SURVIVOR

***

The night sparkles as the stars illuminate the town. Snow rests on the ground as the children head inside for dinner and cars disappear into the mist. How he longs to go outside, but with his condition, he wouldn't be able to play for long. Illness can be a curse. For now, he stares through the window and imagines what it would be like to touch a snowflake. To run in the white playground. To be free.

His thoughts are disturbed by a gentle knocking on the door. The door opens slightly, revealing a hazel eye peeking into his grey room. A bed lives on the left side of the room, with the sole window above it. Next to the bed is a small wooden dresser, crowned with a lamp. It appears to be broken. The eye evolves into a head, then a body and finally legs and feet. Another boy. He steps into the cold room wearing a long t-shirt and shorts. The icy floor he stands on makes him hiss and wince. A name seems to be written on his bland shirt. Blaze. Cool name. The boy on the bed responds. Rain. Rain stretches out his pale arm, showing his palm to Blaze. Blaze replies by putting his palm on top. A new friendship is born.

Rain invites Blaze to watch the snow with him. Blaze sits next to him, admiring the scenery. A peaceful moment, they watch and talk about the snow for hours. However, a sudden noise of a door being bust open rattles Rain. A faceless figure shouts unintelligible speech, but the tone indicates that they need to leave immediately. Smoke suffocates as flames flourish, holding the boys hostage inside the dying room. Rain bolts, traversing through the walls of fire and smog. He successfully makes it out of the building and catches his breath. As he slowly returns to normal, he looks around for his friend. No sign of Blaze. The building calls to him. Rain listens.

The fire engulfed the building in a fit of rage. Pieces start to fall as the construction crumbles before Rain. He looks into his bedroom window. Nothing but orange and yellow. No sign of Blaze. Except a handprint. One that shows defeat.

All sound returns to Rain. The same faceless figure asks if he's okay. Rain nods. He is told to go in the ambulance so the paramedics can perform a check on him. He obliges and walks over to the ambulance. Snow crunches beneath his feet putting a smile on his face. It lasts for a mere moment as he remembers what just happened. As the ambulance doors close, he looks at the window one more time. Abruptly, he sits up. Blaze looks at Rain from the window. His hand is perfectly in line with the handprint he left behind.  No emotion is shown on his face. No expression of any sort. Just a blank stare directed at Rain. A stare you would never forget. Rain has no other response other than to look straight back at Blaze as the ambulance heads for the hospital. The distance between them grows, but the cold stare follows. He dozes off to sleep once Blaze is out of sight.

Rain wakes up back in his bed. In his grey room. With the small wooden dresser and broken lamp. The same window that he stares out of every day, marked with the handprint of his friend. He admires the snow once more, wishing he could frolic in it. Soft knocks arrive soon after. He isn't startled by them this time. An eye peeks through, slowly emerging into a full human. His shirt states his name. Rain smiles at him greatly.

A new friendship is born.