Atop the mountain the parking lot is empty. Fine powder blows across. Snow dunes press against the map at the pay station. The truck hums to silence. My dog cocks her ears. Howling wind tugs us to the trail. We could leave, but it was a long drive.
Windblown patterns dust the path through the trees. Saddie sniffs hollow pockets under their trunks. My ears strain for sounds hidden in the wind. An earie chitter calls. Saddie turns. I tug her onward. They leave you alone if you do not stare. We are careful.
Fine snow stings my eyes and grinds against my flushed cheeks. The chittering slips into silence. The wind swirls up a cloud of snow around the mountains like a dust storm. Saddie sniffs the air and presses to my side. We should go back. We turn around, but there is a fork in the path. Right, up a hill I do not recall, or left. Saddie tugs right. The wind has erased our tracks. We go left. The chittering returns. Fur flashes near the tree line.
We run. My legs post and I tug free. Saddie waits. Up another hill. Then the path vanishes. Deep snow is all that lies ahead. Laughter rings from the trees. My steps sink to my hip. The red truck peeks through the trees. I cannot reach it. Saddie barks. I scream to the wind. Hands tug me to the forest. Something bites. Its eyes are green and its teeth red.
About the Creator
Laura Lann
I am an author from deep East Texas with a passion for horror and fantasy, often heavily mixed together. In my spare time, when I am not writing, I draw and paint landscape and fantasy pieces. I now reside in Alaska where adventures await.
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Compelling and original writing
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Comments (3)
Or winter stalk. Very well done, Laura.
I like how the short sentences at the beginning set the tone right off the bat, and the tension increases the further they go. “Fur flashes near the tree line.” is just enough to clue us in, but not too much. Well done!
Oh wow this was sinister! 😳