Lungs burning with the need for oxygen-- Her lips parted to suck in as much air as possible. The sheer force jerking her back erect. The air was crisp, cold; it seared her already dehydrated throat. With a soft thud, she fell back to the ground, limp. Where was she? Slowly, she dared to open her eyes, only to immediately re-close them.



Realization swept slowly over her fuzzy thoughts. Earth. She was on Earth. But where? Gathering her courage, she once more opened her eyes. The onslaught of extraordinary light causing them to throb in protest. Everything was so w h i t e. What was all the white stuff floating around? Something cold and wet touched her stomach, drawing attention to her nude bodes. Bare she was to the harsh, unforgiving climate. At first the flakes fell in a light shower. Then --as if by the flick of a powerful wrist-- grew violent and frenzied.

A blizzard. Snow. Snow, she now knew it to be. She tried to move, but was horrified to discover she could not move her gaunt, frail frame. What was this? Why couldn't she move? Why wouldn't her body listen to her? The pain came then, overwhelming her already feeble existence.



Her golden orbs shimmered with obstinate rage. She trembled, nae-- her body convulsed; tears clouding her already poor vision. She would not die here! No, not today. Her lips fell open in a effort to speak... but her throat burned in objection. The metallic, insipid taste of blood tainted her mouth. Sound refused to surface. She felt numb now. The cold blistering her defenseless flesh. It gathered atop her. It's virulent power revealing it's intent to bury her alive. She concentrated, focusing every ounce of her weakening strength to move her body. Please... Just a budge. Hope was dwindling, much to her dismay. Black began to blotch her waning vision; consciousness fading. The ominous abyss of black overtook her and she succumbed to sleep.

Why? ... How did... It come... To this..?

Many hours passed before her orbs of sweltering honey fluttered open. Black. Everything was black now. How long had she been unconscious? Too long. The blizzard of vengeful snow raged above. Continuing to create her tomb. She too realized then, that she had been buried. How many inches, or feet-- She knew not. Terror took hold; bringing life to each numbed limb. Her will for survival --for life-- ablaze!

Fight!

It was futile, for the ice had frozen her solid. Numb and listless, she could feel almost no pain now. Just a dull throb. Her heartbeat thrummed weakly amongst the cage of ribs beneath her breasts, faltering on some notes. Oh how strange it was... To feel a heart inside her chest. To feel it beat... Alive for the first time.



Silent now... The roar of the blizzard gone. Her eyelids heavy, the temptation to just close them and rest... So strong. Slowly, oh so slowly-- her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. As she felt her life diminish, she merely smiled and thought: As I feel my soul dwindle --wither like a lily in the rain-- I cannot regret. For to regret, is to wish it never happened. And I, I cannot rue the day I met thee, held thee, felt thee... My Demon. My Beloved. With that final thought, she slipped back into unconsciousness. Heartbeat fading. Awaiting her impending death. Peacefully, with a smile gracing her bloodied features with hope, the tiny hope that somehow her thoughts would reach Him.

If she had to choose to go to Heaven or Hell... She'd choose Hell. She'd already been to Heaven, and they'd cast her out.

It was cold. The kind of disgusting cold that chills you through the layers upon layers of of winter woolies that were piled on. It was darker now, and he regretted missing the last bus. Yet there was something charming about the night, even in his sodden boots and the breath-damp scarf. His breath had created a damp patch in his scarf, and his gloves had a hole in the left thumb. Yes, he was cold, but not as cold as her.
He'd gone to knock the snow off the tree branch, in case it fell in the night and smashed his car windscreen. And he'd trodden on something. A person. He'd trodden on a hand.
Stopping himself from screaming, he pushed the snow away, his heart racing. A naked girl, icy cold. She couldn't be alive, not that cold and that deep in snow. But her heart was beating. "Oh my god, oh my Lord ." He whispered, stripping off his coat and doing his best to stuff it around her. His phone was flat, so he'd need to get her inside in order to phone an ambulance for her. "You're breathing, don't die now." He hissed, trying to pick her up as best he could.