Even death can't bring us apart

This can't be

When we reached the ladder, the cold air went through my nose and left me satisfied; it's always a great thing to breathe outside air, it changes from the moist and saturated one of the bunker for sure...

On top of the ladder was a placed a dark wooden trap that you had to push up to get through. Though snow probably got on it and made it really hard to push it up. Oh yeah i didn't tell you yet? Well since we're in northern dakota, in the middle of the winter, there is a littleee bit of snow outside, thats why our outfits and boots are white, to be the most discreet in the outside world.

'Im gonna push it, stay back' Fennech told me. Oviously, since he was stronger than me with his big arms. He put on his gloves and started going up the ladder, He pushed with his free arm the trap with all the strength he could.

After a few tries, the trap opened and a feeble sun light made its way into the dark tunnel, Fennech jumped out of the trap and handed me his hand for me to grab. As i got out too i was amazed, just like everytime i went out. We were standing in a semi opened cave, wildly opened to a forest with tall, dark trees and everything was covered of a perfect thick layer of white snow.

'Well that's were the task starts' Fennech started 'i think we should go our separate ways now' I nodded, thanked him and started heading towards the right part of the forest while he went to the left one.

The trees were really beautiful, they looked so mystical, as if they knew everything that passed by and every conversation ever said in these woods. Like if they were the ears of the forest. Not in a creepy way but in a comforting one as if they were watching over me and keeping me safe. The silence was total, i mean almost total if you took away the sound of my footsteps and of the snow, randomly falling down the branches they were sitting on.

After a few minutes of walking i came to an halt, no need to go further than this. I took my axe out of the bag and started my work. One tree down, two trees down... that'd be enough. I started cutting out the small branches off the trunk one by one. My hands started to feel the cold, the gloves were resistant, sure, but they had limits... though the white fit kept me dry and warm at all times.

I finished the small branches and attacked the biggers ones, ugh i wish i had Fennech's arms, that must be so easy for him, i thought, a little jealous. A sudden strong wave of cold wind hit me out of nowhere, then an other one, and an other one. Fuck.

Im pretty sure thats a storm coming, this kind of wind doesn't just come alone. So i hurried up, now cutting the parts of the trunk off, the wind still hitting me stronger everytime. Come on. Come on. Finally i was done, i took one of the big wood logs on my shoulder, an other one on the other and a third one in balance between my head and one of the logs.

The storm had became stronger by that time, i used my compas to find my way to the semi-cave again but the snow had risen from the floor and covered my last prints so it wasn't going to be as easy. Did this really have to happen now?

I started walking approximately to where i came from. Oh yeah i remember that tree next those bolders. The storm had risen even more, its wind whistling between the tallest branches. Wait, i don't reconise this glade...

I walked further into the forest, who knows maybe I'll find my way again? Yeah keep being optimistic Avery, it always gets you out of trouble, i told myself, deeply sighting. The logs were becoming heavy by every step i took and their long surface didn't really help against the wind either. I dropped two of them on the ground, the warren said this was just a small task, im not going to take major risks for it.

Because my hand was now free, i checked my phone. Its 6pm. The warren was probably not laughing when she said late comers would have to pass the night out... i started freaking out. I am LOST, In the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE with the MILITIA around and in a SNOW STORM. Things couldn't go better.

Alright keep calm Avery, you can do this. First find shelter then wait for the storm to pass and hopefully make it back to the bunker in time so you don't freeze to death, seems possible.

I continued walking, if you can even call that walking. It was more of a swim through flying hard cottons with the AC turned on max. Plus my hands were definitely freezing and my feet starting to turn into stalactites. Fantastic.

The blizzard made it really hard to see further than about 10 metres, tho im pretty sure that i saw something that could be a shelter a few metres away from where i stood. I crawled to the small entrance that seemed to be a rocky cave and turned on my torch. The beam of light showed me the inside; a calm, inhabited and easy to warm up place, just what im looking for.

There was in the middle a small puddle of water, some weird cavities on the walls and the whole cave was in the shape of an igloo, but made of rocks and frozen dirt. I put the log down and took off my fully wet gloves in order for them to dry. Hopefully i don't pass the night here, even if the storm is now outside, its still hella cold here.

I went through my pockets to list all the items i had; some knives, chew gums, some blank pieces of papers, my phone, the food packet, a compas, a deathly pill and a lighter. A lighter. YES A LIGHTER! A smile appeared on my face at the thought of a nice warm fire. The only thing about that is that to make fire you need dry wood and i don't know if you noticed yet, Avery, but it's literally snowing all outside...

Alright i had an idea, I've watched it on a survival show before: you need to cut inside a big log and take away the wet wood, if the log was big enough there should be some dry wood at the center. And guess what? I do have a big log! I quickly grabbed my axe and started cutting the log in half. The thought of fire bringing some new energy to my exhausted muscles.

After a few minutes of struggling to cut out the wet parts i finally succeeded, the result didn't look very aesthetic pleasing though, oh well, it'll still fuel for a long time. Now i need small branches to keep the fire burning once it'll be on. I'll need to go back outside to get some i guess... but this time I'll go full east so i don't loose track of the cave and I'll just have to follow the compas to get back here.

Once i was in the storm again there was a slight problem, the small branches were or too high, or hidden under 70cm of snow. I need to find a low tree. I headed east and walked for about 5min when i saw what i was looking for ; a large and short tree with tons of small branches in range for taking. The tree was in the middle of a glade, i took a step on the snow ahead of me to get there but i suddenly stopped, shocked and confused.

This couldn't be... My mind was playing tricks on me... that's impossible... how could that happen... what the fuck.

Right in front of me, on the other side of the glade, someone was chained to a tree. Not someone random, not someone I've never met or ever cared about, no. It was the person i loved most on this planet. It was her.

It was Soph.