08:35 – Day 3

Despite everything that had happened, both Jesse and Lukas had slept peacefully for what was left of the night. The next morning dawned peaceful and quiet, the night's blizzard having settled once more.

Lukas was still fast asleep on the couch, his breaths slow and rhythmical. Jesse was sitting beside him on the couch, already having woken up. She had her legs crossed beneath her, staring down at something she held in her hands. There was a drained and tired look in her dull brown eyes, despite the few hours of decent sleep she had gotten.

Jesse lifted her head slightly, as Lukas started to shift on the couch. He yawned, his blue eyes slowly blinking open. Jesse felt a thin blanket of relief wrapping around her heart, no longer feeling as alone now that her friend was awake.

"Jesse?" Lukas asked sleepily as he propped himself up on the couch, stifling another yawn. "What time is it?"

"Watches aren't really a thing any more." Jesse pointed out softly, no humour in her voice as she glanced back down at the object in her hands.

"Yeah, true." Lukas replied as he stretched out his arms. He looked over at her with a slight taint of worry in his eyes. "You still alright? I really shouldn't have fallen asleep..."

Jesse only gave a small nod in response. Lukas's eyes drifted down to the item she was looking at, shuffling slightly closer on the couch to see what it was. His expression fell as well, recognising the new year's photograph.

The image itself has faded slightly, the paper bent. The bottom corner of the picture was slightly wrinkled and stained red. But the five smiles on the picture was just as bright and happy as they were on the day Radar snapped the photo.

"It was still in Olivia's jacket." Jesse whispered. She blinked a few times, her eyes burning slightly.

A sad smile formed on her face. "Remember how long it took us to find a decent jacket that fitted Axel?" She sniffed. "And remember how much Petra argued that she didn't want to wear those clothes?"

Lukas gave a sad nod, smiling slightly at the memories. The memories where they were happy and all still....together. He wrapped one arm behind Jesse's back for comfort.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Jesse lowered the photograph, placing it down on the coffee table that was standing it front of the couch. She sunk slightly down on the couch, letting her head lean on the armrest.

"It keeps feeling like this is all just a dream." She whispered softly. "That I'm going to wake up again, and they'll be there." Her breathing shook. "And then I get to realise each time, that this is the reality. And they're dead."

Lukas felt a lump form in his own throat at Jesse's words. A tear ran down her face that she slowly wiped away.

For a few minutes, it was silent between the two friends. Jesse had curled herself back into a tiny ball, just staring ahead lifelessly. Lukas's gaze was resting on his hands in his lap, for once not even thinking about the fact that one of them was awaiting a future of getting amputated.

Jesse was the one to broke the silence, letting out a weak cough. She sat slightly upright as she continued to cough, her lungs heaving.

"Easy, deep breaths." Lukas said as he put a hand out, rubbing her back firmly to help stabilize her breathing pattern again.

Jesse weakly lowered her head as the coughing subsided, taking a weak, hoarse breath.

"Lukas." She whispered softly, her voice almost fearful.

"What's wrong?" Lukas asked her, detecting the hint of pain in her tone.

Jesse slowly reached her hand up to her mouth, pulling it away to reveal a faint smear of blood on her fingers. Lukas inhaled slowly at the sight, feeling his heart thump in panic.

"I'm going to die as well, aren't I?" Jesse whispered, gulping slightly. "This sickness... it's going to eat me alive."

"I'm not going to let that happen." Lukas said firmly as he reached over, picking up one of their water bottles and offering it to Jesse. "There's got to be something we can do."

"Like what?" Jesse asked softly as she took a sip from the water bottle. "Go out there and try to walk to the refuge ourselves?"

"I mean, it's not impossible?" Lukas pointed out with a shrug.

Jesse sighed, dropping her head into her hands.

"We have to come up with some sort of plan." Lukas said softly. "Even if it means having to go out there."

"Lukas, a perfectly strong and capable Petra couldn't avoid the wolves out there, how will an injured you and a sick me?" Jesse snapped, lifting her head out of her hands. Despite her scowl, her brown irises were shining with tears.

