Cabin Fever (Happy Valentine's Day!)

Today is February 14th, ten years after the portals opened, or 10 A.P., as it's more commonly known. Monstergirls have run rampant, distracting the human race with temptations beyond reason. The wide swaths of rural land untouched by their demonic corruption are the only places left for humans who wish to continue the lifestyle of the past.

It is here, in the quiet, frigid forests of Alaska that I've come to make peace with the new world. Not because I believe myself to be above such wanton acts of degeneracy, but because I believe that the romance of the past, the chaste and pure passions of a society that kept intimacies and affections as treasures to be shared only with those who have earned–no–deserved their trust. There are many others like me out here. In a way, we are the Puritans of the new world.

With profound sadness, I must confess that today shall be the ultimate trial of my commitment to these ancient ideals. What was once Valentine's Day, a holiday that cherished love, lust and longing, has now found its place in the Monstergirl world.

They call it "Universal Rejoicing Day". It is a ritual derived from the practices of the Amazoness, a tribe of succubi known for raiding and pillaging. Although the reason for celebration is different, the method remains the same. A spell of global scale is cast, awakening the latent animalistic desires of Monstergirls, coaxing them into a rabid, sex-crazed trance. The reason for doing this, so I am told, is to pay homage to monsterhood, what it truly means to be a monster. That means getting what you want, when you want it, no matter what the cost.

Although this day was of no concern to me before, it has developed into a potential hazard in a very, very short span of time. About six months ago, a small  group of Monstergirls showed up in Anchorage. Since then, they've been periodically spotted visiting trade outposts around here. What was once the most peaceful and natural place for humans to exist in solitude was now in danger.

This war between Puritans and Monsters is a silent one. We do not fight them, knowing full well that retaliation will be swift, and brutal. They cannot fight us, knowing that violence may incite further resistance. Instead, we rely on ancient tricks, remedies, and most often, sheer willpower. They, in turn, devise more and more clever schemes and magics to win us over.

At times, I find myself asking whether or not a peaceful life with monsters is even possible. I see faint, fleeting glimmers in hope in some of them. Some races are wholly dedicated to romance and marriage, and most are monogamous. Perhaps there is a conclusion to come to, but the ideas in place, and the facts surrounding them, are incompatible. At the bottom line, monsters need humans to reproduce. Out of desperation, they deceive, assault and corrupt us into creatures of pleasure, just as they are. Some suggest that even the slightest bit of their influence can taint a man. It is this idea alone that makes me feel uneasy near them.

After unsettling my nerves with a reminder of how at-odds I am with others, I decide on making myself a warm cup of tea to settle down. As I set the kettle on the stove, I glance out of the kitchen window. There's a blizzard raging outside, which has already buried my house in a good six inches of snow. It looks like I won't be leaving anytime soon. Thankfully, I'd already cut more than enough firewood to sit through it.

A few moments later, the kettle begins to whistle. I grab a cup and a mug from the cabinet, as well as a couple bags of tea. As I poured the boiling water into the mug, I noticed something stirring in the snow outside from the corner of my eye. It made me uneasy, but after staring outside for a bit, I decided it was just a figment of my imagination. I finished making my drink, and pulled up a chair next to the hearth.

Before I could sit down, I started to hear something rattling around in the other side of the house. Fearful that I may not have secured the windows, I rushed over to the source. While the rattling did indeed come from a window, it was shut tight, and frozen shut. The rattling was being caused by icicles breaking free from the roof, and getting sent clattering about by the powerful wind. I returned to enjoying my tea near the fire.

After finishing my drink, I returned to the kitchen to leave the mug in the sink. Through the kitchen window, I caught another glimpse of something shuffling around in the snow. There was no real way of discerning it's shape in the harsh storm, so, with a great deal of effort, I forced the window open, and called out to it. "Hey! Are you alright?"

There was no response. Perhaps it was something blowing in the wind. Whatever it was, it made me profoundly curious, so I threw on as much insulation as I could, pried open the door, and marched through the thick blanket of snow.

As I approached the mysterious figure, it suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

No response. I marched forward some more, and found a large object wrapped up in a patchwork comforter. I prodded it cautiously with my shoe.

"So... Cold..." The bundle of sheets muttered.

"Don't worry, I'll get you somewhere safe. Hang in there, alright?" I picked up the stranger, and threw them over my shoulder. Whoever it was, they were light. If there was one thing I didn't want to see today, it was a talking, emaciated corpse, so I did my best to avoid looking at what I was carrying.

When I finally made it back to the cabin, I set the freezing stranger in front of the hearth. "Can you hear me?"

The sheets began to twitch and stir, eventually producing a small opening on the side. "Who... are you?" A deep, motherly voice asked.

"I feel like you should tell me who you are, first. What were you doing out there, in a storm like this?"

"I... don't remember. I woke up in the snow, and I was freezing. Did you take me here?"

"Well, yeah. I saw you wandering around out there from my kitchen. I thought you were a goner until you started talking. Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Then let's get you out of those sheets. They're probably too damp to keep you warm."

"Okay." She muttered, ruffling around until she got her head free from her prison of cloth. "It's too heavy, I think I'm stuck."

"Hang on, I'll take care of  it." I began to slowly untangle the sheets. Her skin was sickly and pale, but there wasn't a single speck of frostbite to be seen anywhere on her face. The more I unraveled her, the more I came to realize that she was hardly dressed for the weather. On her persons was a lacy, off-white bra, and a tasteful pair of plain undergarments. However, it wasn't the lack of proper attire that concerned me.

