8: Snow and Black Water
1027 Words
Anya’s POV
I sit on the edge of the bed in the gray dress.
My boots remain on my feet. The laces feel tight around my ankles.
I stay for the time to pass. The timer on the wall ticks with a strong beat in the silent room.
The hands show two fifty-five. Then two fifty-six. Then two fifty-seven.
My chest rises and falls quickly. I force air in slow through my nose. I force it out slow through my mouth.
Only the words Sonya whispered stay inside my head.
Kitchen door. Three in the morning.
I stand up from the bed. My legs feel weak. I walk to the window. I look outside.
Thick snow falls without stop. The white covers the ground and the trees. No lights moving in the darkness.
No guards walking with their guns.
I ask myself why I see no one. Where are all the men who watch the house?
The key turns in the lock with a soft sound. The door opens just a small crack.
Sonya’s face appears in the opening. Her skin looks pale in the dim light. Her eyes are open wide with fear.
She places one finger against her lips. She wants silence.
“Now,” she murmurs in a tone so quiet I nearly miss it.
I move fast. I slip through the open door into the hall.
The space is dark. No lamps burn. No sounds come from anywhere.
Sonya closes the door behind me with care.
We walk on the tips of our toes. We descend the back staircase.
I hold my breath till my lungs ache. The kitchen waits below us.
Sonya leads me straight to the back door. Her hands tremble on the handle.
She twists the knob and opens the door wide. Snow blows inside the kitchen at once.
The cold wind strikes my face with force. Tiny ice pieces sting my cheeks.
“Go south,” she says in a rush.
“Follow the birch trees. You will see their white bark even in the dark. The river is two kilometers away. A small boat hides under the ice there. Use the boat.”
Tears well her eyes and run down.
“Make sure you escape, Anya. Do not let them catch you. Please promise me.”
Her voice cracks on the last word. She gives me one quick push outside.
The door closes behind me.
I am by myself in the heavy snow. The white comes up to my knees.
My legs feel heavy. I look all around. No watchers posted by the building. No animals yelping in the dark.
Nothing moves except the falling snow.
The silence feels wrong.
I start to run toward the south.
The birch trees wait in stretched rows. They are high and slim. Their white skin gleams like ivory in the dark night.
The forest spreads out forever. Trees stretch in every direction. No path shows. No end appears.
Branches reach out and slap my face as I push forward. Sharp twigs scratch my skin.
Snow falls into my eyes and mouth. I wipe my face with my sleeve.
My boots sink deep with every step. The leather grows wet and heavy.
My breath comes out in white clouds. I fall forward suddenly. My hands and face land in the snow.
The cold burns my skin. Snow fills my mouth.
I taste earth and ice. I push myself up again. My arms shake. I force my legs to run more.
The trees begin to thin after a long time.
I hear the sound of moving water ahead.
My chest feels lighter for the first time.
The river. I see the black water between the white banks. Thin ice covers the edges.
Hope grows inside me.
I can cross the water. I can float away. I can be free.
I run faster to the edge.
My eyes search the snow. I spot the small boat. Wood. Old paint. Snow hides most of it.
I drop to my knees. I dig with my bare hands. The snow is hard and cold.
My fingers turn red. Then numb.
I pull the boat free. It is heavier than I thought. I drag it over the ice to the open water.
The ice makes loud cracks under the weight.
I push the boat into the river. Water splashes up and soaks my dress.
The cold shocks my skin. I climb inside the boat. I sit low.
The current grabs the boat at once. It pulls me away from the shore.
The water freezes my skin.
I turn my head to look back.
The lights of the dacha are small now. Far away.
Then I see white beams cut through the trees.
Flashlights. Many.
Men shout words I cannot understand.
The sounds carry over the snow.
My body goes stiff. My stomach turns over.
They found me already. They are coming.
I bend lower in the boat.
I row with all the strength left in my arms.
My hands hurt. The cold bites deep.
Bang. The first shot echoes. Bang. Another.
Bullets hit the water close to the boat. Water sprays up.
Ice breaks with sharp sounds. More shots come.
I cover my head with my arms.
My mouth fills with blood as I bit my lip hard.
The boat strikes something under the water. A rock. The wood jumps. I fall forward. My body goes into the river.
Black water closes over my head. I cannot breathe.
My arms and legs kick without thought. The current pulls me down.
I fight to the top. My head breaks the surface. I gasp for air.
Water runs from my mouth.
Strong hands grab my arm. Fingers dig into my skin. They pull me up out of the river.
I cough hard. Water spills from my lungs.
Lev’s face looks down at me. His scar shines with snow. His eyes show no warmth. He holds my arm tight.
“I told you to humor us,” he says in a flat voice. “And you sure did.”
Snow keeps falling on my face. The world turns black around me.
- Writer
