Chapter Text
Time stops making sense inside the ice.
For Berdly, the ice never changes, and without sight or movement there is nothing left to measure the passing of moments except the slow drift of his own thoughts. They circle endlessly, returning again and again to the same memory. The sudden storm, the violent cold, and the horror of realizing he could no longer move even a single muscle.
At first he expects the spell to end. Dark World battles always end eventually.
His mind clings stubbornly to that logic because it is the only explanation that makes sense. He waits for the ice to crack. He waits for warmth to return to his body. He waits for the familiar pulse of movement in his arms or legs.
Nothing changes.
The burning cold that once clawed through his body has long since dulled into something heavier and far more unsettling. It feels as if the freezing has sunk deep into him, replacing warmth with a thick numbness that refuses to leave. Every part of him feels distant now, sealed away behind layers of unfeeling frost. He cannot tell if his heart is still beating quickly or if the panic has begun to slow it down. He cannot feel his breathing clearly anymore either, only the faintest pressure in his chest that suggests air still moves in and out somehow.
The nausea lingers as well.
It sits low in his stomach like a knot that refuses to untangle, occasionally twisting hard enough to make his thoughts stutter for a moment before settling again. Without the ability to move or even cough, the sensation only makes him feel more trapped, more aware of the terrible stillness surrounding him.
At some point he begins to realize that a great deal of time must be passing.
The alley cannot stay empty forever. Cyber World is busy, loud, full of strange digital traffic and wandering Darkners. Someone should have come through by now. Someone should have noticed the enormous block of ice standing in the middle of the pavement.
But nobody has.
The silence remains unbroken.
It is that realization more than anything else that slowly grows into a quiet, creeping terror inside his chest.
Because if nobody has come by yet, nobody will. Kris left. Noelle never came back.
The thought repeats itself over and over in his mind as the numb cold continues to swallow the last traces of warmth in his body. He tries to argue against it, tries to construct some logical explanation that will make the situation feel less permanent, but the longer he remains trapped in the white, the harder it becomes to believe that this is temporary.
Eventually even his frantic thinking begins to slow.
His mind feels tired.
Heavy.
Darkness presses in from every direction, and with nothing new to focus on his thoughts begin drifting in dull, unfocused loops that barely resemble the sharp confidence he normally prides himself on.
Then something changes.
He does not hear it the way he normally would, but somewhere beyond the thick prison of ice there is a distant shift in the world, a strange tremor that seems to ripple faintly through the frozen shell around him. It is subtle enough that he might have imagined it if his mind were clearer, but after so long in perfect stillness even the smallest disturbance feels enormous.
The Dark World begins to collapse.
Deep within Queen's mansion, the final battle has already ended. The strange puppet known as Spamton has fallen, and the glowing Fountain that sustained the entire city pulses violently as its power begins to falter.
Standing before it, Kris. And Noelle by their side.
Noelle's hands are cold and trembling.
The events of the past hours swirl together inside her head in a confused haze that refuses to settle into anything clear. The storm, the alley, the spell, the terrible image of ice swallowing someone she had known her entire life, all of it presses against her thoughts like something half remembered from a nightmare.
Susie's voice echoes faintly in her mind.
Just a dream.
Noelle clings to that explanation desperately, the reassurance that none of it was real. It feels easier that way. Safer. If it was only a dream, then she does not have to think about why her stomach still twists painfully whenever she remembers the horrible command.
Kris glances back toward her.
The feeling fades quickly. Of course it's a dream. Kris would never do this to anyone, let alone her.
Kris steps forward and seals the fountain.
The entire city begins to disappear.
Buildings flicker like broken screens. Neon lights shatter into fragments of color that spiral upward into the dark sky. The humming electricity that once filled every street vanishes in an instant as the world collapses back into silence.
The alley before Queen's mansion disappears along with everything else.
Everything goes dark.
Then, light returns slowly.
Ceiling lamps buzz softly overhead as three figures stir awake by the table of the computer lab back in the Light World.
