Page 3

When he turns off the main road onto a narrower, pitch-black route lined with trees on each side, the headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the thick forest surrounding us.

The woods feel oppressively close, closer than they should be, their shadows pressing in, as if the trees themselves are leaning toward us.

“Hey, babe, you okay?” Chase asks, glancing over at me.

“Yeah,” I say, though my voice is thin. I can’t stop staring out the window. The fresh snow just begins to fall and the forest feels alive. Observing.

The road curves, and Chase slows down. The snow is thicker here, the tires crunching over it like crushed glass. The pine trees seem to close in on us in full force, blocking out the moonlight. My breath fogs the window, and I wipe it with my sleeve, peering out into the eerie stillness.

That’s when I see it.

A moose. Huge and hulking, its large antlers stretching wide, standing dead center in the middle of the road like it’s made of stone.

The animal doesn’t even flinch, its dark eyes reflecting the headlights like black mirrors.

Its breath steams in the frigid air, a ghostly mist curling into the night.

“Fuck!” Chase yells, slamming on the brakes. He loses control over the wheel as the car skids and the tires whine against the ice.

I clutch the dashboard, my heart hammering in my chest. For a moment, everything slows—time distorting, stretching like taffy. We are gliding right toward the moose as it braces itself with its head low and antlers out.

Yet, at the same time, a shadow appears.

Massive. Much bigger than the moose. It moves with impossible speed, a blur of white and grey against the snow.

Or maybe it’s just the snow? My brain can’t process what I’m seeing.

It’s too fast, too unreal. The moose bellows—a deep, guttural sound that sends a shiver down my spine—but the sound cuts off abruptly.

The shadow engulfs it.

Gone.

The moose vanishes into the night as if it were never there, dragged into the forest by something that shouldn’t exist. A faint, bone-chilling crack echoes through the trees, followed by silence so complete it rings in my ears.

The SUV finally shudders to a stop, drifting sideways.

“Shit. Is everyone okay?” Chase asks, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

They all sound from the back, but I can’t seem to find my voice. I blink, rubbing my eyes, trying to make sense of what I just saw. Maybe I’m still in shock. Maybe I’m seeing things.

”Babe?”

I only gasp. My fingers dig into the dashboard as I twist in my seat, searching the darkness. I crane my neck to look out the window, expecting to see… what? Blood? Bones?

There’s nothing.

Just snow. Endless, suffocating snow. It swirls in the headlights, erasing everything like a cruel painter wiping their canvas clean. The road stretches behind us, dark and empty, the forest looming like a wall of bricks.

“What the hell was that?”

“What?” Vicky asks from the backseat, clearly tipsy. “ We almost died. Fun!”

Chase seems confused, his eyes bore into my profile. “It was just a moose.” His voice is tense but calm, like he’s trying to convince himself it’s nothing.

“No, there was something else. You didn’t see that?” I stammer, my voice trembling

“There was nothing else, Emma,” he maintains, grasping my hand with concern.

My mind replays the moment over and over again—the shadow, the speed, the moose’s final cry. My chest tightens, and I swear I can still hear the sickening crack of breaking bones somewhere in the distance.

Something is there. Stalking us. On the hunt.

“Where’s the moose then?”

“Probably just ran off. And thank fuck or we would crash,” Chase replies, shrugging it off.

“No,” I insist. “It didn’t run. It—”

“It what?” Mia snaps behind me. “Turned into a unicorn and flew away? Chill, Emma. You’re freaking everyone out.”

I ignore her, looking over her shoulder at Vicky as I ask, “What they were talking about in the store?”

“Oh, my God!” She smacks her lips. “It’s just some urban legend. No serial killer on the loose. No snow monster, either. Calm the fuck down.”

“You good to drive?” Derek cuts in, his voice a little more serious now, leaning forward from the middle row to grab Chase’s shoulder.

Chase nods. “Yeah.”

“Cool.” Derek lets go. “Just don’t kill us, bro. ”

I sink back into my seat, my pulse still racing. I know what I saw. Something took it. But everyone else is already moving on, caught up in their own little worlds.

Vicky scrolls through her phone, cursing about the lack of signal before tossing it aside in frustration.

“Yo, if we get stuck here in the middle of fucking nowhere, I’m calling dibs on the front seat,” Jay announces from the back. “Better view for when I become king of the wilderness. Plus, I’m the biggest—I’ll survive the longest. Might even eat one of you for warmth.”

Vicky shakes her head. “Jay, you’re not eating anyone.”

He grins. “I’m not so sure about that. I’m totally eating you out once we get to the cabin.”

“Ugh, disgusting,” Mia groans, wrinkling her nose.

“At least someone’s happy on this goddamn trip,” Derek mutters, crossing his arms.

Mia’s head snaps in his direction. “What are you yapping about now?”

He lets out an overdramatic sigh. “Nothing.” But I can hear him grumble ‘fucking shitshow’ under his breath.

The rest of the drive is uneventful, though I can’t stop staring out the window, searching for any signs of the thing . I try to push it down, the panic clawing at my chest, but it doesn’t work. The thing on the road, it’s not just in my head. I know it’s out there.

By the time we pull up to the cabin, the snow is falling harder, smothering everything in its path, and the wind howls like a warning. But it’s not really any blizzard. Not yet, anyway.

“Home sweet home!” Vicky announces, stumbling out of the car with her beer to go unlock the door. She slips on the icy steps but steadies herself, then fumbles with shaky hands. She didn’t have that much to drink… is she nervous?

Or is it me projecting?

As we unload the groceries and booze, I glance back at the woods. And for a split second, I think I see something move in the shadows.

My pulse spikes, but when I blink, it’s gone. Just the trees, the wind, and the snow. But the feeling doesn’t leave me. Whatever that thing was, followed us here. It’s now lurking in the dark. Studying us.

I swear I can feel its eyes on me. Cold. Unblinking. The wind picks up, making the trees creak, but all I hear is the thudding of my own heartbeat.