Calm and Calamity

Chapter 31

Day: 541

Days Left: 4939

Lives Saved: 2

"Careful, watch your step," said Klei as he held onto Wendy's hands, guiding her. "Remember to keep your eyes shut."

"Yeah, no cheating!" said Kai.

The wendigo smiled. "I won't."

"Okay." Klei stopped moving. "You can open them now."

Hesitant, Wendy slowly opened her eyes and gasped, seeing the room that she was standing in. The brick walls were painted a pastel pink with flowers along the skirting boards. Her soft toy animals were already here, sat on top of numerous shelves with plenty of space to expand her collection. Against one of the walls was a single bed with clean bedsheets and pillows. On the opposite side was a dresser, which Wendy opened to find it filled with clothes. Her fingers gently caressed the soft material.

"No more sleeping in a cave for us!" Kai grinned.

"Too right!" said Dex. "And no more enduring Klei's snoring."

Klei glared at him.

"It's okay, Klei," mumbled Wendy. "I liked hearing you snore. It meant that you were still nearby."

"Well, your room is right next to his, so you'll probably still hear the snoring," said Kai.

"Next to his..." Wendy frowned. "You mean we're not all sharing this room?"

Kai snorted. "No, of course not! This is all your room, Wendy. Everything is yours."

"Trust me, this is a big improvement from all of us in that cramped cave," said Dex.

"And you'll be able to see us more often now," added Klei. "This place is closer to the food drop-off and the Land of the Lost."

"And we might not even have to go there since our new neighbours could go for us instead."

"We're sorry that we haven't spent time with you as much recently. But we all wanted to help build our house quicker so you could live in it."

"Yes, I did not like that." Wendy gazed down at the floor, scrunching her toes and feeling the fluffy white rug tickle her feet.

"I'm... I'm sorry about that, Wendy." Klei glanced away. "But from now, things are going to be a whole lot better, I promise."

Wendy nodded. "Okay."

"Corinna said she'd pop by tomorrow and see you too."

"Really!" Wendy gasped and clasped her hands together, grinning.

"Yeah, that's something to look forward to, isn't it? And now that we're living here, she can visit a lot more often." Klei sighed, then looked to Kai and Dex. "Right, I'm afraid we all need to go back and help with the construction more. But we'll all check in on you, so don't worry."

"Alright..." Wendy bowed her head low.

"We won't be long."

Before the three of them left, they shackled the wendigo to a chain attached to the wall, preventing her from wandering off. Wendy moved the arm of one of her soft toy animals, pretending that it was waving them goodbye for her as Klei, Dex, and Kai left her room, leaving her by herself.

*

"Thanks again for everything, Corinna," said Klei to the young woman as they exited their new house.

"It's no trouble at all." Corinna smiled. "I'm just glad that you guys aren't sleeping on a cave floor anymore."

"Seems like Wendy loves her room too."