Dusty monitors sit dark and silent around the room, their blank screens reflecting the dim yellow glow of the lights above. Rows of chairs and desks remain exactly where they were earlier that day, as if nothing unusual has happened at all.
Susie groans quietly as she pushes herself upright, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Ugh… man."
She glances around the room with a tired expression before noticing the other two beginning to move as well.
Kris sits up silently nearby, their face unreadable as always.
Across the table, Noelle slowly lifts her head.
For a few seconds she simply blinks at the familiar ceiling above her, her mind struggling to piece together where she is.
Then recognition settles in.
The computer lab.
Her chest loosens slightly with relief.
The strange neon city, the endless digital streets, the cold storm in the alley… all of it begins to fade rapidly from her thoughts, retreating into the blurry uncertainty of something that feels more and more like a dream the longer she sits there.
Susie stretches her arms with a yawn.
Noelle's eyes drift across the room.
Then she freezes.
Someone else is laying down head first on the table a few feet away.
Berdly has not woken up.
Susie notices him a moment later.
"Oh."
She shrugs.
"Guess the nerd's still out."
Noelle stares at him quietly.
A strange knot tightens in her chest again, though she cannot explain why.
He just looks asleep.
Peaceful, even.
If anything terrible had actually happened in that strange dream she remembers, he certainly wouldn't be lying there like that, breathing softly on the table of the computer lab.
Her shoulders relax a little.
See? Susie was right. It was just a dream...
The computer lab settles into a quiet stillness after the first few groggy moments of waking.
Dust motes drift slowly through the fluorescent light above the rows of old monitors, and the faint hum of the ceiling lamps fills the room with a dull, steady noise. Nothing about the space looks unusual. Keyboards sit untouched, and the blank computer screens reflect the sleepy faces of the students.
Susie stretches her arms over her head with a long groan, rolling her shoulders as if trying to shake off the lingering stiffness in her muscles.
"Man," she mutters, glancing around the room again. "This shit's gonna fuck with my sleep schedule."
Across from her, Noelle slowly pushes herself upright, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face. Her movements are hesitant at first, as though she is still unsure whether the world around her is completely real.
But the familiar sight of the computer lab settles something inside her chest. Everything is exactly the way it should be. Safe. Normal. Completely ordinary.
Her breathing finally begins to slow.
Susie's voice from earlier echoes faintly in her memory.
Just a dream.
The more she sits there, the more that explanation begins to feel right.
Dreams can feel incredibly real sometimes. Everyone knows that. It is easy for the mind to twist strange feelings and half-remembered thoughts into something vivid enough to seem real while it lasts. The panic she felt earlier, the snow, the storm in that dark alleyway… it all fades further into something hazy and distant the longer she stays in the quiet, familiar room.
It must have just been her imagination running wild.
Her shoulders relax a little more.
"C'mon," Susie says, pushing herself fully to her feet. "Let's get outta here before someone catches us sleeping in here."
Noelle gives a small, tired nod and stands as well, adjusting her skirt.
She glances at Berdly.
He remains slumped against the table exactly the way he was when they first woke up, glasses still crooked slightly across his face. His chest rises and falls faintly, the slow rhythm of someone deep in sleep.
Susie notices the glance.
"Oh, right. The birdbrain."
She walks over and nudges the toe of her boot lightly against the chair he's on, though she does not actually touch him.
"Huh."
He doesn't react.
Susie shrugs.
"Guess he's still knocked out."
Noelle watches him for another second.
She studies him more closely, there is nothing alarming there.
The tension slips away again.
Kris stands quietly a short distance away, observing the scene in silence.
Kris finally steps forward.
"I'll wake him." They say simply.
Susie shrugs immediately.
"Alright, nerd duty's yours."
She turns toward the door without another thought.
Noelle hesitates only briefly before following her, pausing near the doorway to glance back once more.
Berdly still hasn't moved.
Kris is already walking toward him.
That's enough reassurance for her.
"See you outside, Kris," she says softly.
Kris gives a small nod.
Susie pushes the door open and steps into the hallway.
Noelle follows her out.
The door swings shut behind them with a quiet click.
