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T he window explodes inward with a deafening crash, shards of glass raining down on us. The monster forces its way inside, its massive frame crouching to fit under the doorway.

The creature takes one lumbering step inside, its huge, clawed feet leaving deep gouges on the hardwood floor.

As it straightens, looming over us, it lets out a guttural roar, the sound shaking the walls and vibrating through my chest. White fur, slick and matted with blood, gleams in the firelight, powerful muscles rippling just beneath, its extended claws dripping red.

In the full light, I finally realize what exactly I am looking at.

A Yeti.

It scans the room, its black eyes narrowing, its breath visible in the frigid air rushing in from the outside.

“It is real…” Vicky stammers in disbelief.

“Holy fucking shit!” Derek yells, scrambling backward and knocking over a chair.

Mia screams even louder, clutching at his arm in search of protection. “Do something!” she shrieks in horror.

But Derek isn’t the hero she needs—his face is pale and twisted in terror. In a cowardly panic, he shoves her forward. “Take her!” he offers her as a sacrifice, his voice cracking.

Yeti doesn’t hesitate. With a swipe of its massive hand, its deadly claws plunge into Mia’s stomach.

A strangled cry rips through her as it lifts her off the ground like a rag doll.

Blood pours from the wounds, spilling over its furry hand and spattering over Derek.

Mia gags, blood bubbling from her lips, before the monster slams her savagely against the wall with a vile thud.

Her body, limp and broken, slides to the floor in a lifeless heap.

“You fucking bastard!” Vicky screams at Derek, her voice sharp with rage and grief. She snatches a beer bottle from the table and hurls it at Yeti. It shatters against its head, but the beast doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, it turns its attention to Derek.

“No! No!” He stumbles backward, tripping over the couch. “Stay back!” His wide eyes dart to us in desperation. “Please! Help me!”

“Go to hell.” Vicky hisses venomously.

And these are the last words he hears right before Yeti lunges.

Its claws slice through him like butter, splitting his torso open from sternum to stomach.

His intestines spill onto the floor with a wet plop.

Derek’s screams dissolve into gurgles as blood floods his mouth.

But the sounds are drowned out by ripping flesh as Yeti tears him apart with a force that sends gore spraying across the walls and furniture.

I’m frozen, my back pressed against the wall, unable to move as the nightmare unfolds.

Vicky grabs my arm, yanking me toward the kitchen. “Hurry—” Her words are cut off by a screech.

The beast moves faster than I thought possible, its claws wrapping around Vicky’s ankle. She cries out, thrashing wildly and clawing at the floor as it drags her toward it.

“Emma!” she bellows in despair, her eyes begging me for help.

I reach for her hand, but it’s too late. Yeti lifts her high above its head, then slams her down onto the coffee table. The sickening crack of her spine echoes through the cabin as her body folds unnaturally. Her head lolls to the side, her wide, unseeing eyes staring at me still.

I can’t breathe. The walls are closing in on me, the smell of blood and death choking me as my stomach lurches.

But Yeti isn’t done. He towers over Vicky’s mangled body, gripping her arms with his massive hands.

I hear a pop and then a wet tear as he rips them clean off, tossing them aside like discarded trash.

Blood gushes from her torn shoulders, pooling on the floor beneath her.

Then, with deliberate cruelty, it twists her legs free, one by one, as if it’s toying with her remains.

Or with me .

Something snaps inside me. Instinct kicks in, and as he keeps himself occupied dismembering her body, I bolt.

The car. I have to get to the car.

My bare feet slip on the blood-slick floor as I run for the front door, snatching the keys from the console table. The freezing air hits me like a punch when I burst outside. The snow is falling fast and heavy now, the blizzard in full force.

I throw myself into the driver’s seat, my hands shaking so violently I almost drop the keys. My breath fogs the windshield as I jab them into the ignition, and finally, the engine roars to life.

The tires spin uselessly for a moment, screeching against the ice before gripping.

The SUV lurches forward, and I slam the gas pedal to the floor, steering blindly into the storm.

With no idea where to go, my breaths come in ragged gasps, my mind racing as I pull onto the road.

The headlights cut through the thick haze, illuminating the endless cascade of snow.

Behind me, a sound pierces the howling wind. A heavy thump .

My heart clenches like a fist in my chest and rides up.

And then I hear another one. Louder. Closer .

“No, no, no!” I choke out as I press the accelerator down as far as it will go. The car skids wildly. Gripping the wheel with white-knuckled hands, I try to maneuver it in a straight line, but I feel no control over the wheels on the ice-slick road.

