[Music] [Music] for [Music] a few years ago around Christmas when the days bled into nights so early it felt like living underneath a heavy wool blanket not since mom passed and Dad sold the house to retire down in Arizona but that December with nothing tying me down in a rare stretch of days off of work I found myself booking a flight to the tiny Regional Airport just outside my old Hometown call it Nostalgia or seasonal loneliness but I wanted to see the place again I told myself it wasn't about reconnecting with the ghosts it was
just curiosity a kind of quiet yearning to see if the streets and the people that had left behind all those years ago had stayed the same or transformed into something completely unrecognizable the first few days were pretty uneventful my aunt who still lived in town offered me the spare room under her snug Bungalow her house smelled like cinnamon and Pine and she had that sort of over decorated Christmas tree that looked like it belonged inside a department store window I spent the nights on the couch flipping through the old photo albums that she dug out
hearing about neighbors who'd long passed away moved or even gotten divorced it was cozy in this clawing sort of way but I quickly grew Restless the town felt small and claustrophobic like a snow globe that I'd outgrown on the third day I ended up borrowing her car a scratched up Subaru with more grit in the tires and inside the engine decided to take a drive out to the lake it wasn't just any Lake either this was our Lake the one dad used to take me and my brother to every single summer twin Pine's lake so
named for the two ancient trees standing guard at its Rocky Shoreline the lake had been our Escape cool dark water surrounded by this dense evergreen trees with quietness so deep it made the rest of the world feel almost imaginary inside the winter it would transform the water froze over though never thick enough for skating a light dusting of snow would coat the surrounding Forest as well I remembered it as a place of beauty untouched and secretive I needed to see it again to reassure myself that something at least in the world hadn't changed the weather
that day was pretty mild or at least as mild as December gets in the mountains barely an inch of snow clung to the ground more like a decoration than any sort of obstacle the sky was Gray the kind of slate gray that swallows The Horizon and makes everything seem closer than it actually is I left in the late morning figuring I'd have time to wander around the lake maybe snap a few pictures for my aunt and then make it back before early Sunset I didn't exactly tell her where I was going just that I wanted
to stretch my legs and explore some of the old hauns she waved me off with a thermos of coffee and a ttin of Christmas cookies her only warning to watch out for black eyes the drive itself up there was pretty uneventful the Subaru's heater wheezed out this lukewarm air and the road climbed steadily winding throughout the stretches of Pine Forest the closer I got to the lake the fewer cars I would see by the time I turned off the main road and onto that narrow unmarked path I hadn't passed another vehicle in at least 20
minutes it almost felt like I was entering another world one that existed outside of time the parking lot was a little more than a clearing at the end of the path a patch of dirt and gravel boarded by a rusted guard rail there were a few other cars here a silver SUV coated in a thin layer of frost its windows were dark and I couldn't tell if somebody was inside or if it had been completely abandoned I Shrugged it off plenty of people come out here for day hikes or even to fish in the Stream
that fed into the lake though it wasn't exactly the the kind of weather that encouraged lingering I parked a few spaces away and killed the engine the sudden silence around me was startling as if the car had been the last tether to civilization itself the trail to the lake was just as I imagined it this narrow winding path that snaked through the woods snow muffled my footsteps and ever so often I'd hear the faint rustle of movement in the trees around me squirrels maybe or a bird startled by my intrusion I could actually see day
hikers on the far side of the lake I also saw evidence of cross country skiers tearing up the scene as well the air around me was crisp but almost painfully cold when I inhaled too deeply it had that sharp moist smell of oncoming snow as well I hugged my coat tighter picked up my Pace eager to reach the lake before the afternoon grew Dim when I finally emerged from the tree Tree Line the side of the lake stopped me in my tracks it was just as beautiful as I remembered it maybe even more so it
was just cloaked in Winters of quiet Majesty the water wasn't fully Frozen just a thin sheet of ice creeping in from the edges its surface fractured like a spiderweb the Twin Pines still stood their boughs heavy with snow and Beyond them the mountains loomed ahead their peaks were lost in these low hanging clouds I felt a Pang of something Nostalgia sadness I couldn't really tell I just let it wash over me as I made my way down to the Shoreline I poured myself a cup of coffee from the thermos and stood at the water's edge
just staring out at the eyes it was Mesmerizing the way it caught the d light and fractured into these tiny shards of silver the silence was profound broken only by the occasional Creek of the ice shifting or or the soft hiss of the wind throughout the trees I should have felt at peace standing there with nothing but nature in me but instead I didn't I told myself it was nothing it was pretty subtle at first just a prickling at the back of my neck a kind of instinct that you get when somebody's standing far too
close in an otherwise empty room I assured myself it's nothing my nerves or maybe it's just the isolation playing some kind of trick on me but but I couldn't shake it I just felt this impending doom I glanced over my shoulder scanning the tree line but there was nothing around me no movement no sign of any kind of life just the forest still and indifferent the SUV in the parking lot flickered through my mind but I quickly dismissed it the person who owned it was probably hiking or snowshoeing somewhere nearby oblivious to me as I