The computer lab falls silent again.
Kris stands alone in the dim room, facing Berdly. They do not move right away.
Kris takes a slow step closer. Then another.
They stop beside him.
From this distance, Berdly's breathing is easier to see. His chest rises faintly, steady and slow, like someone resting deeply after a long day.
Kris watches him. Seconds pass. Their hand twitches slightly at their side, as though preparing to reach down and shake his shoulder. Wake him up. That would be the normal thing to do. Anyone else would do it without hesitation.
But Kris does not move.
Something inside them holds still, frozen in the quiet.
Their hand trembles slightly.
For a brief moment, it looks like they might kneel down beside him.
Instead, their body turns. The movement is sudden. Sharp, as if pulled by invisible strings.
Kris's feet begin carrying them toward the door before they have fully decided to move.
"Wh—"
They stop halfway across the room.
Their shoulders tense.
For a second it looks like they are trying to resist the motion, like the simple act of standing still requires enormous effort.
But the pressure does not release.
Their body shifts again. Another step toward the door. Another.
By the time Kris reaches the hallway, the computer lab is quiet once more.
The door swings closed behind them.
Inside the empty room, the lights continue humming softly above the rows of silent computers.
Berdly remains exactly where he was left.
---
The sky outside the library has begun fading into soft shades of purple and gray, the last streaks of sunset slipping behind the rooftops across the quiet street. The building itself is nearly empty now, its tall windows glowing faintly against the dimming light.
The front door opens.
Kris steps outside onto the sidewalk.
For a moment they simply stand there, the cool evening air brushing faintly against their face after the stuffy silence of the computer lab.
Susie leans against a street lamp with her usual slouched posture, one foot tapping idly against the pavement. A few feet away, Noelle stands quietly with her hands clasped together in front of her.
They both glance up when Kris approaches.
Susie pushes herself off the lamp.
"Well?" She asks.
Kris stops beside them.
"He said he'll go home soon." They say simply.
Susie raises an eyebrow.
"That's it?"
Kris gives a small shrug. "He's still sleepy."
Susie studies their face for another second before snorting quietly.
"Figures." She says, kicking a loose pebble off the sidewalk. "That guy could probably sleep through an explosion."
Noelle shifts slightly beside them, though the tension that had been clinging to her earlier seems noticeably lighter now.
Her breathing is steady again. The frantic panic from earlier has faded into something distant and vague, like the fading memory of a bad dream after waking up.
The more time passes, the less real it feels.
The strange digital city. The glowing streets. The terrible storm that swallowed everything in blinding snow.
Dreams can take such a weird route sometimes. One moment everything was fine, the other...
Well, Berdly looked completely fine when she saw him.
The thought settles her nerves a little more.
"Nerd's probably gonna run after us in a moment and make him sleeping too long our damn problem." Susie says.
Noelle lets out a small, tired laugh.
The three of them begin walking.
The streets of Hometown are quiet this time of evening, most of the shops already closed and the sidewalks mostly empty. Streetlights flicker on one by one above them as they move along the familiar path through town.
Noelle walks slightly ahead, her pace slow but steady.
Every now and then she rubs her arms absentmindedly, though the earlier chill that seemed to cling to her has long since faded.
By the time they reach her house, her shoulders have relaxed almost completely.
She stops at the edge of the sidewalk.
"Um… thank you for walking me," she says quietly.
Susie waves a hand dismissively.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it."
Noelle glances toward Kris.
"See you tomorrow?"
Kris nods once.
The reassurance settles something final inside her chest.
She gives them both a small smile before turning and unlocking the gate.
Noelle disappears inside.
---
The street grows quiet again.
For a few seconds neither of the remaining two moves.
Then Susie exhales sharply through her nose.
"…Alright."
Her tone changes.
The easy, joking edge disappears completely.
She turns toward Kris. "What the hell happened back there?"
Kris doesn't answer right away.
They simply stand there in the dim glow of the streetlight, their expression unreadable.
Susie folds her arms.
"I'm serious."
Her voice lowers slightly.
