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Kharon moves in front of me to provide a wind break so it’s easier to walk. After a while, as the wind whips up even more, I can see that even he’s starting to struggle. And it’s not just the wind. The snow is getting heavier, and the wind bites at my face like tiny, freezing bullets.
Kharon finally turns to me, and I see the concern in his features as he looks around at what I realize has quickly become a storm.
“We need shelter!” he shouts to be heard above the wind.
I nod and look around, lifting my hand above my eyes to try to see. But it’s useless because it’s quickly become whiteout conditions. I can’t see anything half a foot away from my own face. Helplessly I look back to Kharon.
“Can you see where?” I yell, barely able to hear my own voice.
His face has quickly gone from concerned to very concerned, if the furrow in his brow is any indication. He leans in so he’s all but yelling in my ear. “Can I carry you?”
“Yes! Tightly!” I scream back, panicking at the whipping wind that almost knocks me sideways. Being held by him last night wasn’t bad at all, and the way I’m starting to spiral, getting a squeeze sounds good about now.
Still, I’m not quite sure I’m ready when he sweeps me off my feet with his two upper pairs of arms. I yelp as the world goes topsy-turvy. Soon, I’m against his chest, locked in securely with two pairs of arms. I squeeze my eyes shut as he starts to run, burrowing my head against his chest to protect against the wind and pelting snow.
I say run, but he might as well be flying, just without wings and across the ground instead of in the air. We move at incredible speeds, but I don’t dare open my eyes. I can’t help the scream that comes out of my throat, and he holds me tighter against him. The wind is freezing at my back where his arms aren’t warm bands around me.
All around us, the storm howls louder and louder. Does he even know where he’s going? Where is he going?
Is he trying to outrun the storm? Is that possible? Considering how fast we’re moving, maybe it is. I just want it to stop. I have a terrible feeling that the only way out is through, even if I have no idea where we’re going through to.
Kharon moves with certainty, and I just have to trust him.
Trust is unnatural to me. But it’s not like I can stop and ask him if he knows what he’s doing. We’re barreling forwards at incredible speeds, and there’s no getting off this rollercoaster now that I’m on it.
Finally, he slows down, even though the winds around us are still roaring. It feels like we’ve traveled an incredible distance, but we still haven’t outrun the storm. How big is it? Or did he get lost in all the white, and we’re just running in circles?
“I need to set you down for a moment,” he shouts.
I nod, not trusting my voice. He sets me on my feet, but they’re rubbery with shock and the sweeping winds. I’m immediately knocked over into the soft, powdery snow. I decide staying down is my best move and watch from the ground as Kharon starts digging in the snow.
What on earth is he doing now? Did he decide he couldn’t outrun the storm, so he’ll just dig us a ditch and wait it out?
Then my eyes widen on my next blink, and amid the gusting snowfall. . . wait, there’s a stone building there! I just couldn’t see it at first because there’s so much snow around it. Does this mean we’re closer to civilization than I thought?
Except when I whip my head around to try to see any more buildings, it’s still all just white. There aren’t any lights. Maybe they were knocked out by the storm? I shield my eyes with my hands and try to look around more, but with the whiteout conditions, it’s useless.
I can barely see Kharon, and he’s only feet away from me. He’s digging with all his arms in a whir of motion so fast I can barely see his arms windmilling.
He quickly unearths what might be a window? Or what was once a window is now just a hole. Which makes my heart sink a little. Whatever this place is, it’s been abandoned for who knows how long.
As I come closer, I can make out walls and a roof, but the whole thing looks old and encrusted with ice and snow. Not a place where anyone has lived for a long time.
Kharon reaches for me, and I get to my feet and scurry forwards, still being knocked around by the whipping winds as I try to cover the short distance.
