Sunrise came too quickly for Ash, low over the mountains and red with the ash of a distant wildfire. Even though Ash had been outside the snow only a few weeks ago, it was still odd to think of the world outside. A world that knew summer. A world that was still burning. Ash wondered if she'd ever see it again.
No matter. Today was one of the last days to be truly normal, before they went off to kill Permafrost. Or went off to die trying, a part of her, the part that was trying to hold on to her powers despite the fact that they, like the distant wildfires, burned so indiscriminately. She shoved that part aside, if reluctantly. They might die, but this had to be done. Permafrost didn't seem the type to stop at just one city, and worse, she didn't think there was any way Anna could be talked out of this fight. Which, if Ash wasn't there, would result in her death. Or worse.
But that was tomorrow. Today, she would go over to Dr. Carpenter's. She would pretend everything was normal, like it wasn't the day before they went off to do the impossible. Ash stood up. That was tomorrow. Today, there was work to do.
Anna waved a sleepy hello at Ash as she walked into the clinic. There was no mention of the fight two days ago, nor of Anna's use of her powers. But the coldness was gone from her stare, and she seemed relatively happy, which had to be good for something. "Anything new happen while I was gone?" Ash said. "Sorry about ditching, and then, you know, staying ditched."
"It had to be done," Anna said. Her focus seemed elsewhere. "I'm glad to not have a repeat of last week."
Ash cringed at the memory. You came so close to that the other day, too. If not for that cut, the one that wouldn't heal, what would've happened?
Anna seemed to notice the cut, too. "Mind if I take a look at that?" she said. Ash nodded.
"If you want to know what happened, you can ask Dan about it. I don't think I can tell that again."
Anna rolled her eyes. "I meant I wanted to see how it's doing." She looked closer at the wound, and Ash's handling of it.
"I swear it isn't as bad as it looks," Ash said. "I was mainly surprised because it shouldn't have stuck at all."
"I suppose that would do it," Anna said, taking the makeshift bandage off Ash's arm.
"Before you yell at me about how I should've sterilized that, I'm pretty much immune to most infections," Ash said.
"Ash, your weakness was active. There's no reason you'd still be protected from that," Anna said, tutting and surveying the wound. "You're right, it's not that deep, but the way you wrapped it, particularly with a bandage that's been who the Calamity knows where—"
"I get the point. In my defense, I was on my own, half-corrupted, and didn't have a lot of options." Using her powers didn't just take away her heart. When she was in that frame of mind, thinking things through, even thinking things through that would help her, just seemed like too much of an effort to be worth it. Which, come to think of it, explained a lot of her time as an Epic. "You know how it goes," Ash said. At the withering look Anna shot her, Ash shrunk back. Right. No talking about anything even remotely to do with her powers, she thought. How much time do you have left, Anna?
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't go there," Anna said, her tone brittle.
"Right. That was a low blow. I'm sorry," Ash said. Even if it was a low blow that probably needed to be said. But she had stood in Anna's position, and she had the feeling only time, more specifically time away from her powers, not accusations, would help her. And she supposed she was only sorry that it had to be said. More deceptions, she thought. You really haven't changed a bit, have you?
"I did tell my aunt about it," Anna said.
Ash raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she said. "I'm surprised. Happy, but surprised. What did it?"
A flash of worry crossed Anna's face. "Dan did. He said that Permafrost knew about me now, and that he'd try to go after the people I loved if it meant weakening a potential rival. And that Aunt Clara deserved to know what kind of danger she was in."
As much as Ash was also worried, particularly about the implications of that, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She still listened to Dan, which was a very good thing, and a lot more than she gave her credit for. And the more people who knew what was going on with Anna, the more ties she'd have to her humanity. And the more ties she'd sever once she finally lost what little she had, Ash thought.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," Anna said. "She was mad, but I think she understand why I had to do everything I did."
I'm sure she did, Ash thought. And I'm sure that the risk of you barbecuing her if she didn't had absolutely nothing to do with it. Though, she may have been sincere. After all, the fact that Ash could easily crush her like a bug didn't stop her from coming in with a gun that first night. She was brave, that was certain. But in this world, bravery was far from enough.
A loud gust of wind howled outside, the draft making the doors bang slightly, shocking both Anna and Ash out of their conversation. Ash looked out the window to see that the sky that had been cloudless when she woke up was dark, covered in clouds that threatened a storm. "Does the weather usually change this fast around here?"
Anna shook her head. "About as fast as it normally would. Which is faster than a lot of places, but not this much. Permafrost mainly controls the temperature. He can control the cloud cover and wind too, but he usually finds that too much effort."
"Unless he was making a statement. Shit."
Both of them spun around, as a loud cracking sound came from the direction of the door. "And that statement was directed at us. Fantastic."
Anna grabbed Ash's sleeve. "Aunt Clara's out there," she said.
"Anna..."Ash said.
Despite Ash's unspoken protests, they crept towards the door, though Ash kept a hand ready in case Anna decided to run in. There were so many ways that Anna reminded of herself, and she knew what she would've done, so long ago. If Ash was to be honest with herself, it was what she would do right now, if not for all that was riding on her staying sane.