"That whole thing with Noelle in the Dark World."
Kris remains silent.
Susie takes a step closer.
"She was freaking out when I found her."
Her eyes narrow slightly.
"Like, really freaking out."
Still nothing.
"You did something, didn't you."
Kris's gaze drifts briefly toward the street. "I don't know,"
Susie stares at them.
"…You don't know."
Kris shrugs faintly. "She was just casting spells."
"That's not what I asked."
Another pause stretches between them.
Kris's voice stays calm.
"She fought."
Susie's expression tightens.
"But she was acting weird the whole time."
Kris doesn't respond.
"Like she was scared of something."
Still nothing.
Susie watches them for another long moment, waiting for some kind of explanation.
None comes.
Finally she scoffs under her breath.
"Whatever. If you're not gonna talk, then forget it."
Kris says nothing.
Susie's frustration spikes visibly now.
"Seriously, what's with you lately?" Her voice sharpens. "You just stand there acting like nothing happened."
Kris's expression does not change.
"I don't know what you mean," they reply. The words come out flat. Empty.
Susie stares at them for a second longer before letting out an annoyed growl.
"Forget it."
Without another word, she storms off down the street in the opposite direction, her footsteps echoing sharply against the pavement as she disappears around the corner.
The quiet neighborhood settles again.
Kris stands alone beneath the streetlight. For a moment they remain completely still. Then they turn and begin walking home.
---
Night settles quietly over the Holiday household.
Warm light spills from the kitchen. Inside, the house carries the gentle sounds of plates shifting and silverware lightly tapping against ceramic.
Noelle sits at the kitchen table across from her mother.
Carol has already finished most of her meal, sitting upright in her chair with the composed posture she seems to carry everywhere. Even at home she has an air of quiet authority about her, though tonight there is something softer in her expression as she watches her daughter pick slowly at the food on her plate.
"Noelle."
Noelle blinks, looking up quickly.
"Y-yes?"
"You've been quiet."
Noelle gives a small, awkward smile. "Oh… sorry. I'm just a little tired, I guess."
Carol studies her face for a moment longer, her sharp eyes scanning carefully as though she's measuring whether that answer is good enough.
"Long day?"
Noelle nods quickly. "Mhm. We were studying at the library."
Carol hums thoughtfully at that.
"Well, I'm glad you're working hard," she says, taking a sip from her drink. "Just remember to take care of yourself too."
"I will."
Noelle lowers her gaze again, pushing the last few bites of food around her plate before finally standing.
"Um… I think I'm going to go start my homework."
Carol nods. "That's fine. Don't stay up too late."
"I won't."
Noelle carries her plate to the sink and sets it carefully inside before heading toward the staircase. She walks to the second floor, the familiar hallway stretching quietly ahead of her.
Her bedroom door sits slightly ajar.
She pushes it open and steps inside.
The room greets her with the soft comfort of familiarity. It feels safe here, removed from the strange and confusing events of the day.
She exhales quietly and moves toward her desk.
"Okay… homework…"
Her voice trails off as she reaches beside the chair.
Her hand brushes empty air.
Noelle pauses.
She looks around the room.
Her desk is clear except for a few scattered papers and a pencil. The chair sits pushed in neatly where she left it earlier that morning. The floor beside it is empty.
Her schoolbag isn't there.
She blinks.
She checks the corner of the room.
Then beside the bed.
Then the closet.
The bag is nowhere.
"…Oh."
Her shoulders slump slightly.
I left it at the library...
For a moment she considers just leaving it there until morning.
But the thought of all her homework sitting in that bag makes her hesitate. Some of those assignments are due tomorrow, and knowing Ms Alphys, excuses about forgetting things probably wouldn't go over.
She sighs quietly and heads back toward the hallway.
Downstairs, Carol is rinsing dishes in the sink when Noelle reappears at the kitchen doorway.
"Mom?"
Carol glances over her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"I… think I forgot my bag at the library."
Carol's brow furrows slightly.
"You forgot it?"
Noelle nods sheepishly.
"I was going to go grab it really quick."
