“I can’t let go of you or the toboggan. You have to move real slowly. Put your hands and feet against the ice and try to scoot up here. Okay?” Logan spoke with a calm voice. She tried to do as he said, but she kept just slipping more, and she was slowly choking.
“Calm down, kid. Stop struggling before you strangle yourself. Try again.” Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one dangling down there.
She tried to calm down. Tried to breathe.
“Put your hands down first. Wait for a while. As soon as they start sticking to the ice, try to push up with your feet.”
It took a while, but finally she managed to scoot back to safety.
“Sorry about your jacket, kid,” Logan grunted, then steered her to the safer ground. She reached for the hood. There were holes in it. Three deep gouges.
“Well, I guess I rather have few holes in it than all my bones snapped in half…” She whispered shakily, then grasped Logan’s arm for support when her feet started to slip on the ice once again.
“Get over here,” Logan huffed sounding annoyed and urged her to climb against his side.
It took a while to get past the rift. She was hanging on to Logan for her dear life, her feet wrapped around his waist and her hands grasping his shoulder and muscular chest. Twice he stumbled, both times regaining his footing well before the treacherous terrain sent them careening towards the abyss.
“You sure do know your way around here,” she noted. Logan harrumphed.
“I should. I come here every winter.”
“Every winter? You know… Usually people spend their vacation in some warm place. Caribbean, Bahamas, Tahiti…”
”Who said anything about vacation?”
“Nobody. I just assumed…”
“Well, I guess you could call it a vacation… Laying low. Hibernating…”
“Hibernating?” She squeaked surprised, rousing amused snort from Logan.
“Kind of. Not like bears do it. Just keeping low profile. Staying out of reach and enjoy the silence.”
“Oh.”
The tunnel they were in seemed to stretch forever. She was able to walk on her own now. Ground was still slippery, but they had left the rift behind. She tried her best to keep up with Logan’s steady, unfaltering pace, but found it increasingly difficult. When her thighs started to shiver from the exertion she crouched.
“What is it now?” Logan asked sounding frustrated.
“I’m tired.”
“Already?”
“I’m not used to this kind of things.”
“No shit…” He grunted, then turned to the toboggan and started fiddling with the straps that bound their belongings to it. Took out his knapsack and backpack, slinging them over his shoulder and patted the vacant spot they left.
“Hop on.” She complied hurriedly, whispering silent thanks. Logan just snorted.
“Don’t get used to it. Winter is long and cold, and I’m not as sure as hell going to haul your ass through it…”
She almost fell asleep on the toboggan when Logan suddenly lunged behind her, his body curling around hers and his hands clasping tightly around her waist. She could see a steep downhill right in front of her, open, dark sky above her.
“Hang on.”
“Wha…” Her half-formed question turned to a surprised shriek when the toboggan started to slide over the snow, gathering speed rapidly.
“Too soft and deep to walk! We’ll just have to hope that it carries us all the way down!” She heard Logan shouting, then the wind gushing against them made it impossible to communicate.
There were no trees or large rocks ahead she noted relieved and relaxed somewhat, only to scream and grasp Logan’s arms to a vice-like grip when the toboggan hit hidden bump under the snow and jolted upwards before falling back to the snow and continuing forward. She closed her eyes, slightly ashamed of her rather girlish reaction. She could feel Logan shaking behind her slightly. When the toboggan slowed down she could hear him laughing.
When toboggan slid to halt in front of a small cabin that was partly buried under the snow she struggled free from Logan’s grasp.
“Wait, wait, kid! Wait!” She could hear laughter in his voice and scrambled off from the toboggan, embarrassed and angry, ending up nearly drowning to a powdery snow. She wriggled and spluttered, trying to find steady footing, but wherever she reached she met only sinking coldness. Large hand seized the back of her jacket and she was lifted through the air, still kicking and cursing. She landed on her stomach over Logan’s thighs.
“I tried to warn you. Don’t wander off. You’ll fucking drown or something,” he admonished, but there was no trace of anger or tiredness in his voice, just a slight hint of amusement. She rolled on her back, meeting his gaze, trying to bring forth all the frustration and rage that had been bubbling under ever since he had snatched her from the side of the road. Instead a grimace adorned her face when wetness on her cheeks started to chill in the cool air. Before she had the time to react Logan had wiped the slush from her cheeks with his hands. His bare hands.
