Cervantes steps over the top of the ice, approaching the bank at the end, toward the truck parked just beside the frozen lake, where Jack stands, pointing a revolver up toward the man. His arm shaking, Jack steps back while Cervantes proceeds toward him with a grimace on his face.

  “Oh?! I didn’t expect to see you here. We’ve got a bit of a change in plans.”

  Jack pulls the trigger, firing towards the man. In a flash of light, he raises his hand up over his chest. The bullet flies past him, piercing his shoulder.

  “Fuck–”

  The man stumbles back for a moment, approaching once more. Jack fires again, Cervantes raises his hand, and another gush of blood flies through the back of his chest. Avery, lying face first in the snow nearby, stares up at the two. She reaches her hand up toward them for a moment, before falling back onto her face. Jack glances over toward Avery, then back toward the man.

  “I will fix this. I promise.”

  Again and again, Jack fires at the man, Cervantes throws his hands before him, and the bullet flies through his torso. Cervantes ambles over the side of the lake, into the snow. Jack fires once more. Cervantes throws up his hands in a flare of light. A grinding of metal echoes through the night, and the bullet skews away from the man. He laughs a guttural laugh, snatches the gun out of Jack’s hands, and tosses it behind him. He pumps his fist into the air.

  “Nice!”

  At once, he looks down at Jack with a solemn stare.

  “Oh, of course.”

  In an instant, he snatches the switchblade from out of his pocket and he swipes it forward; the blade glistens in his fingertips. Jack grasps at his throat as blood pours down his neck, and Jack falls onto his knees. Cervantes turns around, pacing back along the frozen lake. In the snow nearby, Braellyn pulls herself to her feet, and she sprints past the lake. At once, from across the ice, Flynt pulls himself up from the bank, regains his balance, and he walks toward the lake’s center. Cervantes raises an eyebrow as he paces out toward the lake. Avery pulls herself up behind him. She steps across the snow, one foot at a time, struggling to keep her balance. She paces over toward Jack, tosses him up onto her shoulders, and creeps away from the lake.

  Cervantes stares back as Avery hobbles out into the gravel road. Her vision gets blurry as she carries Jack through the next snowbank, past a shack, then another, until the pair arrives in the center of the village. Avery stops just before the glass case, wherein a single elevator sits. A thin fog settles over the village as Avery presses the button on the outside of the elevator, her breath freezing before her, her eyelids half-closed, leaning forward with Jack still on her shoulders. The elevator opens, and Avery steps inside. The doors close behind her. She hoists Jack up off of her shoulders and places him on the concrete floor before kneeling just beside him. Blood continues to run down his neck, making its way down his chest. His eyes are closed. Avery’s face turns red for a moment. They sit in silence for a moment as the elevator descends.

  They come to a halt, and the elevator doors open just behind Avery. She glances behind her, at the empty concrete room, at the enormous steel doors behind her, and she lifts Jack up onto her shoulders once more, pacing into the center of that room. She leans over toward the doors, and places Jack down on the ground once more, and she kneels down next to him. After staring at him for a moment, her eyes turning red, she sits down next to him with her legs crossed, pats him on the arm, and closes her eyes. The room falls silent.

  “I’m sorry…”

  Her voice is hoarse.

  “I get that this shit is my fault.”

  She pauses for a moment.

  “If we didn’t go fucking mess with you… If we weren’t here right now, you’d be living comfortably right now, wouldn’t you?”

  Avery leans forward, resting her chin on the palms of her hands.

  “It’ll be alright… Braellyn and Eleanor are back to normal.”

  Her voice shakes.

  “So, I’m going to listen to you now. Why the fuck did you even listen to me? That was stupid…”

  A shuffling sounds out from in front of Avery. She opens her eyes as Jack leans forward, sitting up. Avery grins. She rubs beneath her eyes, and she stands up in front of Jack.

  “Fuck — this was such a smart idea…”

  Jack stands up just before Avery, stares at her for a moment, and walks forward. The bleeding in his throat has stopped, leaving behind a thick scar. Avery steps out of the way as he walks past her.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Flynt and I came up with a good idea this time. We’re gonna drop you off at that one house we woke up at, and then everybody can leave you alone. It’s fucking genius.”

