Chapter 66: Went Disarray

Sometimes I feel like if you just watch things, just sit still and let the world exist in front of you - sometimes I swear that just for a second time freezes and the world pauses in its tilt. Just for a second. And if you somehow found a way to live in that second, then you would live forever." —Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

"I wonder if this is how people always get close: They heal each other's wounds; they repair the broken skin." —Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

"Grief is like sinking, like being buried. I am in water the tawny color of kicked-up dirt. Every breath is full of choking. There is nothing to hold on to, no sides, no way to claw myself up. There is nothing to do but let go.

Let go. Feel the weight all around you, feel the squeezing of your lungs, the slow, low pressure. Let yourself go deeper. There is nothing but the bottom. There is nothing but the taste of metal, and the echoes of old things, and days that look like darkness." —Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)

***

Today is one of the coldest weather in the village, wherein a destructive hailstorm struck them and their crops. It is continuously wrecking even sturdy, durable small houses.

"This is the first time that such a chaotic hailstorm happens." Said Mrs. Lagman, worried about her husband and two sons who were out in the frozen sea. "It happened so fast that no one from this village was notified about it. We weren't prepared. I'm getting deeply anxious about this."

"Mom... Thinking about the worst thing possible would only add to the burden in your mind. I know you can't help but be worried about them. However, you must also put some faith in them. That they will come back safely."

They could not even clearly see through the window, for their surroundings were being obscure with the pure white perturbing blizzard.

On their chairs, they sat down quietly as they prayed to their god about the safety of their family and the village that took them when they didn't have anything. Silently, with their eyes closed, they mumbled their wishful demands as the terrifying soundly heavy gusts of winds outside delivered destructive blows to the village.

Every villager was terrified of the hailstorm, bearing in mind that their houses could get destroyed anytime and they won't have anything they would be able to do about it, but only complain about their loss.

All that will be left after this strange phenomenon is their houses being battered and their crops totally ruined and frozen to the roots.

"Even plants that grow in winter will freeze in this cold. I'm wearing two layers and I'm still feeling the chilling weather outside."

Being in front of the fire saves them from freezing. They have to keep the flame blazing, otherwise, they will begin feeling the negative temperature outside their houses, which will keep them trembling in their whole body.

As soon as Xenia noticed the slight changes in the weather, he immediately warned Mr. Lagman and Crowley about the incoming hailstorm. The sudden abnormal shifts of weather put the three men on the spot, caught on their way back home.

Not too long ago, before they reached the shore, the three of them shoveled their path so that traveling on foot would not be hard under the snowy weather. But now, they were having a hard time traveling because of the deep pile of snow that was not there before. Shoveling them drains their stamina faster. Moreover, they were forcing themselves through the waist-deep snow, wherein moving their lower half freezes their body. Also, the extreme cold was gradually restricting their movements but they kept striding despite the extremely bad weather.

"S-Shit, m-my legs... are starting to freeze."

They were not expecting the hailstorm or the sudden worsening of the weather. Because of that, the three men were not prepared for it. They were only wearing coats, underneath was a shirt and their pants were not that thick. As for their shoes, they were wearing layers of cloth on their feet to avoid freezing.

Xenia was behind Crowley while Mr. Lagman was leading them out of the predicament they were in. The nearest house they reached was almost buried in the snow. If it was not for Mr. Lagman, both Xenia, and Crowley would be buried by now.

Tinglingly, Xenia was under great cold and yet he felt a sweat trickle from his forehead when a terrifying presence released an unimaginable amount of bloodlust. It was so intense that even Mr. Lagman unconsciously fret, causing him to halt. Crowley bumped into his father and almost fell. Thanks to Xenia, they avoided more collisions and were buried in the snow.

"D-Dad, you can't stop! Or else we will... freeze here to death!"

And because Mr. Lagman had his broad back turned on by the kids, they did not know exactly what was happening to him. Right now, as the two kids recovered, Mr. Lagman was pushing himself to his limit, even though his body, especially his legs was beginning to hinder his movements.

"Mr. Lagman?"

Putting aside the alarming burst of bloodlust earlier, Xenia and Crowley approached the not moving man.

His hand reached for the man, and he was shocked to see that Mr. Lagman had been stabbed by an arrow right across his chest. And all the flowing blood would immediately freeze after a minute, which kind of slugs the bleeding process. However, Mr. Lagman was under extreme stress and pain at the moment that no words could be spoken from his suffering.

"Wh-Who is behind this atrocity?!"

Upon realizing the reason why Mr. Lagman suddenly stopped in his tracks, Xenia instantaneously looked around. Through the zero visibility surroundings, Xenia hoped to spot the person responsible for inflicting the wound on Mr. Lagman.

"Urgh..."

Under the immense cold and pain, Mr. Lagman was groaning through adversity. And Xenia could do nothing about it. If Crowley and he ever decided to pull him away, which would be a heavy burden to the kids. Along with Mr. Lagman, they will freeze to death and it was imminently inevitable if they don't move now and left Mr. Lagman to freeze by himself.

"C-Come on, Xenia! Tell me why my Dad isn't moving!"

He went ahead and looked at the problem without letting Crowley see the state his father was in. It might devastate him, which would put him in a state of shock, thus disallowing him to further move on.

Xenia wanted to lie about it, but he just could not. In his mind, he was still trying to come up with a solution for all of them to survive. Even if he knew that there is no other way but to abandon Mr. Lagman, he still feels indebted to the family, thus forcing him to come up with an idea that would salvage all three of them from turning to solid ice.

~