.jpg)
Mycah was slightly surprised at how fast Winter had taken down the soldiers, but they'd take it. They ran the rest of the way to the car and opened the door. Thank Elief, the keys were in the ignition. "Get in." Mycah hopped into the driver's seat and waved Winter to get in as well. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed the numerous bodies and tried to stop them. With luck, they would both be long gone by then.
Winter got into the car, sitting down. His face was nearly expressionless, and he let out a slow breath. "So. Now we're going to the Alumi?" he asked, looking over at Mycah. He arched an eyebrow slightly. His white hair was wild and messy still. "Also, I need to stop somewhere for new clothes at some point."
"That's the goal." Mycah turned the key in the ignition and quickly backed the car out of the parking spot. "Hmm, you could check in the back. These things sometimes have extra clothes. And while you're looking, try and find a tablet-looking thing?" Mycah asked, unable to fight the hope rising in them any longer. Someone yelled at them from outside the car, something about stopping and showing some identification, but they ignored the shouts.
Winter nodded slightly. "Alright." he climbed into the back, and searched until he found some clothes that would fit, setting them aside. "I found a tablet. What do you want me to do with it?" he asked. He leaned forward to set it on the passenger seat, and started getting changed, moving quickly.
"Ah… If you… could you search for two people?" Mycah glanced down at the tablet and turned it on. Between glances at the road, they navigated to a search bar. "Pandora Dael and Allx Leigh. They…" Mycah trailed off and swerved around a group of soldiers who'd been walking across the road. "I just need to know if they're alive."
Winter nodded, and grabbed the tablet once he was finished changing. He slowly typed in the first name, waiting for the tablet to load up. He climbed back into the passenger seat. The clothes were a little ill-fitting, but they worked far better than the worn out, bloodstained clothing he had had.
After a few seconds, a picture of a young woman with curly blonde hair and a huge smile appeared on the screen. Next to the picture was her name and under that a single word: Deceased. Mycah kept their eyes on the road, not daring to look at the tablet in Winter's hand. "What does it say?" Their voice was uncharacteristically fragile, and their knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
He swallowed. "Uhm…deceased. I'm sorry." he replied quietly, wondering what this person had been to Mycah. Wondering if they had been a lover, friend, sibling. He didn't know. Didn't ask, either. He kept his eyes on the tablet.
Mycah blinked, feeling as if someone had punched them in the stomach. Pan… dead? It couldn't be! She was so full of life, so… they blinked again, feeling tears prick at their eyes. "And Allx?" Mycah's voice was thick, although they didn't expect it to be any different.
"Still looking." He searched the name, waiting for the results. He was sitting cross-legged in the seat, not buckled and not seeming concerned in the least about his own safety.
The picture that popped up was of a man with red hair and tiny horns. Under his name was the word deceased. Mycah was holding their breath as they waited for Winter's response, even as they were attempting to convince themselves that hope was futile. But after Pan, the gods had to grant them something, right?
Winter let out a breath. "Also deceased. I'm sorry." he said softly, turning the tablet off. He knew better than to search for any of his names. Especially not for Jameson Prinz. His birthname, the one he was famous for. The killer. The Wraith. No. He was better off as Winter Iveman. As the strange nobody.
Mycah let out a breath and blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears at bay. A few years ago, they wouldn't have blinked at someone they knew dying. But Allx hadn't just been someone they knew. He was someone they'd loved. A tear slipped out from their eye and ran down their cheek. Mycah quickly swiped at their face, keeping their eyes on the road. "Right. Thank you." They took a deep breath and tried to go back to the person they were all those years ago. Before Allx, and before Pan. It would be easier.
Winter nodded slightly. "Yeah. I'm sorry." he replied softly, simply. He glanced at the tablet again, and wondered if it would contain anything detailing the reasons he had been blind in the forest. Eventually, his curiousity overcame his caution, and he searched for "The Wraith. Prinz, Jameson", and waited for the results. They queued up on the tablet, and he tapped on the most recent mission, reading what little of it wasn't redacted.
