The Grinch X OC: A Human Visitor

Chapter 2: Bitter Cold Conflict

It was almost a good thing that Brittany wasn't wearing much to begin with. She had slipped on the sweater with the alien-themed logos on it before starting her trek. The energy she was using to haul herself and her luggage up each ridge on the mountain's face was enough to cause sweat to form upon her chilled skin. While losing strength, her body temperature was rising, which was good. The brunette wasn't that far off from the cave's entrance anyway; she could see it. Brittany would be able to rest there, and once the Grinch saw how tired she was, and how not Who-like she was, he'd let her in for sure! Besides, it was rather imperative that he did let her escape the freezing wind. A body such as hers wasn't suited for this environment; she'd surely die from exhaustion, if not from the temperature first.

It took a grueling twenty minutes at least to scale the rest of the mountain before she reached Whoville's garbage dump. Flopping down onto the snowy ground in a heap, and letting her belongings rest beside her, she huffed heavily, warm breath coming out in large puffs. Her lungs struggled slightly to catch the oxygen it needed, she noticed, when the realization of how much thinner the air was up here dawned on her. It wasn't much, but it was undoubtedly enough to give an exhausted teen that just climbed a mountain without training a run for her money.

Brittany didn't know how long she rested there, just thinking. She knew it was a rather bad idea to take a break in the conditions that would soon take her life, but she found herself far too tired to move. The only thing her body could do was shiver to generate any heat.

How was she even transported here? A portal wouldn't just somehow open up out of nowhere and take an innocent human to another world. But, then again, how else would she have arrived here? Something like portal seemed the only logical option, and as much as she tried to convince herself that such a thing didn't happen, she knew in the back of her mind that it did. The million and one theories to try and make sense of all this flooded her mind until she forgot all about her dire situation. She only stared at the night sky as snowflakes slowly consumed her form. Her clothes were practically soaked now, and little did she know that it was sapping what heat she had left.

What saved her from getting lost into her thoughts until death, though, was the sound of a dog barking and a male voice cutting through the deafening slow whistle of the wind that wished to lull Brittany to an endless sleep.

"Hurry up, Max! The dump's probably chock full of useful trash we could have right now if your mangy butt weren't lazing behind!" Another bark echoed afterward.

Suddenly catching her second wind, Brittany suddenly realized why she was up here. She cursed herself for almost accepting death with open arms and lifted her head slightly. She could see the silhouette of two figures, one man-like, one a dog, coming her way.
She needed to get up quick to avoid being viewed as a lifeless corpse rather than a poor girl needing help. The newfound adrenaline rushing through her system allowed her to spring to her feet with ease, but she couldn't deny the initial heaviness that her limbs seemed to have and the dizziness of standing up too fast. Quickly shaking it off, she could then feel the anxiety of how this interaction would go. God, it just didn't seem to end, did it?

It only took a couple more seconds for the furry Who himself and his companion to arrive at the dump, wondering what it would offer them this time. Still, the Grinch had a clue, as during this time of the year all the garbage was deemed the same: Christmas ties, old food, old trees, old toys, old old old. Still, none of the things thrown away seemed old to him. The nerve of those blasted Who's; throwing away perfectly usable items!

The Grinch expected to see the same sight as he did every couple days, but apparently, fate chose differently this time. Of course, there was the garbage in all it's clattered beauty, but to add to the mix was a girl that stood beside the heap, looking uneasy.