─ Shimmer began to be visibly tired and my hands, to become colder. When I looked down at my thin fingers, I noticed the growing purple color that was spreading from the palm, to all the phalanges. The other hand, warmly hidden inside the pocket of Ellie's jacket - who was in front of me with her limbs exposed to the cold temperatures while she was leading Shimmer towards an abandoned farmhouse in search of shelter after hours and hours spent on patrol - warmed up with difficulty, while I brought a cheek to her shoulder, seeking comfort. My eyes closed slowly as if sleep was getting the better of me and I felt my shoulders relax as if lulled by a growing melody, like the sound of the snow cutting through the air scornfully. I noticed how Ellie turned her chin a little to be able to watch the relaxation of my face as I fell into a deep sleep, due to the tiredness of those hours. Her lips parted slightly, lingering for a moment, before she murmured, "We're almost there."

From that moment I remember almost exclusively the trembling of my own lips and the cold that seemed to tear my skin. The heavy iron aftertaste on the surface of my mouth made my tongue pasty, as if I felt the need to vomit. I also remember the way I bent over for a moment, bringing the tips of my fingers to my torn lip, noticing how the light scarlet color was staining my pale skin. How could Ellie resist so much? I was sure that the training inside the QZ did not include exercises for cold tolerance. From her face I understood that she was suffering, that the snow was freezing her cheeks stained with light freckles and that the frost was spreading throughout her brain, giving her an annoying migraine. Yet, she continued her journey undaunted until even Shimmer had no strength left to continue, and we found ourselves in a basement inside an old house, having to tie her to a pillar and then close the garage so that no stranger could sneak in.

Her fingers were wrapped around my hips as she helped me continue along the leather couch on the other side of the room, surrounded by jars overflowing with herbs, and I was crawling on the floor with my feet because I couldn't stand on my own. Her eyes carefully scanned the environment in which we had found ourselves by pure chance, until she spotted what was an old video cassette and some rather... questionable magazines. When I raised my face to the object of her curiosity, her hands rested on my arms to remove them from her neck and thus allow me to lean towards the small wooden table, so that she could grasp those objects between her fingers. She turned them over in her hands with extreme caution and eyes swollen with satisfaction, while she gave me a pleasantly confused look. A smile full of tension and pleasant amusement formed on my lips, as I spoke in a low voice:

"Maybe I could create a deluxe cd just for you."

Ellie rolled her eyes, visibly amused by that provocation, as if she had expected such an outburst from me. She didn’t bother to hide the way her lips moistened at that confession, while she rested her lower body on one of the many wooden tables on which were placed vases full of cigarettes, gardening tools, scattered magazines, ingenious inventions. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking me up and down for a moment, as if she was carefully considering what to say and how to say it. Then, her lips moved unexpectedly to speak.

“In fact, I had no intention of distributing copies of this cd to soldiers or mercenaries.” She said, with a hint of irony in her voice, while she tapped her fingers on the wood, waiting for my response of rejection. Ellie had always been very distrustful and closed in on herself. I was therefore surprised that she had played along so easily, especially in the context in which we found ourselves. However, I remained silent, smirking, then limped over to what used to be the leather couch. I sat down on it, setting my backpack on the floor. My knees were shaking from the dead weight I was placing on the floor. Then, I saw Ellie coming towards me.