Lydia trudged forward with her shoulders crouched as she scanned the place.
It was mostly white due to the strong winds and heavy snow so she continued moving forward.
After about five minutes, she spotted a tree trunk on her left so she headed there.
There were more when she got closer so she looked for the thickest one and rushed at its base to keep herself warm and stable.
Feeling the cold more clearly without movement, she sat and hugged her knees.
'Let's see, I was probably in a lake or a river a while ago.'
'Since this body doesn't seem to have cuts or other injuries, it's unlikely that someone threw her there, so I might not have to watch out for people who are trying to harm me while I'm trying to get out of here.'
'I do not feel woozy or anything too and my breath doesn't smell of alcohol so it's unlikely that she passed out because she was drugged or drunk.'
'Then why is she lying down there and which way did she use?'
Lydia fumbled through her clothing to search for clues, but there was none.
The dress doesn't have any pockets and she didn't see a bag near her earlier either.
'Damn, she doesn't even have a phone with her.'
'I'm in desperate need of Grogle and GpS.'
'She doesn't have a smart watch or smart glasses either so I need to find my way out of here manually.'
Lydia stilled.
'Could it be... that this body is a victim of theft?'
'Maybe they knocked her down and took her things...'
'That's possible.'
'Everyone carries at least one assistive technology nowadays, but she doesn't have one, meaning I need to search manually.'
Lydia looked ahead of her.
With the wind no longer hitting her up-front, she was able to observe more of the terrain.
Other than snow, there were broken twigs, rocks, and fallen leaves, but there were no signs of a trail, road, or skyports for flying vehicles.
'Let me check at the back too,' Lydia thought as she peeked behind the tree.
She could barely see anything because of the direction of the wind so she pulled back quickly.
'It will be hard to search for a way out with this blizzard.'
'The visibility is low so I can easily get lost and freeze on the way.'
'I should build or find a more suitable shelter first.'
'Then search for a trail or a road later'
'If I see none, I should follow the river or lake since people tend to live near them. It could be far though... the area where people live.'
Lydia hugged her knees tighter as she stared at the snow.
It was her first time experiencing winter, so she can't help but be in awe with the spheres of white hugging the ground.
However, with the harsh condition, she couldn't shake off the sense of unease building within her.
She was well aware of the risks and survival methods for landslides, floods, and fire, but not for blizzards, so she's not sure if she's doing the right things to preserve her life.
Lydia shifted her gaze to the fog and recalled any information she had about surviving in a winter storm.
However, all she could collect was bits and pieces of information not suited to her situation.
'Maybe... building a shelter really is the best course of action right now.'
'There are branches for digging, so maybe I should burrow myself underneath the tree till the blizzard stops?'
'Wait, how long does it even take for a blizzard to stop?'
'I don't know, but if I compare it to heavy rain and strong winds, it would most likely pour hard for several hours and then stop.'
Lydia reached out for a fallen branch and shook off the snow before facing the tree.
When she was about to dig, it came to her that she could just gather long branches instead and make a triangular shelter around the trunk, so that's what she did.
She positioned the branches diagonally and the pushed the edges towards the trunk and underneath the soil.
Once she was sure that the branches doesn't topple easily, she covered the top with twigs, leaves, and snow before staring at it with a chattering teeth.
'It doesn't look that sturdy...'
'But I did press the branches deep enough.'
Lydia, rubbed her palms together before making sure she placed enough snow on top to keep the leaves in place and prevent the strong wind out.
'Haa, I think it's still passable.'
'I feel so cold already. I'll just use it,' she thought before crawling in.
Once she was inside, she grabbed the sticks she left near the entrance and lined it on the floor before squatting. Then she used the rest to cover the entrance.
'Damn… that bitch. I can't believe I'm doing all of this because of her.'
'She should've fought me fairly,' she thought as she sealed the entrance with the last branch. Then, she shifted her position and leaned on the tree before hugging her knees.
'I wonder if the ambulance has arrived…'
'My parents would be devastated if they knew I was hit by a car and by my friend's car, too.'
'And Ivan… he would probably blame himself.'
'Ahh, it's so cold. It's a lot less cold now, but still cold.'
'I hope the blizzard stops soon.'
…
After about two hours, the gusts of wind gradually subsided, so Lydia closed her eyes and focused on the sounds outside.
'Wind, falling snow, and silence... I think it's safe to go out. I don't feel threatened either so there's probably no wild animal outside.'
Lydia opened her eyes and removed one of the sticks covering the entrance before peeking.
The fog was gone and only bits of snow were falling on the ground.
'Wow, finally… I can get out of here. I'm tired of over-thinking.'
Lydia pulled out the rest of the sticks she put in the entrance and crawled out.
Then she scanned the area thoroughly to check for possible threats before wiggling her toes and fingers.
'Ahh, that felt good,' she thought before looking far and wide.
'Wait...no road or skyports nearby?'
'Oh gosh, there are no houses either.'