The Long Dark. It can and will catch you unawares, even if you consider yourself one of the most prepared.

It was on my 79th day that things started to go horribly wrong. I wandered off from the gas station I had for the past 40 days considered safe haven. I had a gallon of water, a rifle with plenty of ammo, and enough food to last me a night should I get stranded. It wasn't enough.

I always thought it would be the wolves that would get me. They had been traveling in packs of 2-3 lately; if all of them came at me, surely I would take down one, maybe two, but I knew if a pack came at me I would be wolf bait. I was wrong. As I wandered up the coast, it started to get cold, as night drew closer. I heard an eerie baying close by - a wolf. I prepared myself, searching in all directions. It came charging, snarling and snapping its jaws. I took it down, but then I heard more growling - its pack. I knew standing my ground was a death sentence, so I ran, and I ran. To my luck, I came across a sea side cottage, to which I quickly escaped the snapping jaws of death in its enclosure.

I thought to myself "I'll just stay the night here, let the wolf pack wander off." I foraged around for food - there wasn't much. Some salty crackers, a soda, and some frozen cooked rabbit. I drank half of my water, and ate some of my cooked wolf jerky that I had in my pack and began to kip for the night.

I awoke to the screaming howl of the wind the next morning. I poked my head out and surely enough pure white out conditions. It had to have been at least -40, and going out would be just as surely a death sentence as the wolf pack was. I hunkered down, sipped my water and gnawed the last bits of the jerky as I drifted off to sleep to the symphony of cracking trees and ice falling. I woke a few hours later. The wind had died down! It was time. I drank the last of my water, and ate the cooked rabbit I had retrieved from the freezer previously.

This was a mistake. Not long after I finished the rabbit, there was the gut wrenching pain. I knew instantly: Food poisoning. I forced down some antibiotics I kept in my med kit, laid down praying for it to go away, or the release of a quick death. The wolves didn't sound so bad, now. I drifted off to darkness...

I awoke several hours later, the sun was just rising. I was starving, thirsty, and the howling wind was louder than ever. I had no choice. I steeled myself, eating the last few saltines in my pack, greedily drinking the soda I had found before leaving the house.

I immediately bolted. I knew with this cold, I had very little time to get to safety. I ran and ran, only stopping mere moments to catch my breath. I was soon freezing, and I had no idea how much further I had to go. Soon, numbness set in, I stopped shivering, my body was giving up. I knew I had to keep pressing on. Finally there was a familiar car in the road. I was almost there!

I was exhausted, I stumbled past the car. I could see the feint outline of the gas station through the wind and snow. There was hope! A few steps from the door I heard a growl; I turned around but it was too late. I couldn't fight the wolf. I was too tired, too cold, too numb. On my 82nd day, I faded out, into the long dark.

The wolves got me after all.