Siberia - Short Story One - Snowfall
Central Character - Sniper
Word Count - 723
Charles Snippy could not remember the last time he had felt so cold.
Sitting upon that roof with the snow cascading down, the concrete beneath his rear numbing him to the core even though layers of fabric. That night was cold, colder than most he had been through. Watching out into the wasteland for people who were not there, enemies who were nothing but the delusions of a shattered and troubled mind.
The captain, eccentric even at the best of times, worried the snow vampire would be out to get them that night, based off a simple fret the Pilot had held over a small scratch on the side of Photoshop, something she had done to her self rolling over the day before.
Adjusting his position, Sniper held his gun tighter to him self, a thick layer of snow starting to coat his jacket, fogs of white air bellowing out from his respirator with every shivered breath. They were further North than usual, having been traveling relentless trying to out run the Acidic rain that had started to fall further South. But now it was to cold, never a happy medium at the end of the world it seemed.
Rubbing his hands together the marksman attempted to warm them, but the friction was no match for the weather, it did nothing against the bitter wind that swept past and caught under his hood at that moment. This was stupid, he should have been inside, where the others were, Photoshop and her great mass blocking up that little room on the first floor of the building no one could have gotten in.
But the Sniper did not think he could handle another night of the Captain, standing over him as he slept, like always, watching, looming like some sort of psychopathic childish statue that only moved when you were not watching it.
Snippy tensed upon hearing the sound of footsteps in the snow behind him, the door to the building, the one that lead back in from the roof had been propped open. He shook him self to dislodge that snow that had gathered on his coat, glancing over at his shoulder at the Engineer who stopped in his tracks once spotted, like a rabbit snagged in the glow of headlights.
"You should come inside, before you freeze to death." The words held a bit a stutter to them, whether from cold or fear Sniper could not tell.
"I'm fine." Stubborn, refusing Sniper would not go back in now, not now he had been told to by the Engineer, perhaps if it was captain, with such never ending persistence that it drove the sniper in he may have gone...but no...it was the Engineer, the one who had only shown up recently.
It was with a caution and a reluctance then that Engie stepped closer to him, wordlessly throwing a blanket over the marksman with a huff, like he had known the Sniper would refuse to go back inside.
A steaming cup was also placed down beside him melting into a patch of snow, before the Engineer started to make a retreat back into the building. The Sniper observed the thermal plastic container for a moment or so waiting for it to do something other than sit there before he reached for it and pulled down his respirator, the cold air stung his lips and caught with a tingle in his nose now, but the Captain did have the only non radioactive straw.
Sniper shifted so he had his rifle resting against him, held up in the crook of his arm while he nursed the drink in his hands. It smelt like hot chocolate, something, Sniper assumed the Engineer had brought out from that bunker he often spoke of returning to, even though he never actually did.
It had been such a long time since Sniper had drank such a thing however and he gave a mumbled thanks even though the Engineer was already gone, back down to a fire the marksman now suspected they had below, how else could he have boiled water for that drink...Lucky them.
Savoring the taste he sipped the hot chocolate, a feeling of warmth sweeping over him and he huddled further under his blanket as he kept on with his watch and all through the night the snow continued to fall.