Winter Draft

8/19/2019 Winter Draft

1/294

Winter

by

Reece Ran


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Winter / Ran 2

The Winter

December 21, 2049

5:00pm

This isn’t It’s A Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story or Jackie Frost and Her Ice Brigade.

This is winter damn it, and it will kill us. The snow craved for a drink of our blood, a taste of our

flesh, and it waited in the calmness of the white wind.

I frowned as Bob—a lank tattoo infested loser—wrestled his wa into his coveralls. I let

out a lon! breath as m cousin "im and m twent#ear#old ne$hew Ron faced me, all dressed u$

and read to !o. Ran!er, "im’s detection %usk, !ot in front of us.

&'et’s !o,( I said.

I ste$$ed forward, took a dee$ breath, and entered the code for the !ara!e door to o$en.

Ran!er howled and a flash of white hit us. ) warnin! si!n that we were read to enter the winter.

The cold wind ra!ed like a mad mob. The wind in winter never sounded $leasant or $eaceful. It

was hard, like a thunderous train—enra!ed at all who would enter its $resence. The sound of the

snow seemed like a monstrous !rowl, as if it was waitin! for us to make a mistake. We all

ste$$ed outside and I closed the !ara!e door behind us. Ron wra$$ed his brace filled mouth with

a thick scarf, and "im $ut on an insulated hat that covered his head scar.

)s we hiked throu!h the enormous stretch of farmland m house sat on, the harsh

snowflakes hit our faces and coats. But our !o!!les $rotected our ees. I was !rateful for the

*itro wear, but the snowflakes bit and !nawed at m coat. )nd little holes formed on m sleeves.

The snow tried to eat its wa throu!h to !et to our skin. + heart beat like a ackhammer, which


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Winter / Ran -

meant m bod heat rose and mabe be too much for the *itro technolo! to overcome. The

other !us murmured and !as$ed I took a dee$ breath. on’t !et too e0cited 1im. ee$ cool.

&*o. *o,( Ron said. &I can’t do it. I don’t want to be out here.(

I looked over at Ron as the snow assaulted us, strikin! over and over. It felt like

thousands of small little nails hittin! us at once. &1im, let Ron !o back inside,( "im said.

I shook m head. &*o, I can’t kee$ o$enin! and closin! the door. It’ll ust free3e u$ on

us.(

I heard that monstrous !rowl a!ain, and Ron trembled in his boots. I’m sorr Ron. But

toda ou’re !oin! to have to handle this. 4ou’re !oin! to be a man and hel$ me find m little

!irl.

'ane, I’m comin! bab.

&'et’s !o, come on.(

I reached into m $ocket and $ulled out 'ane’s shirt, then held it to Ran!er’s nose a!ain.

Ran!er sniffed the shirt, then the air. %e howled and $lowed into the snow down our drivewa. I

swallowed and ho$ed that mabe this meant 'ane was alive, and her scent was fresh enou!h for

Ran!er to $ick u$ with ease. The cold air hit me with an iron fist. I knew I was in winter now. I

couldn’t smell anthin! I couldn’t taste anthin!.

But $erseverance is a son of a bitch, and I swear we walked into the lion’s den. *ot onl

did we have to slo! throu!h about a foot of snow, but the wind fou!ht a!ainst our ever ste$. I

could barel see anthin!, hear anthin!. I didn’t know if the coats weren’t !oin! to last. 5mall

cracks formed in the lenses of m safet !o!!les—the same kind we all wore6 bullet$roof

$olcarbonate.

&7h 8 1im,( Bob said. &+ !o!!les are startin! to crack.(


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Winter / Ran 9

&+ine too,( "im said.

'ike I !ave a damn about Bob’s ees, but I nodded. &'et’s be fast.(

5oon enou!h, small white strains of snow crawled their wa into m !o!!les. The $ricks

tried to $enetrate the heat comin! from m e0$osed ees. I $ur$osel made m ees tear u$ to

melt the snow worms :that’s what I called them; so that the wouldn’t eat at m $u$ils.

&Tr to make tears with our ees to melt the snow,( I said.

To m ri!ht, thou!h, I could hear Ron’s emotions !et the best of him, makin! wa for the

snow worms to enter his ees.

Ron shouted. &)hhh, m ees. %el$ me $lease.(

&on’t move,( I said. &on’t move. 5tand still while I !et ou.(

I char!ed toward Ron, but a lar!e snow tentacle s$run! u$ and !rabbed m le!. I slowed

down and calmed mself to kee$ m bod heat from risin!. I didn’t want the snow to ri$ m

damn le! off. The arm seemed to sense that I calmed mself and retracted back into the snow. I

walked over to Ron as he held his ees and screamed. Bob and "im formed a wide circle around

us.

I $ut a hand on Ron’s arm to make sure the snow didn’t !et him. I alread lost m sister#

in#law. I wasn’t !oin! to lose anone else. If anthin!, we were !oin! to !et back a member of

the famil, m dau!hter.

&


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Winter / Ran ?

Ron nodded, and then sniffled. I could see his bod rela0. ) second later, the snow

tentacles retracted back into the !round—e0ce$t for one, and that tentacle honed in on the two of

us. It moved toward us like some creature from a horror movie. I reached for m $istol#!ri$

tactical shot!un, but I couldn’t fire it in time. Ri!ht before the snow tentacle came down at us, a

flurr of bullets blasted it a$art. The snow tentacle broke a$art and fell back into the snow. Bob

and "im had fired the automatic rifles I’d !iven them. "im looked so calm standin! there, like a

true former 5@)', and bein! a $schiatrist didn’t hurt either.

Bob also looked calm. )s far as I know, he didn’t have an real trainin! in this t$e of

weather. The !ustin! wind died down with the rifle fire. I s$otted Ran!er ahead of us. )fter the

wind ceased, the sk and field before us became a calm white wonderland, beautiful and

$eaceful as it should be. But we were still standin! in our !reatest and deadliest enem—even as

it swirled in the air around us. The snow waited for us to make a mistake or a wron! move.

&Aome on,( I said.

We all walked toward Ran!er. &That’s a !ood bo,( "im said. Bob sto$$ed and shook his

head. &%um$h, !arba!e.

&What>(

&The damn do! !ets to trout alon!, and we !ot to walk on freakin! e!! shells.(

I looked over at him. &Bob, sto$ talkin! and kee$ movin!.(

%e !lared at me.

&I said kee$ movin!.(

&'ook, I know ou’re $issed, oka. But I’m not 'ane’s father. I wasn’t the one that let

her out the house.(


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Winter / Ran

I sto$$ed dead in m tracks and !ave him the dee$est frown I could muster. &*o, ou’re

ust a freakin! murderer.(

Bob’s ees widen. &I told ou. I didn’t do that>(

&Bull—I 8 I never should’ve let ou in m house ou bastard. I knew ou were no

!ood.(

&( I said.

&1immer, we need to focus on findin! 'ane,( "im said.

I looked at "im, shook m head, then walked over to him, noticin! that Ron and "im

moved in close as well, but Bob hun! back a bit. %e was ri!ht thou!h, 'ane was m to$ $riorit.

%e knew that, that’s wh he said it. )ll the more reason, wh I don’t trust him.

&I want ou and Bob in m line of si!ht.( I said.

"im wi$ed his !o!!les. &1im, listen to what ou ust said to me. 4ou’re treatin! me like

I’m some—(

&4ou need to do what I sa, "im. 4ou’re $issin! me off. I swear to =od.(


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Winter / Ran C

&)nd ou need to back off.(

I moved in closer, faced to face with "im. &Then tell me the freakin! truth, man. Tell me

what reall ha$$ened u$ there.(

*o one said anthin!. I cut m ees at Bob, then leaned in close to "im.

&What did he do to ou>(

&What>(

&To make ou lie> What> What>(

I !lanced over at Bob a!ain, but he ust stood there.

"im touched m shoulder. &1im, c’mon, let’s look for 'ane so we can !o back home,

oka>(

I knocked his hand off me. &5crew ou. It’s our fault we are out here in the first $lace.(

&What> %ow is it m fault> Dirst ou said it was Bob, now me.(

&It’s all of ou. 4ou, Bob, Ron, a$hne, all of ou.(

&)re ou freakin! kiddin! me> 4ou’re blamin! our ne$hew and wife now>(

This time, the snow trembled beneath us, and its heinous !rowl !rew louder. I took

another dee$ breath and lowered m voice. &Wait, wait, wait. @verone calm down.(

&Reall>( Bob said in a low voice. &4ou’re askin! everbod to rela0 when ou’re the

one !ettin! everbod heated u$>(

Ran!er howled a!ain, which brou!ht me back to wh we were out here. We braved the

snow to !et m 'ane back. )nd if she was still alive, I had to find her. I ste$$ed out of "im’s face

and went on m wa toward the do!. We all followed alon! as Ran!er sniffed and !uided us to

'ane. + mind was a umble of thou!hts—about 'ane, the bos, a$hne 8 and I couldn’t sto$


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Winter / Ran E

Fuestionin! m trust of m own famil members as we walked alon! this white field of dan!er

and em$tiness.

&%e,( Ron said, $ointed at somethin!. &What’s that>(

%e must’ve calmed down a little if he noticed somethin! out of the ordinar. %e shuffled

his boots around in the snow. I walked over to see what Ron was talkin! about. ) !old chain la

in the snow I bent down and $ulled the chain out of the snow to find that it was a necklace, but

not one that I reco!ni3ed. 5omeone had lost their necklace in the snow. %mm, but how could it

still be near the surface when it’s been snowin! so—

&=imme that.( Bob !rabbed the necklace from m hand before I !ot a !ood look at it. I

let !o of the chain and shru!!ed. I didn’t reall care whose it was, but I wondered wh Bob acted

so funn about it. &@hh,( Bob said, &it must have broken off or somethin!.(

With all that was on m mind, I now thou!ht of somethin! that was bu!!in! me.

