn't found me..."
"But I did." Petra cut her off. "Don't tear yourself up over it, okay?"
She got up from the carpet, holding a hand out to Jesse to help her to her feet as well. Jesse gratefully accepted the help, allowing Petra to lead her over to the couch. She sunk down on it, wrapping herself in the familiar old thin blanket that she had tossed to the ground somewhere in the midst of her restless sleep.
"Ah, here it is." Petra said, picking up the water bottle and holding it out to Jesse.
"You should have it, Petra." Jesse replied. "I've had some to drink a few hours ago."
"Well, you're the one who's sick." Petra pointed out. "I'll survive on some soda for now. You take it."
Jesse reluctantly accepted the water bottle, thirstily finishing off the last bit of water. When she finished, she gave Petra a small, but grateful smile. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, now get some rest." Petra replied, sinking down in an armchair.
Jesse whispered another small 'thank you', before completely lying down on the couch, rolling onto her uninjured side. Despite how desperate she was to go grab herself a drink, Petra stayed seated there until Jesse had drifted off to sleep.
She got up from the armchair, walking over to Jesse and – carefully so she didn't wake her – laying a hand on her forehead. Petra was relieved that Jesse's temperature was back to somewhat normal.
Petra herself was still amazed that she and Jesse were back together. Although it did raise some concerns... since both her and Jesse got into this situation, did that mean the other three were in trouble as well?
Raking a hand through her red hair again, Petra slowly walked off into the dark room, feeling some heat slip away as she left behind the warmth of the fireplace. It didn't take long for her to spot the tiny kitchen area, as the cabin itself wasn't very spacious.
Petra's first instinct was to check the stove. Of course the place didn't have any electricity, but if it was a gas stove, it could make the job of warming up food or melting snow much easier.
"Damnit." Petra breathed, slamming her fist down on the side of the stove. "You'd think what looks like a vacation house out in the middle of nowhere, would make more use of gas than electricity."
Clenching her jaw in frustration, Petra walked away from the stove and opened the fridge. Like Jesse, she waited to be greeted by the foul smell of some spoiled food, surprised to only see cans.
"Convenient." Petra mumbled, as she reached into the back, pulling closer the packet of soda.
Taking out one of the cans, Petra quickly opened it and thirstily began to drink the contents. The sweet drink didn't satisfy her thirst as well as water would have, but it was something nonetheless.
Not bothering to work sparingly, Petra finished off the entire can of soda. Melting and boiling some snow over the fire shouldn't be an issue after all, they no longer had to worry about dehydration.
Tossing the empty can into a trash bin, Petra started walking back to the living room. For the first time since the mysterious incident, her stomach was starting to tell her that it wanted food. Petra wondered if Jesse was able to find anything in the house, and if she's had anything to eat.
As she knelt down by the backpack to find something to eat, Petra briefly thought back to what Jesse said about a dead body upstairs. While Petra wasn't particular thrilled about a rotting corpse in their only shelter, she couldn't help but be curious.
Getting back up again, Petra slowly began heading in the direction of the staircase. Only a few steps up, she could already smell it. Simply covering her nose with one hand, Petra proceeded up the stairs.
The second floor didn't contain much. There were two beds, both coated in a thick layer of dust. A dresser was placed in between them, looking like it was simultaneously used as a bedside table. While Petra could very clearly smell the corpse, she couldn't see it.
Is this even worth sacrificing my sense of smell for? She thought grimly.
Keeping her nose covered with one hand, Petra walked deeper into the room. "Ah, there you are." She muttered, seeing the lifeless figure slumped against one of the beds.
Petra crept slightly closer, kneeling down a bit away from the corpse. She shuddered slightly at the sight – no wonder Jesse didn't hang around very long. Petra's eyes scanned the body slightly, wondering what had taken them down. They actually seemed to have been in pretty good condition before death, not underweight or visibly wounded anywhere.
