Chapter XI: Apex of Winter

Elsa, Five Hundred Miles East, Colorado Territory


The fire crackled, its wooden fuel shifting as bits of it crumbled away at the heat. Small sparks rose steadily into the sky, fading with the cool winter wind above. Elsa turned and grabbed a large stick that was at her side to stoke the embers at the epicenter of the fire, causing more of these to fly out into heavens above. Across the pit, Stephan stirred in his sleep. Probably nightmares again. She thought as she pulled her white winter coat around her tighter. She looked up at the clear night sky, seeing millions and millions of bright blue and white dots scattered across it in a plethora of beauty. She scooted down to lay the back of her head against the blanket covered log she was sitting on and stared up at them, wondering just how many others were looking up at them as well. How many people actually get to enjoy things like this these days? Doesn't seem like many anymore.. She thought to herself. They had been on the road for as long as she could remember, not ever settling down in any one place, so Elsa never really got to speak with anyone other than Stephan.

A wolf howled in the distance at the half- full moon. Elsa rose, not sure how close it was. She stood up and walked over to Stephan's sleeping form and reached down beside him to get his bolt-action hunting rifle in case something would happen. She paced slowly over to her side and leaned against a tree, looking out at the surrounding forest. The mist wasn't thick, but it was enough to hide anything that wasn't immediately in front of her. The dark forest would have been intimidating, even scary had it not been for the lightning bugs that floated around in the brush. They added a sense of security Elsa couldn't really describe, but she knew that they were there and this knowledge gave her comfort.

Stephan stirred once more, shifting from his right side to his left and then finally settling on his stomach. He's so weird. She chuckled to herself. At fifteen, Elsa was far more equipped mentally than anyone else her age was and her personality had matured much faster than Stephan had realized. She didn't argue or cry when others her age would or even whine when she go something she didn't want or was asked to do something. Stephan didn't mind it at all. He rather enjoyed being able to work and live with her.

Elsa watched him a moment and then turned back to the forest, scanning the scene for anything out of place. A rustle in a bush near her caught her attention, fear making her raise the gun. A few seconds later, a raccoon hobbled out and paced over to her. She sighed in relief. "What are you doing out here, little guy?" she went down to her knees, laying the rifle beside her and holding her hand out for the small animal to sniff. It accepted, sniffing it a few times and then moving forward enough for Elsa to pet it. It cooed as Elsa's hand ran over its sticky, wet back. She felt the odd sensation and raised her hand up to her face, inspecting it closely; Her palm and the insides of her fingers were red with blood. The animal didn't appear inured and instead of pulling away when she had pet it, it had actually leaned into her touch. This obviously wasn't it's blood.

She looked back up to where it had come out of the bushes, trying to see past them but failing. She didn't know what lay beyond the vegetation, but she wasn't sure she wanted to go out there to find out either, so she got up from her kneeling position and silently walked over to Stephan, who seemed to be sleeping like a rock. She nudged him with the toe of her boot and when he didn't wake, she resorted to using her hands to roll him over and shaking him wildly.

His eyes shot open. "Im up!" he shouted.

"There's something out there!" Elsa whispered. The raccoon had sat beside her. "Look at it's back. It's covered in blood!" she said frantically, looking up at him with large eyes. He picked it up, one hand going under it's stomach and examined it's back. Seeing the blood in question, his gaze turned from serious to curious as he ran his index and middle fingers over the wet fur.

"Still wet." He said. "Where'd you say he came from again?"

Elsa turned and pointed at the patch of vegetation. "Over there. He came out of those bushes and just walked up to me."

"Okay." He stood and slid the rifle out of her grasp. "I'm gonna go check it out." He walked a few steps and turned to Elsa who was still on her knees. "You comin'?"

"Oh, yeah. Right behind you." She said, standing and walking up beside him. They walked toward the brush, Elsa slowing to let Stephan get farther ahead. They went through the bush and checked the surroundings, but saw nothing. "What do you think it was?" Elsa asked.

"I'm not sure. It couldn't've been that far, though, with how fresh the blood was." he said, looking around. "Elsa, you stay here. Here," he rook a pistol out of the back of his pants waist and pushed held it out to her, "take this just in case something happens and I'm not here."