&Bob, where did ou learn how to defend ourself with a wea$on like that> That was a

militar#level res$onse with how ou handled that rifle.(

&efense course.(

&Reall> What course>(

&"ust some !us in the militar I han! out with here and there. The tau!ht me how to

shoot a few ears a!o. To $rotect mself and *an 8 I $ractice at a local ran!e when I can.(

I frowned and walked in Ran!er’s direction. Bob held his hands u$. &What, it’s the truth.(

&"ust shut the hell u$ and let’s !o.(

)nd with that, m focus went ri!ht back to 'ane. 5he’d never left m mind, but I had to

admit that it felt oka to think about somethin! other than her missin! out there in the snow

somewhere. + thou!hts then drifted to memories of 'ane 8 and then back to m !reen eed


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Winter / Ran G

a$hne 8 and Bob 8 and m time in )frica 8 'ane missin! 8 the dead bod in m house 8

and on and on it went as we all $lodded on throu!h the snow for mile after mile.


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Winter / Ran H

The Winter

December 21, 2049

2:00pm

I remembered lookin! out m livin! room window, watchin! the snowflakes $our. The

sweat rolled down m nose as I !lanced at m watch. &Aome on. %urr u$, ou !us,( I said.

&add,( m dau!hter 'ane said.

I turned and saw her come down the stairs. 5he wi$ed her ees and ran her chunk little

hands throu!h her short brown hair.

&%e, bab,( I said. &%ow was our na$> 4ou slee$ !ood>(

'ane cau!ht si!ht of the snow outside, e0$loded with e0citement, and ran to the window.

&(

&add>(

&4es, bab.(

&Where is ste$mama> )nd 1ach and +ick>(

I si!hed. &1ach and +ick is comin! sweetie. )nd ste$mama is 8(

Ding Dong

I rushed toward the door. &5te$ back sweetie.(


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Winter / Ran HH

I o$ened the door and Bob stormed in with feet covered in snow.

&%e, he, he. on’t brin! that snow in here,( I said.

&+an, 1im, rela0,( Bob said, he took off his skull ca$, $ulled out a flask, and tossed his

head back for a swi!. &It’s onl few inches on the !round.(

*anc, his !irlfriend and m sister#in#law, came behind him. 5he had a mark on her head

that onl came from his $alm. I leaned over and whis$ered in her ear. &)re ou alri!ht>(

&4eah,( she said. &Wh do ou ask>(

5he covered the mark with her blonde hair. I watched him take off his coat and then

started at me. %e !rabbed *anc’s hand and $ulled her into the kitchen.

*e0t, "im, Ron and Ran!er entered. &%e, 1im,( "im said. %e then nodded at m head.

&4ou’re !ettin! a little !re in the crane aren’t a budd.( %e dro$$ed his lu!!a!e, adusted his

!lasses, and !ave me a bi! bear hu!. )t this $oint, I had to $la it cool. &Auttin! it kind of close

aren’t ou>( I said. %e took of his coat, and nodded toward at the kitchen. &4ou know how those

two are,( "im said.

I closed the door and hit him in the shoulder. &I know how ou are, a slow driver.(

&%a.( "im handed Ron his ba!s and $lo$$ed down on the seat. Ran!er walked over to

'ane and licked her little fin!ers, makin! 'ane um$ and lau!h, she stroke his wide ears.

I $lun!ed into lift chair, leaned back, and let m feet u$. &5o, ou mean to tell me each

and ever last one of ou crooks didn’t !et a$$roved for the %)R insurance>(

"im rolled his ees. &Jlease don’t brin! that u$. I a$$lied for that thin! a!es a!o. )nd

then like, oh I don’t know, two das before the issued the shutdown, the sent me a last minute

email sain! I was denied.(

I tossed m head back and chuckled, &Wow, and ou didn’t re$l with our usual rant>(


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Winter / Ran H2

&%ell I—(%e !lanced over at 'ane. &I mean 8 I wanted too. But then the shutdown

came.(

&)h, the turned the $ower off on ou.(

"im threw his arms out, then looked around the room. &%e, 1im, where’s the rest of the

!an!>(

&7hm 8 a$hne is at her mom’s, and the bos are stuck at the !rocer store.(

"im stared at me for what seemed like hours.

&It’s a lon! stor. But I !ot a hold of them before the shutdown. The’re oka.(

"im $ursed his li$s and went to the kitchen. )s he was !oin! in, Bob came out, and

*anc was ri!ht on his heels. &%m$h,( he said, &if that was m famil. The would be here with

me. That’s what a !ood husband, a !ood soldier, does.( I frowned as he and *anc went u$ the

stairs. + ee twitched and m fist clinched. &*anc, scream if ou need anthin!.( Bob closed

the door.

I !runted as I watched the door, waitin! for a reason to bar!e in. "im walked over and

stood b me with a Aoke in his hand. %e took small si$s from it but didn’t sa anthin!. I knew

what he was trin! to do. I looked at him, and he eed me from his $eri$heral vision.

I si!hed. &Aome on.(

%e nodded and smiled.

&Ron, watch 'ane for me will ou>(

Ron nodded on the sofa, $lain! on his $hone while 'ane chased Ran!er around the

room, lau!hin! like a little hena.

"im and I went to the old rust attic where I stowed all m !ear. I even took a lon! !ander

at m old s$eed skis. In this da and a!e, hi!h velocit arctic ski trainin! is reFuired in the armed


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Winter / Ran H-

forces. 4ou mi!ht !et de$loed to an area of the world where the snow hills are abundant, but it’s

not too much of that around here. I cracked o$en a footlocker and then m !un safe. I !rabbed an

+H)G assault rifle from the safe, and when "im hefted m .?#caliber rifle, his ees s$arked.

&( I said.

&I haven’t seen this bab since m 5@)' das.(

&Aarl !ave me this before he went to @ast Joint.(

&@ast Joint> Weren’t we all there>(

&(

"im nodded. &4eah, eah, Aarl and I had that mission in the Bermuda Trian!le.(

&Ri!ht, ri!ht. That shit was nothin! com$ared to those old timer stories from WWK.(

&


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Winter / Ran H9

&It’s a ten ear difference ou know. 5ome thirt#ear#old loser messin! with some

twent#ear#old deer in the head li!hts. a$hne and I tried to talk her, but she won’t listen.(

I shot some rounds into the snow, and then readusted m sco$e. &%m$h, dude doesn’t

have a ob, and hadn’t for a while.(

&Well, he was in construction.(

&Jh33. )nd !ot fired, moved in with *anc, and he’d been livin! off her for the lon!est

time—true white trailer trash.( I em$tied m cli$ and reloaded. &%ow man times he went to

$rison>(

"im shru!!ed and crushed his can.

&a$hne and I never could understand wh *anc loved this man, this nobod.(

I went back to the window and resumed fire. )fter I em$tied m second cli$, I took a

dee$ breath and smiled from ear to ear. With ever shot, I !ot more e0cited and ke$t unloadin!

round after round. I ima!ined I was back in )frica, shootin! "ose$h ion’s militiamen in war

torn 5omalia, but then an!er churned in m !ut when the militiamen turned into ion, then Bob,

and then m hotheaded dad. I wanted nothin! more than to cut them all to ribbons. Dor a brief

second, thou!h, an ima!e of a beautiful brunette flickered in front of me—a$hne.

I’d em$tied the cli$, but held the tri!!er as I aimed the barrel out the window. "im laid his

hand on m shoulder. I $ulled m fin!er off the tri!!er and looked at him, and then let out a

breath I didn’t know I was holdin!. I shoved the rifle into the safe and did the same with the .?#

cal locked it u$ and headed for the door.

&1im,( "im said, &what’s u$>(

&*o—nothin!.(

"im !ave me a blank stare. &4ou’ve been takin! our meds>(


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Winter / Ran H?

&4ou’re m $ersonal doctor now>

&Aome on, man. What’s troublin! ou> Tell me.(

&%ow do ou know if anthin! is troublin! me>(

&Well, I am a thera$ist.(

&%m$h.(

&The wa ou look 8 it’s that same look ou alwas had when a$hne was actin!

funn.(

I !lared at him. &id ou and a$hne talk when I was awa in 5omalia>(

%e shook his head. &*o, but I knew what the deal was with ou two.(

I lifted m head and si!hed. I never liked mind !ames. It was nothin! but mind !ames in

the 5omalia J(

I si!hed. &4ou alread know the routine. 5ame reason as last time. But this time 8 I

don’t know, "im. I screwed u$, and I screwed u$ !ood this time.(

&I fi!ured as much.(

&4ou fi!ured>(

&4ou can screw u$ a !ood cu$ of coffee. )ll beans but no water.(

I !rinned and shook m head.


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Winter / Ran H

&I can see wh ou’re so $issed at Bob.( %ell, I am too. But he knows better, now that

he’s here. 'ook, I know ou and a$hne too well to know ou’re not !oin! to s$lit u$. I’ll $ut

m kid’s life on that.(

I smiled and nodded. "im alwas im$ressed me on how he could ust fi!ure stuff out.

That was one reason wh I liked him. It often saved me the embarrassment of havin! to tell him

mself. +ore than that, thou!h, "im was a !ood friend. +abe that’s wh his $atients ke$t

comin! back to him. (

%e lau!hed a little. &*o, it’s a famil discount.(


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Winter / Ran HC

I chuckled a bit.

&I told ou to $ut m shit b the wall dammit,( Bob shouted from the other room. "im

and I $aused and listened to the commotion downstairs.

&If ou for!ot m necklace, I swear to =od I’ll—(

&Bob,( *anc said. &I don’t know where it is.(

&"ust kee$ lookin! and don’t raise ou voice at me.(

"im si!hed. &I’ll !o handle it.( %e !ave a little wave, walked out, and went back

downstairs. It !ot real Fuite down there. "im must’ve entered Bob and *anc’s room. I !ot read

to head down too, but then I went over to shut the free3er and s$otted another dead rabbit. )fter

!rabbin! an old inection needle, I $um$ed the carcass full of hot water and some old human

blood I ordered offline. The blood was used for defensive $ractices a!ainst the snow.

I took it to the window. It was better to shoot somethin! with some heat in its bod, rather

than a cold, hard carcass that ust broke into $ieces when the bullets hit it—$lus, the snow

wouldn’t ust let it lie there.

