Eyes of Ice

Afraid

As Ronnie expected, Ali, Foley and Ben all wanted to help. Patty explained to them what he'd told Ronnie, putting a lot of emphasis on Talia being the priority.

"I'm doing this for her," he told them, "She deserves to get out of that house, nothing else matters. Especially not me."

"Ronnie's right, though," Ali argued, "If we take his and Ben's cars, one could wait at your house while the other waits at your cabin. That's where you were going, right? That's where the radio is?"

Patty surrendered. "Fine. But whoever goes to get Talia and grandma can't wait for us. Go straight to a hospital."

Ali nodded. "Of course."

"So when are we doing this?" Ben asked.

"Next full moon," Patty said, "It's about a fortnight away." He looked at Ronnie. "Make sure you get enough sleep."

It wasn't easy. Anxious thoughts of not being able to save Patty stuck in Ronnie's mind like burrs. What if the hypothermia was too bad? What if Patty died again? What if Ronnie never saw him again?

Patty was here now, though. Ronnie could listen to him and hold him and sometimes even pretend that nothing was going to change, that they'd always have each other.

"I love you," Ronnie told him on the night before the full moon, "I need you to know that."

Patty looked over at him. Even though he didn't sleep, he'd accepted Ronnie's invitation to share his bed as long as there was a blanket between them. He always worried about Ronnie getting too cold.

"Ronnie..."

Ronnie squeezed his eyes shut.

"I'm dead. And I kill people."

"I know, but..." He looked at Patty, his chest tightening when he saw how sad he looked. "I love you. I don't wanna lose you tomorrow."

Patty looked up at the ceiling. "I checked up on Talia today. She told me that if I don't make it tomorrow she'll kill me."

Ronnie smiled.

Patty rolled onto his side and put an arm around Ronnie. "I love you too."

The hardest part was the waiting. Patty said that they had to do it at night, so they didn't even have to start driving out to the house until late afternoon. Anxiety twisted in Ronnie's gut, making him too sick to eat all day.

When the time finally came, Patty went with Ronnie and Foley, Ben and Ali following close behind. For the whole journey Ronnie wanted to say something to him, but he didn't know what. He couldn't find the words to express everything that he was feeling.

The house was bathed in twilight by the time they reached it, and seeing it in such darkness did nothing to ease Ronnie's anxiety. They drove past the house and headed for the road to the cabin, the other car stopping in front of the house, Ben and Ali ready to get Talia and Patty's grandmother the moment time started moving again. They continued in silence until they reached the cabin and parked, Ronnie taking out the set of warm clothes he'd brought for Patty

Once again, Patty led the way to his body. Night fell quickly as they walked, darkness blanketing everything beyond the feeble beams of their torches despite the full moon shining overhead. The journey from this direction seemed much shorter than last year's trek. He'd nearly made it before he stepped in the bear trap.

Like everything there, Patty's body looked exactly the way it had when they saw it last year, no more decayed than if he'd died a few minutes ago.

"You guys ready?" Patty asked, finally breaking the unnatural silence.

Ronnie glanced at Foley, who nodded with him, then swallowed the lump in his throat. "Go ahead."

Patty crouched beside his body and reached out to touch its arm. Nothing happened.

He sighed. "I think you guys have to go. You weren't here that night, maybe that's what's messing things up."

Ronnie's stomach twisted. "Go?"

Patty looked up at him sadly. "Everything has to be how it was. At least here, where grandma froze everything."

Ronnie looked to Foley for backup, but he was silent. He shook himself and knelt next to Patty to pull him close and squeeze him tightly. "We'll be just beyond the snow, okay?"

"Okay."