Frozen fire

The silence in the cabin was brittle, a stark contrast to the howling wind clawing at the logs outside. I stood over the woman who had spent months masquerading as my protector, my breathing finally leveling out as the adrenaline of the strike began to subside into a cold, hard clarity. Mimi lay on the floor, gasping for the air I’d knocked out of her, her deception finally laid bare in the flickering, orange firelight.

“Vic, we need to get the fuck out of here,” I said, my voice carrying a flat edge that left no room for sentiment. I didn't look back at the warmth of the fire, or the bed he’d only just remade. My focus was entirely on the survival logistics of the next hour. “We need to leave her here.”

Vic stood up from the rug, his movements fluid and devoid of the softness he’d shown me just minutes before. The protective heat in his eyes had vanished, replaced by the calculating, obsidian stare of a man who dealt in high-stakes variables. He looked down at the woman on the floor, his mind clearly already three steps ahead, gauging the risk of her presence versus the lethal unpredictability of the storm.

“I agree on both parts,” he said, his tone dropping into a register that made the hair on my arms stand up. He didn't just look at her; he appraised her as a threat that needed to be neutralized. “How do we keep her here spy style? Knock her out and tie her up?”

“First thing I need to do is get rid of this tracking device,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. “Mimi has been tracking it as well as this burner phone.”

I reached into my gear, pulling out the small, blinking plastic casing and the sleek burner phone. I grabbed both and tossed them onto the stone floor. With a series of heavy, deliberate strikes, I stomped on them until the plastic splintered and the motherboards shattered into useless shards. There was no way they could ever be salvaged. I gathered the crumbs of the tracker and the phone, tossing them into the heart of the fireplace.

I added more wood—heavy, seasoned logs that caught instantly. I added so much that the hearth began to hum with the intensity of the heat; Mimi would be boiling in here for a long while before the cold finally dared to creep back in.

“What next?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the woman on the floor.

“I have some of my sleep medication. She’ll take one,” I said. I looked down at her, my expression mask-like. “Mimi, there are a dozen ways I could put you under that would hurt a lot more, but that’s not my style. You’ll take one of the tablets my doctor gave me for the insomnia. You’ll be out for about twelve hours.”

“You’re weak,” she spat, her voice raspy and full of venom.

“Not weak, but smart,” I replied. I reached into my bag and pulled out the small amber vial, shook out a single pill, and handed it to her along with a bottle of water. “I’ll leave a few bottles of water here for when you wake up. You'll need the hydration.”

Mimi stared at me for a long moment, searching for a flicker of hesitation that wasn't there. Finally, she nodded and swallowed the tablet.

“What about my technology?” she asked, her voice already starting to slur as the fast-acting sedative began to tug at her consciousness.

“I’ll destroy it when you fall asleep.”

She nodded again, her head lulling. I reached down and gripped her arm, helping her up from the floor. I escorted her to the bed and watched as she slumped onto the mattress, the drug taking hold with ruthless efficiency.

“Grab everything that you can—food, clothes, blankets, water,” I said, turning to Vic. “We’re going to run a Hail Mary escape before we try for the safe house.”

Vic nodded, moving with silent purpose as he shoved supplies into his large duffle bag. I grabbed a backpack he had in storage and began packing more food and water. I found two extra sets of thermals in his stash, but there was no room left in the bags.

“Strip and put the thermals on,” I said, already pulling my sweater over my head. My skin prickled in the cooling air as I stood naked for a moment before layering up. “We might be out in that blizzard for a long time. I want every bit of insulation we can carry.”

“Got it,” Vic said, following suit. He didn't hesitate, stripping down and pulling on the gear. “Anything else before we ghost?”

“Load the fireplace with as much wood as it can hold,” I said. “I’ll check her jacket and gear for anything worth keeping.”

While Vic packed the hearth, I went over to the sleeping woman. I removed her jacket and piled heavy blankets over her to ensure she didn't freeze once the fire eventually died. I went through her bag with clinical speed: four burner phones, three were used, one still in its plastic, and a tracker.

“Open this, please,” I said, tossing the unused phone to Vic. “I’ll handle the rest.”

I grabbed a heavy brick from the hearth and systematically smashed Mimi’s used tech until it was dust. I stepped outside briefly, the sub-zero wind stinging my face as I scattered the remnants into the snow around the cabin. By the time I got back inside, Vic had the new phone unpackaged and charging.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Almost,” he said. “I’ve got a rack I need to throw on the back of the ATV to secure these bags.”

“Great idea,” I said. “We can cover our stuff with the tarp that I had when you found me. It’ll prevent our stuff getting wet.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said then quickly kissed me.

I watched him exit, I then dragged our bags to the door, stacking our jackets on top. My last act was a precaution. I pulled a pair of handcuffs from the gear and snapped one end around Mimi’s wrist and the other to the headboard. I left the key on the nightstand opposite the one closest to her but placed a few water bottles within her reach. I knew that she would figure out a way to get the key eventually, but not before we were long gone.

As I pulled on my jacket, the weight of the situation settled in. The real Sera was still out there somewhere looking for me, and the world was about to get very cold. Vic didn’t know the area but I did.

Vic came in to put our bags on the ATV. He came back in once the bags and the tarp were secure and threw his jacket on.

“Hey, so for now, I’ll drive the ATV,” I said. “There are a few stops we need to make before we get to the safe house. One of them being getting rid of the ATV.”

“Ok,” he said as he pulled me into a hug. “I love when you take charge, Mama.”