Tha-dump.

Tha-dump.

Tha-dump.

I'd never known a heartbeat could be so vibrant.

Tha-dump.

Tha-dump.

Tha-dump.

It seems... slower than before. Like it was slowly, slowly, slowly, walking through a vat of tar, advancing on me with every passing second.

Tha...dump.

Tha.......dump.

Wait a moment...that didn't seem right. Your heart can't advance on you, can it? Your heart couldn't destroy you. It's the thing that keeps you alive. When there was nothing else to count on, you could count on your heart.

Tha...

...dump.

You could always count on your heart to show you where to go.

Tha...

...

...dump.

Stop thinking about your heartbeat.

Okay. I'll try. I'll try something else, instead.

Right foot, left foot. Right foot, left foot. Tha-dump, tha-dump, steps in time with your heart. You have to keep going. You can't stop going for anything.

If Hell were cold, this would be it. The snow crunches, beneath my right foot, left foot, crunch, crunch, crunch.

Focus in front of you. Survive. What can you see?

All I can see is white. Mangled, tearing apart the world, stark, deadly, sharp. So, so sharp. Claws at my eyes, stings my brain. Red drops on the snow with every step, right foot, left foot. It's hard to look at.

Then don't look. What do you hear? Focus on that, instead.

Screams. Howls. Is the storm angry at me? It feels like it is.

Good, good. Feel. Keep feeling. Feeling means you're still alive. What do you feel?

I don't know. I... I guess I can feel the cold. It's so, so cold. I can't remember what it's like to be warm. I don't remember... I don't remember why I'm hurting so bad.

Is it the blood? The wound? Is that what hurts?

Yes, that hurts. It hurts, just not as bad as the cold does. But I'm talking about the other hurt. The hurt in my heart. How can that be worse than the blood? The cold?

What do you remember?

Stop.

I don't know where this hurt... came from. All four legs, shuddering, shaking. I'm not sure I can...

Don't stop. You have to keep going.

Is that the sky? When did I fall down? That's funny. I don't remember when that happened, either. There's something wrong. I don't think I can remember anything, except the whiteness around me, and the cold...I can remember the right foots, and the left foots, and the tha-dumps, too. What had I been running from?

You can't die. You can do this. You can keep going. You'll make it.

Would dying make things warmer? It might be worth it to die, then, if it was warmer. Do you think it'd take away this pain in my heart, too, if I died?

No, I don't think so. I think that kind of pain follows you, wherever you go. You can't get rid of it that easily.

Huh. That's weird to think about. Not even death can save you from your heart, can it? You have to stitch it up, all on your own, while you still can. Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump. I'd miss that, though, if I lost my heart. No matter what, it will always keep beating, as long as you have it. Right?

That's certainly a nice thought.

The blood is so pretty. It's much better than the snow. It looks like a beautiful red flower, when it spreads across the snow like this. It's the most beautiful thing I think I can remember. Don't you think?

Tha...

...dump.

Did you go somewhere? Please, don't leave me alone. Please.

Tha...

...dump.

I can't be alone like this.

Tha...

...dump.

Please come back. I know it's so cold, but I found new warmth. It's on my face, in my eyes. The wind freezes it fast, though, so you have to feel it as hard as you can while it's still here.

You told me to feel things, right?

Feeling means I'm still alive.

Is that you, coming back? No, it's some kind of creature, I think. It has a lot of hair. Maybe it's warm.

"Woah, girl, steady. What is it? What's wrong?"

The sky is darker than the snow is. It's gray. I love the color of this sky; so calm, so peaceful.

"Oh, my gosh... Dad! Dad, come over here, quick!"

I can see their faces above me now, but I don't think you know who they are. I can't see them very well. Actually, I don't I can see anything very well. Even the snow. Everything's blurry.

Tha...

...dump.

Tha...dump.

Trust in your heart.

Trust it, Tarius, and everything will be okay.

The blackness is so much warmer than the white.

Tha-dump.

A/N: New draft, starting now! I'll be making a comic version of this draft soon, and I'll post an announcement here as well as in my art book when that happens. The comic will be in a separate book. Hope you guys enjoy the new version! It's a little bit different... ;)