The next few days could be described as hell. Despite Sienna's preparation, she almost lost it by the sixth day. The temperature continued to plummet further, reaching -80°C, and despite the heaters running, the fireplace burning, and the windows sealed tight, the three of them still trembled like wet chickens.
Snowball's purrs had become weaker, and the two sisters were constantly worried about her condition. Sienna would have sent her into her space if not for the fact that there was no oxygen inside.
The temperature being like this meant things had changed. Two days ago, the news was still running. There were already reports of deaths from either frostbite or hypothermia. There were also cases of roofs collapsing from the weight of frost, leading to brutal deaths. And of course, deaths from starvation and lack of hydration was also a thing.
Power had already gone out, and Sienna found herself strangely impressed it lasted that long. Toilets had stopped functioning, the electric heaters had gone silent, and communication devices had stopped communicating. Sienna had also tossed her phone and other devices into her space, and the only thing that kept her and Louisa sane were the novels she had brought along. They were the time-killers.
The hotel had been silent, until this morning.
Sienna faintly heard noises coming from outside. At first, she dismissed it, thinking it was just her ears buzzing from the cold, or maybe the howling wind. But then, the sound grew louder, followed by footsteps, like people walking and clamoring.
Right at that moment, the system chimed.
[Ding! Mission Available]
[Save the receptionist]
"Save?" she muttered with disinterest. "I don't even think I can save mysel—"
Until she saw the reward.
[Reward: Karma Points +100]
"100 Karma Points?!" she cried inwardly.
This much? Just from saving someone?
She pressed a hand against her chest, nodding solemnly. "From now on, I'm Sienna the Saviour."
She layered on another jacket, mask, socks, and gloves.
"I'll go take a look," she said, glancing at Louisa. The girl nodded quietly.
Their relationship these days was no longer the same. The little girl had turned quiet, often hesitating to make a request or ask a question, no longer acting clingy, and most times, her voice was so soft when she spoke — like it would cost her something to speak louder. She had become too reserved around her, always whispering thank you for every little thing.
Sienna grew frustrated and repeatedly told her to stop acting so formal. Unfortunately, it was as if her words went in one ear and out the other, because the next moment Louisa was only a step away from addressing her as "Miss."
In the end, she stopped pushing it.
Let the girl do whatever she wanted. Sienna only needed to continue being who she was.
Setting her thoughts aside, she hid a knife in her jacket in case a threat was outside.
Like... a... zombie?
She shuddered at the thought, her heart racing as it was highly possible given the current unpredictable situation.
Her steps became lighter, her movements more alert. She pushed up the mask on her nose, the cold penetrating even through her layers of jackets.
What came into view was a different scene. Most importantly, they weren't that kind of threat. There were three people, bundled up like she was — if not more — and it was almost impossible to tell what their genders were.
It was, however, obvious that the one in the middle was a woman from her petite figure and brows.
As if noticing her gaze, the woman's eyes locked with hers. Then she whispered something to the men and approached.
"Hi." She waved, standing in front of Sienna. Even through the mask, Sienna thought she could see her smiling.
Sienna returned the gesture. "Hello."
The woman spoke. "I'm Britney. You're the one staying in this room?"
"Yes…"
"Oh… only you?" Britney quirked a brow, glancing behind her.
Sienna's hand instinctively went into her pocket. Years of military training as both doctor and soldier made her wary of this exact kind of approach.
"What do you want?"
Britney sighed, her tone softening into something pitiful. She pressed her hands against her stomach. "You see, the hotel shut down two days ago, and we're… starving." She pointed behind her. "Look, my brothers are also hungry and thirsty. These past few days, we've been gnawing on snow. Now we can't even step outside without the fear of turning into ice statues. But you, on the other hand… you look good, healthy, your cheeks rosy. How many layers are you wearing? Maybe ten?" She gave a weak laugh. "We've been trying to find food, but every attempt failed. Yet you never came out once." She waved a hand. "You must have seen that anonymous post, right? The one predicting an apocalypse? It said after this Extreme Cold, there would be an Extreme Heat, and told everyone to stockpile food. You must have done so, uh? That must be the reason why you never had to go out and still look so well-fed."
Sienna's expression sharpened. "And?"
Britney smiled. "Little sister, why don't you share some food with us?"