Her shoulders sunk and Jesse buried her head back into her hands. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologise, what you said was true." Lukas replied, placing one arm around her shoulders in a hug. "I'm just trying to think of some way to get help. Even if you weren't this sick, we still don't have a lot of resources to last us forever."

"I know you're right." Jesse said, titling her head to the side and resting it against Lukas shoulder. She looked slightly up at him. "Do you think... do you think we should actually do it?"

"Nobody's going to find us out here." Lukas responded softly. "If we stay here, it's going to be a slow death for the both of us. Going out there, means we have at least a chance to make it."

Jesse bit her lip, taking a deep, shaky breath. As terrified as she was, she knew Lukas was right.

"When will we do this?" She asked, looking back over at him.

"Well, we're both somewhat rested right now... and the weather is clear outside."

Jesse sunk down in the couch, closing her eyes. "Right now?"

"If you don't think you feel up to it, we can w-"

"No." Jesse shook her head. "You're right, the timing couldn't be more perfect. I'm just terrified that this might be a really... stupid idea."

"I'm scared too." Lukas admitted, smiling faintly. "But even if we don't make it, at least we know we tried, right?"

"And we'll all be together again then." Jesse responded softly, her voice quivering.

Not knowing what to say in response, Lukas only pulled Jesse closer to him in a hug. She buried her face into his jacket as she hugged him back, a slightly shudder of fear going through her body before she spoke the next words.

"I'm ready."

--------------------------

The slightest movements made Jesse jump. She was so on edge, a simple bird flying over head or a rabbit darting across their path sent her heart into a galloping frenzy.

Lukas was a tad calmer than her, his attention mostly focused on the sun as he tried to keep them heading in the right direction.

"How far do you think this place is?" Jesse asked him, her eyes slowly moving over the white horizon.

"I'm not sure." Lukas admitted. "It's not going to be close, but I doubt we'll be on the move for two full days even." He turned his head to look at her. "Still feeling okay?"

"My body's a little sore, but I'll manage." Jesse responded, nodding down to her side she was holding.

"Tell me when you need a break." Lukas responded. "I don't want to overexert you."

"You're injured too." Jesse pointed out.

"My leg won't kill me." Lukas responded. "The worse that can happen is... well, I guess is that I could loose it. But even if I end up with one less leg, I'll still live."

"How are you this calm about it?" Jesse asked softly, looking down at the snow.

"Maybe because I have somebody else to worry about." Lukas pointed out, giving Jesse a nudge with his elbow.

She managed a vague smile, looking up at Lukas. She wondered how hard it was for him to remain so confident despite their situation, just for her sake. Lukas usually wasn't the overly optimistic one, that was always her and even Petra...

"Everything okay?" Lukas asked, seeing Jesse's expression fall. "Do you want to stop and rest?"

"I'm still okay." Jesse replied softly, looking back up at him. "Just thinking, you know... about the others."

Lukas's expression grew sympathetic at her words, and he wrapped an arm around her back to give her a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm trying to stay confident, like you." Jesse said. "It's just so hard... I can't imagine what the world would be like."

"Me neither." Lukas admitted with a soft sigh. "Once we can settle down a bit and all fear wears off... it's going to hurt." He looked over at her. "At least we both still have a reason to push through the pain. No matter how hard things get, we can always rely on each other to be there."

"You're right." Jesse responded, smiling. "I just hope we make it as well."

Lukas returned the smile, nodding. "I hope so too."

It was silent between the two of them again as they walked. Having relaxed a tiny bit, Jesse let her gaze rest on the snow in front of her. Watching her her boots sunk into the fresh white powder, one step after the other. Listening to icicles crunching beneath her weight, every sound different than the one that came before it.

Jesse briefly though back to that one morning, when she was especially sick. Her memories of leaving the cabin in her disoriented state, was vague to say the least. Like it was nothing more than a bad dream, something that hadn't actually happened.

Jesse gulped slightly, feeling a lump in her throat. Petra had honestly saved her life that day, if her friend hadn't found her...