She took the pistol, feeling its weight when he had let go. She looked down at it for a second, turning it in her hands. She had only ever used the rifle before, she hadn't ever touched a pistol or automatic. When she looked back up, he was already trudging through the brush in front of them. She turned and walked through the bush that separated her from camp and resumed sitting on the log she had earlier. She scanned her surroundings, watching for movement but saw nothing until she heard Stephan grunt close by. She turned to the noise and watched Stephan limp through the branches. "What happened?" She asked, getting up to help him to a sitting position on his sleeping bag.

"I stumped my fucking toe on a root. It hurts like hell." Elsa snorted and moved back to her log, chuckling the whole time. "Its not funny!" he protested, an undertone of playfulness in his voice.

"But it is!" Elsa laughed. "I thought you were actually hurt." She looked back around to the forest. "So, did you find anything?"

"Yeah. Get your stuff packed up as quick as you can and get it in the jeep. There was a dead animal and it wasn't another animal that killed it; the bite marks were very clear that it was infected who did it."

Elsa nodded, her stomach tightening. She quickly rolled up the blanket she frequently used as a bed and tied a string around it. She tried giving the pistol back to him, but he refused saying, "You keep it. I've got another one." He reached into a pocket that was hidden under his sleeping bag and pulled out a pistol that was slightly smaller, but judging by the receiver, the bullets were larger than the one he'd given her. He smiled, obviously gloating. Always getting the hammy downs. She narrowed her eyes and turned, about to put it in the waist of her jeans when Stephan spoke up. "If you want it, look in the back of the jeep and up near the back seat, there should be a worn out hip holster." She went around back to check his claim and saw the holster in question. She reached in and grabbed it, pulling it towards her. The black nylon was worn and some strings of the tightly sewn fabric stuck out. Other than the minor aging, it was a decent looking holster. She bent over, keeping the holster on her hip and wrapped the nylon straps around her thigh, clipping the clasps that secured it to her leg.

While she slid the pistol in it, Stephan got up and stood looking the opposite direction. He looked through the trees that were out of Elsa's view and when she noticed him remaining still, her concern grew. She stepped over to him, passing the fire pit that was now just red and dark orange embers waiting to burn out. "Hey, what's wro-"

"Shh," he held his hand up, index finger extended. After a moment and a few heartbeats, his hand went down to point in the direction he was facing. She moved to be directly behind him and looked over his shoulder. Distant headlights shown through the branches, heading toward them at an angle. "We gotta go." He turned and went to his sleeping bag and rolled it up. Elsa stood where she was, watching him frantically tying a string around it. "You just gonna stand there and watch?"

She scoffed and went to the jeep, pulling the pine branches that were an attempt at keeping the plain white vehicle hidden off the front of it and then opened the passenger door, waiting for Stephan to get finished packing up. He threw it in the back and shut the tailgate and then got into the driver's side along with Elsa, who got in as soon as he opened his door. She heard the sound of the key being turned and then the engine come on, causing the jeep to hum just slightly under their weight. Stephan clicked off the headlights and pulled out onto a narrow dirt path that led back to a road that would take them through a valley and, hopefully, would secure their route back to one of Stephan's safe houses.

The jeep rocked and shook as they went over the uneven dirt, often hitting dips and rises that most other vehicles couldn't handle. "Here, find where we are and let me know where the nearest safe house is. We'll stop there and settle down again for a few days." He handed Elsa a folded map of the United States.

Elsa opened it and looked around where they were last and found the circled red dot that he had marked as a safe house. The dot was the only one in the area for around a hundred miles, so it made sense that it was their first destination in the area. "Take a left up here and follow the highway down into a valley. It should be on the West side of the river, so it'll be on our side when we get there." She folded the map and stuck it in her breast pocket.

"And that's why you're the navigator." He chuckled to himself.

She chuckled herself, "What would you do without me?" She smiled at him

They came to a opening in the trees and there in front of them, slightly covered in overgrowth, was the road they were looking for. Stephan turned left, heading down at slight angle and sped up to around sixty miles an hour. If he was right, they'd be in the valley by dusk, which was only in an hour or so.