I threw the rabbit outside, hi!h into the air as I could !et it. I raised the rifle and fired a

few times, but the bullet ust nicked it across the back. The rabbit $lummeted into the snow. I

waited, knowin! what would ha$$en with a warm bod full of human blood. With no hesitation,

the snow s$run! u$ in !iant white tentacles, !rabbed the rabbit and devoured it. 'ike some old

horror flick, the tentacles wi!!led like worms each one rid!ed with ic fan!s alon! its entire

len!th. The tentacles dra!!ed the rabbit down and out of si!ht, and I could soon hear the bones

of the rabbit crack and $o$ beneath the surface of the snow. "ust like that, the rabbit was !one.

I stared at the snow for a few minutes and thou!ht about m bos and a$hne—

es$eciall our bos, !iven the tension that remained with m wife. 1ach and +ick were out


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Winter / Ran HE

there in a store with =od knows who I never should have let them leave. amn federal

shutdown. o the reall have to dro$ all the $hone si!nals>

I shook m head and I !rabbed two more rabbits, $um$ed them with the usual uices, and

went back to the window. &=lobal warmin! and o3one de$letion m ass, ou were ust waitin!

for the ri!ht time to do us in. Weren’t ou>(

I tossed one carcass outside and it landed in a mound of snow. The snow mound created a

sinkhole for the carcass to dro$ into, and the drift closed over the ic tomb of the rabbit. I could

see the snow $ulsate, roil, $um$, and throbbed like a vorte0 with a heartbeat.

I frowned and watched as it devoured the flesh, crunchin! u$ the rabbit bones like a meat

!rinder, and then suckin! the fluids out as a s$ider does with a tra$$ed fl. &+abe we should

all do this. %an! from our attics and toss warm dead food to ou, huh> Better than ou killin!

millions each season, better than killin! m 8 m mom 8 and Aarl. I launched the other

s$oiled !ame hi!h into the air. &4ou 8 ou bi! white $iece of sh—(

) ver lar!e snow tentacle reached u$ and !rabbed the rabbit before it hit the surface. I

um$ed back a little and slammed the window shut. &=od.(

5oon after, loud noises came from Bob and *anc’s room. I sto$$ed and listened to what

was been said throu!h the walls. &5to$, sta awa,( *anc said.

&%e, he, wait. Think about this,( a faint voice said.

What the hell was !oin! over—>

BA! BA! BA!

&"esusL(

@ach time I heard the booms, m bod erked. I ran down the stairs and saw a blood

s$atter on m hallwa wall. Inside *anc’s room, Bob and "im stood with their ees wide and


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Winter / Ran HG

mouths hun! o$en. I !lanced over to see what the were lookin! at. It was *anc, shot in the

chest, one, two, three times, with a fourth bullet in the wall. The !un was on the floor ne0t to her.

&What ha$$ened>( I asked.

*either one answered.

&What ha$$ened dammit>(


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Winter / Ran 2

"im came downstairs as I s$rinted around the house trin! to find m little !irl. %e too

ran around the house with Ran!er ri!ht on his tale. &Ron, come on and hel$ us.( "im said. Ron

nodded and searched around the house with us. &What ha$$ened u$stairs>( he asked.

&I’ll e0$lain later.(

I searched throu!h the kitchen, the cabinets her little bod could fit into, the closets.

&'ane, 'ane. %one, where are ou>(

But I didn’t see her anwhere. +abe she’s hidin!> 5o man thin!s are wron! here. I

didn’t know what to make of it. + wife left me, m son are stranded at the store. *anc is dead,

and onl two who know how and wh won’t sa a damn word. 'ane is missin! in the middle of

all of this mess. I raised m voice as loud as I could. &'aneL(

The three of us re!rou$ed back in the livin! room. &5he’s nowhere,( "im said. &5he’s not

in the basement, not u$stairs in the other rooms.(

&Ron, where was the last $lace ou saw her>( I asked. Ron’s faced turned $ale. %e

stuttered over his words, makin! them worthless to listen too.

&+abe she went outside,( Bob said bumblin! down the ste$s.

&What ou sa>(

&+a 8 mabe she went 8 outside. 4ou know, to !o $la 8 $la in 8 the snow.(

&on’t ou freakin! move. on’t come an closer.(

Bob face was a sweatin! fountain. "im stood in front of me.

&1im, mabe he’s ri!ht. +abe 8( "im’s ees averted to the door. &+abe she—(

&4ou think I’m stu$id>( I said. &4ou think I’m that careless.(

&I didn’t sa that. I said—(


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Winter / Ran 2H

&


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Winter / Ran 22

4et it ust didn’t make an sense to me. *othin! added u$. I was so confused. I didn’t

know what to do. 5o I went into +arine mode, !rabbed one of the shirts I’d seen her wearin! in

the last cou$le das—$lain! a !amble. I went back downstairs to the livin! room, where

everone was still !athered.

&What are ou doin! with that>( "im asked.

I said nothin! and ust went to Ran!er and held 'ane’s shirt to its nose. ho$in! it could

!et her scent and then track her down. Ran!er looked at me with ees that seemed to tell me he

knew e0actl what I wanted him to do. %e sniffed the shirt and $ut his nose to the floor to sniff

around the house. %e soon went into the !ara!e and headed ri!ht to the side door that led outside.

Ran!er howled. I shook m head and closed m ees. *othin! la beond the door e0ce$t for

the death that awaited outside.

5o 8 it’s true. + little 'ane 8 5he’s out there all alone 8 in the snow. But how 8

screw it, Fuestions for later.

I ran to m closet and !ot m heav *itro winter !ear.

&What are ou doin!, 1im>( "im asked.

&I’m !oin! to !et m dau!hter back,( I said. &5he’s out there 8 somewhere.(

&What> Wait 8 wait. 1im. There’s no wa she’s out there. 'ike ou said, she couldn’t

even have !otten outside.(

I 3i$$ed u$ m full#bod coveralls and looked at him. &Then where is she> Where> Tell

me where and we will !o there to find her. Where in this house, "im> Where>(

&I don’t 8 I don’t know 8 but if she’s 8 if she’s out there, then 8 well, ou know, um,

I don’t know wh ou need to !o 8(


23/294

Winter / Ran 2-

I stared at him, darin! him to come ri!ht out and sa that if 'ane was out there, she was

alread dead. I rubbed the do!’s head, $ulled on a knit ca$, and fli$$ed u$ the hood of the *itro

clothin!. "im followed me around as I !ot $re$$ed. &Wait, 1im. 4ou can’t ust !o alone.(

I didn’t res$ond.

"im si!hed. &4ou can’t !o out there in the snow. 4ou won’t survive out there ou know

that. The snow will !et ou before ou even take two ste$s outside.(

I turned and looked at him, &It’s not often ou come to visit us, so ou obviousl don’t

know me ver well to sa that.(

I ran back u$stairs, closed the door where *anc was, and turned down the rooms

thermostat—federal $rocedure for dead bodies in the winter. I hurried into the attic to !et some

wea$onr to defend mself out in the cold. ( I asked him.

&What does it look like> I’m !oin! with ou whether ou liked it or not.(


24/294

Winter / Ran 29

&I be! to differ.(

I fast#drew m $istol and $ointed it at him. "im’s ees went wide he backed u$ and

slowl raised his hands. &1im, have ou lost our mind>(

I nodded. &4eah, it’s a $rett cra3 da.(

&4ou’ve been takin! our meds>(

&ammit, "im, don’t erk me off.(

&


25/294

Winter / Ran 2?

I $ointed m $istol at him. &)fter all, it’s better to have one full lun! than one with a

bunch of holes in it, ri!ht>(

Bob si!hed and then nodded. &)lri!ht, alri!ht, ust sto$ $ointin! that thin! at me, damn.(

)fter holsterin! m $istol, I went into the livin! room where Ron was.

&Ron,( I said, &suit u$, son. 4ou’re comin! with us.(

&But 8( Ron titled his head to !et "im’s attention.

&1im, come on.( "im said. &%e—(

I cut him off with a raised hand. &%e’s old enou!h and close enou!h to a man’s a!e to

find his little cousin.(

&1im, look we—(

I $ut m fin!er in "im’s face. &'ook, I took ou !us in. *ow ou freakin! brou!ht this

shit into m house. *anc’s dead, and nobod is sain! anthin! about that. + dau!hter is !one

and no one is sain! anthin! about that either. *one of ou are stain! in this house. *ow all of

ou !et our shit and come on.(

/////

In the !ara!e, "im, and Ron had on *itro coveralls ust like mine, includin! $ull#over ski

masks, hoods that had built#in infrared !o!!les, a watch on the ri!ht sleeve, and an ice $ick

attached to a small holster on the left. Bob had on what I called the &!uest( $air of coveralls,

which were reall ust a basic $air we ke$t in case someone needed them, but this $air had none

of the e0tra features of the other ones. &%urr u$, Bob.(


26/294

Winter / Ran 2

Bob !ot dressed I ke$t m ees on him, and he did the same with me. But I didn’t care.

This was no oke and I wasn’t !oin! to trust anone. I looked at Ron. %e tried to be a man and

hold in his tears. Tensions ran hi!h amon! us. I fi!ured I was the most wounded. + thou!hts

were all umbled u$, trin! to make sense of everthin!.

*anc, what the hell> + mone was on Bob, all the wa. %e drank and did dru!s, but I

couldn’t $rove it, and an $otential witnesses weren’t willin! to hel$ me. )nd m $oor 'ane, m

$recious 'ane 8 5he’s out there in that ni!htmarish winter—all ha$$ and e0cited to $la in the

snow, the wa a little kid used to feel in the old das. That’s how it should be. That’s how it

should be 8 that’s how it should be. I looked ahead, and the !re walls around me turned white.

The shelves with m tools on to$ turned white. The famil $hotos on the wall, the li!hts, the

!ara!e door, all turned white. + home faded into nothin! but crstal white. I was back, back in

the $resent, back in the endless desert of white sand. )nd et, I didn’t have a scratch on me.


