Rattle Rattle
In the silence of the night, the rattle of the pebbles almost seemed deafening.
The effect was immediate.
Below, the abomination halted, its gelatinous body quivering. One of its mouths opened near the top of its form, gurgling as if tasting the air. It turned—if you could call that sluggish lurching a turn—toward the noise.
'Damnation,' Sunny almost gave in to panic and bolted. 'It's do or die now.'
Sunny kept shaking the can, his breath shallow and his heart racing, but he didn't falter. He needed it to come closer.
Closer still...
The slope behind him glistened with a thin sheen of melted snow, which was refreezing quickly. His plan was simple and risky: he had to bait it closer and when the time was right...
He threw the can down.
Clatter, Rattle, Click.
The thing followed the noise, possibly hungry or curious, inching its way forward.
Sunny moved quickly up the incline to finish his final step.
A large stone slab sat on top of the slope. Sunny had thawed it just enough so that with one good push...
High above the slope...
"He's actually going through with it," Moonveil murmured, her voice tinged with curiosity.
Revel leaned forward slightly, her coffee forgotten. "I told you he had more than just panic in him."
"Not bad," muttered Silence. "He's doing better than some legacies out there."
"Just a week ago he was like a rat in a dumpster," Beastmaster nodded. "Now he's more akin to a tenacious cockroach."
They all quietly laughed at the comment.
Down at the slope...
The creature inched closer.
Now.
He gathered all his strength and applied as much force as possible onto the slab. It moved slightly...
Then tumbled down with a thunderous crash, slamming into the frozen surface. The snow—loosened, weighted, and slick—collapsed in a crude avalanche, crashing straight into the cursed thing's body.
The freezing sludge buried it.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then came the sound—a wet, muffled screech. The mound shook violently.
It was still alive. Of course it was.
That thing was alive but trapped under such weight that it could barely move.
'Of course,' Sunny thought. 'If a little snow and weight was all it took to kill nightmare creatures, humanity wouldn't have suffered to such a degree.'
Fortunately, Sunny had the foresight to prepare a plan B.
He rushed toward the spot where he left his items and grabbed two icicles as big as his forearms.
He cautiously crept toward the still-shaking mound and raised them above his head.
Then, with pinpoint accuracy, he brought them down with all the strength he could muster.
Once they were embedded in the mound, he used all his body weight to push them further and further until...
Squelch.
The mound shuddered once, twice...
And then all was silent.
Sunny collapsed on top of the mound and stared up at the sky.
Snowflakes drifted from the dark sky, landing softly on Sunny's cheeks.
He didn't move. Couldn't, really.
His arms trembled from exertion, lungs burned from the cold air, but more than that—it was the silence that froze him. A silence that meant he had won. Somehow.
A small, bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"I'm… still alive," he whispered to the stars.
Then he rolled onto his side, groaning. His sweater was damp, and the cold was creeping back in now that the adrenaline had worn off.
He had to get back to the fire.
He forced himself onto two feet. As he did, one thought echoed louder than the rest. His fingers—red and chapped—barely responded as he pushed himself up.
'If this is a test, then they have to be watching,' Sunny thought.
He smiled slowly before raising one numb hand to the sky and...
Flipped off the sky.
Back above the battlefield...
Beastmaster choked on a peach slice.
Revel let out a snort.
Moonveil burst out laughing.
Even Silent—cold and composed—smiled.
"Looks like he figured it out," Revel said, pride dancing in her voice.
"Spiteful indeed," Moonveil added between giggles.
"Takes guts to taunt saints when you're barely standing," Beastmaster mused.
Silent sipped her tea and stared down at the fading battle scene. The snow had already begun to cover the remains.
Already thinking of how to get revenge.
'Who knew?' Silent Stalker mused. 'Even I can be petty.'
Below, where the snow had barely settled...
Sunny stood alone with the silence.
He dropped his hand slowly, secretly hoping he hadn't crossed the line with that action.
That move was a little reckless but...
'I nearly died!' Sunny thought with indignation. 'I'm allowed this much at least.'
He waited for a minute before deciding he was in the clear.
He got back to the cave just in time to refuel the fire before it went out.
He so desperately wanted to sleep, but he didn't have a death wish.
At least, not for now.
He had maybe a couple more hours until the survival "quest" ended.
In the middle of his thoughts, he heard a noise outside.
Fwump.
Instantly, he was on guard. Surely this wasn't another challenge?
He grabbed his torch and cautiously walked outside. He looked around but found nothing.
He slowly looked down and smiled.
A black, smooth, and familiar can sat there.
Monster Energy.
Maybe the gods were merciful after all.