Carol turns off the water, drying her hands on a towel as she considers that.
Outside, the night has grown noticeably darker. Streetlights glow faintly along the quiet roads.
"I'd prefer you not wander around town this late," Carol says calmly.
Noelle shifts her weight slightly.
"It'll only take a minute..."
Carol watches her daughter for another second before sighing.
"…Fine." Her voice carries a firm edge. "But be quick. I don't want you out longer than necessary."
"I will," Noelle promises immediately.
She grabs her coat from the rack near the door.
"I'll be right back."
Carol nods. "Be careful."
Noelle steps outside.
The night air greets her with a gentle chill as she closes the door behind her. The quiet suburban street stretches out under the glow of streetlights, shadows pooling between the houses.
She starts walking.
The trip to the library is familiar enough that she barely needs to think about the route. Her footsteps echo softly along the pavement as she moves through the quiet town.
Within a few minutes, the library comes into view. The building sits dark and quiet at the edge of the street.
The front doors are unlocked.
Noelle steps inside. The familiar smell of books and dust fills the air immediately as she moves through the dim entrance. The lights inside have been left on low, casting long shadows across the rows of shelves.
Her footsteps feel strangely loud in the silence.
It's probably still where we left it...
She moves toward the back hallway.
The door to the computer lab stands slightly ajar.
Noelle pushes it open.
The room looks exactly the way it did earlier.
Rows of computers, Berdly laying there, a tangled mess of wires—
Wait, Berdly?
Noelle stops in the doorway.
"...Oh."
A small laugh escapes her before she can stop it.
"Wow… you're really out."
She walks over slowly, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"Berdly? ...silly, you're going to get in trouble if someone finds you sleeping in here," she says lightly, reaching out to nudge his shoulder.
"Wake up,"
He doesn't move.
Noelle chuckles again.
"Seriously, you're worse than Susie sometimes."
She gives his shoulder a slightly firmer shake.
"C'mon, Berdly—"
The laughter fades.
He still hasn't reacted.
Her hand rests uncertainly against his arm.
"Hey."
Still nothing.
Her smile disappears completely.
"Berdly…?"
A thin thread of unease creeps into her voice now.
She leans closer.
His chest rises slowly, but he doesn't stir.
Noelle shakes his shoulder again, harder this time.
"Berdly, wake up."
For a moment, Noelle simply stares at him.
A sharp pulse of fear shoots through her chest.
"No—"
She shakes him again, faster now.
"Berdly. Stop messing around!"
His head lolls slightly with the movement, glasses slipping crooked across his face. His body follows the motion loosely, heavy and unresponsive in a way that makes something cold crawl up Noelle's spine.
He doesn't open his eyes.
He doesn't speak.
He doesn't even groan the way someone normally would when they're shaken awake.
Her breathing starts to come apart.
She hits his shoulder with the flat of her hand, quick and panicked.
"Hey!"
Her hands move frantically now, patting his face, pushing at his shoulders, shaking him again and again like the movement might force him back into consciousness.
"Berdly— stop it! wake up!"
He stays completely limp beneath her hands.
Her panic spikes.
"Wake up!"
Her hands smack against his shoulders in rapid, frightened hits that barely move him at all.
"BERDLY!"
Her voice breaks.
The sound of her own breathing becomes loud and ragged in the empty room as tears suddenly blur her vision.
"Oh my GOD—"
Her hands start shaking too badly to keep hitting him.
She grabs his sleeve instead, trying to pull him upright. His body is heavy. Dead weight.
He slumps awkwardly when she tugs him forward, his head falling against her shoulder as if he simply doesn't have the strength to hold it up.
That's when she starts crying.
The sob tears out of her before she can stop it.
"No, no, no—"
Her arms hook under his as she tries desperately to lift him.
"Berdly— please—"
Her legs shake as she struggles to drag him across the floor.
It's slow. Clumsy.
His talons scrape against the tiles as she pulls him toward the door, half stumbling backward with every step.
The hallway outside the computer lab stretches endlessly in front of her as she drags him through it, her arms burning, her hands slipping on the fabric of his clothes.