27/294

Winter / Ran 2C

The Winter

December 21, 2049

7:00pm

Ran!er ke$t movin!, and sto$$ed onl to check for 'ane’s scent. It seemed like we’ve

followed him for das. I checked m watch. &*o wa.( We’ve followed the do! for around two

hours. It’s funn how that works. )s soon as I reali3ed how lon! we’ve been walkin!, I started to

feel fati!ue. The white, dead environment was !ettin! to me it was !ettin! to all of us. We

walked on adrenaline for the maorit of the search, and now we were hittin! the wall. Ran!er

sto$$ed, howled, and du! into the snow. %e must’ve s$otted somethin!. I o!!ed and stood over

him to see what it was, but a $art of me ho$ed it wasn’t what I thou!ht it mi!ht be.

&Jlease, =od, don’t let m 'ane be down there.(

Ran!er du!, and m ees !ot wider, and wider. + heart thrashed a!ainst m chest, but I

took a few dee$ breaths, trin! to kee$ m com$osure as I saw the snow around me roil. ) few

seconds later, I saw somethin! under the snow where Ran!er du!. It looked like 8 a boot. 'ike

'ane’s boot.

&


28/294

Winter / Ran 2E

I !rabbed the tedd bear, nodded once, and hu!!ed the bear like it was m little !irl

herself in m arms. "im turned awa and !lanced to the side, and Ron looked as if he was about

to e0$lode with tears. Bob must have stood behind me I didn’t reall care where he was anwa.

&*o no no.(

The snow formed tentacles a!ain.

&1im, everone 8( "im said. &Take a dee$ breath and calm down. "ust take it eas.

That’s it. Aalm. We’re no !ood to anone if we can’t kee$ a cool head now.(

%e was ri!ht, of course, and he hel$ed me to refocus and look at the facts. These items

seemed to sa that m little !irl was !one, and the snow must’ve !otten her. But wh ust one

boot> Wh is onl one here> +abe she’s still alive. +abe 'ane didn’t $ut it on ti!ht enou!h>

+abe some snow !ot in it> But none of that made sense.

*o, it was over. I un3i$$ed m coat, stuffed the bear inside, and then 3i$$ed back u$

before more bod heat could esca$e.

&I’m so sorr,( "im said, lain! a hand on m shoulder. &We should 8 We sh—( %e

stifled a sob. &We need to head back to the house.(

I nodded and stood u$. But Ran!er howled, and du! some more. I looked into the $it that

Ran!er e0cavated and saw a $air of !loves, a hat, two $airs of !o!!les and two coats.

&%uh>(

*one of these items were 'ane’s, ust the boot and the bear.

&Where did all this stuff come from>( "im asked. &*ot 'ane’s ri!ht>

I shook m head.

C"AC#$BLA!

We turned our heads at what sounded like a !unshot in the distance.


29/294

Winter / Ran 2G

&What the hell was that>( Bob asked.

I stood u$ and blinked. &on’t have an—Wait. 'isten 8(

) whooshin! sound echoed across the air, like somethin! was flin! toward us. It !ot

louder, but I couldn’t see anthin! throu!h all the snow that was comin! down. &'ook out,( Ron

said. ) !iant net a$$eared amidst the fallin! snow, and landed ri!ht on the entire !rou$ of us,

even the do!. It knocked us to the !round, and its wei!ht $ressed down on me. I turned and

!rabbed at the net, but it barel !ave at all. 5ome kind of metal allo.

Ron and Bob sFuirmed inside the net. &


30/294

Winter / Ran -

I sFuinted to see all the individuals that circled the net. +ore than thirt eas, ever one

of them wore the same kind of $rotective !ear we had, but theirs looked much more advanced.

@ach one carried automatic wea$ons and $ointed them in our direction as the looked at us. (

I eed the man, kee$in! m fin!er on the tri!!er of m tactical shot!un. Throu!h his

!o!!les, I saw ees that a$$eared to be of )sian ori!in.

&We’re searchin! for someone,( I said.

&Reall> Well, we’re lookin! for someone too,( the man stuck out his hand. &The name’s

)kin.(

I nodded and shook his hand. &1immer 8 or ust 1im. 5o what’s with the net>(

&Aouldn’t be too careful,( he smiled, but offered nothin! more. &


31/294

Winter / Ran -H

Before I could answer, Russell ste$$ed forward and $ointed at everthin! we’d found in

the snow. &Wait, what’s all this>( he asked with a li!ht Aaun accent.

&The do! found all this stuff in the snow, buried dee$,( "im said.

The four of them crouched down and looked at each of the items. I alread took 'ane’s

boot and bear. evena reached down and $icked u$ the !loves. &


32/294

Winter / Ran -2

In his aws, Ran!er held a $lastic fi!urine of a $ink snowman. The words %ro&e yourself

were written on it in blood.

We all knew what it was, we heard on the stories, the news bits, the hundreds of missin!

children and the !rievin! families that later found their dead bodies after the weather cleared.

The monster was here in 5cranton, our home. The infamous serial killer had come to our neck of

the woods this season, the vicious $redator, the 5nowoman.

@ven as m blood $ulsed with ra!e, m heart erked with fri!ht, but it didn’t matter. The

ra!e conFuered m fears. This time the sadistic 5nowoman had $icked the wron! famil to screw

with.


33/294

Winter / Ran --

The Winter

December 21, 2049

8:30pm

Before he died, m brother Aarl and I watched a documentar about some of the most

notorious serial killers that ever walked =od’s !ood earth. %e asked me who I thou!ht was

worst6 Aharles +anson r. eath Ted Bund the 1odiac the Jhoeni0 or the =rud!e. I

couldn’t answer that Fuestion at the time, but now. The answer is too eas.

)fter some discussion with )kin, we decided to head to the base he’d set u$ nearb, as it

was a lot closer than hikin! back to m house. )fter we arrived and started a fire, we talked

about how our children wandered off.

Russell shook his head and si!hed. &)le0is and )le0 went outside to !et some wood from

the back of the house. We brin! in firewood ever winter, so I fi!ured it wouldn’t be an issue.

The kids are twelve ears old, and the both had on *itro wear, so I ar!ued with m wife that

the were old enou!h.( %e looked down at the !round. &


34/294

Winter / Ran -9

fli!hts out, but I know he didn’t make it. I was on the $hone with him when the si!nal went

dead.(

(

evena $ulled out a handheld $ad. &I have a =J5 in the *itro coat I !ave Jam.

"im waved his fin!er at the men. &)nd ou !us all know each other, then>(

&Well, Ahris and I know each other,( Russell said, $ointin! at Ahris. &)nd our kids—

well, I mean, m ste$kids and his son $la to!ether, so eah.(

&Well,( Ahris raised his hand, &we don’t know each other that $ersonall, but our kids do

han! out to!ether. )nd evena here is an em$loee of mine who doesn’t live too far awa. )nd

if ou haven’t alread !uessed, I hired )kin and his team to find m son and their children as

well.(

Russell cleared his throat and nodded at us. &What about ou !us> %ow did our kid !et

out here> )nd how did ou find this s$ot>(

I nodded toward Ran!er. &The do! led us here. )nd m little !irl, she was, uh 8 let out

b someone in m house.(

&%ow does that ha$$en>(


35/294

Winter / Ran -?

I didn’t res$ond, but I wondered the same thin!, es$eciall since the other !us were

trin! to hide somethin! from me.

&The freakin! 5nowoman,( I muttered. &What are the odds>(

Ran!er ke$t sniffin! around and howled a!ain.

&It a$$ears that our do! is trin! to tell us somethin!,( evena said.

Ran!er howled toward the north. %e seemed to be actin! on the scent of the different

clothes.

&%is sniffin! could lead us to the 5nowoman,( Ahris said.

&o we reall want to find her>( Russell asked. &Aan’t believe it’s actuall a her .(

evena frowned and then shru!!ed. &)nd> Who !ives a fuF if it’s a she> She’s !ot m

child. The beeotch.(

%eh, I liked how she said the D and B words.

&Well, I don’t !ive a 8 fuF 8 if’s it’s a man, woman or +artian,( I said. &I do want to

find her.( I ho$ed Ran!er’s howl im$lied the children were indeed alive. &But most of all, I want

to find m kid.(

Ahris leaned a!ainst a tree trunk and si!hed. &=od, I ho$e the’re oka,( %e lowered his

head and covered his face as he sobbed. &+ bo 8 m bo is out there with that maniac bit—(

Ahris be!an to breathe heavil. %is ees went red, and his fist entered the bark of the tree

he leaned on. + ees—alon! with everone else—!rew. )kin ran over to Ahris as he $anted,

moaned, and reached for air over and over a!ain. )kin reached into Ahris’s side $ocket and

$ulled out a small case of $ills. )kin inserted the $ulls into Ahris’s mouth and his breathin!

slowed. )fter a shake of the head and nod of the chin, he turned to use and bowed his head.

&@0cuse me. I have a condition. When—when I !et real an0ious I 8 I 8(


36/294

Winter / Ran -

Ahris fell to his knees crin!, but evena $ulled him back u$. &%e, boss,( she said, &I

know how ou feel. I feel the same about m !irl bein! out here too. But losin! it here ain’t

!onna !et them back.(

Ahris nodded and calmed down, and I felt !ood about that, because the snow started to

move around us.

Russell !ot u$ and $aced around the fire. &What in the world is "anet !oin! sa when she

finds out about this> amn it.(

&It’s a !ood chance that the children are still alive,( "im said. &The 5nowoman alwas

cuts off the limbs first to !et her sick mental fantasies started. We onl found the clothes and

stuff, and we haven’t found an bod $arts et or an si!n of a stru!!le.(

&What about that whole %ro&e yourself thin! on the snowman fi!urine> What’s that all

about>(

&%mm, don’t know. The 5nowoman hasn’t done anthin! like that before. +ust be a new

!ame she’s $lain!.(

Bob snorted and walked over to us. &Whatever. The snow itself could have killed the

children 8 and the 5nowoman. Wh are we even wastin! our time out here>(

evena !rabbed Bob and $inned him a!ainst a tree. :amn; &We are out here because of

m !irl and the other missin! kids, assholeL(

&*o, we are out here because of somebod’s stu$idit. )nd that led us out here to find a

bunch of kids who mi!ht be alread dead.(

&4ou bastard,( I said.


37/294

Winter / Ran -C

evena held Bob ti!ht a!ainst the tree trunk I raised m shot!un and stuck the mu33le

a!ainst Bob’s head, read to $ut him out of his miser. &4ou’ve !ot no ri!ht ou—( )kin and

two of his men ste$$ed u$ to surround the three of us. &=et them off of me,( Bob said.

