Prologue V1

One, two, breathe. - The chill air singed my throat, shooting life through my veins. Flush with pain, my heartbeat hastened, extending my journey, if for a little longer.
One, two, breathe. - my knees were numb, pressed bare against the ice as I sat hunched over atop the man’s chest, with my fingers coiled around his throat.
One, two, breathe. - each thrum of my heart sent pangs of agony across my body, from tip to tail. I grit my teeth, the crunch of icy blood filled my ears, along with the gurgling, guttural wheezing of the man below.
One, two, breathe. - I tighten my grip, pushing back against the knife
in my gut. Were it not for the wind, and the cold, the stench of my seared guts, and the accompanying pain, would have long ago claimed me.
Focus. One, two, breathe.
I shuddered as I gazed into his eyes, and he into mine. My heart drummed a little faster, as tears began to fall from my eyes, and onto the fading pink of his face, freezing on impact. I wanted to let go so bad, and for just a moment, my grip began to slip.
“Rain… Rain…”- he muttered as dark bile pooled in his open mouth. His hand, mangled stump that it was, reached out, prodding against my face with fleeting strength. “Raina… please…”
I slipped up. Focus. FOCUS! One. Two. Breathe.
I tightened my grip, again and again, until my whole body trembled and shook. My vision went blurry, so I leaned in close, until our foreheads were touching. He was so cold.
One, two, breathe. Breathe!
It was no use. My rhythm was broken, and I found myself sobbing as I watched his eyes glaze over, and his hand fall to the side, cushioned by the deep snow.
One, two, breathe. - tighter and tighter I clenched, until my forearms gave out. The wind fell quiet. I couldn’t look away, not while he was looking back. Though trembling still, with all the strength I may, I peeled the hat off of my head and placed it over his face. And just like that, he was gone.
One. Two. Breathe. - I sat back up, glancing at my hands. My fingertips were black as coal. All at once, it came flooding back, and I could hold on no longer, emptying what was left of my guts onto the snow. My ears began to ring, the world spinning widely with even the slightest movement of my eyes..
One. Two. Breathe. - I ripped off his scarf, bloody as it was, stuffing it into my mouth. With both hands, I gripped the blade tight, pulling with all my might.
ONE. TWO. BREATHE. - I couldn’t do it. Pull as I may, the blade was stuck, my flesh seared around it. I spit the scarf out, along with two of my teeth.
One… two… breathe… - my left leg was gone.  Broken or frozen solid, the thing refused to move. Though I tried to lift myself up on the other, my knee snapped like a twig with even the slightest pressure. A wheeze was all my throat could produce, far from the scream I’d otherwise loose. My body crashed onto the man’s chest, still wet with blood, my face not an inch from his.
One… two… b.. breathe. - I reached for his hand, the one he still had. His ring finger was missing, cut clean off below the joint. I looked at my own, at the silver ring still flickering with dim red light, even here, even now. He was alone, and now so am I.
One… two…… breathe. - I held his hand tight, sharing what little warmth I had left. It was the least I could do, after all. With my head resting upon his chest, my eyes became heavy. I turn to the stars, smiling at the constellations above. No, not alone. Never alone.
One… two…