But she doesn't stop.
The heavy library doors open, and it's a struggle even carrying Berdly through.
Finally, cold night air rushes over them as she hauls him outside.
She keeps dragging him down the sidewalk, crying so hard she can barely see where she's going, the only thing keeping her upright being fear and adrenaline. She almost collapses trying to get him through the hospital doors.
Inside the hospital lobby, the receptionist barely glances up.
"Visiting hours are—"
Her voice stops.
Noelle is standing in the doorway, shaking, sobbing, barely holding Berdly upright beside her.
"Please—!"
The word comes out in a broken scream.
"He won't wake up!"
The receptionist freezes.
Noelle almost never raises her voice. But now she's crying so hard she can barely breathe, clutching desperately at Berdly's sleeve like letting go will make something even worse happen.
"Please help him!"
The receptionist is already standing.
"We need help here, quick!" She calls sharply.
Everything moves fast after that.
Nurses rush forward.
Hands pull Berdly away from Noelle as they carefully take him away. Medical equipment appears almost instantly, voices overlapping as people check his pulse, his breathing, his eyes.
Noelle is standing alone in the middle of the waiting room.
Her whole body is shaking.
Her phone buzzes in her pocket. Once. Twice. Three times.
She pulls it out with trembling hands.
The screen glows in the dim lobby.
Mom.
Her chest tightens painfully.
But she can't answer.
Her hands are shaking too much.
Her breathing still won't slow down.
---
Darkness presses in from every direction.
For Berdly, there is no longer any sense of space around him. The faint impressions he once had of the world outside the ice have faded completely, leaving behind something far heavier and more suffocating.
Cold remains.
It is the only sensation left.
It no longer burns the way it did when the storm first swallowed him. That sharp pain has dulled into something deeper and far more exhausting a long time ago. A freezing numbness that seeps through everything until his body barely feels like his own anymore.
He cannot move.
He cannot speak.
And now he cannot see anything at all.
At some point the faint awareness of light beyond the ice vanished completely, leaving him suspended inside an endless dark that refuses to change. It is impossible to tell whether his eyes are open or closed anymore. The difference no longer exists.
His thoughts drift slowly, sluggish and disoriented, circling the same confused questions that have followed him since the storm first struck.
Why can't i move?
Why hasn't the ice melted yet?
Where did everyone go?
Is Noelle... Really not coming back?
...
Why would anyone anyway?
Time stretches endlessly in the dark, each moment blending into the next until the idea of minutes or hours stops meaning anything. All that remains is the quiet weight of the cold and the growing fear that he may be trapped like this forever.
He tries once more to move an arm.
Nothing happens.
The darkness does not change.
And the cold continues to settle deeper into him.
---
Back in the hospital lobby, the lights feel painfully bright.
Noelle sits curled in one of the plastic waiting chairs, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Her breathing has not fully steadied since the moment they rushed him away.
Every few seconds her eyes flick toward the room Berdly's in.
Every second that passes feels too long.
She glances around a bit, feeling dizzy. The hospital doors burst open.
"Noelle!"
Carol strides across the room, her expression tight with anger and worry.
"Noelle Holiday, where have you been?!"
Noelle looks up quickly, her eyes still red from crying.
"M—Mom—"
Carol reaches her in three quick steps and grabs her firmly by the arm.
"I have been calling you for over an hour," she says sharply, her voice low but shaking with tension. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I called your friends, I called the library, I was about to call the police!"
"I— I—"
Noelle can barely get the words out.
Her throat feels tight again.
Carol stops abruptly when she notices the state her daughter is in.
Noelle's face is streaked with tears, her hands still trembling where they clutch her phone.
Carol's grip loosens slightly.
"…What happened?"
Before Noelle can answer a door down the hallway opens.
A doctor steps into the lobby, scanning the room.
"Family of Berdly? Oh, sorry."
Noelle's head shoots up at the mention of his name.
Carol frowns in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
But Noelle is already on her feet.
"I— I brought him here—" she manages weakly.