&Aalm down,( one of the men said.

I i!nored him. &4ou little $rick. 4ou’ve !ot no ri!ht to talk about someone bein! dead.

4ou—(


38/294

Winter / Ran -E

The !iant snow arm twirled Ron’s bod like a ra! doll, back and forth, back and forth. I

reached the bottom of the hill and $re$ared to $low into the snow to save him. But evena

!rabbed me b the arm. &*o don’t.(

&'emme !o.(

I tried m best to free mself from her stron! !ri$, but couldn’t. Dor a chick, she’s !ot

some stren!th. The snow around Ron o$ened u$ like a $it with teeth resemblin! icicles.

&


39/294

Winter / Ran -G

I wasn’t in the mood to talk. *ot to her. Because of her, I couldn’t !et to Ron, dammit.

Ron’s face still roamed throu!h m mind. What could I have done different to save him> 5hould

I have even brou!ht him out here> )ll these thou!hts tore throu!h m head. But it was too late.

)ll of it meant nothin!. + head was about to e0$lode all over evena.

+ dau!hter’s been kidna$$ed b some $scho killer. ) dead bod is back in m house,

and m famil is hidin! the truth from me. *ow Ron 8 is dead. I si!hed and ust stared u$ at the

moon. To to$ it all off, we were sittin! in a tree, wonderin! if we could !et down without the

snow eatin! us. I knew that was !oin! throu!h everone’s mind, and a$$arentl evena $icked

u$ on m broodin!. &Aome on, man. on’t worr.


40/294

Winter / Ran 9

I e0haled and nodded at her. 5he did the same but $added me on the shoulder. To m

sur$rise, that alone lifted m s$irits a bit.

To m far left, )kin climbed from tree to tree. &+ove from these trees and head to the

ones on the north side.(

&Is he cra3>( evena asked. &oes he e0$ect us to han! and swin! from a tree like a

monke>(

&Well, isn’t that what ou $eo$le are>( said someone in a nearb tree.

&Who the fuF>( evena re$lied.

I shined m flashli!ht and saw it was Bob who made that racist comment.

&Watch our mouth, Robert,( I said.

&on’t tell me what to do. We’re in the middle of nowhere in the snow, read to be ri$$ed

a$art b it, and it’s our fault.( Bob then turned his attention toward evena. &I mean, what kind

of mother loses her child, es$eciall out here> 4ou !us—all of ou—ust freakin! stu$id.(

&If we weren’t out here, ou wouldn’t be alive, asshole,( evena told Bob.

I noticed that Bob’s tree looked like it was 8 movin!. + =od, that tree is actuall

movin! its branches.

&Bob, !et out of the tree,( I said.

@ven as I said it, several tree branches bent toward Bob from his rear, as if it was a sneak

attack.

&*o wa, man,( Bob said. &I’m not !ettin! off this tree. 4ou’re trin! to kill me, aren’t

ou>(

&The tree branches behind ou.(


41/294

Winter / Ran 9H

&+an, shut u$,( Bob said. &I’m tired of our bull 8 and this thin! ou !ot a!ainst me. I

didn’t do anthin! to her 1im.(

evena shot a bullet at one of the movin! tree branches to shut Bob u$. &=et out of the

damn tree ou idiot. The branches are movin!.(

Bob lau!hed. &Whatever, ou !us are so full—)hhhhL(

) tree branch knocked Bob from his $erch and he fell, but cau!ht onto another branch

that wasn’t movin!.


42/294

Winter / Ran 92

I !rimaced as I watched )kin move like some un!le cat. %e was easil the most fle0ible

and a!ile of all of us. )kin sto$$ed and $ositioned himself on a tall oak tree in the northern stand

of trees.

&What’s he doin!>( evena said in a tree ne0t to me.

I sto$$ed, hun! from a branch, and $ulled mself u$ to watch. evena did the same and

$ointed. &'ook.( )kin took out a colla$sible sni$er rifle from his back$ack, o$ened it u$, and

took aim in our !eneral direction.

&What the hell is he doin!>( evena said. &


43/294

Winter / Ran 9-

I nodded and swun!.


44/294

Winter / Ran 99

The snow !ot closer and closer to her cau!ht boot, read to attack. I ke$t $ullin! at the

branch, but it was ust too stron!.

BLA!

&)hhhhh shit,( evena said. &What the hell>(

) !unshot to the foot. The shot, however, released her foot from the branch, and the snow

absorbed and fed on the blood left on the branch b the !unshot wound. I looked down and saw

that Bob had shot the bullet, but before I could sa anthin!, I heard )kin’s voice.

&'et’s move, $eo$le,( he said. &There’s a cave ust ahead where we should be able to find

shelter.(

I saw the remainin! !us, includin! Bob, all climb and swin! forward as fast the could.

evena, however, ust looked at me. &I can’t move, man. + foot 8 It hurts too much.(

I nodded and then looked down. We were $rett close to the !round, and onl about

twent ards from the cave. The snow drifted to at least a cou$le of feet dee$ below us. I twisted

around on m branch so I faced evena’s back.

&"ust sta calm and be read to move, oka>( I said to her. &)nd 8 this mi!ht hurt a

little.(

5he looked back over his shoulder at me. &Wh> What are ou !oin! to—)hhhhhL(

evena sailed throu!h the air thanks to a double#footed $ush from me. 5he landed softl

in the snow below and tried to stand.

&amn man,( she said.

&5orr. "ust sta calm, remember>( I said.

&I can’t 8 =od, I can’t walk.(

&Arawl. "ust crawl. *ice and eas.(


45/294

Winter / Ran 9?

I swallowed hard as I watched evena crawl the last few ards toward the cave. &5hit, I

shouldn’t have done that.( I had to !o down and save her. ) moment later, thou!h, )kin ran out

and hel$ed her the rest of the wa onl as a few small snow tentacles formed and took aim at

evena.

I took a few dee$, calmin! breaths, and then um$ed down into the snow mself. It was a

harder fall than I e0$ected, and I almost s$lit m left le! in two. But I made it.

&I think ou’re the last two. ee$ !oin! 8 dee$er,( )kin said. %e handed evena off to

me and shined a bri!ht flashli!ht ahead of us. &It’s a lot warmer and moister in here, we should

be safe here.(

I nodded and hel$ed evena alon!. &5orr about that.( I said.

&7r!h, could !ive a !irl a detailed warnin! before ou kick her to the curve,( she said.

&I did !ive ou a warnin!.(

&I said a detailed warnin!, man.(

I !rinned a little, then shook m head. 5oon enou!h, evena and I heard some of the

other men mill ahead of us. We saw them in the li!ht of )kin’s beam. &%e, ou hurt, evena>(

one of the men asked. We hel$ed evena into a seated $osition a!ainst the side wall of the cave.

It was Ahris who asked, as he walked u$ to us.

&5he’s been shot,( I said.

&What> B who>(

We all heard somebod screamed and shoot from the direction of the cave entrance, and

he was !ettin! closer to us. We turned and aimed our wea$ons. But when we saw who it was, all

in the !rou$—e0ce$t me—$ut their !uns down. It was Bob, haulin! ass into the cave.

&It’s me. I’m oka,( Bob said.


46/294

Winter / Ran 9

&That’s the $roblem,( I said.

&%e, lower ou !un,( Ahris said.

I didn’t res$ond. evena scooted into a more comfortable $osition. &If ou !us !ot some

mushroom ti$ issues to work out, then settle it when we all !et the hell out of here.(

&%e shot ou, evena,( I said, still eein! Bob with m shot!un leveled at him.

&Well—eah, but it saved m life, didn’t it>(

I si!hed and lowered m wea$on. I couldn’t ust shoot Bob at $oint#blank ran!e. I didn’t

have $roof that he what he did at m house, but I knew that if I let him live lon! enou!h, the

truth would come out, es$eciall in this environment, in this white death tra$.

We settled in and one of )kin’s men made a fire, and we all sat and watched as the smoke

wis$ed its wa u$ throu!h cracks in the cave’s clamm ceilin!. The ni!ht outside !rew darker,

and the cold wind moaned at the entrance. 5omethin! told me that we were !oin! to be in here

for a while. I didn’t mind, thou!h. I needed the rest.

) $art of me, thou!h, felt that in this cave were more than ust us men lookin! to save our

children. 5omethin! lurked in here. I mi!ht be $aranoid ri!ht now, but sometimes bein! $aranoid

can kee$ ou alive.


47/294

Winter / Ran 9C

The Winter

January 1, 2050

It was *ew 4ear’s a. I’d be fort#one ears old in two months. In those comin! two

months, I ho$ed the snow would die down. 5ome ears, we’d had ust normal winters. *o real

bli33ards or snowstorms and hardl an snow. 5ometimes the countr never reall shut down. It

was ust $ut on standb de$endin! on the weather. We had winters that were so nice, ou

would’ve thou!ht it was summer. 5till the !overnment took no chances, so the kids and all us

!rown folks didn’t have to !o to school or work. Those warmer winters with no snow ended u$

bein! a lot of fun, but not this time. This time, the winter was terrible, and not ust the weather.

This winter was worse because of all that trans$ired. Ron was dead "im mi!ht’ve been

too. I didn’t have to sa it a!ain to the !us I was with. I’d said it man times in this cave how

messed u$ this whole situation was, and these men knew it themselves all too well after these

$ast few weeks. We’d been stuck in this hole since late last ear, thanks to bli33ard#like

conditions that never let u$, startin! the da after we made it into the cave. )kin, thou!h, had

$acked $lent of survival food, and we found a small s$rin! dee$er in the caves. )fter all, it

wasn’t like we were !oin! to !o out to collect some snow to melt for water.

I !ot somewhat comfortable, and m mind drifted back to the last da I was with m wife

and kids. )fter that da, m week went strai!ht to the lowest de$ths of hell.

I remembered it so vividl. It was a few das after I !ot back from a recent tour in

"ohannesbur!, the final weeks of autumn $assed b Fuickl. ecember 2H was around the blasted

corner. But the wa the weather forecast looked, the heav snow would likel come earlier than

that. It became clear to me that it was !oin! to be a dan!erous winter. + $lan was to finish


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Winter / Ran 9E

!ettin! everthin! read, lock down the house and s$end some Fualit time with the wife and

kids.

