» the woods.

[When you get down to it, Jesse never was good at doing what he was told. Of course, folks around here certainly won't say don't go out there or just forget you heard anything — Jesse doesn't think a single one of them would have the spine enough to say it directly — but they don't need to.]

[So, that's why he's out here in the woods. Mind you, he did make an effort to ignore the first scream as implicitly advised. Weirder shit's happened to him that hearing screams sure as hell isn't anything for him to get worked up about. It's not like he lacks all common sense and he can't figure out that some things are best left alone. But it happens again, and again, and again. Was he really supposed to leave things be?]

[He has no idea where he's headed. The screaming's stopped already, and with the way even the smallest of noise tends to carry through the woods, determining where it was even coming from beyond the vague direction of somewhere out there with the trees is an impossible task. But he walks. And he walks. And then he gets to feeling a little funny. He doesn't know what exactly it is, but he doesn't feel quite as full of energy as he did maybe fifteen minutes ago.]

[Before it gets too bad, he decides it's as good a time as any to stop for a cigarette break. While he's stopped, leaned up against a tree, he takes a moment to survey the woods. It's quiet out here. Quieter than it probably should be. The screaming right about now would be preferable to the deafening silence of the woods. Tossing his cigarette to the ground — because he apparently doesn't buy into the bear's propaganda any better than Wayward Pines' propaganda — he grinds it out with his boot, muttering,]

The hell am I doing out here?

» it's a couple of flakes.

[The snow isn't so bad, Jesse decides. It's a nice, refreshing change of pace. It's not like he can't survive some friendly conversation on his way for that hot cocoa, or even pelt some snowballs back at some kids (or some adults) who are certainly up to no good.]

[That's at the start of the week.]

[By the end of the week, Jesse is like most residents of the town: he's had enough. But having enough does not somehow magically grant him the power of electricity. Nor does it motivate the repairman to get his ass over any sooner. Jesse spends about twenty minutes trying to tolerate the lack of heat in his house, but that's about all he can take before he's outside.]

[He's not on his way to the coffee shop. No, he's trudging through the snow to head to the hardware store, and occasionally grumbling to himself about both the clear overcharging going on for sub-par service from the local repairman. He might admit later that he's being a little unfair, but while he's got snow steadily finding its way into his shoes as he wades through the un-plowed sidewalks, he can't exactly be bothered with being fair. Nothing feels fair right now anyway, so why should he be fair?]