Final Days (MCSM Fanfiction)

Chapter 26 - A Bitter End

03:30 – Day 4

Pain seared through Jesse's chest as she coughed, her heartbeat pounding furiously. With every desperate inhale of the icy night air, it became harder to breathe. The gasps of cold air stung her sore throat, her entire body heaving with the effort of returning her breaths to normal.

Jesse sunk back against the rock surface behind her as the coughing finally ceased, breathing in weakly. She looked down at her hands, the fire providing barely enough light for her to see the blood from her lungs on her gloves.

Closing her eyes, Jesse let herself sink back down onto to the snowy ground in front of her fire, continuing to take slow, wheezing breaths. Everything hurt at that moment.

Physically and emotionally.

Jesse wasn't sure how much ground she covered while fleeing from the wolves, before her adrenaline finally wore off and she collapsed on the road in fits of coughs. And as soon as Jesse had regained her breath, it all sunk in.

She had lost her very last friend.

She was alone.

Jesse had walked along that road for the rest of the afternoon, with tears trailing down her cheeks. Her brown eyes tinted red, her jaw clenched.

At first she regret running. Wishing that she had just run back to Lukas's side and let the wolves take her as well.

After all... what point was there in going on? She had nobody left.

But for some unexplained reason, a part of her instincts had forced her to continue on. She hadn't once looked back, continuing to walk in the direction Lukas had told her to. Following the last advice he gave her.

Jesse let her head drop onto her knees, forcing back a sob. She gulped down the lump in her throat, refusing to break down into hysterics again.

She hadn't stopped walking, even as night fell. Just telling herself that she needed to get there, no matter what.

Now here she was, in the early hours of morning, the supposed 'dark before dawn'. Sitting behind a large boulder as it shielded her and her pathetic attempt at a camp-fire from the wind.

Jesse didn't have anything. Not food, not water, not even the hunting knife. Despite having an injured leg himself, Lukas had carried all their supplies so she wouldn't get overexerted. But now she had next to nothing.

Jesse slowly pulled the last item she had on her, from her pocket. Looking down at the crumpled piece of photo paper, her friends' faces smiling back at her.

Fresh tears dripped down Jesse's face as she looked into her friends' eyes, all of them looking so joyful. So excited for the new year to come.

And to think, none of them made it even a month in.

Jesse held the battered photograph to her chest, biting her trembling lip. Her body shook slightly with the cries she held back.

Wishing that she wasn't alone. Wishing that there was somebody to hug her. Wishing there was somebody to rub her back and tell her she would be okay.

But she knew she would never again hear Lukas or Olivia's soothing words. She'd never again feel Petra grab her by the shoulders, looking her dead in the eye when she tried to be reassuring. She'd never again feel Axel lift her up in his arms, squeezing the breath out of her in his familiar bear hugs.

Hell, she'd never even be able to hug Radar again.

A cough burst from Jesse's throat, her sore lungs and throat begging her to stop crying. Reaching up, Jesse wiped her eyes on the back of her gloved hand and slipped the photograph back into the safety of her jacket's pocket.