Where the Hurricane Meets a Blizzard

Chapter 12

         The sky is slowly fading into a dusky gray, a stark parallel to my current mood. I breathe deeply in and out, in and out, clamping my mouth shut to keep from letting a sob escape my throat as the first tear silently rolls down my cheek. I’ve been walking for no more than a couple of hours now, and I am exhausted in all angles of the spectrum. Physically, mentally, emotionally; you name it, I’ve run out of the endurance to maintain a steady level of it.

         I trip over my feet, which sends me plummeting toward the ground, landing on my butt. I sit here for a moment, staring out into the great unknown, when I finally can’t hold it back anymore. I’ve reached my capacity, and there’s no humanly way possible that I can go any further.

         Tears begin silently streaming down my face and I move a hand up to my mouth, biting down hard on the interwoven threads that make up the material of my glove right down to my fingers to refrain from crying out. I hear Jack sigh discontentedly behind me, instructing me to come over to where he is. Unwilling to have him watch me break down for a second time today, I shake my head and remain looking forward.

         I really, really thought I could get us back in time, but the truth is that I can’t. I can’t do it. I’m the last person to ever give up on a task, but I’ve run myself dry and there’s not a drop of energy left in me.

         I’m only vaguely aware that Jack has suddenly propelled himself in the sleeping bag forward using his arms so he’s now lying beside me, untying the rope until he’s free from its clutches. I can feel him looking at me and I angle myself in the other direction, too stubborn to allow him to witness my defeat. It’s too embarrassing.

         “Opal, you’re an absolute idiot for not leaving me behind.”

         I refuse to look at him. “I wasn’t going to leave you to die, okay? Not after everything you’ve done.” My voice comes out more bitter than I intended it to and I squeeze my eyes shut, desperately trying to get a grip on myself. I refuse to look at Jack until I stop crying. There is absolutely no reason for me to even be crying.

         I hear him slam his fist into the sleeping bag and roll my eyes, despite myself.

         “God, you’re not listening to me! You should have listened to me earlier when I told you to let me go! By you being so freaking stubborn, you’re jeopardizing your life. As soon as you’re able to get going again, you have to leave me behind. I’m not negotiating with you this time.”

         I wipe away the remnants of my tears and whirl around, glaring coldly at him. “We’re supposed to be in this together! Do you honestly think I could find it in me to leave you at this point after all we’ve been through? For the last time, I’m. Not. Doing. That. So shut up about it already!”

         He scowls at me. “That was before I became immobile! I can’t walk anymore, and now you have to find your way back on your own. We can’t be in this together anymore; it’s all about you now! There’s no way I’m gonna be able to get back, but you had your chance. You should not have dragged me all this way with you.”

         “Give it a rest! You know, it’s your fault we got into this mess in the first place, so you should be thanking me right now. If you hadn’t followed me into these stupid woods, I would have only lasted a couple more minutes—if that—and gone right back inside! But no, you had to follow after me like some kind of lost puppy who’s never talked to girls.”

         He stares at me incredulously. “My fault? Are you kidding me? You’re the one who was acting like some self-righteous bratty little five-year-old. I wasn’t going to leave you in there alone; that would have been ignorant.”