#cold night

They knew the mission would be a long one. It could be weeks in the snowy landscape. They knew the nights would be brutal. Setting up camp at dusk was a brutal task. Pitching up tents on the frozen, snow-covered ground. Because of the cold, everyone is sharing tents. With an uneven number, three are sharing one tent. Ghost and Soap don’t argue. Jamie’s size worries them, as they fear she is freezing. They know they shouldn’t assume, and know she can use her powers to keep herself warm, but the two men, Gaz and Price, still worry about her.

After pitching the tents, Ghost and Soap have trouble starting a fire. The other three sit on their packs on the ground, weapons by their feet. “Damn it. This fire is only providing light,” Ghost complains. “We might be short on wood, and the trees are covered in snow.” “Best get to work preparing the branches for burning,” Price says. Everyone but Soap searches the area for branches that would be easy to remove the bark from. Soap keeps the fire going. Hoping not to run out of wood before more wood is available.

It’s a difficult half hour until more branches are ready for burning. Soap kept the fire going, but it struggles to provide more than light. The five position their packs to huddle together for warmth. The concern is when it’s time to go into their tents. All five are aware they’ll have to huddle for warmth in their sleep. Ghost and Soap were already deciding to as soon as Jamie fell asleep. The five eat their MREs as they wait and hope the fire will get strong enough to provide warmth.

The fire soon provides warmth. The five remain huddled and absorb the heat. Hoping it’ll help them stay warm as they sleep. They know that tomorrow they need to gather more wood before heading onward with the mission. For now, they’ll sit around the fire for a few hours. Hoping to keep it going.

A few hours pass. They agree it’s time for bed and that they need to save the remaining branches for tomorrow night, along with gathering more branches. They let the fire burn out. Gaz and Price enter one tent, while Ghost, Jamie, and Soap enter the other tent.