A Tricky Trek

The shattered and jagged shards of fallen glass panes and broken mirrors crunched under the weight of my feet. Each press of my less than stealthy movements through the ravaged kitchen had me on edge as I waited for the attack of scavengers that might have been hiding in the woods. My eyes scanned past the blurry lines of overgrowth outside to see if anything was moving or showing curiosity to the new life that now stirred in the long vacant building I found myself in.

A week of travel had past since I came out of the bunker and save for a few small rodents and bugs, I had seen no other signs of life in the world. Each day that passed I couldn't help but think back to every post-apocalypse film I had watched. Even in those there was always somebody else in the world that would eventually reveal themselves. However I began to feel that might not be the case for me in this world.

Ahead of me I saw the paint flecked door sitting on its edge, the singular hinge that still held it against the frame being the only thing holding it upright. A mid summer breeze had been passing through every crack and open space of the building which made the old frame of the building whistle and groan as if it screamed in surprise to my existence. I passed through each room of the once quaint home to see what might remain that could be useful going ahead. I wasn't expecting food but rather tools or medicines that might have been overlooked during the first days of chaos.

"You'll be lucky to find a sewing kit in this old trap."

Loki had grumbled his words at the back of my mind and I could do nothing but roll my eyes in part annoyance and part agreement. I pressed open the last door on the second floor to reveal the faded colors of teenage drama. Soft pinks and inspiring whites could still be seen in the corners of the room where the walls still stood strong. The broken, sagging ceiling had given way in certain spots and had been letting sunlight and rain in to grow patches of moss and weeds in the frayed carpet of the smaller room.

Shreds of poster paper blew against the wall in strands where the tacks still held their bits in place. A tossed bedframe was forced through the wall of the room and a carved wooden dresser had been tipped over. Fragments of a young girls clothes were scattered around the room either by frantic packing or hungry looters that had come after things fell apart. I stood at the doorway and at my feet was a broken drawer that I could only assume came from the toppled over bureau. Poking at the edge of the drawer I saw what looked like a pouch of crackers.

Lifting the piece off I saw the trampled packaging of a small Goldfish wrapper. Sitting next to the empty bag was a small pink book made of cheap leather. I picked it up and felt the soggy pages flop at one another. Faded swirls and melted sketches of hearts and initials could still be made out in the dampened pages. A small chuckle rippled in my throat as I could only hope that somehow they had been able to find comfort in their last days in the arms of someone they cared about or at least had cared about them.

"It's unlikely. Given the amount of moisture that still hangs firmly in the area I'd say that the Jotuns had made a camp near by and would have harvested anyone in the area." Loki said.

I sighed as I was reminded of the weight I was saddled with.

"Ever the optimist, aren't you?" I replied.

"Optimism has nothing to do with this. It's about facts and knowledge. If I acted with sympathy and compassion we would be dead. A little gratitude for keeping us alive wouldn't hurt."

"You weren't looking to keep US alive, you were just saving your own ass. I merely got dragged along for the ride. You still haven't answered me on how you even ended up in here or how to get you out." I said.

Silence had layered out the space between us and I stood with an ache in my head as I felt him hold back his own words. It was interesting to see the silver tongued fable get so quiet whenever I would try to confront him on these matters. Whenever I had needed a moment of silence I would bring up the circumstances of him finding residence inside my head. I think that, to a certain point, he doesn't know himself and for someone who boasts about knowledge it must be a frustrating thing to not know. At times I can feel the mad dash of his thoughts when he tries to think on it but it would always ends in white flashes and sudden blackouts.

While he stewed in his silence I took to scanning the region. As much as I hated the reality of a camp being nearby, he was right. Jotun frost lingered for months regardless of the temperatures around it. The heat of a summer month like this made me think it would have been mid July on the calendar. It meant long stretches of heat waves that would eventually lead to thunderstorms to break the temps. I looked up to the sky to see if that was possible and saw only light blue sky for miles. My eyes looked through the trees next to see if anything was around and it was then that I'd noticed the silence of the area.

Aside from the rustle of wind that came by occasionally, there were no animals or insects to be seen or heard. Anything that might have been potential game had long since abandoned the region which in-turn led to the high growth of the foliage that now covered the area for as far as I could see.

"A camp might have been around here once but it doesn't stand to reason they would still be here. The moisture may be lingering but any actual ice has long since faded. Plus there's no real food for them to eat. We'll spend the night here before we move on." I said.

"Fine. You're getting weaker by the hour anyways so it probably wouldn't hurt to dig into one of those cans from the shelter. Where are we anyways?" he asked.

I'd crossed the hall into the master bedroom and tossed the backpack onto the mattress that had been overturned into the corner. My body collapsed into the material that smelled of moss and mildew. While it wasn't soaked, the material had been sitting long enough around things that had collected plenty of moisture to help incubate the stink throughout the house. At a certain point this might have flared against my allergies or made me sick but I hadn't felt anything since emerging. I wagered that had something to do with the weakened magic that Loki was still able to conjure.

"Somewhere in the northeast. I saw a sign a ways back that said "Boston" on it. We'll probably hit the city in another day or so. Do you at least have an idea of where we need to go?" I said.

"It feels like we're going in the right direction. Perhaps there will be something useful in this city. The only way to find out is to keep moving. Once your done you should get some rest. You look like a far cry from the man I had merged with at the start of all this." he said.

I peeled the lid open with a struggle that wouldn't have been there a year ago. The second the soupy beans were exposed to me I had felt my stomach growl at them. The oily juice coated at the shaggy mane of the frayed beard around my lips. As I downed the small delicacy I saw the cracked remains of a mirror across from me.

My once tan skin had turned pasty white from the severe lack of sunlight. An emaciated figure that had once been an avid gym user now sat as a shaking skeleton. My brunette hair had thinned and chunked together in patches. It's light strands draping my face like the scratchy curtains that hung disheveled at the window next to me. Sunken eyes were outlined by dark rings that were badges to the many sleepless nights I had.

I looked away from the image to the small, still clinging beans at the side of the can. My bony fingers scooped at them to get every last bit into my mouth. As the last bean slogged onto my tongue I dropped the can and leaned at the mattress. My eyes faced the window to see the low setting sun as it faded from yellow to orange and eventually disappearing. My eyes felt the weight of sleep as the darkness filled the space around me.

"Do you at least know who it is we are going to see?" I asked.

"Best guess? It feels like it's Jörmungandr. I'm curious as to how he ended up here. He had always favored cooler waters." Loki said.

A shiver ran through my body as his words finished. Not from a cold night air, it was warm enough to not be concerned with that. The chill came instead from the thought of the giant serpent. I had no real idea how large it actually was or if it even still sat in that form. I'd seen illustrations and designs from literature and media before but I knew they wouldn't do any justice to the real thing. I sat feeling the final weight of exhaustion take hold. My eyes closed and my thoughts trailed off as I thought about the massive jaw of the creature we were heading towards. The possibility of being swallowed whole and not even being felt as a tickle in its throat as it might consume me.

"Don't worry Virgil. He never really cared for the taste of human. To be honest your kind never really offered much in terms of sustenance for him. It's unlikely that he'd eat you." Loki said.

His words were no comfort to me as I rolled around the flattened remains of the mattress. My awareness of the world around me trailing off into the black that was behind my eye lids. The last thought on my mind being the anxious thumping of my heart as I anticipated the meeting.