The Edge of Night

Chapter 1

The cold was going to kill him. It was biting at Wei Wuxian’s face, stabbing through clothes, turning his bones to aching ice, and there was nowhere to hide. Nowhere left to go. Nothing left to use to try and keep warm. Shivering, Wei Wuxian cuddled the baby nestled against his chest even closer, trying to keep the cold away from him for as long as possible. The child was zipped inside his jacket, only the top of his little hat poking up out, and Wei Wuxian could feel the tiny, warm puffs of his breath against his chest.

It was the only warmth left to Wei Wuxian. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been in the freezer. He wasn’t sure how much longer they’d be able to stand it.

He didn’t know what else he could do.

Li Xiuying had long since lost consciousness. The metallic emergency blanket he’d ripped from the first aid kit was wrapped around her, and Wei Wuxian’s jumper was cushioning her head, its sleeves covering her ears and nose to try and ward off frostbite, but she was still pale as death. He could hardly see her breath anymore as it misted weak on the air.

He closed his eyes. The last thing he needed was more tears to freeze on his cheeks.

Two days ago, he’d thought the world was turning in his favour. Lan Zhan was returning from studying abroad for his masters, and as per his official duties as Best Friend, Wei Wuxian had volunteered to pick him up from the train station. He’d been so excited to see Lan Zhan after a full year apart that he’d left early.

So, he’d done as Jiang Cheng had asked him before he left the house. Stopped for petrol. The gas meter was hardly a hair below the halfway line – only in Jiang Cheng’s books could it count as running low. But at the end of the day it was Jiang Cheng’s car, and Wei Wuxian was running on time. So he’d pulled into the petrol station.

He never made it to the train station.

With every last fibre of his being, Wei Wuxian prayed that Jiang Cheng and Yanli were still at home, that they hadn’t come out to find him, that they hadn’t been caught outside when everything fell apart. That they’d had the sense to barricade themselves inside. He prayed that the Peacock had made it home from work, that he was keeping Yanli and Jiang Cheng safe. That they weren’t – that Wei Wuxian wasn’t –

Tears burnt beneath his closed eyelids.

Nestled against his chest, A-Yuan shifted in his sleep, making a soft little ‘mn’ noise. Wei Wuxian closed his eyes tighter, lowered his head to press his lips against the boy’s hat. Two days ago, he had never met Xiuying or A-Yuan.

On the way to pay for the petrol, Wei Wuxian was swiftly distracted by the biscuit aisle. The selection was especially good for a shabby little service station, and he perused it with great interest. Right by the end of the aisle, he saw it – a yellow packet of lemon biscuits, the kind that Lan Zhan liked. It was the last packet on the shelf, and he grabbed it with a grin.

“Ah, thank you, young man.”

Wei Wuxian turned, blinking, to find an older woman behind him, her lips pursed into a tight smile, her hand outstretched towards him. “For…?”

The woman’s nostrils flared, though she kept the bland smile on her face as she nodded towards the biscuits. “I’ll take those.”

“I don’t work here,” Wei Wuxian told her.

“Oh? Well, in any case…” She kept her hand held out expectantly, and Wei Wuxian frowned.

“Furen, I’m afraid I’ll be buying these,” he said, as politely as he could.

“There are dozens of biscuits here,” she said dismissively, her pinched smile fading. “I want those ones, thank you very much.”

“There are dozens of biscuits here,” repeated Wei Wuxian. “Help yourself to any of them.” He turned away, ignoring her splutter of indignation and trying to remember if there was anything they needed at the house that he could pick up while he was here. He was notoriously bad at forgetting these sorts of things.