Whumptober 2020 | Sanders Sides

No. 21 I DON'T FEEL SO WELL

Full Prompt:
No. 21 I DON'T FEEL SO WELL
Chronic Pain | Hypothermia | Infection

Prompt(s) chosen: Hypothermia

AU: Human Au, Logan is a field worker in environmental science

TW: Major character death, slowly freezing to death, sad journal entries, probably decently but not extremely accurate

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December 15th, 2025 

Today I lost my crew. The five of us were visiting the south pole to observe it during winter months so we could make observations on a new thing that had been discovered earlier this year. A blizzard formed so we started to head back to our home base. We made sure we were heading back safely until a large gust of wind knocked me away from the others. I tried to call out to them, but over the whistling of the wind he was unable to hear a response. I had to steady myself so I didn't fall over, but I did end up falling over anyways. 

I didn't have much of a choice so I dug a pocket into the snow and burrowed into it so I was safe here. It was like a mini igloo that would be safe to stay in until I could go back and find the rest of my group. I have enough food for about a few days, but if the blizzard lasts to long there's a chance that I would be unable to make it out of here. I am warm at the moment, but I'm not sure how much longer this will last. I am going to get some sleep, I'll update tomorrow morning. 

Sincerely,
Logan Sanders

December 16th, 2025 6:30am

I am back. This morning I had some of my food rations, making sure it wasn't to much that I would run out, but it was enough that I wouldn't be hungry. The roof of my little home was strongly packed with snow and I knew I would have to fig out from the side. If I got stuck in here then it would be really difficult to get out which increased my chance of dying here. Carefully I moved around so my arms were at the sides. I started digging into the snow. There was no way to tell how deep the snow was or if the blizzard was still going on, so I was digging with hope that it wouldn't be to late. 

Surprisingly enough, the snow only was a few feet deep when I had dug to the surface. Though that bit of good news had been quickly shattered when a large gust of cold air came into my snow home. Snow flew right into my face so I quickly patched up my hole to the outside and crawled back to the main room. It was nice and small so it should conserve the heat well. If I get cold then I don't think I'll be able to make it. I'm going to try and work the comms, I will update later. 

Sincerely,
Logan Sanders

December 16th, 2025 6:30pm

I have bad news. The comms system isn't working through the blizzard so I am trapped here until I can call for help in some other way. It also seems to be slowly getting colder in here, well, obviously considering the fact that I am in snow. Making the igloo-like structure definitely slowed it down though which gives me more time to work with. I'm afraid that if I don't get out of here soon that it will get to cold in here and I could die from hypothermia. My nose and ears are already getting cold and they are generally the first things to go when you get hypothermia.

To say I wasn't nervous would be a lie, but I figured I would get through this one way or another. The blizzard couldn't last to long, could it? Maybe tomorrow I would be able to get the comms to work so they could send a rescue team for me. I also don't have enough food for more than two days in here so I need to start moving either tomorrow or the day after. I don't know how far away from the base I am, but hopefully it isn't to far. Well, I am going to go to sleep. I will update again tomorrow morning. 

Sincerely,
Logan Sanders

December 17th, 2025 10:45am

I woke up at 6:00am like I did yesterday, but didn't update immediately. I finished a bit more of my food, still conserving it so I wouldn't run out. I had also checked the outside part of the world where the blizzard was. The snow was deeper than yesterday, obviously, but it seemed that the blizzard was less severe than it was the previous day. Hopefully, if it continued to die down in this pattern, than I will be able to leave and find my way back to base either today or tomorrow. 

So far I haven't gotten much colder, so my fingers and toes are cold and I've almost lost feeling completely in my nose and ears. I have been trying to keep them as warm as possible, but I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to do this...

Sincerely,
Logan Sanders

December 17th, 2025 4:30pm

Everything is so so cold. I moved from my old home towards where my normal home should have been . I regret it though. The wind randomly picked up while I was moving and now I am so cold. I'm not sure I'll make it past tonight. My hands are shaking so badly as I write this. My legs and arms are so cold, but I want to leave a final message for when someone finds this. 

My observations have all been recorded in my scientific notes journal that's in my backpack. Please stay safe while out in the field, things can take you by surprise at any moment. To my friends, I am so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye. To my coworkers, please stay safe in the field as I said above. I am going to go to sleep now. Probably forever. Stay safe out there, please. 

Sincerely,
Logan Sanders

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Word count: 971

Written on 10/22/2020.