Beyond the Ice

One

"I don't know how we ended up like this. Wasn't it supposed to be," she paused for a moment looking for the right words. "Not easy, but at least, safer?" She then sighed roughly, running her hands over her face. A hand, belonging to a male, then rested itself on her shoulder. "Come on, we gotta keep moving. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long." The British male said. She exhaled harshly before rising to her feet. She dusted off the snow on her knees before standing erect, and leaving the quickly made makeshift grave sight.

Bex looked to the man beside her, a healthy silence fell between the two, not awkward nothing needed to be said. What could be said? They've both lost many people. As of that moment, they felt they were the last few on earth. "Why isn't anyone coming to help? Before the TV's shut down, there we reports of it snowing like this in other areas. Someone is sending help?" It came out of his mouth more so like a question then the affirmative answer he meant it to be. Bex looked at him, before shutting her eyes as tears swelled up in them. A second man looked to Bex before looking at the first man. "I don't think help is coming. I think we have to look after ourselves and keep moving forward." The second male was identifiable by his accent; his name was Pax.

"I think Pax is right." Bex spoke up, wiping her tears away. " If we do get help from the outside, how are they supposed to help us? How are they going to stop the weather when they don't even know what's causing it?" She explained with a shrug.

The first male sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine, if you want to go out there and become a snowoman, then I'll be sure to find a carrot for your nose." This man was Ace, Bex's brother. He always managed to make light of the darkest situations, and this time was no different. He felt he needed to keep his baby sister safe, and would follow her to the ends of the earth.

A third man entered the room, causing the three to look up upon hearing his footsteps. "I managed to get the car up and running. But who knows how long we have before the engine freezes. So let's get going." The third man was named Axl. And this was the most he's ever spoken since meeting the trio. No one really knows that much about Axl, except for the fact that he discovered his mother's dead body one day after school. It was a suicide.

The foursome pilled into the old rickety van before Axl turned the key. The wheels spun in the snow for a few moments, "come on..." Axl whispered under his breath, Pax looked to the back seat to glance at Bex before looking to Axl. "How about Ace and I step out and push?" Pax suggested. Nodding some, Axl agreed before putting his foot on the brake.

Pax and Ace got out the car, and proceeded with pushing the vehicle with much success.

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Ace, now in the front seat driving, instinctively reached for the radio knob. Turning it on caused static to ring throughout the vehicle, breaking the utter silence. Axl raised an eyebrow as he looked to Ace. "Did you really expect music to come through?" Axl asked with a fold of his arms across his chest. Gripping the steering wheel, Ace shrugged. " No, but I'll go stir crazy if I don't have something to distract me." Axl rolled his eyes some before looking out the dash, onto the white horizon.

"Well I guess it would be nice, if I could touch your body. I know not everybody, has got a body like you." Bex began to hum lightly to herself as she absentmindedly looked out the window. Pax grinned some as he looked to her, a wide smile going across Ace's face as well as he looked in the center review mirror at his sister, remembering their mother singing that song to them when they were young. Before Bex, Ace, and Pax could get to the chorus, Axl rolled his eyes before speaking, stopping the singing. "Guys, can you stop?" He fussed, his tone slightly below a yell. "If you're going to sing this song, you have to do it right." He stated, as a grin like the Joker's spread across his face. "‘Cause I gotta have faith, faith, faith." Axl then sung out, with a southern twangy on his voice. Everyone bursted into laughter.

The rest of the ride, the group sung various songs, as they tried to figure out how to get to the old science facility, it was now dark. The headlights of the car showed the way. "Take a left up here." Pax said as he read the map. However, Ace didn't do that, instead he slammed on the breaks, causing everyone to jerk in their seats, Axl hitting the dash before holding his head. "What happened?" Axl questioned. "Look!" Ace started. "There is no left." Bex and Pax both leaned forward to see what Ace was talking about, only to see that the road was gone. "Did we have an earthquake that I missed ?" Ace questioned. "We'd have to be pretty damn far to not have felt that. Roads don't just disappear like that." Axl said with a wave of his hand, gesturing towards the missing plot of land. "Well," Bex started as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Looks like we walk from here. There may be a path in the woods." Pax undid his seatbelt as well before stepping out of the vehicle.

The foursome walked along the rough terrain as twigs and gravel crunched beneath their boots. Along the way, Ace picked up a massive stick, and acted as if he were a tour guide. Pax rolled his eyes and smirked some before stopping as his watch beeped. It was time to eat.

As everyone got their portions, Axl furrowed his eyebrows. 'How long before we run out of food?' He thought to himself. The words didn't need to be spoken out loud to know it was on everyone's mind. "Let's see if we can find a lake. Perhaps we can get some fishing done?" Pax questioned. Everyone nodded in agreement. Then, rustling was heard, followed by growling. Everyone ceased in eating, and cautiously rose to their feet, looking around. Ace wrapped an protective arm around his sister, before he raised his stick in defense, Pax had a pocket knife, and Axl had a gun. Where he got it from, no one new, but they were glad he had it.

The thing in the woods ran by with a blur. Bex stepped away from Ace, a means to get a better view of the thing. "What is it?" Bex questioned, holding her own fists up as a means of defense. "I don't know." Axl and Pax said in unison. "Argh!" Ace yelled out as he was lifted into the sky, away from the trio.

"Ace!" The remaining ones yelled out.
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