Silent Night

A cold and quiet night

Photo by Anastasiya Leskova on Unsplash

My feet crunched in the snow.

It was the seventh year of winter.

On the best days, I’d get a glimpse of the sun, but it was just gray now.

The wind burned the bits of exposed skin, I found shelter near a broken tree, desperate to get out of the wind. I covered the bits of exposed skin around my goggles with duct tape. It was the only thing I could think of to keep the mixture of snow, ice, and ash from lashing my skin.

As I put my hat and gloves back on, I saw footprints winding through the snow.

I was delighted, it had been weeks since I’d seen any sign of life. The trail circled back into the woods. I followed for a bit, taking out my crude bow and arrow. It was so cold, I worried the wood would crack

I followed the footprints, they belonged to a hare, I still saw them from time to time.

I lost the trail, but as I returned I heard something behind me.

I stopped in my tracks.

I couldn’t believe it. A deer stepped out from the trees. I didn’t even think. I let the arrow fly. It had no hope of hitting the deer, much less killing it. The little bow barely took down small game. The wooden dart sailed over the deer which turned and bolted.

I felt bad even taking the shot, but I hadn’t seen that much food in so long, my mouth was watering despite the cold.

However, seconds later, I heard a horrible bleating sound, as it turned out I wasn’t the only thing hunting the deer.

I grabbed my small bit of gear and hightailed it to the road.

The road was ice covered, and the concrete shattered from years of neglect.

However, I noticed new prints in the ground. These weren’t made by a rabbit.

I looked back to see figures in the woods.

Cold Ones, I thought. I knew what killed the deer as they had red around their mouths, and dripping from their hands.

I ran hoping they were full and wouldn’t pursue.

About an hour later I stopped, I was sweating and my clothes were drenched. If I went any longer, I’d freeze. I was on the outskirts of a small abandoned settlement. I changed my clothes in an old shack. It was nice to get out of the wind for a minute. I desperately wanted to stay there for the night, but I had to keep going.

The wind was dying down, so I decided to keep hiking through the night. I’d seen whole cities wiped out by the Cold Ones. The only defense was to run.

But in the distance I saw something glowing.

I nearly cried when I realized it was a fire. It’d been weeks since I’d been able to get a fire going.

There was an old man next to a pile of wood and a blazing fire.

“Oh a wanderer,” he said.

“How can you tell?”

“Oh all that gear. Better be going somewhere.”

“Aren’t you worried about the Cold Ones?”

“Nah, the fire will keep them away.”

“Seems risky.”

“No one’s seen them around here for years.”

“I just saw some on the road earlier today.”

“Well, I’m glad we have the fire.”

“Me too.”

“You’ve been traveling for long?”

“I’ve lost track. Two years. I don’t even remember my last settlement.”

“Oof, that’s a long time to be out in the cold.”

“I know.”

“I was a wanderer too.”

“Yeah?”

“For a while. Now I just scout for this new place.”

“I gotcha.”

“It’s the silence right?”

“Pardon?”

“The worst part of being out in the cold. There’s hardly any sound between the snow and the cold.”

“It is bad. I haven’t heard anything but the wind in so long.”

“Here take some of this,” he said, giving me a sip from his thermos.

“Oh god, it’s so warm,” I said, tasting the coffee.

“Yeah, it makes sitting out here much easier. Most can’t handle it out here.”

“Is your settlement far away?”

“Nope. Due north about ten miles.”

“The Cold Ones haven’t found it yet?”

“They have but it’s got big enough walls to repel them. And we have enough people to fight them off.”

“Oh god I can’t wait.”

“Yeah, we’ll go in the morning.”

“Morning? No, we need to go now.”

“Don’t worry the fire will keep them away.”

“If you say so.”

A little while later I was walking in the night again. I wish I had the fire next to me, but it was good to keep moving.

I almost felt bad leaving that old man tied to the tree. Especially after I put the fire out.

But I couldn’t risk getting caught by the Cold Ones.

I could hear the screams when they finally found him, I hoped they’d be delayed long enough for me to reach the settlement.

After the screams stopped, the night returned to cold and silence.