Cold Winter | Part 3 |

Part 3: Dire Straits

My feet felt numb as they trudged through the deep snow. I had seen the launch site and decided to head there a while back but at the time I hadn't realized how far it really was. My watch read 14:44 as I had to make a decision. Should I push and make it to the launch site but risk not making it before night.

Or should I begin looking for shelter for tonight? I looked at my watch then back to the sun and decided to push and make it before night. I pulled in my strap feeling the weight and decided I should stop for dinner. It was late afternoon so I pulled out my stove, it was a stove that uses propane but only to heat the stove.

The beans tasted fine so I quickly finished the can before packing up. I could see the top and it seemed to be a good mile away. The sunset was beautiful, I hadn't seen it in so long I forgot how great it was. As the sun set the temperature began to drop, as it did I hustled. My feet were numb but I was too close to stop.

I made it to the top and looked around. I had slipped through a while in a chain link fence. There was the launch pad made further away from everything else. There was a workshop that seemed too small for a rocket to fit in, next to it was a large hanger, for the rocket probably.

Behind both the buildings was a two-floor building, it seemed to be where the workers stayed. The cold temperature made me run to the workers building. I made it to the front door and tried the doorknob. It was locked of course. I smashed the window above the knob and unlocked the door.

I had cut my finger but getting to shelter seemed a bit more important. I made it inside and noticed that the building seemed fairly intact, just dirty and a mess with furniture and belongings.