Everything was cold. His legs, his chest, his face, everything. Especially his fingers, although any actual feeling in them was beginning to fade at this point. He couldn't find it in himself to be surprised, though. Considering the constant 32° temperature of the room he was in, it stood to reason.
Rubbing his arms in a stiff but vigorous manner in an attempt to restore some body heat, Asher shivered. He had been in here for probably a day or so now, and he was fairly certain that his internal temperature had dropped at least 5 degrees by now. How he had gotten here was still a mystery to him; he remembered nothing of that day. All he knew was that he had somehow found himself lost in a frigid space with no light and no apparent way out.
The worst part was the cold. He didn't know why it was so cold, or how to fix it. He just knew that he was slowly losing the ability to sense or feel anything.
Survival of course was critical, and Asher had made sure he hadn't stopped moving. He could find the walls of the space he was in, though they seemed to move every time he did. The only things he could actually hear were his own shallow breathing and his inconsistent footsteps as he staggered slowly around in the darkness.
Pausing in his attempts to warm his arms, Asher pressed his numbing hands to his chest in an effort to restore heat and therefore mobility to his fingers. His pulse felt slower than it had the last time he had done this, 15 minutes or so ago, though that hardly surprised him, either. He was willing to bet his lack of locational knowledge was also a result of the hypothermia he was certain had settled in at this point.
Not like there was much he could do about that.
As he continued stumbling back and forth, each step feeling slightly weaker than the last, Asher gradually realized he had stopped shivering.
Aaannndd loss of ability to generate heat means... I don't have a lot of time left, he thought to himself grimly. Looks like I'm gonna freeze to death in here, then.
A minute later, the full weight of his thoughts set in, and he felt a sense of sudden panic.
"H... he... help..."
His voice sounded weak and the single word spoken was slurred. He let out a tremulous breath. "H... help! Somebody, pl... please..."
"Help me!"
~
Standing in the control room watching the camera screen, the suit-clad man glanced over at his accomplice and nodded. In compliance, the other man turned back to the switchboard in front of him and reached for the thermostat.
YOU ARE READING
Whumptober+ Short Stories - Volume 1
Short StoryA collection of one-shot whump prompts. All characters belong to me, and I may or may not use them for books in future :) Warning for minor-to-major violence, depending on the prompt.
