One week.
One week had past yet, Alexei Braginski was nowhere to be found. The whole town was informed about his disappearance, yet, there was no trace of him. The constables had done their job with all their might but they gave up on looking for him after four days or so.
"Ma, I'm going out." Viktor called out to his mother but as usual, after his younger brother's desertion, he received no reply.
He wore a pair of thick gloves and he tucked his beanie under his arm. He went out of the door and a cold gust of wind greeted him right away.
Trudging on the thick snow that has piled up on the ground, Viktor headed to the town's cabin for an update of his younger brother. As stupid as it is, considering it's the coldest season of the year, Viktor still hopes for his younger brother to show up one day on their porch.
He still hopes for him to suddenly barge into his room and asked for cups of tea, or asked him countless times to tell him stories about some old folklore. He still hopes that one day, all of that will happen.
"We don't have a new update, lad." The head told him almost every time he appears. He nodded his head with his jaws clenched and he grunted quietly.
He rose up from the chair the staff had provided him and was about to go out when the voice stops him in his tracks.
"Just give up already," The headmaster stated with his rough voice and he paused to exhale a puff of smoke. "There's a stumpy chance that your little brother is still breathing deeming that Oymyokon has the coldest winter in the whole wide earth."
Viktor didn't know why, or how it started, but he was on the floor in an instant, blowing punches on the constable's face. It took four other watchmen to pry him off the beat up officer and when they were able to detach him, he ran off from the kabina.
Tears were spilling off his eyes like waterfalls and he didn't dare wipe them off like he would use to whenever he cries. He just ran and ran up to the point that his legs were exhausted and his head was spinning.
Nobody , no one, should ever tell him that his little brother is gone.
Panting and running his hand through his matted light-blonde hair, Viktor roamed his eyes around the unfamiliar place. Small clouds appeared before him as he continuously breathe fast and chills started to crawl up his spine.
It was foreign for him and he isn't quite familiar with this side of the town. Where had he gotten himself into?
Viktor tilted his head upwards and the wind blew hard past him, making his cape flutter. It was completely unnerving... demoralizing. He turned his heel a couple of times and he started searching for his previous footprints. But unfortunately, the snow had covered it well enough for it to completely disappear.
Night was fast approaching and Viktor has not yet found his way back to their home. He had been living in Oymyokon for the past twenty-two years but he had never, ever stepped into this area.
A sudden thought struck him like lightning and his heart started to hammer against his chest.
Why of all times did he remember Alexei's favourite folklore now? It wasn't just the right moment.
He backed away slowly but he impulsively stopped when he felt his own legs freeze beneath him. He forced it to take another step backwards but it would not shift. From what he knows in the folklore, it never will.
Viktor cried out in pain when he felt his body was thrown on the ground harshly. Some people say that snow is a good thing to land on since it's soft but from the force of the thrust, Viktor knew otherwise.
His own breath caught in his throat and before he knew it, he blacked out in the raging snow storm. The last thing he saw was a flash of black heading towards his immobile figure.
