"It's okay, it's okay." I pull him closer to my shaking body. "We're okay."

I think it took a few miles to shake Austin off. I faintly recognize these woods as we used to drive here when Lyndon and I were younger, but I have no idea how we're supposed to go back home. Plus, Austin is also here. Somewhere in the shadows of the trees.

Once it started getting dark and we figured we lost him a while ago, we stopped to rest.

But there's a lot of problems. First of all, we're even more lost than before. It's just the two of us now and we most definitely will not get handed a phone this time.

Secondly, we're hurt. Both of us. After Austin found me in the middle of the cornfield, I did go for the run, but never came out without wounds.

Because of one reason.

"Lyndon!" I gasped at the sight of him. There, also in the field, his eyes tired but paying attention. It took everything not to hug him. "Run!"

But Austin was right on my heels. He made me trip. Lyndon went for the attack the second after that happened. He didn't come far, though. Austin was moving fast; he took a rock off the ground and hit the back of Lyndon's head.

I was frozen for some good seconds. Feeling thousand emotions at once. Wishing I could come with him or that someone else would appear.

But that didn't happen, so I had no other but to run once I realized Austin wasn't there to hurt Lyndon even more. Lyndon was just an obstacle to him. He wanted to hurt me. So I ran off.

Then, at some point, Thomas appeared. He had blood running down his face, probably from the corn and sticks hitting his face. We continued running.

Austin did everything he could to stop us. From throwing rocks at our legs to randomly jumping forward, pushing either of us down. At least five times, we fought him, then continued running away.

I reach for Thomas's hands once he quietly starts sobbing against me. They're as cold as mine, and bruised from the amount of times he had to hit his father.

Pain's everywhere on my body. From falling down and getting kicked to also hitting Austin did not put my body in a good state. But Thomas is absolutely devastated after this whole day, so I'm mostly worried about that. Physically, we'll both be fine for now.

"It's so cold," he says, teeth already clattering.

"I know," I whisper back. The shorts and shirts aren't helping. "We just have to keep quiet this whole night. We're hidden in the dark so he won't see us, but he'll keep searching."

"I'm tired," he then whispers.

I squeeze his hand. "You can sleep. Attempt to, at least."

"And I'm really afraid."

"So am I," I mutter. "But we'll make it. Put your arms in your shirt. It'll help with the cold."

Both of us follow my advice. Then he's resting against me, and I'm resting against the roughness of a big tree trunk. I close my eyes. When I move my fingers a bit, it hurts. This cold will really get to us.

"Maybe we should just start moving, Thomas," I whisper. "I'm afraid he'll show up or we'll freeze to freaking death."

"Yeah, yeah," he agrees drowsily. Slow-paced, we get up. I'm shaking from both the coldness and nerves. I want to cry about it, but I don't. I take a big breath and blink until the tears fade away.

"We should get out of the woods and just search for someone to help us," I tell him. Thomas gives a nod in agreement.

I cringe every time we hit crunching leaves on the ground. Normally, I would've liked the sound, but not now, risking our lives. I don't think we have much energy left to fight Austin.

We walk for... I don't know. I've lost track of time by now. Minutes feel like hours while days start feeling like seconds. How long has it been since we were at the ball?

And then, suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, we fall. And we fall, and we fall, and we roll. And I start screaming. And then I'm no longer screaming but I'm choking on the coldest water I've ever felt.

I'm splashing around, coughing, but all it leads to is more water in my lungs. It's so cold that it feels like little needles— no, daggers stabbing my skin. My head's already hurting.

Then I'm out of the water. I gasp. Cough again. Spit out some water. Gasp another time, waiting for the air.

"You okay?" Out of breath, Thomas leans into my vision

"Yeah," I sigh out. "What the hell was... how did we—"

"It's a river. We fell down the hill, straight into it."

"It's freezing," I say, sitting up. Cold air hits my knees. I wrap both the enormous shirt and my arms around them, but it doesn't help.

"We should keep following the river. Find civilization," Thomas says. His words tremble through the air. He's shivering, just like I am. "And keep our bodies warm."

I agree by just starting the walk next to the water. Constantly, cold breezes from it hit our skin, and it saps my strength even more. The cold is seeping into my bones. Soaked clothes sticking to the goosebumps on my skin. I can hardly feel anything.

"We should—" I gulp for air "—can we stop for a second? I'm freezing."

"That's exactly why we can't stop," he replies. "Here." Thomas's arms wrap around me for a minute. He isn't much warmer than me, but it's something.

Yet the trees blur around me once we continue walking. My breaths come ragged, as gasps and little clouds of mist. I'm half stumbling over roots and branches, feet numb.

It feels like days ago, when I ate the mashed potatoes. When was the last time I ate before that? I don't remember.

I keep moving with Thomas, to a destination I don't even know. The cold is not stopping. It's a weight crushing me with every shivering step.

Wrapping my arms around myself once again, to gather the last bits of strength and warmth, I keep and keep going. The chill has settled within my bones. It's starting to hurt to move my legs. Following the rivers seems endless in this maze of trees and darkness.

"Okay," Thomas's heavily-breathed word comes out as a white cloud, "maybe we should indeed... catch our breaths," he pants. I sit down immediately, close to him. Next to him, though I don't physically feel it.

"We got so far," I say. Every word is a knife in my throat. "We can't... give up."

"I- I know," Thomas replies, stutters slipping away from his blue lips.

"But we can rest for a— for a second," I whisper. I wrap myself in a little ball on the ground. My thoughts are getting sluggish and weird as well. The cold is stealing them away from me.

No. Get up, but I can't. My eyes flutter closed. I'm so tired and so cold and so exhausted—

Cold cold cold— in my body. In every breath I take. Every thought swarming in my mind. I can't fight it.

And then the cold is gone.

I don't feel it.

I don't feel anything.

Just a dark, warm blanket that sweeps over me. Weightless, just like I feel. That's it.

I feel weightless and a dark, warm blanket.