Jack Frost

The next few days past without incident. Chen, Baekhyun and I went hunting for rabbits near the main entrance of the base. Unlike the deer trip we were more successful in finding more food supplies. The new supplies would keep us going for a while longer underground. No more compartments unfroze that week and I was beginning to wonder if that was it. The others were becoming increasingly more agitated about their friends who were still frozen, especially Luhan, Chen and Lay who's sub group were all still locked up.

"We need to get them out." Luhan said after three days of waiting had past.

"We don't have enough supplies for that." I said.

"They need to get out of there though," Luhan persisted, "What if they wake up and we're not here?"

"We don't have enough supplies." I repeated looking about the room. Lay and Kai were playing cards with D.O watching with a half-interested expression. Luhan was practising his power by sending objects whizzing past our heads. In a corner Baekhyun was sending small beams of light onto the floor for Chanyeol to aim at. As sparks of flame hit the floor hit the spots of light Suho quickly extinguished them with his own power. It was a quiet, heavy atmosphere that was only getting heavier with each passing day.

"I'm going for a walk." I said shortly. I stopped only to pick up my sword and left before any of them could call me back.

SLAM.

I was alone again in the maze of tunnels with the wind howling along them like a wounded animal. My footsteps clunked on the metal floor. I wasn't sure what time of day it was but the summer was definitely slipping away to autumn. I drew my leather jacket round me tighter and folded my arms to keep it in place. The air grew colder as I turned down the corridor where the others had been found only a week ago. Face after face passed me in a blur of similarity: peacefully sleeping. The doors of the others compartments still remained open. Glass littered the wet floor like tiny opaque islands, icebergs in a wide silver sea. I'd almost reached the end of the compartments when I noticed something was wrong.

One compartment had completely frosted over to the point where even the face had vanished. My father had often warned his co-workers and apprentices against this from happening because it could cause the person locked inside, in their vulnerable dormant state, to develop hypothermia and never wake up. An intricate pattern of delicate ice crystals had transformed the normally misted window into an elaborate maze of icy veins. From inside came muffled sounds of hands hitting the frozen door weakly.

Quickly I unlocked the door and was struck in the face by a ferocious blast of sub-zero air. It was so strong that I felt ice-crystals start to form on my face and my hands instantly turned periwinkle blue from the cold. The newly freed body leaned out, unconscious and white as a sheet. I reached out for his arm and found it was only a little warmer than snow. He was small with a neat, round face and spiky hair. He was covered in frost from head to toe: something not seen on any of the others. I started to drag him back to the room, one of his arms over my neck, while he began to come round.

When I burst into the room I set the frost-covered boy down by the stove and rammed the bolts back across the door. The others had already begun to crowd round the new arrival.

"Xiumin?" Luhan was calling anxiously. He felt the new boy's forehead and rocked on his heels, chewing his lip agitatedly as he waited for the boy to respond. When he groaned feebly Luhan sighed with relief. Chen and Lay grabbed the frost-covered boy's icy hands in an attempt to warm them but I waved them away impatiently.

"We need to get him warm quicker." I said beckoning Chanyeol over. I felt his palms carefully. They weren't as volcanic as they'd once been. Everyday he spent out of the compartment allowed him to control his power better. I rested one palm on one of Xiumin's blue cheeks. Before he touched him the frost began to melt away: blue surrendering to pink. Water droplets slipped off his skin onto the floor with soft dripping sounds. His eyelashes started to twitch as they broke free of the ice and his lips became redder, losing the frost. His eyes opened and focused directly on Chanyeol's face straight above him with a look of surprise that quickly turned to amusement.

"I didn't know you cared so much." he grinned faintly. Chanyeol grimaced and removed his hands from Xiumin's face but I clamped them back down firmly. Xiumin's dark eyes flickered over to me.

"I don't think we've met." he said in a croaky voice.

"No we haven't." I agreed moving one of Chanyeol's hand to Xiumin's forehead, "I'm Avery. I let you out of the tank."

"Then I'm very grateful thank you." he smiled and coughed, "I'm Xiumin and I feel much better now so does he have to keep feeling my face?" Chanyeol removed his hands again with a look of annoyance.

"Freeze back into an ice sculpture. I don't care." he grumbled. The others started to laugh as he walked off.

"Baozi, good to see you." Luhan piped up with a grin. He was looking nostalgic. Xiumin pulled a face and rolled his eyes. Clearly the name was overused.

"It's good to see you too, Lulu." He grinned as Luhan blushed crimson and bit back a retaliation. Nobody likes a taste of their own medicine! Carefully Xiumin was helped to sit up by Suho .

"So…anyone want to explain what's going on?" he asked sounding a little brighter. Everyone looked at Suho who had a talent for calming people down. Lay pushed a pillow behind Xiumin and forced him to lie back down again.

"What are you doing?" he asked struggling against Lay who'd pinned his shoulders down. Suho patted his arm sympathetically.

"Take a deep breath…" he began. When he'd finished we spent the next hour trying to calm Xiumin down. He'd had a meltdown.

* * *

"A thousand…" Xiumin breathed. It generated a series of tired groans that resonated round the room.

"Shut up." Kai groaned. It was approaching midnight and Xiumin was still in shock. He couldn't sleep which meant no one else was going to.

"But…" Xiumin began again.

"SHHH!" Kai, Chanyeol and Lay said in unison.

"Fine." Xiumin said morosely. Silence descended briefly and everyone began to settle down again to sleep. Someone coughed and rolled over with a creak on the mattress.