03:30 – Day 4

Pain seared through Jesse's chest as she coughed, her heartbeat pounding furiously. With every desperate inhale of the icy night air, it became harder to breathe. The gasps of cold air stung her sore throat, her entire body heaving with the effort of returning her breaths to normal.

Jesse sunk back against the rock surface behind her as the coughing finally ceased, breathing in weakly. She looked down at her hands, the fire providing barely enough light for her to see the blood from her lungs on her gloves.

Closing her eyes, Jesse let herself sink back down onto to the snowy ground in front of her fire, continuing to take slow, wheezing breaths. Everything hurt at that moment.

Physically and emotionally.

Jesse wasn't sure how much ground she covered while fleeing from the wolves, before her adrenaline finally wore off and she collapsed on the road in fits of coughs. And as soon as Jesse had regained her breath, it all sunk in.

She had lost her very last friend.

She was alone.

Jesse had walked along that road for the rest of the afternoon, with tears trailing down her cheeks. Her brown eyes tinted red, her jaw clenched.

At first she regret running. Wishing that she had just run back to Lukas's side and let the wolves take her as well.

After all... what point was there in going on? She had nobody left.

But for some unexplained reason, a part of her instincts had forced her to continue on. She hadn't once looked back, continuing to walk in the direction Lukas had told her to. Following the last advice he gave her.

Jesse let her head drop onto her knees, forcing back a sob. She gulped down the lump in her throat, refusing to break down into hysterics again.

She hadn't stopped walking, even as night fell. Just telling herself that she needed to get there, no matter what.

Now here she was, in the early hours of morning, the supposed 'dark before dawn'. Sitting behind a large boulder as it shielded her and her pathetic attempt at a camp-fire from the wind.

Jesse didn't have anything. Not food, not water, not even the hunting knife. Despite having an injured leg himself, Lukas had carried all their supplies so she wouldn't get overexerted. But now she had next to nothing.

Jesse slowly pulled the last item she had on her, from her pocket. Looking down at the crumpled piece of photo paper, her friends' faces smiling back at her.

Fresh tears dripped down Jesse's face as she looked into her friends' eyes, all of them looking so joyful. So excited for the new year to come.

And to think, none of them made it even a month in.

Jesse held the battered photograph to her chest, biting her trembling lip. Her body shook slightly with the cries she held back.

Wishing that she wasn't alone. Wishing that there was somebody to hug her. Wishing there was somebody to rub her back and tell her she would be okay.

But she knew she would never again hear Lukas or Olivia's soothing words. She'd never again feel Petra grab her by the shoulders, looking her dead in the eye when she tried to be reassuring. She'd never again feel Axel lift her up in his arms, squeezing the breath out of her in his familiar bear hugs.

Hell, she'd never even be able to hug Radar again.

A cough burst from Jesse's throat, her sore lungs and throat begging her to stop crying. Reaching up, Jesse wiped her eyes on the back of her gloved hand and slipped the photograph back into the safety of her jacket's pocket.

She curled herself back into a tiny ball, burying her face into her arms. Jesse was dead tired, her body and mind desperate for sleep. Her broken ribs were throbbing, her shoulder feeling like it has lost all feeling in it by then.

But Jesse wasn't about to let herself become an easy wolf treat. She was going to fulfill Lukas's last dying wish, if she was going to go down... she was going to go down fighting.

All she needed to do, was get to the town. She didn't care what happened then, or how she'd keep herself going once recovery began to set in.

But she was going to try, no matter how hard it was.

Jesse lifted her head slightly, resting her tired eyes on the fire. Feeling the welcoming heat from the flames dance across her numb skin, faintly warming up her cold muscles.

Slowly, Jesse's eyes moved away from the fire. Squinting, she peered into the darkness.

Her heart dropped, her breath catching in her throat at the two green eyes in the dark, practically glowing against the pitch blackness.

As they made eye contact, the wolf growled. A sound that had last sent Jesse's blood running cold, panic pulsing through her veins.

But this time, Jesse rose to her feet with a glare set on her face. Grabbing the unlit end of one of the branches from the fire, Jesse raised it above her head.

"Scram!" She screamed, waving the torch in front of her like a flag. "Get lost you beast!"

The wolf yelped in surprise, immediately turning and disappearing into the darkness. Jesse was panting as she glared after it's disappearing form in the dark, before trudging back to her fire.

Everything hurt at that moment, the small bit of action leaving her feeling just simply awful. Sick, tired and cold.

Jesse stopped at her fire, looking down at it's flames. The wind had stopped blowing, the boulder shielding them being of no use any more.

Jesse knelt down, picking up a sturdier branch than the one she had just chased the wolf off with. She rested the front part of the branch in the fire, holding onto the back as she watched the orange flames beginning to lick at the wood.

The moment the wood was burning, Jesse got to her feet again. She kicked some snow onto the fire, watching as it died with a slow hiss. And then she turned away, walking back out onto the open road.

Jesse held her makeshift torch high, not only to provide light for herself, but also to hopefully scare off any predators before they could even think of barreling down at her.

Her pale face was illuminated by the light, the flames reflected in her dull brown eyes. Despite the awful condition Jesse was in, her face was set with determination.

Jesse wasn't sure for how long she walked like that. Just sticking the road, knowing it'll take her where she wanted to be. Simply continuing to put one foot in front of the other, focusing on nothing but the direction forward.

Eventually, her torch began to burn out. Jesse simply tossed it to the side, the last of it dying in the snow within seconds. Shoving her hands into her pockets, Jesse continued to walk.