Jesse wrapped her arms around herself, biting the inside of her lip to ward back tears. She wasn't sure which of her friends' deaths had hit her the hardest. In a way, she decided it was Petra. Axel, she had kind of prepared herself. While she had held onto every slither of hope that he was alive, she knew the chances were slim. Olivia... Jesse wasn't exactly sure why, but with all the pain she felt at that point, Olivia's death was just another knife added to the wound.

Oh but who was she kidding, she was heartbroken over them all. None of her friends meant more to her than the others, it just doesn't work that way with friendships.

A familiar metallic taste met Jesse's tongue as she begun to draw blood from biting her lip. If her train of thought continued for a few seconds longer, she would have lost the fight to the tears.

But a light grunt caught Jesse's attention, causing her to lift her head. She glanced over to Lukas, realising his limp was becoming more and more noticeable. Come on, Lukas, hiding pain is usually a Petra move...

"Do you think we could take a short breather?" Jesse asked softly, knowing that even if Lukas wouldn't stop for himself, he would for her.

"Of course." Lukas said immediately. Correct again.

The trees had begun to slowly pack more together around them for the last stretch, so it wasn't hard to find a fallen log to sit down on for a few.

"How are you feeling?" Lukas asked Jesse as they sat down, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"I'm okay, just kind of tired." Jesse responded with a soft sigh.

"That's alright, catch your breath for a bit." Lukas said. "Pushing ourselves won't do any good."

"What do we do when evening rolls around?" Jesse asked Lukas almost anxiously.

"The best idea would be to look for a place where we'll be sheltered from any wind." Lukas said. "Cave, building, any type of structure that can at least shield a small camp-fire."

"What if we're unlucky?" Jesse pointed out softly.

"We can't think like that." Lukas responded as he bent down, taking a water bottle out of their backpack. "We need to stay positive."

He held the water bottle out to her, smiling. "After all, isn't that what you always tell me?"

Jesse chuckled, accepting the water bottle. "I suppose... I suppose you have a point."

Lukas gave her a nudge with his shoulder in response, before taking one out for himself. Jesse took a small drink from the bottle, thinking about the place they were heading.

"This town Stella mentioned, what do you think it's like?" She asked as she handed Lukas back the bottle of water.

"I don't know." Lukas responded. "I imagined it'd be all the survivors of this natural disaster, all uniting to form a sort of community. Fight back against the world, together."

He looked over at her. "Think you're good to walk again?"

Jesse nodded, and the two of them got up from the tree stump. They began to walk through the trees again, snow crunching beneath their boots.

"I don't know how 'functional' this place will be." Lukas went on. "People from all over the world suddenly having to learn to work together to make it through this hell? I'm not sure what to expect."

"All I wish for, is a cure for this sickness." Jesse said softly. "And just a roof over our heads, a place to hide out from the world, even if it is just for a while..." She looked over at Lukas. "A place where I won't have to hold onto life until my knuckles turn white, while I grieve."

"Me too." Lukas said softly, putting a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "I hope for that too."

Jesse slipped her gloved hands into her pockets for some extra warmth, looking back down at the snow they were walking on. Needing something else to take her mind off reality when she didn't know what more to say.

The snap of a twig immediately made Jesse's head snap up, her eyes darting around anxiously. Within milliseconds, her heart was hammering at a wild pace.

"Hey, calm down." Lukas said, taking Jesse's hand in his. "I was the one who stepped on that stick."

Jesse let out a slight gasp of relief as she looked down, seeing the broken twig in one of Lukas's footsteps.

"I wish we were at least better armed than just... a hunting knife." She said softly. "Even if we just had the gun that... yeah." She gulped, the mere thought of Olivia's actions making her chest tighten.

"Me too." Lukas said softly. "One round, one bullet that was all that was left. I wish she didn't feel the need to use it the way she did."

"Maybe she took the smart route." Jesse whispered. "Maybe we're on a road to death right now, striding straight up to our own miserable ends."

"We're not." Lukas said firmly, taking Jesse by the shoulders and looking her in the eye. "I'll die before I let the world take you as well, you hear me?"

Jesse looked down at the ground, blinking. She opened her mouth to say something, when she all of a sudden lifted her head.

