The Long Dark- A Journey Through Frozen Hell

Mountain Town

When Miho woke up, the fire died down, and she felt warmer than she did last night.

Miho stood up, looking around the barley illuminated building.

A coat by the door caught her attention, so she grabbed it.

She picked it off the rack and felt something inside it.

She dug in the pockets and revealed it was a small Boko bear like the one Alice gave her. Only this one had a Canadian Toque and a flannel shirt.

"Hey Boko." Miho said, smiling not from desperation, but pure happiness that she now has a new Boko bear for her collection.

Miho put the coat on, zipping it up, and put Boko back inside the pocket.

On the shelf was a pair of wool mittens. Taking that and a suit soda and newspaper, Miho drew her flare gun and walked outside after pushing the desk out of the way.

The wolf from last night was gone, and the radio tower no longer hummed.

Miho walked to the cliffside to spot a town below.

Miho pulled out the Canadian Boko, making him look at the town.

"You see that Boko? Maybe someone can help me there." She said before putting Boko away.

Miho walked to the fence gate, looking around for the wolves before opening it, and walked out.

Miho walked past the body of the man, now torn to shreds.

The sight of the gore made tears well up in Miho's eyes before gaining her courage and walked past it, walking down the barely visible snow path.

Hours passed as Miho walked, feeling cold and still hungry.

Still, Miho's will to survive was still strong, though she questioned how long that would last.

Eventually, Miho made it to the town, looking around for people.

Cars were scattered on the road, doors and windows smashed in.

Buildings were boarded up or windows smashed in. One building was burned down.

Miho lifted the pocket Boko was in.

"What happened here, Boko?" She asked, mostly to herself.

Miho looked around and noticed smoke coming from one house.

Miho made her way up the hill to the house before stopping, looking at the scene.

There was blood on the steps of the house. A large handprint of blood was caked on the beam of the house before a small trail led down the hill before stopping at a building nearby.

Reluctantly, Miho approached, knocking on the door.

There was no answer, so she turned the know, opening the door and creeping in.

The house was dark, with the scent of wood smoke being present.

Slowly, Miho walked through the house and into the living room.

An old woman sat in a rocking chair, rocking back and forth with a rifle in her hands and a blindfold over her eyes.

Miho stepped down, causing the wood floor to creak and the old woman to point her rifle.

"Who's there!?" She demanded in a commanding voice.

"Don't shoot! Please don't shoot!" Miho said, nearly crying at the thought of dying right there and then.

"You're a girl. Are you with them? The bad men!" She demanded.

"No! No, I'm not!" Miho said with her voice cracking.

The old woman stopped rocking in her chair.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"I saw the smoke from your chimney." Miho said.

"Outsider?"

"Uh, what?"

"Heh, thought so mainlander, outsider."

Miho stared at her, confused.

"I don't recognize your voice. You didn't leave like the others did. You must be a mainlander, someone who doesn't know any better." The old woman said.

"My plane crashed in the mountains nearby. I'm just trying to find some help." Miho said.

"Hm, you won't find any help out here."

"Can you... you know... point your gun somewhere else? Please?" Miho said, stepping to the side.

The old woman pointed the gun at Miho again.

"You think just because my eyes are covered, I can't see you? Make one wrong move, say one wrong thing... and I'll show you how good of a shot I am. Do you think just because you're a girl, I won't shoot you?"

Miho attempted to keep herself from crying from fear of the old woman's finger on the trigger.

Silence was in the room except for the sound of wood cracking in the fireplace.

"The others are all gone. If you're here, things must be worse than they thought."

The old woman lowered the rifle, laying it across her lap.

"M-my name is Miho Nishizumi." Miho said, glancing at the gun.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I had a name once. But for years, the folks in this town called me Grey Mother. A name takes on its own life. Such that at one point, the name becomes the thing it belongs to. Then the old names fade and can only be remembered by the young and the true."

Miho sat down by the fire, pulling her knees to her chest next to Gray Mother.

"Where are we?" Miho asked.

"Milton, a forgotten town deep in the mountains. "You're far from home." She said.

Miho thought about home, missing the feeling of camaraderie with her team. The feeling of victory after a hard fought match. Now, it's just empty loneliness.

Gray Mother brought a feeling of comfort to Miho, even though she had a .303 pointed at her chest by the same person.

Miho dug in her pocket and pulled out the Boko bear, feeling the small fluff on his toque.

Gray Mother looked down at Miho, a little too far to the left.

"What do you have in your hands?" She asked.

"It's a Boko bear." She said.

"Boko bear. I remember some of the children talking about it." Grey Mother said.

"Boko gives me the strength to keep going because he never gave up." Miho said.

Gray Mother chuckled before leaning back.

"You must be hungry." Gray Mother said.

"I am." Miho said, almost ashamed she had to confess that.

"I would make something, but my food supply is low because of the bad men. Now, I'm not sure if I have enough to get through the winter."

"I need to get off the island, but I'll see what I can do to help." Miho said.

"My mind is fuzzy. Some things are so sharp. Others... are like a dream." She said.

"I'll try to pull some memories out of the fog while you go out."

Miho stood up, walked to the door, and looked out of the window before walking outside.