By the time the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Jesse could barely stay on her feet any more. She was hunched over as she walked, arms tightly wrapped around herself. Her breath came out in large white puffs, her lungs heaving slightly.

Finally giving up, Jesse let herself sink down on the road. Sitting on her knees in the snow, Jesse closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. Everything was becoming awfully hazy around her.

"No." Jesse breathed, pulling herself up into a crawling position. "Just... keep... going."

Jesse's arms collapsed beneath the front half of her body and she sunk down into the snow. If it wasn't for the immediately ice cold against her face, Jesse probably would have lost the fight to her exhaustion there and then.

But the iciness from the snow sent life right back into her, lifting her head off the ground. Groaning in pain, Jesse pulled herself back upright into a standing position. Her legs were slightly splayed out beneath her as she fought to keep her balance.

Jesse's eyes drifted down to the snow, immediately spotting the object on the ground. Despite the fact that she was practically seeing double, Jesse reached down and shakily picked it up.

Hot tears burned her eyes as she looked down at the photo that had fallen out of her pocket. The paper was becoming soggy, the image now slightly distorted. Soon, it wasn't going to be recognisable any more.

Soon, she'd have nothing to remember them all by.

Jesse carefully tucked the photo inside her pocket again, letting one hand protectively rest over it.

Ignoring the burning in her limbs, she forced herself to walk on. One step after the other, only just about staying upright as she staggered along the road.

The mere thought of giving up sounded so appealing at that moment. She'd be done with all the misery, all the pain. And most importantly, she'd see all their faces again.

"N-no." It was the first time in hours Jesse spoke, barely a whisper left of her once strong voice.

Gritting her teeth, Jesse continued to stagger onwards. Her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes fixed on the blurry road in front of her. Despite the icy temperatures, sweat was beading down her face.

As a crow flew overhead, Jesse raised her gaze, slightly startled by the bird. But as she did, her eyes widened. Her mouth slowly opened in a silent, unheard gasp.

In the distance, she could see it. Buildings.

She was almost there, it all almost over.

New strength flooded into her legs as Jesse pushed the last of her energy into accelerating her pace. Keeping her eyes locked on the stone buildings in he distance.

Just a little further.

Jesse coughed, her body protesting against her accelerated pace. But simply wiping the fresh blood from her mouth with her glove, Jesse pushed on.

The snow crunched beneath Jesse's boots as she stepped off the road, walking straight towards the nearing town. Her steps sunk into the icy powder, considerably slowing her step.

Just a little further.

Despite everything that had happened, despite the sheer heartbreak she was feeling, Jesse felt herself breaking into a relieved smile.

She was going to make it.

But then Jesse stopped dead in her tracks, her faint smile falling off her face in an instant. She slowly moved her head as her gaze traced the scene in front of her.

Now that she was close up, Jesse could see the cracks leading across the stone walls of the buildings. The empty streets. The eerie silence.

"Hello?" Her voice was barely a croak, yet it echoed through the emptiness of the town.

"No..." Jesse breathed as she stepped closer. "No, no, no..."

She slowly raised a hand over her mouth, now able to see the people.

Or more specifically, what was left of them.

Half buried beneath the snow, clearly having passed days ago, were bodies. Slumped against buildings, lying on the sides of the roads. Frozen solid.

She made it. But she was too late.

Not a living person was left. Not there, anyway.

Jesse's head dropped, a heartbroken cry sounding out. She had come so far, lost so many friends, endured so much... and it was all for nothing.

What was she meant to do? Go on? Just walk endlessly until she found a place where there was life left?

It was pointless. She'd die before she found anything.

An unsettling crack made Jesse's eyes slowly open. Staring down at the surface she was standing on, cracks spider-webbing around her feet on the ice.

Jesse raised her head again, tears pooling in her eyes. She shook her head slowly.

"I don't care any more. Just take me."

As if nature was answering her plead, the ice creaked beneath Jesse's weight, the cracks spreading across the frozen pond she had come to stand on.

And then it broke, Jesse's body plunging into the icy depths below. 

As the waves on the water were reduced to ripples, the only thing left was a soggy photograph floating on the surface.

Axel – Day 1

Petra – Day 2

Olivia – Day 2

Lukas – Day 3

Jesse – Day 4

-fin-

___

Where do I even begin?

Back when I wrote this... holy crap, I still remember how much I had cried. I've had the outline in my head for weeks, and sat down with an evil grin to write it. But I finished with tears dripping down my face. This book was too much, even for me :')

The name of the story was accurate from the start, these were the Order's Final Days. And I was eager to see when the readers would realise that - which seemed to be around Petra to Olivia's deaths.

This was... an emotional roller coaster to be honest. And I loved every bit of this. I enjoyed writing this book so much, not to even mention watching the readers' reactions and listening to theories popping up as I posted it.

I'm really sad to leave this book behind, but I'm also excited, because we have my favourite story coming up - Possessed! I hope you guys are as excited for it as I am, it's a shorter story, but a really exciting one! And a lot more lighthearted, so you guys can wind down before Night of the Mobs come... which is back to being super dark. Not as dark as this one tho xD

But anyway, time to wrap things up. I'll be posting one more chapter to this book, and that's another "things you didn't know about this story" like I did back with SBTL!

I'll either post Possessed's release date there, or soon on my Message Board. I still don't have a cover for it, and the blurb is incomplete :'D But the story is almost fully polished and ready to go! Or well, as polished as my stories get, reading over mistakes is my talent.

Enough rambling - I hope you guys enjoyed this story as much I enjoyed writing it! And I hope you're all excited for Possessed!