//Haunted Winter Spoilers(sorta, not really, this is head canon)
//CW: Character Death
It was so cold. Despite being wrapped in the wool blankets the group was able to make, Apo still felt chills creeping through her body. The B&B was cramped; everybody taking a spot in the living room around the fireplace in an attempt to keep warm. She was trying to get some sleep, but something kept her awake. It could’ve been a number of things: the cold pricking her skin, the hunger gnawing at her stomach, the sounds of the undead piercing her ears, the fear of death weighing on her chest. But it was something. Something dark.
“Psst, Psssst.” Something whispered. “Hey. Apo, wake up.”
Apo opened her eyes. The room was dim, the fire just barely smoldering. She looked around the room for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed on a figure standing by the front door.
“Hey. I wanna show you something,” They said. Apo shifted to sit up, only to hit her head lightly on the roof of the coffee table she slept under.
“Come on.” They said.
“What? What is it?” Apo asked.
“Follow me,” They replied, walking outside.
“Hey, wait,” Apo quickly but quietly got up from under the table. She opened the door, feeling the freezing air brush against her face. “It’s not safe outside.”
“It’s this way! Come on!” They said, jogging over the snow. Apo followed.
“What’s that way? Where are you going?”
“I found it! It’s this way!” They started picking up pace, and Apo followed suit.
“Wait! Slow down! Where? What did you find?” They kept jogging. Apo followed them over the snowy path onto the frozen lake. They suddenly stopped, turning to face her.
“I found the way…”
This was dangerous! Why were they leading her this way? Why was…why was Apo following? …Who…who was she following? Apo looked at them. They were completely enshrouded in darkness. Their eyes were white.
…They weren’t Viking…
Then they smiled.
There was a sudden cracking sound beneath her, and Apo fell.
The icy water felt like daggers. Apo thrashed in the water, but it was in vain. She sank deeper and deeper, and grew colder and colder.
Her lungs screamed for air.
Everything hurt.
Her body tensed.
She couldn’t hold her breath anymore.
She needed to breathe!
She needed to—
Then she went numb. Her body didn’t hurt. She wasn’t cold anymore. Maybe now…she could…get some…sleep……..
Legundo woke with a startle. It had been a while since he had fallen into a fully unconscious sleep. He’d learned from his time in these worlds to sleep lightly. But perhaps it was the fact he wasn’t alone now that he felt relaxed enough to fall into a deep sleep; but something had woken him. He looked around to find the door ajar; snow starting to pile inside the house. He quickly got up to close it. Luckily no mobs made their way inside.
Legundo quietly moved back to his spot in the room, glancing at the rest of his group. Drift was curled closest to the fireplace, Avid and Marmalade were huddled together on the small couch, Viking was sprawled on top of the coffee table, and…that’s it. That was…everyone.
There was a wool blanket bunched up under the table. Odd…
It was probably Avid’s since he was sharing with Marm.
Legundo sat against the side of the couch and proceeded to fall back asleep. Though he wouldn’t be fully unconscious, as he could feel eyes staring at him. Staring at all of them.
So…how we feeling about that Haunted Winter episode? This is the first short story I’ve ever posted. I had a lot of fun writing it.
