I stopped feeling my fingers and toes around twenty minutes ago, I ran out of food a few days ago, and I think this is it. I am done...
The storm has been getting stronger and I have been seeing only two things. Erect tree trunks and white angelic cold flooring. The fucked-up part; the wind has been making the snow pierce through my wet clothes like needles. Where do I go? What do I do? I cannot keep doing this for long.
It is strange when you can almost taste death. When you know you are up next. A part of me feels like giving up. I should carve my name and date on one of those trees and rest there until I fall asleep. I bet if I fall asleep fast enough, I will not feel the numbing pain in my body anymore. I just want to sit and rest for a bit.
Fine. I will sit for 10 seconds only; I think to myself. I drop the heavy bag on the floor and rest my back on it. I exhale and a grey cloud foregrounds the beautiful pure white snow behind it. It has a certain glimmer to it. It reminds me of when I used to go skiing trips with my father. He used to treat me with a hot cup of chocolate at the end of the long tiresome days. The sun setting used to gleam through the clouds that the steaming cup created.
Some people say before you die, you start reminiscing. Maybe this is what they talked about. Everything around me brings shivers to the marrow of my bones and my father is the only flash back I am having. My eye lids begin to lose their strength and now the beautiful freezing scenery is reaching a pitch-black end. I can hear nothing but the drumline of my heartbeat and the huffing of my breath. I feel a glint of heating touching the surface of my skin. I feel its warmth slither through my body and a wick of hope following its trail. I shake my head and open my eyes. Wait! What's that? My thoughts jump in excitement. A flash of light is coming from behind those trees.
I get up, grab my backpack, and start running. Doorsteps, walls, extra logs, a green door, and small windows. That is a cabin. That is a fucking cabin. As I near it, I start making a list. Heat, food, and sleep. Heat, food, and sleep. I keep repeating it to myself. I reach the door and start banging on it.
"Hello! Is there anybody in there? Please, I have been lost for days and I just need some shelter. It's freezing out here. I promise, I won't stay for long. "
The wind wrestles with the bushes
I stumble on the door mat as I reach over to the window. I look inside. It's dark. Empty. Inhabited for a while as well. I step on something as I lean back to the door. It makes a screeching noise on the wooden floor. My eyes widen as I look down. I am not going to die today. I bend over and take the key. I hold my right hand with my left hand to prevent it from shaking and slide the key in the keyhole. I twist to the left. The door unlocks. I grab a couple of logs, backpack and go in. A sudden joy fills my body. Inside, it's dark but the light going through the windows make things clear enough.
Not a lot of furniture in the small cabin. A small table, thin long stove with an old oven and a small closet. The closet has some canned food that expires in a few years. I drop the logs in the oven and set them on fire.
I start taking off my clothes as the fire grows stronger. I even take off my wet underwear. I rest all my clothes in an organized manner on the table and push it near the oven. As I stand naked in the room, I take advantage of the light coming off the oven to get a better picture of what's around me. The place is dusty but well put. The people that used to be here left the place in a good condition. I wonder if they will come back when the storm is over.