Doc

Several minutes passed since I'd been shot but, despite regaining my senses, I didn't move. Staring up at the grey clouds and watching little blurry white dots float down from them calmed my nerves. My brain didn't stop screaming about the wolves. I knew they lived in these woods because that's why hunters came out here--to hunt them. It was also one of the things I'd been warned about as a kid. Don't go into the woods alone. The truth is, I felt less alone out here than I did looking out at landscapes of pure white snow. At least here there was some sign of life. Out there, it was dead silent.

The vague sound of boots crunching in the snow snapped me back to reality. I suddenly felt extremely tired. My consciousness faded as I caught a glimpse of a young man approaching me.

As I slept, I dreamed something strange. The woman in the photograph was looking down at me, smiling gently. She had a beautiful smile and she reached towards me. Before she could touch me, something appeared behind her. My brain thought nothing as I cried. I cried for her. For a moment, she looked at me with tear-filled eyes and she mouthed 'I love you' before a blade pierced through her. She slipped out of my view and her murderer looked down at her body. Then he picked her up and held her as if she was someone precious to him. His sobs broke my heart. My cries intensified at the chaotic scene. The murderer stood up and approached me. Like the woman, he told me he loved me then raised his blade above me. As he brought it down, blackness engulfed me.

I opened my eyes and stared at a rocky ceiling, attempting to process what just happened. Rubbing my eyes, my fingers came away wet. I had really been crying. The clearness of the dream and my previous state in the woods reminded me that I had been shot. I checked my arm, admiring the crude but effective bandaging of my rescuer--whoever that was. I struggled to sit up and take a closer look at my surroundings.

"A cave?" I whispered to myself.

"...Yeah. The storm was getting bad, so I thought this would be a better place for you to rest."

Caught off guard by the presence of someone else, I stared at the large, burly man sitting by the cave's entrance. He obviously wasn't a local because I had never seen someone of his build before. Despite most of the men in town working in the hard labor industry, this man's muscles appeared more like thick tree trunks instead of human arms. The man sat facing out at the raging blizzard beyond the cave's walls. Even from the back, his hair was auburn brown and scraggly. The thought of a matching beard crossed my mind as well. The clothes he wore were what set him apart from any of the locals. Dressed in a dirty, faded trenchcoat, the man hid a thin sweater and dress pants beneath.

No one in their right mind dresses like that in this weather. How is he not freezing?

"So, you saved me?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah, I guess I did....What's a young girl like you doing out here by yourself?" the man asked, turning around. His brown scraggly beard was streaked with grey which made him seem many years older than his voice suggested. I guessed he was probably in his early fifties.

"I, um, was looking for a friend. He got upset and took off. I tried to follow him but, well, I guess you know the rest."

The man chuckled. "That must be some friend to leave like that knowing you'd be coming after him. He should've been the one to save you, not me."

"I--Thank you for saving me."

The man held up his hand in dismissal. It was as if he had heard 'thank you' too many times.

Maybe he's a doctor. It wouldn't surprise me if he was in the military either. Who is this man?

"...How long do you think this blizzard will last?" the man asked.

"What?"

"You're a local, right? You must be accustomed to how the weather works here. So, how long do you think it will last? I've got some things I need to do and I'd rather not be babysitting for long."

"Wait, babysitting? Excuse me, but you're the one who saved me and now you're saying that I need babysitting? Isn't that a little contradictory? I mean, you save someone then turn around and accuse them of being a nuisance. That's uncalled for."

The man looked at me then burst into laughter. Once his outburst subsided, he spoke.

"You've got spunk, kid. Sure, you might be right about what I said, but it's not like I did it because it was the right thing. The truth is, I found you and didn't want your death on my conscience. It's as simple as that. I've got enough things keeping me up at night."

I suddenly felt bad with how I reacted. Before I could apologize, the man held up his hand to stop me.

"Don't apologize, kid. No need. Life's strange and so is Fate. Sometimes, you just run into people for the experience of having met them. I haven't met anyone as young and spirited as you in a while. I needed the reminder of what kind of people the next generation are. Although, I'm sure there are more spineless people than brave ones out there."

"You're...interesting. Who are you?"

"My name?...Just call me Doc."

"So, you are a doctor then?"

"I used to be a long time ago."

"What do you do now and what are you doing here?"

"Spirited and curious, eh? Well, I guess you could say I'm an explorer and I'm here because a friend told me the view was incredible. Any more questions?"

"A bunch."

"Well, we're not going anywhere any time soon so let me hear 'em."

I fired question after question at Doc. He answered every one of them quickly and directly. He seemed friendly and yet, kind of reserved--as if he didn't want to answer my questions but he couldn't resist or stop himself from responding. As we talked, the snow fell harder. The sky darkened to resemble a night-like grey. I could only assume that night had finally fallen or that sunrise was about to begin. As the famous saying goes, 'It's darkest right before the dawn.'

Author's Note

Do you think having a really short chapter like "Burning Cold" and following it with this chapter works? Or does it disrupt the flow?

Reviews

[hi]

well i think it ruins the flow, because the chapter was to short, in fact i think all your chapters are