What’s worse is that the thumping behind intensifies.

Each impact sends a tremor through the vehicle as Yeti catches up.

And then, the SUV jerks violently as something slams into the back with bone-rattling force, sending the car spinning.

As the tires scream against the ice, my vision blurs, and the world tilts.

A crunch rips through the air as the roof buckles heavily.

The sound of claws scraping against metal, like nails on a chalkboard, sends chills down my spine.

Panic overrides reason. Impulsively, I kick the door open and yeet myself out of the seat. I fly a few feet away and hit the frozen ground hard, the wind knocks out of me on impact. My head spins like a carousel, my body screaming in pain, but I force myself to roll down the embankment.

When I come to a stop, everything is agony. There’s a sharp sting above my brow, and as I touch the spot, I feel a gnash. The warmth of my blood cuts through the penetrating cold, almost feeling pleasant.

Dizzy and disoriented, I look up. At first, all I see is white. Snowflakes whip through the air, blinding and relentless, and the icy wind is merciless on my face.

But as I focus, I see the beast. Its enormous silhouette stands on the road above me, illuminated by the headlights. It scans the tree line, its nose tilted up as it sniffs the air to track my scent.

I don’t wait for it to spot me. With every ounce of strength I have, I scramble to my bare feet and run, ignoring the sharp, icy ground piercing my soles. The forest swallows me whole, pine branches clawing at me as I flee into the absolute darkness.

I can’t see shit. The night is pitch black, and the snow swirls in every direction as the wind whistles in my ears. It bites at my face, stinging like needles with every stride. The cold is everywhere, sinking into my bones and numbing my limbs.

My lungs burn, each gasp scraping like glass, and my heart pounds so hard it drowns out everything else. Every frantic inhale carries the metallic tang of blood from my raw throat. The pain from the crash radiates through me, sharp and unforgiving, but it doesn’t matter.

I move on pure adrenaline. There’s no time to slow down. I can’t stop.

Behind me, I can hear Yeti, crashing through the trees like a force of nature.

The splintering of branches echoes like gunshots in the frozen silence.

Heavy, guttural breaths punctuate the thundering rhythm of its footsteps, each one closer than the last. I can feel the suffocating weight of it, its ferocity, bearing down on me like a tidal wave.

No matter how fast I run, no matter how hard I push, I know the beast is too fast.

It's coming for me. And it’s hungry.

My foot catches on a root, and I slam hard into the snow.

The impact knocks the air from my lungs in a choking gasp, my ribs aching from the force.

My hands scramble to push me back up, burning on the jagged, icy crust on the ground.

As soon as I stand, I take off, my quivering legs pumping faster than ever before.

A roar rips through the woods with an earth-shaking fury. It’s so loud, I swear I can feel it reverberate in my chest, rattling my teeth. And I know that this monster is just behind me.

God, it’s right there.

The primal need radiates off it like a furnace. It doesn’t just want to kill me. No, its bloodlust is far more twisted, more savage than that. I’ve seen what it did to my friends.

The chase. The hunt. It’s reveling in it, feeding off of my fear. Maybe even getting off on it.

I don’t know how much longer I can keep going, but I don’t dare to stop.

My feet are freezing, losing circulation.

Each step is a fight against the cold, the skin cracking and splitting under the relentless frost. The snow is thick and endless, the trees thick as well, closing in on me like they're complicit in this chase.

Even the darkness itself seems to hunt me.

I’m nothing but prey.

I feel it. A shadow, a presence, growing nearer with each breath I take.

The air feels heavier, charged with its malevolence, carrying the strong scent of its musk.

Its heavy feet pound the snow, shaking the ground beneath me.

I risk a glance back, just a flicker, just enough to catch a glimpse of it.

I scream, terrified of the brutal beast closing in on me.

I try to push harder, but my body is betraying me.

The cold is draining me, the snow too deep.

My legs feel like they’re made of lead, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

My foot slips and I stumble again, falling face down.

The impact drives sharp ice crystals into my cheeks, a fresh wave of pain slicing through the numbness.

And this time, my body refuses to cooperate, giving up on me, and I’m unable to lift myself back up.

The cold, the fear, the grief—it’s all too much. I’m done.

I pray to freeze to death, hoping the cold will take me out before the monster gets its barbaric way with me. Yet, my demise doesn’t come soon enough, and I feel the brush of its breath—hot, thick, and humid—on the back of my neck.

It’s here.