She shuffled slightly to the side, wanting to get a look of the corpse from another angle without getting closer. Still not seeing anything particularly intriguing, she shuffled over to the other side instead. That's when Petra inhaled sharply, her eyes widening.
Barely visible because of the person's shaggy hair covering part of it, there was a round bullet wound in the side of their skull.
Petra staggered slightly back, all of a sudden liking the situation a lot less. Had the person been murdered?
Shaking her head, Petra staggered up to her feet, quickly backing away. What type of history hid in this room she was standing in? What had these walls already witnessed? Unsettled enough, Petra hoped to never find out.
Swiftly turning her back on the corpse, Petra began making her way back to the stairs. She stopped short, her eyes catching the door that lead into the bathroom. While she wanted to get back down to Jesse as soon as possible, it could be worth checking in there. Maybe it had a medicine cabinet or first aid kit? Both she and Jesse could do with some first aid.
Hesitating, Petra slipped in through the door. She glanced around the cramped little bathroom, hoping to spot what she was looking for.
It was mostly just the basics, a shower, a toilet, a sink. Petra was just about to give up, not seeing a medicine cabinet. But then her eyes caught something, partly hidden in the corner.
A first aid kit, or at east what looked like a first aid kit. It was lying on the ground, halfway open.
Petra immediately went over to it, kneeling down. It looked like somebody had grabbed what they could in a haste, most of the contents scattered about the floor. While Petra was disappointed to not see any helpful medication left behind, she did see a roll of bandages.
"Perfect." Petra breathed, picking up the bandages. She didn't hesitate to immediately lower herself into a sitting position, rolling up the sleeve of her jacket to reveal the wounds she had been hiding from Jesse.
The bandanna was still in place, but slightly damp with blood. Petra pulled off her gloves, using her bare hands instead. She carefully undid the knot, removing the bandanna from the wound. Tossing the blood-soaked blue rag to the side, Petra turned her attention to the teeth marks, flinching slightly. The wounds were still covered in fresh blood, the surrounding skin swollen. No doubt it would leave behind nasty scars.
Petra carefully began wrapping her arm with the bandages, watching as her blood seeped through the first layer of white cloth before the second was applied. She carefully fastened the bandages to stay in place, rolling her sleeve back down over it.
Reaching for her gloves, Petra them back on and got up. She flexed her arm slightly. It was a little stiff and understandably sore, but at least better off with a proper dressing.
Satisfied with her work, Petra walked back out of the tiny bathroom, immediately covering her nose again at the awful stench in the air. She walked along the perimeter of the room until she reached the staircase.
Jesse was still asleep on the couch, her position having only slightly shifted since Petra's last been in the room. She seemed to, for the most part, be sleeping quite peacefully.
Petra sunk back down in the arm chair, no longer really having an appetite. Now that she was back in the warmth of the fire, her eyelids were starting to feel somewhat heavy. After all, she's had like, what? 2 hours of sleep since the incident?
Ignoring the heaviness in her eyelids and the distant pulsing in her head, Petra's eyes remained open. Refusing to simply drift off, sticking to her promise of keeping an eye on Jesse while she slept.
___
So, a bit more easy-going chapter with not a lot happening, but some mysteries were uncovered! People have been theorising over what happened to the owner of the cabin, and now we have some answers. It's still not clear what exactly went down in there, but now you have another stepping stone to theorise off of if you want!
As for Jesse and Petra, both are doing okay for now. Jesse's somewhat come to her senses again, and Petra was able to properly wrap her arm. They have food, water, warmth... what can go wrong? A lot obviously xD
But, we're done with the Jesse and Petra spam for now! Since the sun has risen on Day 2, it's time to go check up on the others and see how they're doing. Has Olivia been eaten by a wolf during the night? Has Axel frozen solid yet? Does Lukas still have both his legs? Some worries to keep you busy until the next chapter rolls around!
I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter, even if it was on the calmer side of things! If you have any new theories, I love hearing them!
I'll see you all in four days with chapter 10!
(you read that right, four days... I was forgetful and that's why this chapter came out a day late xD)