  Jack paces toward the back of the room, stopping just before the elevator. Avery strides out in front of him, blocking the path forward as the elevator doors prop open.

  “Hello, Anybody home?”

  Jack steps past her, standing in the center of the elevator. Avery backpedals and leans against the side wall of the elevator, still grinning at Jack. They stand in silence as the elevator ascends to the surface. The doors open, and Jack walks out into the snow. Avery follows behind him as they walk toward the lake. He sprints. Avery sprints after him as Jack races through the ice toward Cervantes. He grinds to a halt just before the man, as Flynt and Braellyn lay motionless on the ice just beside him.

  “Oh. I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

  Jack stares at Cervantes. Avery stops just behind Jack, staring at the two, sweat beading on the top of her face. In an instant, Cervantes floats off the ground, squirming around in the air. The sky falls dark as the air feels static. For a moment, there is a tranquility, that of complete darkness. At once, Cervantes falls downward, accelerating toward the ice. The sheet of ice crashes open, the water beneath splashing upward onto the sheet, shaking the entire lake all at once. A thin layer of blood floats over the water as Cervantes sinks. The choking atmosphere lets up. Avery glances around the environment.

  “Jack! Where the fuck are you?”

  Her eyes dart back and forth. Jack is nowhere to be found.

  “Fuck–”

  Avery steps backward for a moment. Flynt glances up toward her, nods his head, and falls flat back onto the ice. Avery runs forward for a moment, and she dives into the lake. The water is freezing, and a feeling like cracking overtakes her skin as she delves deeper into the lake. She makes her way to the bottom of the lake, where she opens her eyes and peers around. She catches sight of Cervantes under the water, and she grabs him, delving down into the depths of the lake, her ears popping, and she pushes off the floor, swimming up toward the surface. Her head breaks through the surface of the water. She idles for a moment, holding Cervantes and herself just over the water, holding onto the nearby ice. Braellyn and Flynt step over toward the edge of the ice, staring down at the two.

  “What the fuck?! I thought you were getting Jack. Why did you get him?”

  Avery furrows her brow.

  “Jack isn’t down there, dumbass! Jack’s the one who did this.”

  “Huh?!”

  “Just shut up and take him! I’m cold.”

  “Why the fuck should I do that?!”

  Avery remains silent. She stares up at her, while Flynt glances over beside him, toward Braellyn. He makes a strange gesture with his hand while staring at her for a moment. She sighs, leans down, and grabs Cervantes from out of Avery’s arms, and she tosses him onto the ice nearby. Flynt leans his hand over the hole in the ice, and Avery grabs his arm, pulling herself up onto the ice. Braellyn steps up beside Avery.

  “Why did you bring him back?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “You really don’t know?!”

  Braellyn stares at Avery, holding her beak open as she stands there, motionless.

  “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine. What do you think is going to happen when he gets up?”

  Avery does not respond. She walks past Braellyn, pacing toward the shack just off the side of the lake. Flynt follows just behind her. Braellyn glances around for a moment before following them. Avery walks around the gravel walkway, staring down at Eleanor for a moment. Braellyn runs out in front of Avery, and she grabs Eleanor off the floor of the shack, peeling her off the frigid ground, holding her in her arm like luggage.

  “Do you know where Jack went?!”

  “Yeah… He’s gonna go kill some dude.”

  “That doesn’t help me at all.”

  “Why do you think I want to help you?”

  In a sporadic manner, Braellyn motions with her hands, holding them out toward the lake.

  “You helped that guy!”

  Braellyn glances back at the lake. He is on his feet, walking toward the group. Avery leans past Braellyn, staring back at the man as he walks toward the group. He stops just beside them, and he stares at Avery for a moment. She stares back at him as he turns away and walks out into the woods. Braellyn looks back and forth between the two.

  “I was joking, for the record…”

  “What–”

  “About not helping you out.”

  “Oh.”

  “But you also have to help me.”

  “What–”

  “There’s only one car.”

  “Oh.”

  Avery snickers, reaches into Eleanor’s pocket, and she walks up to the red truck, tosses open the driver’s door, and steps inside, starting the engine.

  “What the fuck are you doing?!”

  Avery leans her head out the window, while Flynt walks around the back of the truck, settling in the backseat.

  “If you don’t get in soon, we might leave without you.”