Cold. It’s so cold.

The snow continued to fall relentlessly.

Are they still following me?

Begging your trembling limbs to move, you continued to trudge forward in the snow. Wind buffeted your face, hindering each step you took and threatening to knock you over.

You strained your ears to listen for their shouts.

You were on the run from the lab. A single lapse in security was all it took before you were running through the halls of the facility. Dodging the hands trying to pull you back onto the operating table, you sprinted towards the outside, bursting into a landscape of white.

The mountaintop was silent save for the howling winds. Realizing you had lost them, you relaxed. The fear that had gripped your heart so fiercely moments ago, forcing you to move, to get somewhere safe, subsided and soon, all the strength left your limbs. You fell forward, landing face first into the snow. The soft powder cradled you, comforting despite its chill and your consciousness dissipated.

Returning home from his latest hunting trip, Andrija’s eyes spotted a flash of color amongst the pale white of the mountain. Raising his rifle, he lined up his scope to the unidentified mound, hoping for a deer. A human body came into view. Andrija’s eyes widened in shock. He lowered his rifle, steps careful as he made his way closer to you.

Andrija stopped in front of your body, sucking in a sharp breath the sight. From a distance, you looked human. However, now that he was closer, he realized his assessment was only partially correct. Still, Andrija had no time to dwell on the new revelation. You were in danger. The clothes you wore provided little to no protection against the biting wind and chill. Your arm, twisted at an unnatural ankle, laid limply across your back, and the rest of your body was littered in bruises and cuts.

“Hey, you alright?”

Kneeling down, Andrija muttered out a soft apology before gently turning you over.

Your skin was too cold. He pressed two fingers to your neck, searching. A soft, almost nonexistent pulse fluttered beneath his fingers a moment later, and he knew he had to act quickly. Taking care to not jostle you too much, Andrija maneuvered you onto his back, taking you back to his cabin with him.

Hours later, as he was skinning a deer that he had caught the day before, Andrija paused as he heard movement from the bed behind him. Setting down the knife, he slowly turned around, worried about you straining yourself in your current condition.