Pernicious- True Evil

Chapter 4

An icy wind howling over stone snapped her back into a conscious state. How long had she been sleeping? She curled up in a ball and massaged her throbbing temples before pulling her jacket off her hips and pushing her arms through the sleeves. At least it provided some warmth but not nearly enough to feel somewhat comfortable.

Light trickled through the canyon, illuminating the hole she took shelter in. It was daytime, so she must have slept through the night. Though the smell was still strong, the cold temperature at least helped to tone down some of it.

There was a thick layer of ice surrounding the perimeter of the hole she'd slept in. How did this happen? How could a thunderstorm turn into an ice storm? She wrapped her arms around her shivering body as a poor attempt to warm herself. It didn't work, not even to an infinitesimal degree.

Was she imagining this? Was this real? She pinched her arm, hoping somehow it would lead to her waking up. But the sharp sting on her skin was an unfortunate reminder she was already awake, and this was the reality she was forced to remain in.

Hesitantly, she pushed her body off the ground and peeked out of the shelter. She couldn't believe she was in the same area she was in before the storm came. The rain which soaked the land last night had turned into an ocean of dense ice, blanketing the ground and cliff walls. Hanging from the surrounding canyon, large icicles clung onto the rocks with icy fingers pointing towards the ground.

How did this happen? How was it so warm and muggy just the day before and now it felt more like an arctic tundra?

She broke off a piece of an icicle hanging near to her and placed it in her mouth. The ice numbed her tongue but quickly turned into water and slipped down her throat. She needed to continue to hydrate herself for as long as she could; a human can only last three days without water.

Astra's eyes trailed across the land that surrounded her. Where was she going to go? Where was the nearest town or city where she could find help? She knew she would need to go to the police but what would she tell them? She couldn't remember what had happened or how she ended up here.

Her stomach growled angrily and reminded her that it had been a while since she had eaten. The thought of having a juicy hamburger with fries and a drink seemed like heaven. She didn't know how long it had been since she had her last meal and she didn't care to know how much longer it would be until her next one. Hopefully it was soon.

Pulling herself out of the shelter became a challenge. The ice was as slippery as it could be and each time she tried to push herself out, she would slide back in. This game with nature seemed to last far too long but finally Astra won and found herself standing just outside of the hole.

Where should she go now? Which direction was the right one? There was one path that she stood on—one way leading back to where she had come from and the other leading into the unknown. Getting to higher ground to scout the area for a river was out of the question since the walls around her were too steep to climb. She needed to find civilization before she froze to death or worse, was attacked by a feral animal, so taking the risk and going deeper into the unknown was exactly what was needed.

The walls that surrounded her were no longer as vibrant as they were before. Now they were muted from the frozen liquid that clung onto the sides. Every step she took was a slippery fight to maintain balance and one that she was losing at.

Her knees cracked into the ground, forcing a splitting pain to radiate through her legs. Damn it. That was going to leave a bruise. She didn't get up until the echoing sensation of aggravation faded from her legs.

With fingers straining against the walls, she pushed herself back up and continued down the path. How long was it going to be like this? If she could have pulled the sun right out from the cloudy skies, she would have.