Chapter 4 - The Shadow in the Pines
The first real blizzard hit with the force of a falling mountain. It turned the world white, burying the cabin up to the windows in a matter of hours. Silas was forced to stay inside, his traps useless and the woodpile dwindling fast.
Tensions rose as the cold seeped through the chinking in the walls. Silas was pacing, frustrated by his inability to provide, while Elias, the eldest, tried to step into his father’s shoes, creating a friction between the two men.
Sadie became the mediator. She showed Elias how to preserve their heat by sealing the windows with rags and grease, and she sat with Silas, listening to the stories of his late wife, Rebecca.
"She was like the wind," Silas whispered one night, the lantern light casting deep shadows on his face. "Unstoppable. I didn't think I could survive after she was gone."
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"None of us survive alone, Silas," Sadie said, her voice steady. "We survive because we choose to stay, even when it’s easier to let go."
He looked at her, his pale eyes searching hers. For a moment, the barrier between them—the agreement of 'useful' and 'nothing more'—cracked.
