Climbing up the walls
The snow was a thin veil now, dusting the world in quiet layers, soft and patient. It wasn't the kind of snow that came with a blizzard's howl or the weight of the sky pressing down on everything beneath it. No, this was the kind that barely clung to the branches of the dead trees, that swirled like ghostly whispers through the air. The flakes were small, fine, and they gathered on their jackets and the edge of their hair, melting almost as soon as they touched anything.
It had been four days since they'd last heard from the others, since the radio crackled with the cold, cracked voice of Taissa, desperate and ragged. The news had shaken them. Van's face, mutilated by Heaven's bite. Travis' shoulder, torn open with an infection so gnawing that even the best of them could feel the tug of helplessness. And yet, they were still walking, trudging forward into the pale white wilderness. Because what else could they do?
Julianna's boots crunched in the snow as she kept her pace even, eyes darting between the figures ahead of her—Natalie and Javi at the front, their heads bent together in quiet conversation. Lottie, ever the diplomat, was flitting between everyone, smoothing over the ruffled edges of their moods, her voice a soft thread that held them all together when things felt too loose. Shauna, Misty, and Jeff had fallen back slightly, their laughter cutting through the air in muted bursts—more of a shield than a sign of joy, but at least it was a shield.
The radio tower was visible now, a silhouette against the pale sky, its metal frame cutting through the thin cloud cover. It loomed like a promise—hope wrapped in rusted steel. It didn't feel quite real. Not yet. Not when everything in the world felt so beyond repair and far away. But the closer they got, the more a new kind of energy wound through them, something faint but urgent.
As they walked, the snow fell lightly on them, gathering on their shoulders, the tips of their hair, sticking to the edges of their coats. It made the world look still, frozen in a soft white haze, but beneath that, there was movement—always movement. Jackie kicked up a chunk of ice as she passed by, her eyes half-lidded, mouth curled in her usual expression of casual disinterest.
"Almost there," Javi said, his voice lighter than it had been in the last few days. He nudged Julianna's shoulder with his own, his cold hand brushing against hers in a brief, unconscious moment of looking for comfort.
"Yeah, just a bit more," she replied, keeping her voice even. She didn't dare allow the unease to slip through. If they were getting close, they could get a signal, they could check on the others, try and contact Kaitlyn, as well as getting some proper shelter for the night.
"We should've packed more snacks," Misty said suddenly, her voice ringing out through the snow like a bell, cutting through the quiet of the forest. "I'm literally starving."
"Well, if we're lucky, we'll find a snack shack at the top of the tower," Jeff called from a few paces ahead, grinning like he was joking, but there was that faint undercurrent in his voice—the weariness of days spent walking through a never-ending wasteland.
Misty snorted. "Can you imagine? A vending machine, stocked with snacks, all waiting for us like the apocalypse didn't happen." She glanced back at the group, her eyes flickering with a mix of hope and disbelief. "I mean, it's either that or we're all gonna starve before we even make it out of here."
"You've got a pretty wild imagination, Misty," Natalie said, smiling slightly as she nudged Misty's arm with her elbow. "But I'm not complaining if it means no more weird mushrooms. Honestly, I can't even look at one of those things again without feeling like I'm gonna throw up."
"Oh, god, don't remind me," Jackie groaned, rolling her eyes. "If I have to eat one more of those, I'm honestly just going to—" She broke off mid-sentence when Shauna gave her a pointed look. The two of them shared a brief moment, their eyes meeting, but it was fleeting. It always was.
Julianna found herself half-smiling at the exchange, though it was fleeting. She turned her attention back to the radio tower, its metal frame cutting through the horizon like the jagged bones of some long-dead giant.
They were all still pretending. Pretending that the chaos hadn't already carved them open. Pretending they weren't all inching toward that breaking point where they'd have to admit that they weren't going to fix this. Not without a price.
Julianna's foot crunched on something hidden in the snow, and she looked down, her breath catching when she saw the frozen remnants of a small animal. It had been shredded—its fur blackened, its body stiff.
"Jesus," Javi whispered, staring down at it. "What do you think did that?"
"I'm thinking something with a bigger set of teeth than we've got," Natalie replied, her voice laced with sarcasm, but there was a flicker of fear in her eyes. They'd all seen too much, and yet there was still this strange naiveté about what was out here. As if the world could still surprise them.
They could see the outline of the metal beams rising into the sky, crisscrossing like some ancient, skeletal structure. The hum of their own breath in the cold air made everything feel fake, like they were walking into some forgotten dream.
"We're getting close," Lottie murmured softly, her voice quieter now as she glanced around at the group. Her eyes were wide, but her face betrayed a little of the fear they'd all been holding back. "Just a little farther."
There was a pause, the world holding its breath, as they all turned their gaze toward the tower, its silhouette stark against the faint light of the setting sun. The quiet didn't last long.
Shauna cracked a smile, even if it didn't reach her eyes. "Well, if this tower is a dud, I swear I'll make us all take a vow of silence for a week."