The doctor approaches them with a serious expression.
Carol glances between them, clearly confused now, but she releases Noelle's arm and steps slightly aside to listen.
"What's going on?"
The doctor speaks carefully. Noelle's fingers tighten around the fabric of her sweater.
"We've stabilized him," The hesitation is brief. Just long enough for the dread in Noelle's chest to spike painfully.
"But he's... in a coma."
The words hit the air like something heavy breaking.
For a moment the world goes completely silent.
Noelle stares at him.
Her mind refuses to understand what she just heard.
Then the meaning crashes into her all at once.
"No—"
The word tears out of her throat.
Her knees nearly buckle.
"No!"
The scream echoes across the quiet lobby before dissolving instantly into violent sobbing. Her entire body folds inward as the sound of her crying fills the room again, louder and more broken than before.
She can't stop.
Her hands cover her face as the reality of it slams into her chest.
Her sobbing fills the waiting room.
It is loud, broken and completely uncontrollable, the kind of crying that tears itself out of her before she can even try to stop it. Her hands cover her face, her shoulders shaking violently as she struggles to breathe through the sudden wave of panic and grief crashing down on her all at once.
"No—"
The word escapes again between sobs.
Carol's expression shifts immediately. The anger from moments ago disappears, replaced by sharp concern as she moves closer to her daughter.
"Noelle."
But Noelle can barely hear her.
The doctor continues speaking, his tone calm and clinical in a way that feels strangely distant from the chaos erupting in front of him.
"We're still running tests," he says, glancing briefly at the chart in his hands. "But from what we can tell, he appears to be suffering from severe hypothermia."
Carol blinks.
"Hypothermia?"
"Yes. His body temperature dropped to a dangerous level before he arrived."
The doctor frowns faintly.
"It's likely what caused the loss of consciousness."
Behind him, another doctor steps closer, murmuring something quietly.
The first doctor leans slightly toward him.
"Strange," the other one mutters under his breath. "Hypothermia this time of year?"
"Autumn isn't exactly freezing weather."
The words are meant to be quiet, but Noelle hears them. The moment she does her entire body goes rigid.
The memory slams back into her mind.
Snow.
Ice.
Her stomach lurches violently.
Noelle doubles over with a choking gasp, one hand flying to her mouth as nausea crashes through her all at once.
"Oh god—"
The floor tilts.
The bright lights above blur together into streaks of white.
Her thoughts spiral wildly, every memory from earlier crashing together in a single horrifying realization.
It wasn't a dream.
The alley.
The storm.
Berdly trapped in the ice.
Her chest tightens painfully.
"I—"
Her vision goes dark at the edges.
Carol moves just in time.
"Noelle!"
She catches her daughter as her knees finally give out, pulling her against her before she can collapse fully onto the hospital floor.
Noelle's breathing is shallow and uneven against her shoulder.
Her body feels limp.
"Get a nurse," Carol says sharply, her voice suddenly all business.
But Noelle doesn't hear the rest.
The world fades away into darkness.
---
When Noelle opens her eyes again, everything is quiet.
The room is pitch black The soft blankets beneath her feel warm, though her skin is damp with cold sweat.
She lies still for a moment, staring at the ceiling as her mind slowly drifts back toward awareness.
Her chest aches.
Her throat feels raw.
The memory returns in pieces.
The hospital.
Noelle squeezes her eyes shut.
It comes rushing back all at once.
Her breath catches sharply.
She sits up suddenly in bed, her heart pounding violently against her ribs as panic flares in her chest again.
The room spins slightly.
Her hands tremble as she presses them against the blankets.
It had to be a nightmare.
It has to be.
The thought repeats desperately in her mind as she tries to steady her breathing.
Just another dream.
Another horrible dream.
But the cold dread sitting in her stomach refuses to fade.
Noelle sits in bed for a long moment, breathing slowly and trying to calm the frantic pounding in her chest.
The room is quiet. Her blankets cling uncomfortably to her skin, damp with cold sweat. She wipes her face with the sleeve of her pajama shirt and swings her legs carefully over the side of the bed.