&1ach, is the winteri3ation furnace on>( a$hne asked.

+ son 1ach ran back down the stairs a!ain. &*ot et, +om—but almost.(

&Well, hurr. ( m oun!est son +ick asked.

1ach still ran around the house. &*ot et. +om wants me to kee$ checkin! the furnace to

see if it revs u$.(

a$hne ban!ed her knuckles on the table. &%urr u$ bos.(

'ane bounced around the house like a h$eractive bunn. &Winter is comin!, winter is

comin!. I !et to see the snow.(

5oon enou!h, a$hne !ot on the $hone with the insurance a!enc. &4es, I like to s$eak

with someone about !ettin! the su$er#!enerators turned on in m house.(

a$hne turned around and sna$$ed her fin!ers at me. &7h, 1im.(

&4eah, hone.(

&Take these forms to the a!enc for me>(

&What> Aan’t we ust submit the forms online>(

&4eah, but I need ou to $ick u$ a few thin!s too. ill two birds with one stone.(


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Winter / Ran 9G

&7h, oka, but it’s easier to ust do the forms online, isn’t it>( I’m not trin! to ar!ue here.

Aan ou $lease for once ust do what I want>(

I sto$$ed and stared at her for a moment. &What’s that su$$ose to mean>(

5he rolled her ees, !ot out of the chair, and went u$stairs. I don’t like it when $eo$le

don’t answer me—I reall don’t—so she had me about as wound u$ as I can !et.

&add, add, let me come with ou,( 'ane ran toward me like a ha$$ $u$$.

&@hh, I don’t know,( I said.

&Jleeeaaase, $lease, add, $lease. I love ou add $lease.(

%ow could I sa no to that>

& Well, I’m !oin! to the a!enc and I’m su$$osed to $ick u$

some stuff on the wa back. What does she want>(

&7h no, that’s oka Jo$s. +om, uh, wants us to !o, so we’ll !et it for her.(

&4eah, no $robs Jo$s,( +ick said. &We’ll !et the stuff for her. We ust need to borrow

our truck.(


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Winter / Ran ?

1ach $unched +ick in the arm after he threw that little remark out to me.

&( I said.

&Aome on Jo$s, it’s not winter et,( 1ach said. &We’ll be back before ou know it.(

I $ut m fin!er on m chin. Aould I trust them with m truck in the snow conditions> I

checked m $hone for the current weather.

&Jo$s, we $romise,( +ick said. &We’ll be back in time, $romise, come on.(

I si!hed. &


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Winter / Ran ?H

indeed at the store. I felt a little more at ease, even thou!h the snow $icked u$. 5till, there

couldn’t have been more than five inches on the !round. We were still safe.

&Is the snow mad at ou or somethin! add>( 'ane asked me from her car seat.

I chuckled a little. &*o, hone, it’s not mad at me.( I !lanced at the road as the

snowflakes came down. &It’s ust mad at everbod.(

5he shook her head. &That’s weird.(

'ane si!hed and we fell into an uneas silence. &5o sweetie, how’d ou like livin! with

momm in +e0ico>

&Its fine,( she said, with no e0$ression on her face.

&Is she treatin! ou ri!ht down there>( I asked.

&4eah,( she said, lookin! outside.

I could tell 'ane didn’t like livin! there because she didn’t talk about it too much. %er

real mother lived in a $art of +e0ico where dan!er was like recess. ru!s and stuff were shi$$ed

back and forth in that area.

5till, I loved to talk 'ane, and she loved to talk to me. I fi!ured the onl !ood thin! about

winter comin! was we’d s$end it to!ether.

&%e, add,( 'ane said.

&4es, hone>(

&'et’s sin! that son!.(

&What son!>(

&The OI 'ove 4ou’ son!.(

&4ou still remember that son!, sweetie>(

&7h, eah, add,(


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Winter / Ran ?2

&


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Winter / Ran ?-

I sli$$ed out of 'ane’s room to look for a$hne. I ho$ed to smooth thin!s out now that

the house was nice and Fuiet. I found her in our bed with her $hone in hand, te0tin! awa. The

TN across from her featured a bli33ard warnin! and news cli$s of the 5nowoman $redator6 some

female nut#ob that kills durin! the winter months. I sto$$ed in the doorwa and $ursed m li$s.

"ust lookin! at her lon! brunette hair, her !loss li$s, and her slim toned le!s, mesmeri3ed me

ever time. I took a dee$ breath and a$$roached her.

&%e, I didn’t e0$ect to find a se0 Fueen waitin! on m bed when I !ot home.(

5he didn’t even look u$.

I um$ed on the bed behind her, kissed her neck, and slid m hands around her stomach.

5he leaned forward and $ulled out of m !ras$. I si!hed and decided to take thin!s a little

slower. I rubbed her u$$er back and $ressed in on her shoulders. 5he ust !ot ti!hter around the

shoulders and neck. I didn’t !et it—and I didn’t like the vibe I was !ettin! from her. I threw u$

m hands and asked, &What is our $roblem>(

&4ou,( she said, slammin! the $hone onto the bed.

The last shred of $atience inside of me sna$$ed. &%uh>( What do ou mean me> 4ou’re

the one with the attitude.(

a$hne $ushed herself off the bed and faced me. & What thin!s didn’t !o m wa>(

&


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Winter / Ran ?9

'ane rather than s$endin! time with me and our bos—es$eciall knowin! the little time we had

in the fall.(

With her final words, she was so close to me that I felt her s$it on m face.

&4ou have !ot to be okin!. 4ou think I want to be with her> Is that what this is about> Is

that wh ou’re so an!r with me>(

&Wh else ou would volunteer to !o on another tour> That’s our chance to !o to

another out$ost somewhere, like ou did the first time in +e0ico.

&4ou think I would risk m life to !o somewhere to be with another woman> I could do

that — look I’m not seein! her, oka. )nd besides, a$hne, it’s not voluntar. It’s reFuired

service. I still had two more ears on m active#dut contract to fulfill until I was cut loose. The

onl reason I’m back now is because of how far we !ot in the war. 4ou know that. Besides, ou

never acted sad or an!r when we were !oin! out and havin! fun.(

&Well, I !uess I’m ust as !ood an actor as ou are, 1im. )ctin! like ou care, actin! like

ou’re such a !ood father to our sons—when all ou reall care about is our other life.(

)s we elled at each other, I thou!ht about 'ane. 5he could be listenin! to me and her

ste$mom ar!ue. 5he mi!ht think bein! here with us was no different than bein! at home in

+e0ico. This e0$erience mi!ht remind her of the relationshi$ her real mom and I had when I

came to visit.

&


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Winter / Ran ??

&


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Winter / Ran ?

&( I asked.

I dro$$ed to m knees to hel$ her, but she $ushed me awa.

&=et the hell awa from meL(

5he had what looked like a fresh welt on her left cheek. %uh> But 8 she 8 smacked the

ri!ht side of her head when she fell. I reached out to touch her face, but she sla$$ed awa m

hand, um$ed u$, and ran down the stairs. I ran down after her she !rabbed her coat out of the

closet, and blinked throu!h her tears. I knew where she was !oin!, whenever the both of us had

issues6 her mother’s.

&Who hurt ou>( I asked.

5he looked at me with such dread. 5he shook her head and ran into the !ara!e, then !ot

into her car and o$ened the !ara!e door. I couldn’t ust let her leave without answerin! m

Fuestion.

&Who hurt ou>(

5he turned on the car and !lared at me. &)re ou some kind of $scho> +abe ou

should’ve staed in that cra3 $lace over there in )frica, since ou wanna be anwhere but here.

5he s$ed off, almost ri$$in! off m fin!ers from the door handle.

I watched as she tore down the drivewa I si!hed and closed the !ara!e door. I still

wondered wh a$hne had fallen—and how she’d !otten that fresh bruise on her face. I went

back inside and headed to the bathroom. I $ut some cold water on m face, but soon a stin!in!

sensation struck m ri!ht hand 8 like I hit somethin! hard. I looked at m hand, and it all came

to me.

a$hne’s bruise and her fall were because of me, because I hit her.

&


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Winter / Ran ?C

I didn’t remember doin! it at all. I thou!ht about the war in 5omalia—how I would !et so

mad at somethin! or somebod that I would do somethin! irrational 8 like shoot down an entire

$latoon of 5omali or *i!erian freedom fi!hters.


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Winter / Ran ?E

The to$ of m head was cho$$ed off b a machete. 'ane, 1ach, +ick, a$hne, the children of

5omalia, the ion brothers, all shouted, &add, add, addL(

Blood and $ieces of brain tissue s$illed all over the snow. It devoured ever morsel of

me that fell onto its white fields. &4ou are one of them,( "ose$h said. &)nd one of us, 1immerth

+ac.(

'ane shouted, &add, %el$ meL(

I erked u$ward into a sittin! $osition, heart $oundin!, sweat all over, and with a bad

chest $ain. *e0t thin! I knew, I was back, back in the $resent, back in the cave. The men stared

at me as I cau!ht m breath. (

&I’m 8 eah,( I said. &I 8 ust had a 8 a bad dream.(


59/294

Winter / Ran ?G

The Winter

January 1, 2050

12:30pm

B this time, we’d all !otten to know each other $rett well, me, Ahris, evena, Russell

8 Bob. )kin, thou!h, had disa$$eared one ni!ht and was nowhere to be found. Ahris didn’t look

worried.

&Where is our bo 8 )kin>( evena asked Ahris.

Ahris shru!!ed. &I reall don’t know, but he deals with this kind of weather all the time.

%e should be alri!ht.(

Three others also made it out of the woods with us one of them was a bi! lumberack

lookin! !u named 5$ace. The other was Dred, a "ewish dwarf, and Aod was a fit 'atino with

a thin mustache.

%ours later, we all sat around the fire listenin! to another one of evena’s funn stories.

evena was the one $erson out of all these man who tried to cheer us u$ with interestin! or

humorous stories, either from her own life or from somethin! she’d heard or read. =ood thin!

the inur in evena’s foot was onl a flesh wound, so she was still able to move around after

onl a few das in the cave.

