MCSM: A Rather Ridiculously Ravishing and Romantic Anthology

Act IV: Petra

It was colder than any typical December. The blizzards are expected to rage on for the rest of the day, encrusting the entirety of town in knee-deep proportions of snow. People were advised to wear their thickest clothing if they insist on travelling. Petra was no exception to this, she was a daring type. However, the events of the day also proved her to be foolish.

She had plans to mine for coal, since reserves have been drained as fast as rabbits can run. She knew the risks, but little did she know that the blizzards would only worsen. The weather station was able to predict the coming snowstorm as the biggest in a century. But the situation was far more dire, since cable has been knocked out, word could not be spread. They tried their best, but word could only reach as far as Lukas' cabin, and Petra lived further from this distance. So her serious disadvantage would put her in very great danger.

Petra slipped on her thickest clothing, which also proved her heaviest, which would soon put her life further down the line. Grabbing her near-rusted pickaxe, she sprinted to the nearest cave to garb coal. Unfortunately, her efforts were too futile since most of the coal was further deeper into the cave, and it was under huge risk of becoming blocked by several feet of snow. "I've gotta try, or I can't stay warm, or cozy in that matter."

This plan of hers would prove to be the epitome of human error. When she stumbled into the cave, she instantly tripped over an icicle the size of her foot. She tripped and began to fall down a slip-and-slide of ice. Petra screamed the whole way, but her next prediction would only continue to demoralise her further. She knew from mining trips that there's normally lava down below, so she knew she'd be warm. However, little did she know that the caves she was falling through were a phenomenon known as nitrous caves. Inside these types of caves, cold would be an understatement. Rather than burning lava, it was the domain of pouring liquid nitrogen seeping from gas pockets, and believed to have been kept cool by sub-zero vents deep in the Earth's sub-core.

Petra was horrified to see that it was even colder down there, and despite her best attempts to stay warm, her finhers began to bear the effects of frostbite. She knew that going deeper would only mean even colder depths. She could try climbing out, but you already knew that her heavy clothing was too much and she couldn't do so. If she ditched her earm clothes so she'd be light enough, we aleady know from experience that you'd be too cold and freeze quicker. No way was she gonna attempt any of them. She was trapped, doomed to succumb to gradual deterioration. But wait...

She was indeed deep in the depths of Earth, but not far enough to lose all mobile phone connection. "Yes! Just one bar!" She began to dial the town, but her freezing fingers made this task even harder. When she did she said "Mayday. It's Petra from town. I'm deep down in a cave and practically freezing to death. Please send help IMMEDIATELY!" Her hopes that someone would've heard that were huge. Please hurry...