As they neared the tower, the snow fell harder, a flurry of cold and white that began to blur the world. The silence was both overwhelming and welcome, as if the snow were smothering them in its quiet embrace. Even the crunch of their boots in the snow seemed muffled, like they were walking in a dream.
Julianna didn't speak. She just kept her eyes on the tower, her breath visible in front of her, mixing with the steady snow falling from the sky. They were so close now, too close to stop, too close to turn back. But the closer they got, the heavier the air felt.
The closer they got, the more the space between them and whatever might be lurking around them seemed to shrink. A sound, distant rustling, like the whisper of dry leaves in the wind, or maybe something worse, fluttered through the trees. But the space was too thick, too still, and every rustle faded into the background, leaving nothing but the echo of their own footfalls in the snow. There was nothing.
The world beyond the radio tower was still frozen, still bleak, but it was theirs. All they had to do was climb.
It was only when they reached the base of the tower that Julianna allowed herself to exhale, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly. They'd made it this far.
"We're here," Javi said quietly, his breath visible in the air.
"Yeah," Julianna said, her voice steady. "We're here."
The ladder was a mess of rusted metal, hanging crookedly from the base of the tower. The steps were slick with ice and snow, making each one look like a gamble. It swayed in the wind, its creaking giving the air a kind of tension, as if it, too, were uncertain about their next move. Misty didn't hesitate.
She stepped forward with her usual strange certainty, brushing past Javi as she placed her foot on the first rung.
"I'll go first," she said, voice light but steely, like she was choosing to do something everyone else was too hesitant to handle. Her hand gripped the first handle, and then she was up, each movement deliberate as she climbed.
Lottie went next, agile despite the bitter cold. She moved with a quiet grace, not rushing, just moving as though she were dancing across the rungs. Her breath clouded in the air as she pushed up the ladder with steady, rhythmic determination.
Javi went third, his hands gripping the ladder tightly. He glanced down at the others on the ground, his chest tight, but he never paused to look back again. He was a second too slow in his movements, eyes flicking up to where the others were reaching for the next rung, the tension of waiting heavy in the air.
Jackie came next, but she hesitated before putting her foot on the ladder. She shuffled her feet, looking at the rusted metal beneath her. The rungs looked flimsy, weak, as if they might give way at any second. The cold hit her skin like tiny needles, each gust of wind biting her to the bone. But she forced herself to take that first step, because if she didn't, she'd be stuck here with Shauna and Jeff, tangled in the mess of whatever their relationship had become, their anger festering like an infection.
"I'm going," Jackie muttered under her breath, as she started climbing slowly, her movements stiff, not entirely because of the cold.
Shauna was supposed to go next, but she stood frozen at the base of the ladder, her gaze darting up. The ladder stretched so high, too high, until it disappeared into the faded gray sky above them. She swallowed hard, her throat tight. Her fingers twitched at her sides, but she couldn't make herself reach out for the ladder.
Julianna could see the hesitation in Shauna's eyes, the same fear that she'd seen in her before, back when they were in Wiskayok, and on the bridge. It was a fear of heights, one Shauna had never quite conquered.
"Hey," Julianna said, stepping closer to her, her voice soft but firm. "It's okay. We'll be right behind you."
Shauna's chest rose and fell quickly as she glanced at the ladder, then back to the others, who were all watching her, waiting. "I—I can't," Shauna stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her eyes were wide, panicked, flicking from one face to the next as if the entire situation were out of her control.
Julianna placed a hand gently on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to reassure her.
"Shauna," Julianna said softly, "You've got this. Just take it one step at a time."
After a long, drawn-out moment, Shauna nodded, her shoulders stiff with the effort of pulling herself together. She stepped forward, her hands shaking as she touched the ladder's first rung. It was slow, her ascent agonizingly measured, her steps shaky at first but becoming steadier as she climbed. The higher she got, the less she looked down, focusing only on the rungs ahead of her.
Natalie was right behind her, her footsteps barely audible.
The radio crackled to life. Misty's voice came through the static, distant, but still clear enough to be heard.
"The radios are flickering. The machinery's going crazy... I think something's messing with it—maybe electrical? Even the lightbulb in here barely works. It's flickering bad."
Julianna glanced up at the others—Javi's eyes were wide, his face pale in the half-light, but he said nothing. Shauna hadn't reached the top yet. They were all waiting for her to get to safety.
Julianna turned back to the ladder. She moved quickly, her hands gripping the cold metal as she started her climb. Each step felt like a small victory, but she was still conscious of the height, of the dizziness that crept at the edges of her mind. She didn't think about it.
The wind bit at her skin as she reached the midpoint, and she heard a rustle below her.
Looking down, she saw Jeff standing at the bottom, his hands on his hips, his eyes set on her like a silent promise. He hadn't moved yet, hadn't started climbing.
"Go ahead," he said, his voice quieter than usual. "I'll wait until you're halfway."
Julianna nodded without saying anything. She didn't look down again, didn't pause to think about how they hadn't exchanged more than a few words since everything had exploded with Shauna.