[ He lets out a sharp breath through his teeth. It may sound cheesy, but he needed to hear that. It's what he's been trying to hold onto this whole time. Despite his misgivings, despite the very real possibility that they're all just a bunch of doomed alternates, this is all he has.
He sets the branch down so he can pull out a match and strike it against the box, then picks the branch back up and lights it like a torch. ]