Severance

22. Jötunn

It was cold, frosty, and damn near bone-chilling the moment I walked out the door. Someone up in the clouds must've dialed the thermostat down to twenty below because I found myself desperately wanting to go back inside and curl up in my bed for the rest of the day. Someone nudged my arm though and I leaned into Rowan, feeling his lips press against my forehead in a motion of comfort; there wasn't much he could do though as he was shivering just as hard as I was.

"I'd give anything to be back in Hawaii right now," I chattered, listening to him laugh.

"You and me both sweetheart, but we've got a piece to find," he walked out to the car, whistling and waving his hand in a circle above his head, "round up, we've got no time to lose!"

"He's really coming around to the whole idea of supernatural shit ever since that scare, isn't he?" Suzhe commented as we clamored into the Suburban.

"I guess so, it's kind of nice to not have to tiptoe around him," I admitted, wrapping a blanket around myself to chase away the cold. August slipped into the seat beside me smelling of cigarettes and fancy cologne, something that pestered my nostrils enough to make me hold back a sneeze.

The address wasn't far but it was definitely out of town, maybe a fifteen or twenty minute drive northwest. I buckled in and we were off; soon the city fell away and we grew progressively further away from civilization, coming upon a house tucked into the woods with smoke puffing from the chimney and a cozy vibe that comforted nearly everyone. The scent of the woodsmoke was tantalizing as it wafted down towards me and lured me closer to the home, being the first one to knock on the door and come face-to-face with our tour guide. Eris was bundled up in what must've been a rabbit-fur coat, warm and all kinds of cozy as she stepped outside to greet us.

"Lovely morning," she grinned, "how is everyone today?"

"I think we're all a little tired, but we're ready to face whatever comes next," Xavier chuckled, elbowing Matt in an effort to rouse him from his bleary-eyed trance. Her smile turned sweet and she said something in Swedish before pulling her car keys out of her pocket.

"Good, when we get there we'll have to trek about a mile into the woods, but it's short and direct."

"Won't be a problem," Rowan nodded, adjusting his glasses in an effort to look more professional, "lead the way, Miss Eris."

She bowed gently, taking some small amount of joy in leading our troupe into the unknown before hopping into the drivers side of her Outback and pulling out into the road. We gathered ourselves into the SUV before taking off behind her, tearing through ice covered roads at nearly double the speed limit just to keep up with her. I'm sure at one point or another during our ride each one of us feared for our lives, even August; he gripped the handle above his door with enough strength to crack the plastic. I couldn't help but chuckle while he shot me a glare.

Finally the road began to dissipate to gravel, then to dirt as we crossed the border and went what I'd assume to be off-road and into the forest. There was an unmapped road that took us up the mountainside and further into the wilderness, the closest glimpse of civilization we could get being miles away as a light in the distance. A city maybe? It was impossible to tell through all these trees and hills. A hand brushed mine and I looked over to see Rowan gazing back at me, concern attempting to hide in his features as he comforted me. I don't know if he thought I was worried or maybe scared even, but I wasn't. I was in awe at the sheer, untouched beauty of the land around us. How I'd love to sit up here and just listen to the woods around me and taste the brisk air.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" August muttered softly, a gentle smile on his lips, "the lack of humanity."

"I must say so," I smiled, realizing we were coming to a stop. I looked ahead and Eris had parked her car in a clearing, her white coat clear against the dark wood of the trees surrounding us. Matt pulled up beside her and I checked the time: twelve-thirty. We were early.