"What's wrong?" Lukas asked as Jesse looked around, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Something's not right." Jesse whispered. "Listen."

Lukas frowned. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly." Jesse responded softly. "It's too quiet."

But if only that quiet had lasted, if only it wasn't a sign of the worst to come. For within the next split second, the eeriness was shattered by the one noise Jesse did not want to hear.

A low, bloodthirsty growl.

The two of them frozen to the spot, Jesse and Lukas watched in horror as the shadows of wolves became visible in among the trees.

"No..." Jesse breathed, feeling her heart drop.

"There's so many of them..." Lukas whispered back, having started to pull out the hunting knife that he knew would be as good as useless against so many predators at once.

"What do we do?" Jesse asked him softly, keeping her eyes locked on the figures within the trees, all of them stiff with tension as they waited to pounce.

"Run." Lukas whispered back.

"What? Lukas, that's suicide."

"Just run... we should be able to cross onto the road up ahead."

"They're going to catch up."

"We don't have a choice." Jesse noticed a droplet of sweat trailing down the side of Lukas's face as he said those words. It looked like he wanted to add something else, but thought against it.

There was another growl from the shrubs, a black wolf pulling it's lips back in a snarl.

"Jesse, now!" Lukas called, right as the wolves leaped from the shadows and into view.

Jesse kicked up snow as she bolted at Lukas's words, sprinting into the trees. Lukas ran after her, only a few feet behind, allowing her to take the lead.

He was amazed at how quickly Jesse's legs were moving beneath her, carrying her across the snowy ground at a remarkable speed for somebody as sick.

But unfortunately, adrenaline didn't work the same magic for Lukas. With every step, it felt like a dagger was plunged into his leg. Every time his boot hit the ground, he felt a shock wave ripple through the weakened limb.

Grinding his teeth, Lukas dared to peek over his shoulder. His eyes spotting the wolves as they weaved in and out of the trees, remaining locked on their target.

Desperate gasps were leaving Lukas's mouth as he felt his leg threatening to buckle, his step slowing ever so slightly.

He wasn't going to make it.

He had to make it.

He couldn't make it.

He had to help her make it.

"Keep running!" Jesse heard Lukas's voice call from behind her. "Just keep running! And don't look back!"

Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, Jesse put everything she had into her steps. She didn't expect Lukas's next words, feeling her blood run cold.

"Remember, Jesse!" He called after her. "East, you have to keep heading east! Follow the road!"

"Lukas-?" Jesse's gasping breath cut off her voice as she ran. "Why... are you-"

But she never got to finish her question, slamming her feet into the snow as a blood-curdling scream echoed through the woods. Looking over her shoulder just in time to see the pack of wolves descend on the struggling form of her friend.

One of the animals looked up, its eyes meeting Jesse's. The moment it did, instinct took over and Jesse bolted again.

The wolf pulled its ears back, the urge to run after her strong. But then it only turned back to the rest of the pack, digging into the fresh kill as well.

Jesse's heart thudded inside her chest as she sprinted out of the cluster of trees, hearing her footsteps echoing back up to her as she crossed over onto the road.

She didn't stop running, hearing Lukas's last promise to her echo through her head.

I'll die before I let the world take you as well

___

Oh boy. I remember writing this, I had literal tears on my face throughout this chapter.

Jesse is alone now, she's lost every last friend. With only a short stretch left to go, on the road at that, she can probably make it in time before her body gives in.
But even if she makes it, the others are already gone.

What are your predictions for the end, which is very close to being here? Will Jesse make it and come out as the last and only survivor, to start a new life alone? Or will she lose the fight, and be reunited with her friends in death?

Well have your tissues ready for the next chapter, because Jesse's last emotional journey to either outcome, had me literally crying :'D It's a sad chapter to come.

Anyway, I'm off. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and all my tears that went into writing it! I'll see you all in four day with Chapter 26!

Yeah four days... my phone says I posted the last chapter on the 27th, but my computer says I posted it on the 26, so idk if I screwed up or if I posted it in time. Assuming I screwed up, the next chapter will be early!