"Okay…" she whispers softly to herself, her voice trembling. "I just… need some water."
The floor feels cool beneath her feet as she stands, but before she even reaches the door, her eyes drift toward her desk.
And she stops.
The chair sits neatly pushed in.
There's a few scattered notebooks.
But something is missing.
Her bag.
The space beside the desk is empty.
Noelle stares at it.
A slow, uneasy feeling begins creeping into her chest again.
"....what?"
Her voice comes out barely above a whisper.
The memory returns.
Walking to the library.
The computer lab.
Berdly.
The hospital.
The doctor's voice.
He's in a coma.
"No…"
Her breathing quickens again.
If it was just a nightmare... then her bag should be here. She would've just brough it home.
But it isn't here.
And that means—
Noelle presses a trembling hand against her mouth.
"No."
The room suddenly feels too small.
She glances toward the hallway outside her door.
Carol would absolutely not approve of her leaving the house in the middle of the night.
Especially after everything that happened earlier.
But the thought of Berdly lying alone in that hospital bed makes her chest ache painfully.
What if he does wake up?
What if he's scared?
What if—
The thought refuses to finish itself.
Noelle swallows hard.
I just need to check. Just for a minute.
She quietly pulls on a coat, moving slowly so the floorboards won't creak too loudly. Every sound feels amplified in the stillness of the house as she carefully makes her way down the staircase.
The front door clicks softly behind her.
Cold night air greets her again.
Her heart races the entire walk.
Streetlights glow dimly along the empty road as she hurries toward the hospital, hugging her arms around herself as anxious thoughts swirl endlessly in her head.
Maybe he woke up.
Maybe everything is okay now.
Maybe the doctor was wrong.
Maybe...
The hospital doors slide open automatically when she reaches them.
Inside, the night receptionist looks up as Noelle approaches the desk.
Her voice comes out small.
"Um… excuse me."
The receptionist gives her a tired but polite smile.
"Yes?"
Noelle fidgets nervously with the sleeve of her sweater.
"I… I brought someone here earlier tonight."
The words feel heavy in her throat.
"His name is Berdly."
For a moment the receptionist types something into the computer.
Then she nods.
"Yes, he's here."
The confirmation lands heavily in Noelle's chest.
"You can go ahead. Room to the right."
Noelle nods quickly.
"Thank you."
Her footsteps echo softly as she walks over to his hospital room. Her hand hesitates on the handle for a moment, then she pushes it open.
The room is dim.
A single monitor glows beside the hospital bed, its quiet beeping filling the otherwise silent space.
And there he is.
Berdly lies motionless beneath the blankets, his glasses resting carefully on the table beside him. The room is way warmer than any other would be.
He looks exactly the same as he did earlier.
Unmoving.
Noelle steps slowly into the room.
"…Berdly?"
Her voice wavers.
He doesn't respond.
The sight makes her chest tighten painfully.
Tears immediately fill her eyes again as she approaches the bed, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly.
"I'm sorry…"
The words come out in a broken whisper.
"I'm so, so sorry."
She climbs carefully onto the side of the bed beside him, trying not to disturb the wires or the blanket too much. The mattress dips slightly beneath her weight as she curls up beside him.
Her arms wrap gently around his torso.
The moment she touches him, she stiffens.
He's still cold.
Not freezing, but colder than he should be.
Her fingers tighten slightly against the fabric of his hospital gown as fresh tears spill down her cheeks.
"You're still cold..."
Her voice cracks quietly.
Noelle rests her head on his chest, curling closer as if her warmth might somehow help.
"I didn't mean to…"
The words dissolve into quiet sobbing again, before turning into ugly crying, mascara left from last night spilling down her cheeks.
But eventually the crying slows.
Her breathing becomes softer.
She stays curled against him, one arm draped carefully across his chest.
The steady beeping of the heart monitor fills the quiet room.
Finally, the exhaustion of everything hits.
Noelle sleeps beside him, hoping her warmth will keep him safe.
But the cold inside Berdly runs far deeper than she knows.