-pop- They heard from behind them. "What was that?" Elsa asked. Stephan reached up and adjusted the rearview mirror. "I don't kn-"-pop-

The noise was getting louder. Elsa looked out the window and behind them for anything that could have fallen loose, but found nothing. She looked on the road that they traversed and also found nothing that could have fallen off. It was only when she looked in the distance behind them that she saw what it could be. The headlights from earlier were gaining on them and off to the side of one pair, there was a flash followed by the popping sound they had heard soon after.

She gasped when a plume of dirt and bits of rock went up in her face as a bullet struck the ground in front of them. Stephan sped up, making the engine roar louder. Elsa put her head back against the seat's headrest and tried her hardest to control her heartbeat before it burst out of her chest. "Those headlights we saw earlier.. they're behind us now." she looked over at Stephan who had a calm look on his face but was concentrated on the road. "They're shooting at us, Stephan. What are we gonna do!?"

"Stay in your seat and stay calm. Don't lose it, Elsa. Conceal your fear. Don't feel it." He said, still focused on the road. His eyes shifted to the mirrors and back again.

Elsa looked out her mirror. "They're getting closer!" She said as the mirror was shot off. Whoever it was chasing them was within a hundred meters and gaining on them. The jeep swerved from side to side, trying avoid the incoming fire. The two occupants both heard an explosion and the jeep started to rumble more than it had ever before and before they knew what had happened, it's front end went straight down into the ground, flipping it entirely over. It started to roll down the hill that they had just crested when it slammed into a bus that was burned out, blocking both lanes. Elsa's vision blurred, her head slowly moving from side to side trying to get back to reality. She felt Stephan shake her into consciousness.

"-sa, wake up!" He whispered. She felt him unclasp her seatbelt. "Climb through that window and hide in the bus. They're just outside and they're coming." She looked at him and shook her head slightly, clearing up the distortion of her view. She reached up, grasped the window frame and pulled herself through, avoiding the broken glass of the jeep's window. She knelt in the window to help Stephan through. He tossed the rifle that was in the back to her and undid his seatbelt, turning to climb out himself. He was stopped by his window getting busted in."No!" he yelled in protest to the hands that came in grabbing at him. The hands took a hold of his arms and shoulders, pulling him through the window and onto the outside. Elsa moved over to another window to get a better view.

Two men dragged a resistant Stephan to the middle of the road where four or five vehicles were parked and a woman who stood in the center. Her black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, letting her bangs frame her face. She was very fit from what Elsa could see. She wore a black leather jacket and a white tank top under it that showed her toned, tattooed mid-rift that lead down to worn out jeans and then further to black combat boots. Stephan was held down n front of her by the two who had drug him from the jeep and now his head was being pulled back by his hair. Elsa couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the way Stephan's face got red, it wasn't good. He yelled back at them, earning a slap across the face. Tears started to well in Elsa's eyes as she watched the scene unfold. She had to hold them back. For Stephan.

He yelled at her once again, but this time one of the men punched him in the back of his head. He looked up at the woman once again and stayed silent. Elsa knew she was getting the thousand yard stare from him at this very moment.

Elsa quickly moved back over to the window she had climbed into the bus from and grabbed the rifle that had made it through the window and pushed the bolt up and pulled back, an unspent round falling to the floor. She pushed it back forward and locked it down and grabbed the round that had come out. She moved to the front of the bus, stuffing the bullet into her jacket pocket, and aimed through the window at the four figures. The center of the crosshair went over the woman's head, straight between her eyes and stayed. In the corner of the scope's view she saw the two men back away, so she shifted focus back to Stephan. He was hunched over, his head low and arms dangling to the ground below.

The woman stepped forward and backhanded him, sending him backwards onto his stomach. Elsa could see his face now and how bruised it was. Anger and hatred boiled in her heart and she grit her teeth together, still watching as he opened his eyes. Her hand went to cover her mouth and eyes filled with the sting of tears as she watched Stephan look straight at her and shake his head 'no'. She tried stifling her sobs behind the hand and looked on as Stephan's eyes motioned towards the other car and trucks that surrounded him.

