Chapter 4

Amid the cold and the hunger, time seemed to stretch on forever.

I stood under the streetlight, having lost all feeling in my hands and feet ages ago. All I felt was a bone-chilling numbness.

At first, I'd shivered from the cold, but now, I barely had the strength to shake at all.

A strange discomfort started creeping through my body. It felt as if my head were tightly bound by something. The heavy, throbbing pain made it almost impossible for me to keep my head up.

My heart raced like a drum pounding against my chest, so fast I could barely breathe. Even my empty stomach was aching. Was it out of starvation?

Shaking, I dug into my pocket for the half-eaten energy bar. Ignoring any thought of rationing it, I stuffed it into my mouth.

The cloying sweetness barely suppressed a flicker of panic, but the dizziness persisted. My head kept getting heavier. My body was growing colder—colder than when I had been standing in the wind earlier. The chill came deep from my bones.

I wrapped the small blanket tighter around me, but it felt like some invisible force was sucking the warmth out of me. No matter what I did, I just couldn't get warm.

Just as I was about to collapse, a black car slowly approached, stopping at the entrance of the rest stop.

As if I finally found my lifeline, I used every ounce of strength I had left to shuffle forward.

Only, when the window came down, it wasn't Uncle Cole who sat in the driver's seat. It was a stranger who introduced himself as Saul.

"Can I… borrow your phone… I-I don't feel good…" My voice was so weak that I could barely hear myself.

Saul froze for a moment before handing me his phone. "What happened to you? You look very ill."

I couldn't even try to explain to him. All of my strength was channeled into my stiff fingers as I tried to tap out Dad's number. This time, the call connected very quickly.

"Dad…" I choked out. "W-When is Uncle Cole coming? I feel bad… My head is spinning, and my heart is racing… Am I… going to be okay?"

Dad sounded extremely irritated. "What is it this time? Didn't I tell you to just wait there? Your uncle left his place a while ago. He ran into some traffic, but he should be there soon.

"Can't you just wait a little longer? It's your fault for missing the car because you were being too slow, so why are you complaining about feeling uncomfortable now, huh?"

"No, Dad. I really don't feel well…"

My explanation proved futile.

"That's enough! Stop causing trouble. Just do as you're told and stay there! Why are you kicking up such a fuss during the holidays, huh?"

He dropped the call on me again, the realization crushing me. I'd opened my mouth to say I really couldn't hold on much longer, but the line went dead before I got any of the words out.

Dazed, I stood frozen with the phone still in hand. I even forgot to return it to Saul. He reached out to take it back before quietly assuring me, "It's fine. Your uncle should be here soon. Why don't you wait in my car to warm up for a bit first?"

I shook my head. I was afraid that if I sat inside, Uncle Cole might not be able to see me when he came by later. I managed to squeeze out a weak thank you before shuffling back to my spot by the road.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually the trembling subsided, and my heartbeat slowed.

And yet, I didn't feel any relief. My hands and feet felt alien to me. They'd grown stiff and unresponsive. I tried marching in place to warm myself up, but lifting my legs was exhausting. It felt like I was moving in slow motion.

The sky had gone completely dark.

I stared blankly at the head of the road, my vision blurred and my mind foggy. I gritted my teeth and used every ounce of strength to move to the edge of the rest stop building, one tiny step at a time.

Each breath I took seemed harder than the last. It felt like someone had their hand around my throat, or a heavy stone was pressing on my chest. I gasped desperately for air, each inhale too short and nowhere near enough.

My vision grew hazier. All I saw were patches of light.

My knees buckled. I collapsed weakly onto the ground, curling up in the snow. The blanket had fallen off, but I didn't have the strength to pull it back on.

I was so tired…

My eyelids drooped, and I couldn't open them back up. My consciousness was slipping.

In a daze, I thought I saw Mom and Dad running toward me, their expressions anxious. Before my eyes closed for good, I thought to myself, "Thank goodness… You finally came for me…"

My wolf let out one last faint whimper before falling completely silent.