Kenopsia - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

When the first flakes fell that's when I knew winter was on us again and my fears grew.
We did runs for supplies for as long as we could but this morning I couldn't even see the School's gates from the School's entrance, the blizzard was just so strong.
I locked the door, trying to keep as much of the cold out as I could and went back to the office.
"It was a good idea to bolt down those garden windmills or the blizzard that's outside would have brought them away." I said, entering in my many layered outfit but it was still as cold as last winters tho this time, with dad's help, the was a barely burning light-bulb to cast a bit of light in the room.
"Told you it was a good idea." He said, hand passing through his thick beard.
Despite having way more blankets, pillows, clothes or anything that can keep us warm pilled into our sleeping quarters it was still cold.
I sighed as Hope had been crying since this morning and despite our best efforts all we did was pinpoint the reason for the crying, the cold.
"Hey Vic, you okay?" I asked, she seemed tired just like last winter.
"There is nothing I can do to make him feel better." I frowned at her words, patting her shoulder as she sat on the couch.
But unlike the first winter I wasn't alone.
As the days passed I always had someone here with me to talk and entertain ourselves.
I was scared each time someone went out to get water or just go pee but they always came back despite the cold like last winter we spent together.
"You cheated!" I yelled a bit, tipping over my king on the chess board. "There is no way that bishop was on the white tiles."
"It has always been, don't be a sore loser Dandelion." He grinned and stuck out his tongue.
"Again, I need to win this time!"
"Andie you lost four times, give up he knows how to play better then you." Vic laughed, having been giving me tips when I asked her for help. Hope sleeping, wrapped in as many layers as we could.
"No I need to win, come on, another."
"Alright, alright but after that I need to go piss."
"You are so disgusting."
"That's what father's are meant to be."
"Annnd I win."
"How the hell?!"
"I know how to play, you don't."
"Mmmm." I stuck my tongue out before flopping back on the padded ground, with all the dirt we brought it from going outside once in a while there would need to be a spring cleaning effort when the times are warming up, hygiene is important even if now little can be done with it.... We can't let any disease spread.
"Welp I am going to pee."
"Vic play against me!" I asked the woman, putting the chess board on the couch and sitting on it too now.
"Are you sure? I might win." She joked.
"Haha, very funny, now choose, white or black pieces?"
"Oh my god I won!" I said, punching the air. "Suck on that!"
"It might be the end of the world but please refrain from teaching Hope swearwords as his first words."
"Oh right." I covered my mouth. "Sorry." I laughed a little.
"It's okay."
"Alright.... Hey? How long have we been playing?" I asked, looking at my clock.
"I don't know when we started but twenty minutes at least."
I stood up in a hurry.
"Dad is still not back, I am going to check on him, the blizzard is strong."
"He is a grown man."
"A grown man in a blizzard."
"Do as you wish but you need to be careful, if a husk got to him somehow even in a blizzard they might notice you."
"Right." Worry gripped me as there is a type of husk that can jump, last winters I assumed most froze but maybe some didn't? Hiding in buildings accidentally and protected from the elements? Maybe one got in and got him?
I shook my head and chased the thoughts away, heading out of the office.
I grabbed the bat that had the nails taped to it months back, it would be easier to kill with this in sub-zero temperatures since with all these clothes I move slower and a nail point in a small surface area so even a slow hit can do a lot of damage.
"Dad?!" I yelled, leaving the entrance open for once, behind me, who knows if we'll need to run? "DAD!!" I yelled over the blizzard's winds but no answer came.
I walked to the gate until I saw it and then, while touching the wall with my right hand, walked around the perimeter but I didn't see him when I got back to the gate.
"DAAAAAD!!!" I was stressing more and more, he couldn't have climbed over the wall for some reason could he?
I decided to do the same 'touch the wall and follow it' around the school building itself before I would climb out and look for him there, lucky me I did this first.
I tripped and fell in the thick layer of snow.
"Dad!" I reached back, effectively feeling a boot and following it up the body that was laying face down in the snow.
I pushed him over with a grunt, sticking my ear to his mouth.
"He is breathing! Come on dad!" I pat his cheek but he didn't respond.
With trouble, I dragged his body slowly back to the school and closed the entrance behind us.
"Dad!" His skin was blue from cold and he was unconscious, I had no idea what happened and why he is like this... What did you do?
It was even more work to get him to our office.
"What's wrong with him?" Vic asked worried.
"I don't know, I found him passed out in the snow, something must have happened!" I said worried.
"We need to get him in some warm and dry clothes and in a warm place.
"You'll be fine dad." I whispered to him as he laid under the new layers of clothes and blankets, no longer shivering and away. I laid next to him. "What happened?"
"I slipped...." He whispered, closing his eyes.
"You'll be fine just warm up, yeah? Rest a bit." I said with a smile.
No way would I have seen the look Vic had on at that moment.
One of despair.