FROST
The sun shone dully overhead, its sickly rays glancing off the icy ground. Frigid gales howled between the buildings, and the pervasive chill sank its fingers into the bedrock. Buildings stood like tombstones, dark and silent, over the dead city.
Tufts of steam and smoke wafted over U.A. Though its walls were snowed over and the doors were barricaded shut, life yet clung to the hallowed halls of Japan's finest hero academy.
Mineta howled as he clung to Jiro's ankles. "No, please! Without the internet, that's all I have left!"
"We all must make sacrifices. If you would rather fuel the fires yourself, be my guest."
Mineta hastily scrambled away before Jiro could suggest sacrificing him to Mayan sun gods, and Jiro dumped his magazines into the fire. Sato turned the spit, and Koda gazed tearfully at the skinned rabbit sizzling over the fire.
"Come on, Momo, surely you can make salt. Even I know it's formula. Sodium chloride."
Momo, gaunt, skeletal, pale and wraith-like, gave Sato a sunken-eyed stare. "The meat has enough."
"I could give you an extra portion."
"Would you rather have no power through the night?"
"We could always hook up Kaminari again."
Kaminari, hearing his name, whipped his head around and said, "Wheh?"
Tokoyami shuddered, half his feathers plucked out, with Dark Shadow draped about him like a cloak. Carpet rustled, and Tokoyami whipped his head around.
"You shall not take them!" Tokoyami hissed. "They are mine! Mine!"
"Oh, but Fumi-chan, your feathers are so warm! Can I please just have one more?"
"Never!" Tokoyami swung out, but struck nothing. An invisible hand darted at his back and plucked his feathers.
"Betrayal!" Tokoyami roared. "Villainy! A thousand blights upon your soul, and eternal damnation upon thee!"
Toru giggled and ran back to her room. She flopped into a giant pile of feathers and basked in their warmth.
Iida's engines coughed and sputtered. Kirishima hovered over him, bone saw in hand.
"No, wait! If I can just get them running, my legs will warm up!"
"Dude. We gotta cut 'em."
"They're almost starting! I can feel it!"
"They're turning black around the exhaust ports."
"That's just soot! From my engines!"
"Sero, could you give him some tape to bite on?"
Sero pulled on his elbow. The tape came away crackly and dry. It barely stuck to itself as Sero stuck it into Iida's mouth.
Shoji huddled in a mass of limbs and tentacles, trapping heat in himself. One of his ears perked up.
"Jiro. Hear that?"
"I'm really trying not to."
"Not the amputation. That."
They listened. Silence. Then… plop.
"Is a pipe leaking?" Shoji asked.
"No, it's… outside!"
Jiro ran for the doors. Ochako tried to stop her, but Jiro flung the door open. The air still had bite to it, but its fangs had dulled. The snow turned slushy. The sun shone in a vivid green light, breathing life back into the world.
The sun shouted, "Hello friends! I am a star now!"
500
As the temperature plummets, I feel a compulsion to feed people soup, make steampunk prosthetics, and send children to the mines.