%er hood was down and I could better see what she looked like. 5he was cuter than I

thou!ht, with her lon! dark curl hair and all. *o, no she wasn’t cute she was actuall beautiful.

Aute and beautiful are on two different levels in m book. It added to her humorous nature. It

was hard not to stare at her. I was like all the other fools in here, starin! at the onl woman in the

whole !rou$. Dor her to come out here, she $robabl had more balls than a Fuarter of the men in


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Winter / Ran

this state. The wa she handled Bob and this whole situation thus far, I knew she could handle

herself. 5he had to be a sin!le mom for her to come out here, or her man was ust a freakin! 8

beeotch. ) lau!h found its wa throu!h m nostrils when I said that. 5he wasn’t a comical

woman, but she knew what it took to li!hten the mood. Bob, thou!h, didn’t like it at this

moment.

&Is that all ou do, ust oke around>( Bob asked.

evena didn’t even acknowled!e him. Bob $icked u$ a rock and threw it at evena.

&%e man, what is our $roblem>( evena asked Bob.

Bob frowned, !ot u$ and walked awa. I saw him !lare at Dred as he $assed b. I alread

had m doubts about Bob. 'atel, he would alwas fiddle with his necklace, but at an an!le awa

from us so that no one could see him. Bob sto$$ed several ards awa from the fire. %is hand

reached into his coat, and he fished around until he $ulled out that necklace a!ain.

&What’s with ou and that necklace, man>( Russell called out to him. &4ou married to it

or somethin!>(

Bob didn’t answer or even turn in his direction. I rolled m ees. I’d never liked him, not

one bit. )nd now, with all that had ha$$ened at m house, I liked him even less. I was !oin! to

find out the truth. I knew he had somethin! to do with *anc’s death. I don’t !ive a damn what

"im said.

Dor a few moments, no one s$oke, and we could onl hear the howl of the wind whistlin!

throu!h the cave. )s alwas, m mind went to 'ane, m bos, and even a$hne. I said a Fuick

$raer that the would all be oka, and that a$hne would for!ive me. I thou!ht about the ones

who alread died, and where "im could be.

B''!


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Winter / Ran H

)n e0$losion came from farther back in the cave. &What in the fuF was that>( evena

shouted above the echo that washed over us. It hit m ears like a ra!in! roar as it rumbled the

cave to its core. &(

To m sur$rise, all of the other men a!reed. I !uess waitin! here with nothin! to do was

worse than !oin! to see what blew u$.

We ventured farther into the moist, hollow cave, and came to a fork that s$lit into two

corridors. I looked at Ahris, who led with me. I didn’t know his back!round, other than he was

su$er#rich, but he was $rett shar$ in terms of militar tactics.

&We should s$lit u$ into two !rou$s,( Ahris said. &1im, evena, 5$ace, Aod, ou

check the ri!ht side. Russell, Dred, Bob, and I will check out the left side.(

@verbod a!reed e0ce$t me, but I didn’t sa anthin! out loud. )s the other !us s$lit

into their !rou$in!s, I $ulled Ahris to the side.

&I wouldn’t recommend takin! Bob,( I whis$ered to him.

&4ou !ot a better idea>( Ahris whis$ered back.

I looked at him and !lanced at Bob as he $re$$ed his wea$on. &*o, not reall,( I said.

The two !rou$s $roceeded down the assi!ned tunnels, shinin! a flashli!ht to illuminate

the $aths. evena and I took the lead in our !rou$, with 5$ace and oun! Aod not far behind

us. I noticed how the tunnel !rew narrower as we went farther.

&5o how are ou doin! man>( evena asked me.

I shru!!ed. &Better than the dead.(


62/294

Winter / Ran 2

evena looked back over his shoulder and leaned closer to me. &%e, I reall don’t know

that much about what ha$$ened with ou and the others ou came with, ust the bits ou’ve told

me. But ou shouldn’t blame ourself for what ha$$ened 8 es$eciall with Ron.(

I frowned. I’d never talked to her or anbod else in the cave about Ron and what I

thou!ht about it. @ven thou!h we’d been in the cave for some time since Ron had died, I staed

Fuiet, not sain! much. Wasn’t much to sa anwa. )nother member of m famil had died,

and it all started with us bein! out here when we shouldn’t have been.

I took a dee$ breath and nodded at evena. &Thanks for the whole Ocheer u$’ thin!.

4ou’re !ood at that. But I’m not in the mood ri!ht now, nor do I know ou that well to talk about

it.( I tried to come across as $olite but firm. 5he !ave off that harsh si!h a!ain, but then.

&I understand,( evena said. &I never liked to talk about the death of m husband to

anone, either. But I reali3ed that in time I had to ust let it !o and e0$ress how I felt to

someone.(

*ow she !ot me curious. &%ow did that feel, finall talkin! to someone about that>(

&7h 8 Well, I don’t know et. 4ou’re the first $erson I told about it. I 8 I ust had all

this time to think about it, and I know it’s eatin! me u$, so 8 Well, here I am, talkin! about it.(

I slowed down and almost sto$$ed. Bo did that stom$ me. 5he reall must have had a

lot on her $late. 5he seemed so calm and cool about everthin!.

&5o, +s or +r#is. evena, how did our husband die>( Aod asked.

evena and I turned around to find Aod and 5$ace ri!ht on our tails.

&+an, don’t be askin! someone that.( 5$ace said.

evena looked at me, shook her head and smiled. &I’ll tell ou when ou turn black, lose

our mushroom ti$, and take m last name and social securit number.(


63/294

Winter / Ran -

( 5$ace whis$ered.

&5ounds like someone’s stomach is !rumblin! or !rowlin! 8 or achin!,( Aod said.

&


64/294

Winter / Ran 9

somethin! above us and shined m flashli!ht in that direction. I saw a lar!e fissure directl

overhead, lar!e enou!h that a few wis$s of snow swirled downward from outside.

&


65/294

Winter / Ran ?

5$ace sto$$ed, ammed his hands into his acket $ockets and soon $roduced a small

electronic device.

&What is that>( evena said.

&=us, we need to kee$ movin!,( I said.

evena nodded and $ulled bi! ass 5$ace alon!.

&=J5,( 5$ace said. %e looked at the device and tried to walk strai!ht, but ke$t

stumblin!. &It’s su$$osed to be locked on to the other !rou$’s si!nal.(

I looked at evena and she ust shru!!ed, no doubt also wonderin! wh Ahris wouldn’t

have told us about the =J5.

)fter 5$ace $laed with the device for a few seconds, it bee$ed.

&5hh,( I said.

)head of 5$ace and me, evena $anted. &Aan ou 8 see 8 where the are>(

"AAAHHH"""""!

&+ove,( I said.


66/294

Winter / Ran

see him anmore. I turned back to 5$ace and took a dee$ breath to calm mself ust in time to

see the snow mound form into si0 tentacles with shar$ ti$s, which skewered 5$ace.

&)hhhh. %el$. Jlease hel$L( 5$ace shouted.

I took a ste$ to hel$ him, but I knew it was too late. I closed m ees, turned, and headed

for evena.

"AAAHHH"""""!

The bear 8 5he was maulin! 5$ace. The blood#curdlin! screams of that $oor man ran!

in m ear. It reminded me of when I was in )frica, fi!htin! in the war, hearin! the cries of oun!

men fallin! to their deaths as the were shot to $ieces. It also reminded me of Ron. I shoved it all

aside and ran to catch u$ to evena, feelin! like I was headin! down a sli!ht slo$e.

I !ot farther awa from the bear and 5$ace, but his screams didn’t seem to fade from m

mind. It wasn’t until I hit a dark corner that I finall found some $eace. I sto$$ed to take a

minute to catch m breath and calm down. I shined m li!ht all around and u$ at the ceilin!.

Dortunatel, I saw no snow around this $art of the cave, and it felt moist and almost warm. I

fi!ured I reached some of the lower $arts of the caverns. Wherever I was, I had no idea of

evena’s location. 5he com$letel disa$$eared.

I took a moment to !ather m thou!hts and fi!ure out what to do ne0t. I decided to kee$

headin! downward until I found another tunnel that would ho$efull lead u$ward. )s I

ourneed farther in, I found a river flowin! throu!h sort of an inner sanctum. I looked around

and saw—and heard—nothin!. Where was the other !rou$> The onl wa to find them would be

with 5$ace’s 8

I si!hed.


67/294

Winter / Ran C

To !et the =J5, I would have to !o back toward the cave where those bears were, where

Aod’s bod likel laid on the !round, man!led. + heart throbbed. I reall didn’t have a choice

in the matter. evena was !one, so Ahris and his !rou$ were m best bet, shit 8 'ane.

I muster u$ the coura!e to !o back and retrieve the =J5. I ho$ed it was still on the

!round near where Aod was attacked. Before I left the river cave, I checked m wea$ons and

decided to switch to m $istol, which I carried in m ri!ht hand. In m left, I clutched m

flashli!ht, but also had an ice $ick han!in! b a loo$ from that wrist.

I cre$t back toward the cave. +ost of the snow on the !round was scattered, and I ke$t

mself calm, so I didn’t have to worr much about that. I reached the $oint where Aod was

attacked. I shined m flashli!ht back and forth over his remains, then sto$$ed mself from

throwin! u$. I had to suck it in and kee$ on !oin!—Dor 'ane. I shined the li!ht around a!ain,

but didn’t see the =J5 anwhere. I stood there for a few seconds, knowin! that the =J5 had to

be around there somewhere.

Bee%) Bee%) Bee%)

&The =J5.(

I !ot e0cited, but soon reali3ed where it was comin! from6 the bear $it. )s I moved in that

direction, the bee$in! !rew louder—alon! with some moanin!, which I could onl assume came

from the bear. The bee$s and moans !rew louder, so did the beats and the aches in m heart. The

$ain !ot unbearable, like m heart would soon e0$lode out of m chest. In fact, m chest

ti!htened u$, and it sto$$ed me in m tracks. I ho$ed that all the stress wasn’t !oin! to !ive me a

heart attack—somethin! that I’d feared for a lon! time une0$ected heart $roblems ran in m

famil. I took a few dee$ breaths and rechecked m wea$on, then cre$t forward.