Ash peered around the corner. The door had blown in, torn down by an unnaturally large gust of wind, and Clara Carpenter stood in what remained of the doorway, standing defiantly but so very, very small in the face of what was on the other side. There was a part of Ash that was impressed at Permafrost's entrance. He may have been evil and a complete bastard, even by Epic standards, but Ash appreciated good showmanship when she saw it. Though she had to admit his weather powers were almost cheating in that respect. Ash leaned in closer, trying to hear what was going on.
"—Haven't seen anyone remotely like that," Dr. Carpenter was saying, her tone surprisingly even despite the living force of nature she was standing beside. Sparks, she even sounded annoyed. "Your 'intelligence' network is clearly nothing of the sort."
"Impudent fool," Permafrost boomed. "Do you not realize who you are dealing with?"
"Someone who blusters enough he even does it literally?"
"I have no more words for you." Permafrost conjured a dagger made of ice, and held it against Dr. Carpenter's throat. "Show me where the Epic you're hiding is. Now."
Ash could feel Dr. Carpenter's glare, even though the doctor was facing away from her. "I don't even know who you're talking about."
Permafrost lifted the dagger, ever so slightly, from Dr. Carpenter's throat. "Anna Carpenter. Your niece. You will find her."
Dr. Carpenter gave a hollow laugh. "Anna? She is nothing like any of you," she said. "You have the wrong house." Ash abruptly realized what exactly it was Dr. Carpenter was trying to do.
She pulled Anna aside, nearly dragging her away from the cracked door. "Anna, we need to get out of here. Now," Ash hissed.
"Permafrost is going to kill her if she keeps going on like this." Anna shook her head, and turned towards the door. "I need to do something." Ash put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to hold her back.
"What the sparks do you think that will accomplish? If you go in there, both of you will die." Even with Dr. Carpenter's status as the only doctor, she had put herself well past the point of being disposed of once she was no longer useful in the moment. And, Ash had a sinking feeling, Dr. Carpenter knew it. "She's stalling Permafrost. And I think we both know why."
"It isn't your aunt who is doing this," Anna snapped at Ash. "You have no idea what I'm going through right now."
"Not with an aunt, I suppose. No. " Ash shook her head loose of the memories bombarding her, of harsh white light and fallen, broken lockers, and of the pressure of the current situation, and grabbed Anna, scooping her into her arms. "Sorry about this, Sparky, but I really don't want to lose you too."
"Ash, what are you—"Not answering Anna, Ash took off at a sprint, leaving into the cold afternoon without even stopping to pick up jackets. If Permafrost caught up to them, they wouldn't need them.
"I'm sorry," Ash muttered as soon as she had a chance to catch her breath. She wasn't as fast, or even had as much stamina, as she remembered, and try as she might, the cut on her arm wasn't going away. Emotional weaknesses were funny like that, lingering even after logic dictated they should be gone. Though maybe it was just emotions themselves that were like that. Even still, Calamity's darkness burned at the back of her mind, the impulse to just drop Anna, she was so sparking stubborn, just let her die with her aunt if she wanted it so much nearly overpowering her. But she made a promise. The fire would burn, but it would not consume her tonight. There was too much at stake.
A strangled scream sounded from the direction they had fled from. Time, it would appear, was up. For Dr. Carpenter, and if Ash hadn't run far enough, for them as well. Anna let out a giant sob. "We have to go back," she said. "There's still time, we can still—"
"I'm sorry, Anna," Ash said. "If we went back there, we would die. Or at least you would die, and I would end up worse than dead. She's probably already gone, anyway." Yet another person, she thought. And all because of you butting your nose in. They probably would've fled when they should have at the field if you hadn't been there, making them trust you. Great sparking job. Though part of her did wonder how much would've even been different. Anna was stubborn, and Dan was braver than she had originally given him credit for.
She finally stopped, putting Anna down at Dan's house. Ash rapped on his door. "Open up, open up you stupid sl—"The door opened, revealing a bewildered Dan. "Dr. Carpenter's dead, and we will be too if we don't all get somewhere Permafrost doesn't think we'll be. Now."
Dan stood in the doorway, his mouth open in shock. "Are you sure?" he stammered.
"I'm an Epic, I think I know what someone dying sounds like," Ash said. She stopped. "Sorry. I carried Anna all the way here. It's been—It's been taxing. Though I don't think any of you are in danger from me." Yet, anyway. The night was still young.
"What the hell was that?" Anna shouted, getting as close to Ash's face as her short stature would allow. "You left her to die back there."
"I took advantage of the opportunity she gave us, and saved us from a powerful Epic who was definitely going to kill us. You're welcome," Ash said, her tone coming across significantly harsher than she intended. "Which, speaking of, means that we need to get to a place where Permafrost won't be expecting us like five minutes ago." She looked down at Anna, realizing she may have been a bit too harsh. Dr. Carpenter was like a mother to her, Ash thought. Even without everything else going on with her, Anna had a right to be upset. And Calamity's darkness could only be making those feelings worse, and twisting them. But Ash was going to be damned if she let those emotions get Anna killed as well.
Anna nodded, though Ash could tell she didn't believe what Ash had said. But when they left Dan's house, with the still shaking Dan in tow, she followed. And, for now, that would have to be enough.