On her stomach was a fair bit of discoloration, blue in color, with a laceration just to the right of her navel. It wasn't bleeding, Thank God, but the injury seemed deep enough to require immediate treatment. I pressed one of the discolored spots on her stomach, and asked her if it hurt. She replied with a grunt.

Worried, I sprinted for the kitchen, where I was keeping an emergency first-aid kit. I'd never used it before, but I've read enough on first aid to at least sterilize and bandage the wound.

After returning with the medical supplies, I laid her out on a fresh blanket. I applied pressure to the cut, but, despite it's location and depth, it did not bleed. I got to work cleaning it out, and applied a fair bit of ointment.

"Hey, are you still with me?" I asked, fearful of what may happen.

"Yeah." She grunted.

"Are you warming up?"

"Your hands are... warm..."

She was clearly a little loopy from whatever she'd gone through, but her breathing seemed normal. I taped the wound together with bandages. I gave her another look-over afterward, and noticed that the blue discolorations of her skin had spread almost to her chest.

"Something's wrong." I muttered aloud.

"Warm. I need to be warm." She muttered, lazily raising her arm toward me.

Worried, I rolled the blanket over her. "How's that?"

She wriggled her arms free, and spread them wide apart.

"Oh, a hug?"

She nodded.

Nervously, I laid down beside her, and her arms clamped down on me like a bear trap. She was practically squeezing the air out of me, but I didn't try to make any sudden movements. After a while, she eased the tension in her arms, and thanked me.

"Feeling any better?"

"Yes. You're so warm."

"Hey, take it easy."

She let out a raspy "heheh", and relaxed a bit more.

"I'm going to call for an ambulance. You have a pretty nasty cut on your stomach."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Can you hang tight until I get back?"

"...Yes." she murmured. She almost sounded disappointed.

She let go of me, and as I pulled away from her, I noticed more of the mysterious blue spots coming down her arm. Fearing the worst, I quickly made my way to the telephone, and dialed the emergency line.

I described the situation over the phone to a dispatcher. They explained that the ambulance may be delayed for a while due to the blizzard, and that I should stay and monitor her condition until they arrive.

I returned to the stranger, who was getting more pallid and blue by the second. She had fallen asleep. I checked her forehead with the back of my hand. She was still a bit cold, but she had improved drastically.

Suddenly, her eyes opened. "Hold me." She demanded, spreading her arms out.

"I think I should get you something warm to eat. Are you hungry?"

"No." She shook her head, and motioned me to come closer.

"Are you sure? You look kind of... anemic."

She let out a grunt in frustration. I felt the air around me grow cold. The spotting of her skin suddenly overtook her body, and her hair faded into a bright, silky white. Her eyes turned black, and from her right eye sprouted a flower of icy spines.

"A monster?"

"Dammit!" She exclaimed. "I was just getting comfortable, too."

"Wait, I'm confused. You didn't get attacked?"

"Quite the contrary." With a wave of her hand, four icicles form out of thin air, and dart towards me at blinding speed. The missiles pin me to the wall by the edges of my coat. "Oh, and don't worry about that ambulance. Transformation magic may not be my forté, but encasing a cabin like this in a block of ice is child's play. It's just you and me now."

"And what do you plan on doing to me?"

"Are you an idiot?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut up, and enjoy yourself."

"What about that stab wound?"

"If you did your homework, you'd know that most monsters can't harm anyone. Not physically, at least. Even one of the icicles holding you in place right now couldn't kill you." She creates a thin, needle-like spine of ice, and jams it into my arm. Oddly enough, it doesn't hurt at all, and the weapon melts in an instant.

"Why?"

"Why?! You reject me on Valentine's Day five years ago, move to Alaska, cut all communication with me for years, and you want to know why?"

"I, what?"

"Of course you don't recognize me. I'm a lot prettier now. You noticed, didn't you?" She teased, squeezing her breasts together with an arrogant look on her face. "That's fine, though. It means we can start over, right?" She rummages through her cleavage, and pulls out a small, heart-shaped box. "Happy Valentine's Day~!"

"Oh, thanks. Could you let me down, now?"

"You still need to eat the chocolates, don't you?"

"How am I supposed to do that when I'm like this?" I ask, struggling against the icicles.

"That's a good question." She nods. "You are pretty helpless right now. Since you so kindly took care of me, maybe it's time for me to return the favor." She opens the box, removes a chocolate, and places it in her mouth. She tries to force it against my lips, but I turn my head away at the last second. Angry, she grabs my jaw, pries my mouth open, and forces the chocolate inside in a cold kiss. The candy itself was a frozen chocolate treat, filled with peanut-butter-flavored ice cream.

Her plan complete, she stares at me, a trail of saliva connecting our lips together. "You're going to enjoy each of these chocolates, one at a time, just like that. Then you'll get a special treat." She grins, adjusting her bra. "Happy Universal Rejoicing Day, sweetie."

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Just wanted to wish you a happy Valentine's Day, thread! Thanks for sticking with me all of these years. Good luck in your romantic endeavors, whether you plan on traditional romance, or opening a portal to the monstergirl dimension.

Psst. Hey. Why are you still here? Is it because you're looking for some kind of secret? Too bad! All I have is a shitty discord. Foams#5531