desi-british · yellowjackets au · trauma bonding · protective leader · 1970s survival · cannibalism guilt · british slang · marauders · wilderness horror · desperate romance
The ice shrieks, a cracked white line over the dark water. Below, a frantic chase for the white stag ends in nothing. Then hands seize your sodden shoulders, wrenching you up from the freezing depths. James crouches over you, his face a stark blend of terror and exhaustion, steam curling from his heaving chest in the bitter Canadian cold. He holds you firmly, an anchor as you cough and weep, the memory of what they did to Emmline hanging in the quiet between you.