Normally, if you were going to sneak out, you would've gone out your window. It's a quiet and quick way for you to easily get in and out of your room. It's winter now; both of the windows in your room and the sliding back door are frozen over. It'd be too loud to force them open and risk waking up Joel, so you have to take the front door. You slip your backpack over your shoulders, tightening the straps before grabbing your boots.

It's quieter to walk in just your socks, so you wait til you're directly in front of the door to tie your boots on. When you open the door, the cold winter air waffs in through the screen. You unlock the screen door before slowly easing it open to prevent the hinges from squeaking. Snow crunches under your feet as you step out onto the patio, closing both of the doors behind you. You take a few steps forward, getting to the first step before a voice startles you.

“How'd you think you were gonna cover them footprints? C'mon, it's snowin', you're smarter than that, kid.”