68/294

Winter / Ran E

I !ot to the end of the tunnel and craned m neck to $eek into the bear cave. The cubs

were all back to slee$, but the mother bear la on the !round. 5he twisted, turned, and moaned.

Bee%) Bee%) Bee%)


69/294

Winter / Ran G

In the li!ht of the moon, I looked around to see what I could do. I saw the river. It hit me.

+ survival classes from the Aor$s, I remembered m instructor tau!ht us how to survive in

these kinds of conditions. I took a dee$ breath, um$ed into the river, and ho$ed what I’d been

tau!ht worked. I surfaced and saw the bear emer!e from the cave. It followed in m tracks to the

river’s ed!e and stood there, eein! me. It !rowled but didn’t have the balls to come into the

water. I staed in this ridiculousl cold water for at least ten minutes, and let the river !uide me

downstream. The bear followed me down the shoreline, but still didn’t come in. It ust waited to

kill me when I came out. I’d been in the water lon! enou!h. I swam toward the shore o$$osite of

the bear.

I emer!ed from the river like a man who been ba$ti3ed. + nearl frostbitten hands

touched the snow, and I ke$t m ees shut ti!ht in case m idea didn’t work. I at least wouldn’t

have to see mself !et eaten alive b the snow. I waited a few moments, and I o$ened m ees. I

was still alive and intact. + instructor had been ri!ht about lowerin! our tem$erature so low

that the snow couldn’t sense our bod heat. )nd the !ear I had on hel$ed out a lot too. +

emotions, thou!h, still ran wild, so I took a few dee$ breaths and calmed mself. I looked u$ and

saw that the bear decided to swim across in its $ursuit of me. I !ot u$ and clutched m ice $ick,

knowin! that m $istol and shot!uns wouldn’t be worth a damn until I !ot a chance to dr them

out and clean them.

The bear lumbered toward me, bellowin! a $owerful roar. I stood m !round, read to

defend and attack. The bear rose u$ and swun! its fore$aws at me. I ducked, dod!in!, swun! m

ice $ick. The bear ke$t comin!. It !ot a $iece of m overcoat, but I !ot in a !ood swin! of m

$ick and tore off a chunk of its fur. The bear roared as its blood dri$$ed onto the snow. I could do

this. I could survive.


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Winter / Ran C

The snow rose u$ in front of me. ammit.

+ adrenaline raced alon! with m heartbeat I knew I’d lost all the advanta!e. The snow

!rew four tentacles. &I swun! at the bear, but the snow tentacle blocked m hit.

&%ol +ar.(

I struck a!ain, and the tentacle swatted m arm awa. I couldn’t believe it. The bear

struck, and so did the snow. I fell back, $icked u$ some lar!e rocks around me, and hurled them

at the bear. The snow’s tentacle smacked them awa.

&4ou !ot to be kiddin! me.(


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Winter / Ran CH

I fell to the !round in a!on. The bear and the snow tentacles rushed toward me. The

snow beneath me ate awa at m !ear.

This is 8 the end. =oin! 8 to die. I’ll 8 never 8 never see m 'ane a!ain. *ever see

8 1ach 8 +ick 8 a$hne 8 a!ain.

@ven amidst the $ain in m chest, ima!es flashed before m ees. Bob, he was !oin! to

!et awa with murder. The damares came, the headless cor$ses, the war. It all came to me in a

matter of seconds.

)nother stab of $ain. &7r!!h. amn it all.(

'ane 8 5he’s e out there, !ettin! molested b a $redator that thinks the winter is a !ood

time for her sick !ames.

The bear came at me, I snarled. &amn ouL amn ou allL(

I $ro$$ed mself u$ and hurled m ice $ick at the bear. I fell ri!ht back down the ache

had its wa with me. The snow swooshed around me. + ees fluttered 8 and finall closed.

&This is 8 the end, isn’t it>(


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Winter / Ran C2

The Winter

January 4, 2050

It was cold. Was I dead> If I was, I wouldn’t know it anwa, would I>

I o$ened m ees after a series of horrible dreams, a dream about m wife slee$in! with

the "ose$h ion. ) dream about m little !irl lost in the snow, a dream about m deceased

brother, a dream about e0$lodin! little limbs, and a dream about a memor.

The memor. The da we raided the secret militia base in @ast Joint, we uncovered a

massive human e0$eriment o$eration in one of ion’s bunkers. ion’s men $erformed

unauthori3ed brain trans$lants on enem ca$tives. @0$osed skulls and brains la on the table.

Two of m men—"esse and Walt, both around twent five—stood ne0t to me. We were

surrounded b a !rou$ of oun! ion soldiers no older than fourteen. ( he asked, &ou>(

*either of us res$onded, but I reco!ni3ed the man’s face, thou!h. It was $osted in the

mission files, all over the internet, and even the billboards. The man was none other than "ose$h

ion.

%is Fuiverin! frown turned into a cree$ smile. &%mm, ou must be wonderin! how I

found ou, no> 4ou $eo$le have $eo$le on da inside dat I love. I have brains of m !reatest

s$ies, embedded in our units. I sim$l asked dem, what’s the ti$ to$ o$eration>(


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Winter / Ran C-

I heard rumors that this !u loved to boast about how he mana!ed to $ull off some of his

attacks. %e once told a small band of 7* soldiers how he ambushed their unit in one of his

un!les. The stor was so lon! that a rescue $art had tracked them and took out ion’s entire

infantr. %e esca$ed of course, as he alwas did. I su$$ose runnin! from death our whole life

could make ou as fast as a cheetah. I $raed he would ramble on about how he found us, and

once a!ain a rescue $art would show u$ and !et us out. But the more I $raed for it, the more

unrealistic it seemed. This mission was off the books bi! time, and we were miles awa from the

nearest base. I doubted we’d still be alive before anone found us.

)fter his $rideful monolo!ue, ion $ulled out a $istol from under his shirt and $ointed at

Walt. &What is our name>( ion asked. Walt didn’t res$ond.

ion huffed, and shot Walt throu!h the ee. Blood flew out the back of his head and

s$lashed on the white shirt of the armed bo behind him. Walt’s bod fell back. I closed m ees,

trin! to hold back m tears. I heard "esse $ant.

&ee3 children ou see here, lin! on the !round 8 were m famil. + future. )nd ou

took dem awa from me. What !ives ou 7* soldiers the ri!ht to come here and take awa a

future me and m broda s$ent ears buildin!> What !ives ou the ri!ht to tell us how to live our

lives> %uh>(

%e $ointed his $istol at "esse. "esse $anted and $anted. &*o $lease. Jlease don’t do this.(

&What is our name>( ion asked.

"esse fro3e u$ and shook his head. ion huffed a!ain and shot "esse in the neck. %e fell

forward. I was ne0t. I closed m ees a!ain and waited for m turn to come.

&*o more,( ion said. &*o more will we be under the foot of ou 7* $eo$le, first

Romacovina, then World War K, now us> *o, no more.(


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Winter / Ran C9

%e be!an to cr, and then chuckled. %is ees rolled to the back of his head and he

chanted somethin! evil. %e waved his head to and fro like a loose ra! doll the bos behind him

chanted also. %e sto$$ed and dro$$ed his ees, lookin! dead at me. &What is our name>( %e

$ointed the $istol at m chest.

I looked at him without fear. But dee$ down, I was afraid. %e stared at me for what

seemed like eternit. &4ou 8 ou $ulled the tri!!er didn’t ou>( he asked.

I snorted. &We all did.(

&)h, I see, solider man.(

) ra!e !rew in m !ut m an!er ecli$sed m fears. I wanted this man dead. I wanted

him dead now. &What is our name>( he asked.

I frowned and snorted a!ain. &+ name is 1immer +ac.(

I didn’t bother to tell him anthin! more, no rank, what division, nothin!.

&1im#merth 8 +ac,( ion said. &%m$h. *ice to meet ou.(

%e said the last $art in what sounded like a mockin! of m own voice. )nd cree$ as it

was, he sounded ust like me.

&)n last words> +r. +ac.(

I $aused, then said, &I’m !oin! to kill ou. 5o hel$ me =od I’m !oin! to kill ou.(

%e smirked as if he knew the threat was em$t. I knew it was too.

&%mm, well whateva makes ou slee$ at ni!ht old timma.(

This time I didn’t close m ees.

Before I could !et read to call it a da, the door behind us flew o$en. &Wea$on down,(

someone from the outside shouted.


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Winter / Ran C?

I snatched ion’s $istol from out his hand and shot him in the bell. %e shouted and fell

to the !round. %is bos took aim at me, but the 7* unit outside shot the children dead. ion rose

and s$rinted to the side of the room. %e dove throu!h a window and ran into the un!le. I fell to

the !round and saw a !ush of blood $our out of m stomach. (

)lon! one wall, I saw a well#stocked !un rack with rifles, $istols, and even a crossbow,

and a bookshelf, and a refri!erator standin! a!ainst another wall, as if someone lived here. +

breathin! slowed, and I heard a faint sound.


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Winter / Ran C

5in!in!>

I twisted m bod to look behind me. ) man in a lar!e fur coat sun! to himself while

standin! at a stove. %is son! sounded like one of those old ice cream tunes that I’d listened to on

the Internet, from the HG?s. )s I !ot u$, the man saw me move and sun! louder.

&Who are ou>( I asked.

&"ust another resident of this area,( he said.

I eed him as he looked at me with these bi!, weird bu! ees. %e looked dirt. %e had a

lon!, strin! black beard, and his hair had bu!s in it.

'ooks like some homeless nut. I looked at him closer. ( I asked him.

&(

I eed him. &7h 8 1im. 4ou—ou live here, budd>(

&%ee#ahh, uh 8 I think so 8 I think. 4eah, eah, it’s mine.(

%e sounded fairl unsure of himself. The one thin! about homeless $eo$le, if he was one,

the knew how to survive in the winter—better than most sheltered folks, like me. It would

e0$lain how he fou!ht off a bear and the livin! snow, and save me from bein! a midni!ht snack.

%e mi!ht

Winter Draft

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