Getting rid of a few years-worth of memories and emotions wasn't easy, but Mycah managed it. Out of the counter of their eye, they noticed that Winter still had the tablet on. He must've been looking up someone or something from his past. They focused on the road again, glancing at the tablet screen every so often. What was Winter searching up?
Winter's jaw clenched slightly as he saw the images from his most recent mission. But it hadn't even been a mission. Just destruction. Someone had fought back with some sort of weak acid. Well. That explained his eyes, anyways.
"Is everything okay?" Mycah asked hesitantly. They didn't want to pry, but the images they'd glimpsed in the tablet weren't exactly comforting, to say the least. A glance in the rear view mirror revealed nothing. Well, both of them were not having a good time, but at least no one was following them.
Winter turned off the tablet, but neglected to clear the search. "Yes. Everything is fine. I was just getting some answers." He replied, voice sounding a little bit strained. He looked out the front window, resting his chin on one hand.
"Alright." Mycah glanced over at Winter, searching his face for answers. Finding none, they looked ahead of them and didn't look back at him until hours later. By then, the sun was low on the horizon. Everything was bathed in a warm glow, and however much Mycah wanted to keep going, they knew it couldn't happen. The military patrolled the roads after dark, and they would inevitably pull their car over and ask for identification. That would not end up good for anyone. And Mycah was tired. "We're going to have to pull over for the night." They glanced over at Winter, wondering what he would say to that. Mycah didn't like the idea of fighting him, but it would be suicide to stay on the road.
Winter merely nodded. He hadn't really changed his position since the beginning of the drive, and shifted slightly. "Alright. Are we sleeping in here or outside?" he questioned, looking over at Mycah. To be honest, he probably could have gotten both of them through a checkpoint by telling exactly who he was, but…no. He didn't want to do that.
"We can probably make some room in the back." Mycah answered, looking along the side of the road for somewhere to park the car. "I'm not a fan of sleeping outside with nothing but a few thin blankets to protect me." After a little while, they found a small stand of trees they could put the car behind. That way, it wouldn't be visible from the road.
Winter nodded. "Alright." He replied. "I can keep watch while you sleep, if you want. I don't really…sleep all that much anymore. I'll grab an hour or two at some point, but that's all I really need to function." He didn't look at Mycah, picking at some dirt beneath his nails.
"Okay." Mycah turned off the road and parked the car behind the trees. They turned the car off and unbuckled their seatbelt, then twisted around to get a look at the backseat and trunk of the car. It was a little strange that Winter wasn't going to sleep, but everyone picked up some weird habits and got used to things they shouldn't during these times. And if Winter killed them in their sleep… well, it didn't matter, did it? Not anymore. "Would you be alright sitting up here, or would you want somewhere else to sit?" Mycah asked, looking over their shoulder at Winter.
"I can sit up here, yeah." Winter replied. "Just let me grab something to keep my hands occupied." He got out of the car, and grabbed a large-ish hunk of wood, climbing back into his seat. "There. You can go to sleep now." After a moment, he tossed the tablet back to Mycah. "There's that, too." He had forgotten that he hadn't cleared his search from earlier; if Mycah turned on the device, he would likely learn exactly who Winter was.
"Okay. If I'm not up by sunrise, feel free to wake me." Mycah climbed into the back seat and moved a few things so they would be more comfortable. They also unearthed a few blankets and bundled some of them into a sort of pillow. Mycah stretched out, catching the tablet that Winter had thrown back. They held it for a few seconds, debating whether they should turn it on and look at Pan and Allx's pictures one last time. On one hand, it would probably be the last time they ever saw their faces. On the other hand, doing so would re-open the wound… but they were damaged emotionally already. It wouldn't matter what they did now. Taking a deep breath, Mycah turned on the tablet.