The monsters in the night might kill me eventually, but the cold will kill me indubitably.
The Cold does not discriminate between good and evil, what had been nothing but white death, shall remain as nothing but white death. Now, choking the life out of any unfortunate enough to stand trial before its inescapable grasp, it will continue doing so until the very laws of reality fail before it. Just as Death was inevitable for those here, those who had come before and those who had come after; the great equalizer would itself, reap the reaper.
Harmonia and I looked down over the festivities spreading through the village below. "Christmas is finally here again," I said, simultaneously glancing down at my right hand. My memory was still fuzzy from that incident, and if Harmonia hadn't saved me that fateful night, then I would have joined the grand display of the mountains' cryopreservation collection. A minute later, Death's gentle embrace would have lulled my soul into repose for eternity.
Harmonia nodded, quickly glancing back toward the calendar on the wall. Several red circles and crosses filled the dates near Christmas, together with the note of their quarterly shopping trip down to the village. Occasionally I wondered why Harmonia put up with me, with her uncanny proficiency in seemingly everything, she could have easily found someone wealthy and lived a comfortable life as their wife. However… unlike Harmonia, I could not leave this haunted place, not after that fateful night.
A sharp sting pulled my attention back to my right arm. The red spots had returned; it seemed me skipping the last quarter's batch of medicine had led to my health taking a turn for the worse.
They lay clustered just beneath the skin like a constellation of dying stars. They were akin to faint, angry pinpricks that pulsed in time with my heartbeat. At first they had been harmless, only a few scattered flecks that faded whenever Warmth touched my hand. I pressed a hand against them, trying to remember when they first appeared. Was it before Harmonia found me in the snow? Or after? My memories from that night were warped. She used to whisper that it was nothing; she still does. But lately the marks had spread, branching upward like tiny veins of rust beneath porcelain. It's fine. The medicine will make it better.
I tugged my sleeve down, yet the fabric could not hide the heat radiating from them. It was the only warmth left in this place, and it terrified me. Harmonia noticed, of course. She always did. Occasionally I wanted Harmonia to experience the same desire for me as I felt for her, I wanted to be an existence for which she solely shined for. "You should rest," she said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Her fingers were cold, unnaturally so, like they had never known blood. "The spots are worse today."
I swallowed. "I know."
"You didn't tell me they reached your elbow."
My breath caught. I hadn't realized they had. Harmonia stepped closer, her silhouette framed by the dim lantern glow. "It's spreading faster," said she. "I'll go down to the Village later and inquire if they have any spare medicine…" A worried look spread across her face as she continued. "You'll have to hold on for approximately two weeks when the Christmas delivery arrives.