“You… You shouldn’t do that…” She whispered with a shaky voice. Logan cocked his eyebrow questioningly.
“You shouldn’t touch me like that. I hurt people who get too close,” she stuttered, sitting up carefully. Move brought her to close proximity with Logan who let a lopsided grin flash over his features.
“That makes the two of us, then…” He grunted enigmatically, easing her slowly off from the toboggan, making sure that she found a steady surface to stand on before letting go of her hands.
They waded through the thick white banks to the door of the cabin.
“How are we supposed to get in?” She asked, eyeing the small sliver of door that was visible from under the snow. Logan dug in to the toboggan. Out came two small shovels. One was pushed in to her hands; other Logan kept for himself and started digging.
“Would go hell of a lot faster if you did your share…” He said. She shrugged herself out of the momentarily stupor and dug in.
Few minutes later she was exhausted. It was a lot harder than it looked. Every shovelful of snow she managed to throw off seemed to just magically grow back, no matter how fast she tried to shovel. Logan seemed to fare much better, having cleared nearly the whole porch by himself. He took the shovel from her and scraped the last bits of ice and snow from the door, then yanked the toboggan to them to the small clearing they had managed to make. He fished around his pockets and she could hear soft jingling. A keychain appeared. Logan maneuvered the toboggan out of his way and opened the lock. Then pushed the door open.
“Uh… Is this it?” She asked, stretching her neck, trying to see better in the complete darkness. There seemed to be one room. One small room with a fireplace in the corner and a narrow cot lay in front of it. Logan brushed past her, and she could have sworn she heard him sniffling the air, taking in scents.
“Home, sweet home…” He grunted, then turned and pulled the toboggan in.
“Are you going to come in or not?” He asked when she just stood on the doorway, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. She scurried quickly in, closing the door behind her. Then stood in front of it, unsure of what to say or do.
Logan was kneeling in front of the fireplace, peering up in to the chimney and arranging logs.
“I know this isn’t much. Not by a long shot. This shack is probably smaller than your room back at Xavier’s…” He spoke quietly, pausing to light the fire. Task completed he turned to look at her.
“But this is hell of a lot more and miles better than what you would get from Stryker.”
“I… It’s not that…” She squeaked, inching closer to the crackling fire, drawn to the warmth.
“What is it, then?” Logan asked. She glanced around and licked her lips nervously.
“I… Ummm… Where am I going to sleep? And is there a bathroom hidden somewhere in here or do I have to start shoveling every time I need to pee?” She asked. Logan thumped against the floorboards with his flattened hand. Sound echoing in the room was strangely hollow.
“There’s basement. Not much room, but there’s bed. And a toilet. There’s no warm water, but there’s a small stream running underneath this place, so we have running water as well.”
“Oh. Uhm… And you?” She asked, fiddling nervously with the sleeve of her jacket. Logan’s brow rose questioningly.
“I have no money, and I’m not exactly made for this kind of life… I’m only a burden. And… And you…”
“Money? You think I brought you here because I’m after money or your scrawny ass?” Logan asked. She didn’t know should she feel herself insulted or relieved.
“You don’t expect any kind of compensation for all of this?” She asked.
“Hell, no. At least not that kind of compensation you seem to be afraid of. I’m sleeping up here. Somebody has to keep the fire going during the night,” Logan said, tossing a log in to the flickering flames. She sat on the cot, tension ebbing from her body, leaving her muscles lax and sore.
“I owe this to Xavier. Wouldn’t be right to take money from you. Or anything else for that matter…” Logan sounded almost hurt, trudging around in the small space, rustling bags and packages. Her head started to droop. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a ton.
“What do we have here? This I’ll have to put outside to freeze, it’ll rot otherwise…” She tried to stay awake and shrugged off her jacket, curling upon it, her gaze drifting to the flames dancing in the fireplace.
“I’m going to toss your stuff in to the basement, you can put it away when you feel like it…” She blinked. Once. Twice. Flames. Darkness. Flames. Logan talking. Darkness. Flames. More talking.
Darkness.
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