Snowed In

Part 1

The snow was storming behind the window, making it almost impossible to see anything. The wind that accompanied it was so strong the trees were basically lying on the ground under its strength. Leaving the house for any reason whatsoever was out of the question for everyone living in the town against which the weather seemed to have a personal vendetta.

And it was the very reason MC was simply devastated.

Through the window, it was clear her car was completely snowed in, unable to be used; however, it wouldn't have started anyway, not in such weather. Or, even if it had, she'd have sunk in the first snowdrift.

Resigned, she sighed and pulled out her phone. There was no way she would be getting anywhere in that weather unless she wanted to remain in snow and out of her house for the remainder of winter.

Because she had no illusions, her house would soon be just as inaccessible as her car.

"Hey, Siri, call Lilly Donfort." She said softly to the device and watched as it established a call with her friend.

Luckily, the service was still there... for now. Lilly picked up after a few signals; MC could hear talking and laughing on the other end and her heart stung.

"Hey, MC! Are you alright? We're waiting for you! When will you come?"

"Um. Lilly, I am so sorry, but it's absolute hell in my town. The blizzard is so severe that my car is out of order and I can't leave the house." MC explained, heartbroken. "I don't think I'll be able to come."

"But... It's Christmas Eve!" She exclaimed and the noise on the other end fell silent. "You don't have any other plans, do you?"

"No, of course, I don't. Even if, I'd have to cancel them, too, because I am snowed in."

MC eyed the front door with a blank face; she'd tried to open it and it refused to move. They were probably frozen.

"So, are you going to stay alone for the holiday?" Lilly sounded upset.

"What other choice do I have?" She sighed. "We can try and video call later if there's reception and electricity."

"Switch to the video with me?"

MC did and saw Lilly's face. She even looked upset, clearly skeptical.

"Show me how bad it is."

"Is it not snowing in Duskwood?"

"Not that much."

MC nodded and turned the camera to the window for the woman to see what she meant.

"Holy shit." Lilly exclaimed upon seeing the raging weather. "That pile of snow, the one to the left... is that your car?"

"Yup. Or it was."

"Oh, you poor thing..."

"Yeah. So, as you can see..." Suddenly, the lights went off and MC snorted. "Or can't anymore, I am trapped."

"What happened just now?"

"The electricity is out. Either they turned it off in case of an accident, or the wind damaged something already."

"You poor thing." Lilly repeated, dejected. "Please, stay safe. Don't go out unnecessarily. We love you and we will miss you, but we understand."

MC nodded and greeted everyone.

She ended the call and went to light up some candles she always kept around. It was not an uncommon thing for the town to experience electrical problems, mostly due to the proximity of the mountains and changes in weather, so she'd been prepared. Once there was some semblance of light, she grabbed her blanket for the bedroom and pulled the sofa close to a cold fireplace.