Katie The Cursed Bride

Despite being a hostile and unforgiving world, the Rimworld can still see love blossoms. As for Katie, she had a bit of experience in that regard.

She was stranded on the planet along two other men, their transport ship had been struck by asteroids and the escape pods landed in a dense jungle. Despite fighting the mosquitoes and other diseases, they kept on living despite it being a hard task. They took shelter in an abandoned ruin during the first nights, but slowly and steadily, they expanded. The first nights were as hard as the floor they slept on.

They filled the holes in the walls with wooden planks, built little shacks to store food and resources. There was no time to complain and so the trio worked together to create a comfortable settlement. Eventually, they built a striving community, which attracted lone travelers and drifters alike.

As time passed by, Katie fell in love with Todd, whose nickname was Dweeb. The young man was part of the initial trio, and their time spent together in the harshness of the wild had brought them closer. Katie was a former construction worker, and she was used to heavy lifting; she was quite the contrast to Todd who was a lab assistant before the crash.

After a few weeks, living on this hostile planet wasn't as bad as they all initially thought. Sure there were raiders, diseases, and the occasional crop blights. And yet, they managed to create a decent base where they could live a decent life, it was comfortable enough for Katie and Dweeb that they decided to get married and have a child together: Newton. Katie was slightly annoyed by her husband's proposition, but she conceded with a chuckle.

"You're such a Dweeb," she joked to her husband who laughed with her, while she cradled her newborn in her arms.

Life was good and the colony kept growing, and the struggles of the beginning were slowly fading away. The glade amidst the dense jungle was now a place where peaceful chatter and the sound of a somewhat normal life would echo into the hostile environment. No one was starving anymore, no one was sleeping on the floor, nor would they contract any infections. The initial trio smiled contently at each other once they realized that their first struggles were nothing but a distant memory.

Unfortunately, a group of raiders had set their eyes on the colony's wealth and launched an assault. After all, the Rimworld was a lawless frontier planet without any central government, which meant that raiding parties strove in such hostile environment. With the alarm raised, all able bodies were drafted to defend the colony, their home, and their family. The colonists fought back, with bullets whizzing past their heads and landing in makeshift covers. Shoot outs would often last hours, tiring both sides as lead was exchanged and blood was spilled.

By sheer bad luck, Todd caught a bullet in the head, destroying a good chunk of his face. The crunching sound echoed in Katie's head, the world seemingly slowing down as she witnessed the scene with wide eyes. With the violence of the impact, Todd fell back on the ground with a metallic thud, with Katie's heart sinking in her chest. His body automatically spasmed out, frantically reacting because of the absence of cognitive signals while his legs kicked the dirt, digging his heels in the ground. At least, he was fortunate enough to quickly bleed out, ending his suffering in only a few seconds.

After hours of exhausting combat, the colony survived, with one member gone. Katie was devastated for a few days, and she was often seen sulking or eating alone in her now empty bedroom, seemingly closing herself from the reality. With the color in her room seemingly having lost any brightness.

Thankfully, her grief disappeared when another colonist approached her, he listened to her and lent his shoulder for her to cry. His name was Kyphis, a traveling bard who decided to stay with the colony. He had always been a kind soul, wanting to put smiles on sad faces. He had a silver tongue that he used to cheer up and brighten the mood of everyone he met, and Katie was no exception. His smile was infectious and soon, Katie began smiling again, even laughing at Kyphis' corny jokes. The man always felt a warmth in his chest whenever he made her laugh, and he would seek that the only tears she would shed would be tears of joy and laughter. They could see a future, a bright one together.

Weeks passed by and the wounds closed in Katie's heart, enough to start dating Kyphis and to become his fiancée. She found solace in his presence, and he finally met someone he would spend the rest of life with. And yet, fate had something else planned for them. As Kyphis was kneeling in front of Katie, ready to produce a makeshift wedding ring made out of steel, an alarm rang throughout the camp. Anyone capable of fighting was to man the defenses. It was another raid from a hostile faction. The intimate moment ruined, they both begrudgingly rushed to their post, ready to face danger.

This time, the attackers had separated into two groups, one drawing the attention while the other was flanking the defenders. And to make matters worse, Newton was playing in the colony's playground where the raiders were coming through. The 5-year-old couldn't really flee, and Kyphis knew it, so he ran to rescue the boy.

Whether he was the child of his fiancée, or someone else's, Kyphis couldn't bear the thoughts of a child getting harmed by the selfish greed of adults. Although, while Newton may not have been his own son, he was still someone dear to his wife-to-be and he was dead set to protect her smile.

With a swift movement, Kyphis carried the little boy to safety, but not without catching a few bullets in his leg and back. With a wincing face, the man pushed through the pain and limped towards the medical center, leaving behind trails of blood. Despite the stinging sensation of his bleeding wound, he forced a smile, trying to reassure the frightened child he cradled in his arms. And yet, as if fate had other plans for him, Katie's fiancé died in front of the hospital, being ambushed by a sneaking raider. Newton crying by his lifeless corpse.

The attack was repelled, but one colonist had lost his life. The residents were torn between cheering for their victory, but the cost had been too steep. Katie was yet again devastated when she discovered her lover's body, her stomach was churning, and she couldn't help but spend hours crying at the grave of her passed lovers. Her friends were concerned, but they didn't know if any of their words would mend her heart.

Despite her sorrow, she wanted to feel better and decided to talk with more people, trying to forget her sadness. None were oblivious to her putting on a brave face, but they respected and admired her resilience, showering her with their support. And a season later, Katie was dating Theodore, but for reasons unknown to her, the man broke up with her out of the blue. Theodore had heard of her previous lovers' demise, and he was superstitious enough to completely stop seeing her. She was obviously upset by the sudden turn of event, but maybe it was for the better? It wasn't.

An hour later, as if a malevolent god was watching, Newton was savaged by a cobra. The child was exploring the jungle after sneaking out of his mother's sight. Katie noticed the birds flying away, and she knew. The same sinking feeling had had felt when she witnessed Todd’s death. She didn't have to see, her mother instincts told her that her bundle of joy was no more. And it all started to boil within her.

The pain, the guilt, the sorrow, the despair, all bubbled inside of her head. The overwhelming emotions were nauseating, smothering. They all rushed out. Her face distorted, the pain breaking her brave façade like a porcelain mask. It was as if a burning bubble was trying to escape her lung, and she opened her mouth. She let out a roar that transformed into a scream that was a mix of all the emotions she had built up from the past years. She screamed until her throat got sore and her mind went blank, making her fall on her knees.

Upon inspection, the colony doctor turned to the other members and shook his head. She was still alive, but her body was locked in place. Katie went catatonic, not moving for months. Her mind and body couldn't take it anymore.