The Eternal Winter - Book 2 - Chapter 3 - Catchup
Added 2023-05-18 02:55:01 +0000 UTCAlexander North
It takes me about two hours of straight training with the terminal’s guidance to be able to sense anything at all. Which is actually faster than I was expecting, but also slower than I’d hoped.
I let out a sigh at that thought before glancing at Alexia when I feel her stirring slightly.
Is she finally waking up?
A few seconds pass, and the girl just continues occasionally moving until she mutters in her sleep, “Don’t… don’t go… Alex, don’t go…”
I blink in surprise at that before patting the girl’s head and trying my best to comfort her, only to end up waking her up in the process as he eyes begin to blink open. Then without missing a beat, she jumps up and basically tackles me with a hug. Again.
“Alex!” she murmurs while burying her face in my armor, which probably needs to be replaced considering how much damage it has all over it.
After a second, I lightly rub her back in what I’m hoping is a comforting gesture. And judging by how she relaxes ever so slightly from it, I’m going to assume it is?
I’m not exactly used to dealing with kids, so…
I stay silent for a while, just letting her quietly sob until she eventually calms down and raises her head.
“You okay now?” I ask, and she quickly nods. “Alright. If you don’t mind, could you tell me what all has happened since I was knocked unconscious? And how long I was out.”
She nods her head while taking in a shaky breath, only to let it out again a second later. Then she says, “You were asleep for half a year…”
I stare at her for a few seconds before opening my mouth and then closing it again. This process repeats itself a couple times until the girl who is sitting next to me reaches out to touch my face, snapping me out of my stupor as I almost jerk my head backwards to avoid her hand. But I don’t.
“Half a year…” I mutter while lowering my head and looking down at my hand, gripping it tightly in the process as I ignore the girl’s hand on my face.
Wait!
“What about the others?” I ask while raising my head, only to realize she probably doesn’t understand. But before I can clarify, she says, “Cynthia said they all made it to some military base outside of the city and are set up there.”
I once again find myself surprised by the girl as I mutter, “Cynthia? Actually, just go ahead and tell me everything that’s happened.”
Alexia removes her hand from my face with a nod before suddenly grabbing my hand and beginning to play with it for some reason as she starts her explanation.
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Several hours pass as I listen to the girl, and throughout that time, she tells me all sorts of things. Some of them being about what life has been like for her since my battle with the intelligent frozen one, others being about what the city has become. And even about how the entire world has been altered. But throughout the entire time, she never once lets go of my hand. Which I find a little odd, but I guess she finds holding my hand comfortable?
Not really sure I understand that, but then again, she’s only ten years old. And she’s been left mostly to her own devices, with the exceptions of periodic visits from Cynthia, for half a year now.
Poor kid…
Eventually she finishes catching me up before falling asleep with her head on my leg and my hand still held in hers, making me feel a little awkward.
I didn’t sign up to be a father.
Maybe Cynthia can take care of her?
|That is unlikely to work. It is estimated that the child thinks of you as a father figure and would take it as being abandoned should you try to put her under someone else’s care.|
Yeah, that’s an issue… wait, I thought you weren’t going to read my mind if I didn’t call on you?
|Due to the changes over the past six months, it is no longer possible to disconnect from your mind.|
Ugh. That’s annoying.
I’ll have to figure that particular nuisance out later. For now…
I watch the girl for a few seconds before sighing.
Nevermind. Not much I can really do about this either.
I kind of wanted to go outside and check out the surroundings, maybe kill a few frozen ones too while I’m at it. But…
|It is estimated that should you leave the girl, and you are not back by the time she wakes up, she will start crying.|
Yeah, that’s a problem. Not to mention the fact that she’s hugging my hand while sleeping. Would be troublesome just to get up without waking her up.
I lean back against the couch while staring up at the ceiling.
Half a year… that’s way too long.
Then again, I wasn’t exactly expecting to survive from the stunt I pulled, so I guess this is better than the alternative.
So much is different now though… entire settlements built since six months ago, some humans being turned into frozen ones but still managing to retain their intelligence and mind intact, and entire settlements hunting down said people to force them to act as protection against other settlements and frozen ones?
What the hell has the world come to?
Then there’s the lost contact with the rest of the universe part…
My eyes widen at that thought.
Terminal, please try using the direct port to my father.
|Request is impossible. All ports have been mutated over the last six months and are no longer capable of contact with the other destination unless the connection is reset directly.|
My mouth drops open.
Shit.
Does that mean I can’t contact anyone off of this planet until someone comes here and physically establishes a port?
|Correct. However, the process is not the same as it used to be.|
It’s not? How has it changed?
|Unknown.|
My eyes narrow.
Lot of help that was.
I sigh again before glancing at Alexia.
Do you know if the frozen ones can break into this bunker?
|None of the frozen ones within the range of your senses can do so, nor would they have any reason to as both you and the child do not have powerful heat signatures on the level of regular humans.|
Right. So they wouldn’t know we’re in here in the first place.
Guess that explains how Alexia managed to sleep every night safely while on her own.
I lean back against the couch again before deciding to take a nap myself. Seeing as I’m not moving anywhere till this girl wakes up anyways.
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