Illusionary Delusion

They are following their old tracks through the snow all the way back into town. Gahein and Thalia make a concentrated effort to step from one hole to the next, but at the back of the line, David is plowing his boots through as much snow as possible, cutting two parallel lines through the path. Since they left the power plant, David has taken it upon himself to act out the part of Gahein's fictional industrial worker. He draws his coat zipper down a bit to let the wind bite his neck. Snow piles into his boots and he shuffles onward with indifference. Frozen tears are being drawn from his eyes by the gusts, and he can't quite tell if his nose is running or not, he only convinces himself that the day is done, and his shift of hard labor at the plant is over until tomorrow morning. Now its off to nurse his sore body and bloody throat with a drink, a meal, and some sleep on a moldy cot. He'll have to wear his coat the whole time, to preserve what precious body heat might be left in the worn down furnace of his belly. With this in mind, David begins to zip his jacket back up, but stops. He has to leave the jacket open and his boots full of snow, with pain comes the indifference, the clarity of vision shared by all survivalists. Because David is well nourished and looked after, he might never know the focus of plight. The unbearable cold is necessary sacrifice to play the part.