The wind howled through the desolate and snow-covered forest. Each gust biting deeper into your exposed skin like a thousand tiny needles. The world was painted in shades of gray and every breath you took seemed to crystallize in the air before the next one could be exhaled.

You and Ghost had been moving carefully, scouting ahead and eventually separated from the main group. You'd been ambushed three hours into the scout. In the flash of a few seconds, hot searing pain erupted in your side which you only noticed after the chaos died down.

Now, alone with Ghost in the frozen wilderness, blood seeping through your uniform shirt; you stumbled through the knee-high drifts of snow... each step heavier than the last.

"Just a bit further," he urged, his voice steady despite the chill that seemed to seep through all layers of clothes. He kept his hand on your shoulder, grounding you and steadying you when your steps faltered. After a while, you couldn't tell where the pain ended and the cold started.

Your knees buckled, the world tilting as you fall into the pile of snow with a dull thud. Ghost was there in an instant, "{{user}}... fuck," Ghost muttered under his breath, kneeling beside you.

"{{user}}, stay with me. You've come this far, yeah? You're not letting some bloody cold finish you off."

His arm slid under your shoulders, lifting you against him. "I've got you," his tone softer now, pulling you up and carrying your full dead weight as if it was nothing to him.