The woman got into the car and sped off as one of the two men returned to Stephan and sat him back up on his knees. His head hung low once more and the man brought his hands behind his back. The man's body blocked Elsa's view of what it was he was doing until he moved. She saw the glint of metal and then the circular shape of cuffs around his wrists. The second man came out and the two exchanged glances. When the first had gone back to one of the vehicles the second man reached down and grabbed the cuffs, forcing Stephan to his feet and pushing him towards a nearby truck.

One last time, Stephan looked over his shoulder at her, the look of defeat had vanished. He smiled at her. It was the kind of smile that said 'goodbye.' The kind of smile that parents give to their kids when they leave them for their first day of school. The man that led Stephan forced him into the back of a truck, practically slamming him into the bed as he opened the door. He shut the door and got into the drivers seat, starting it and pressing on the gas, leaving black clouds of smoke that came out of the exhaust. Two of the other trucks followed, but a jeep, white like theirs, but more built for speed and climbing than carrying loads, stayed.

Elsa shifted the rifle to aim at the last remaining truck, but couldn't see through he heavily tinted windshield. Only moments later, the driver side door opened, revealing the small, lanky form of a human male. He slowly mad his way over to their jeep and opened the rear passenger door and sifted through the back seat, bringing something out when he stood out of the wrecked vehicle. Elsa looked closer and saw it was Stephan's sleeping back that he had thrown in. She looked to see if there were any more that exited the scavenger's jeep, but when none came, she focused on him. She could have just shot him and took his keys and left, but Stephan had taught her better than that.. even though she knew his friends most certainly deserved a worse demise. The front folding door of the bus came open and she exited, following the edge of the bus to the corner and coming out once the scavenger had his head in the wreckage once again.

"Keys. Now." She demanded. For a fifteen year old, her voice was as piercing as a twenty year old's. Her eyes stared daggers at the man as he turned towards her slowly and hesitantly.

"Wow, now. There's no need for the gun." his voice trembled, whether with fear or with excitement, Elsa couldn't tell. "Just put it down and maybe we can talk about this, alright?" his tongue ran along his lower lip as he started moving to Elsa's left; she kept the rifle's sights trained on his forehead as he did. She followed his movements, and soon, they were going in a circle. He stopped, quickly pulling out a long and fat Bowie knife out of a shin sheath.

"Or maybe you can hand over your keys and i can drive away." Elsa said. "You can take mine if you like." she said, motioning towards the wrecked jeep behind him. He looked back at it, and scoffed.

She pulled the trigger. A large boom followed and it jerked up, but she missed her mark, hitting the man in the shoulder and the knife dropped. She jacked another round into the chamber and raised it back while she heard the man yelling and cursing over his new wound.

"Ah! You stupid fucking bitch! Goran's gonna hear about this. He's gonna find yuh. Oh, he'll find yuh... and your family, too." When Elsa didn't falter, he continued, "He'll tie you down and force you to watch as he rapes your momma and your sisters and slit their throats." He stopped for a moment and snarled when Elsa's glare over the barrel of the rifle held like stone. "Then he'll gut your brothers in front of yuh and save you for last. But he ain't gonna kill you. He'll hold you for as long as he can without killing you, raping you day in and day out and beating yuh, oh, he'll have fun with you."

She felt her hair blow in a slightly cool, but welcomed breeze that graced over her sweaty hands and face. "He'll probably save one of your sister's an-" a shot cut him off as the bullet went through his mouth and out the back of his neck. He fell to the ground, gagging on the blood that now cascaded into his mouth and out onto the ground. Elsa walked over to stand over him. She gave him a look of disgust and moved to sift through his pockets, finding the keys that she wanted. She stood back up and saw that the man had passed. His eyes were looking up to the sky and his messy long brown hair spread out in all directions from his scalp. She walked away from him, not looking back. One name remained on her mind as she stepped into the jeep and started it, stepping on the gas pedal. Goran. She turned the jeep in the direction of the safehouse they were previously heading to and sped away from the crash, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.


A/N This chapter was everywhere with me. I didn't know what i was gonna write one day and then the next there was a little inspiration, so if something doesn't make very much sense, let me know. I'll fix it so it will. As usual, favorite if you liked it, follow if you wanna get notified when i update, and leave a review! I can't thank you enough! Thanks guys!