was to them the longer I stood there though the more oppressive that feeling became by the time I made my way down to the lake Shoreline the sun had burned through most of the gray clouds the air was now brisk but not biting and I could hear faint voices laughter and shatter from the other side of the lake I definitely hadn't expected much company out here but I guess I wasn't alone after all a pair of fishermen stood at the water's edge near the Twin Pines bundled up in thick coats their lines disappearing into L's
dark surface a few others wander the trails that looped through the woods their footsteps crunching faintly in the distance I felt pretty reassured now having other people around not enough to crowd the place either but enough to remind me that I wasn't venturing into complete isolation I spent those next few hours wandering the shoreline snapping photos of the ice Fringe Lake I even cast my own line inside the water for Old Time sake though I doubted I'd catch anything I didn't really care it was enough just to be there the steady Rhythm of the water
lapping against the Rocks just grounded me in the Moment by midday the sun had almost vanished completely behind a wall of low hanging clouds the air turned colder sharper and I noticed the others around me began to pack up the fishermen reeled in their lines and trudged back towards the parking lot their voices carrying on the Wind from across the lake I heard something someone shouting it was too distant to make out the words and then I heard another voice respond then faintly at first the rumble of engines I turned towards the woods and saw
the red blink of brake lights as a truck crawled out of the lot and disappeared down the narrow road and that was when I overheard the hikers talking they were coming down the trail towards the lot their voices a little pain panicked storm's coming one of them said a tall guy in a puffy jacket they just put out some kind of advisory wind gusts white out conditions we need to head out before it gets too bad should have checked the radar His companion muttered tugging her scarf tighter around her neck they passed me without a
Second Glance brisk almost urgently something was up and now that weird feeling that I had earlier made a lot more sense a storm was coming in it was just my Natural Instincts I looked out towards that Lake one last time the water now dark as slate underneath that heavy Sky the air was still quiet it was time to go it was like a lizard alarm in my brain saying run away the trail around the lake wasn't long maybe 45 minutes of a walk but by the time I reached the halfway point the first flakes of
snow were already falling it was beautiful at first soft and delicate but within minutes the flurries grew heavier swirling on the wind and sticking to the ground in these thick wet clumps the Trail began to blur this once clear path dissolved quickly under the Relentless white I walked as fast as I could my boots crunching in the snow but it was like walking through a dream where the harder you pushed the slower you seemed to move almost like you're stuck underwat ahead of me I could hear the parking lot coming alive muffled shouts of people
calling for each other sharp slams of car doors and engines revving to life the snow was falling harder now driven sideways by sudden gust of wind that cut through my coat like knives I pulled my scarf up over my nose and kept moving this was far worse than I imagined palm-sized flakes zero visibility and temperatures rapidly plummeted when I finally stumbled out of the trees and into the parking lot it was almost unrecognizable would have been a bare patch of gravel maybe an hour ago was now blanketed in 6 in of snow with drifts piling
up against The Rusted guard rail most of the cars were gone their owners having fled down the mountain at that first sign of the storm only two vehicles remained mine a half buried near the far end and that silver SUV that I'd seen earlier its engine idling but its cabin nearly empty I paused staring at it my breath clouding up in the air in front of me there were no Footprints leading away from the SUV no sign of a driver and for the moment I felt the cold clutch of dread tighten around my chest I
didn't want to investigate whatever the reason the SUV wasn't my problem I made a be line for my car bumbling with the keys as the wind howled around me by the time I got the door open and threw myself inside my hands were shaking so badly I could barely even grip my steering wheel I cranked the heater up the full blast and just sat there for a moment catching my breath and willing my heartbeat to slow down then without wasting another second I backed out of the lot and started down that narrow road again my
tires skitted slightly on that fresh new snow tighten my grip on the wheel the tracks left by other vehicles were already filling in the grooves disappearing under the Relentless Onslaught the wind whipped through the trees rattling the branches and sending flurries cascading onto my windshield I drove extremely slowly following the faint outline of the road as it wound its way down the mountain my eyes straining against that blinding white a few moments later I saw it a car tilted at this awkward angle half submerged in the ditch on the side of the road As I
Grew closer the driver W frantically through the Frosted window their face pale but blurry against the glass I rolled down mine just enough to hear them shout their voice hitch with panic I'm stuck can you help I shook my head gesturing toward my phone I'll call for help when I can just hang tight they nodded their desperation clear even through the storm I continued to drive on the image of the stranded car burning in my mind they weren't the only ones over the next mile I passed three more Vehicles pulled off to the side of
the road their drivers huddled inside waiting out the storm each time I slowed down just long enough to exchange a word or a gesture but I knew there was nothing I could do the Subaru was not built for towing stopping too long risked getting stuck myself it wasn't until I reached the base of the Hill that I understood why so many had given up the in line wasn't steep but it was coated in this slick layer of mud and slush the snow piling up faster than it could freeze I hesitated staring at it my hands
tightening on the wheel I didn't have a choice I couldn't turn back not with the road behind me quickly Vanishing underneath the storm I usased my car forward Tire spinning slightly before catching beginning The Climb halfway up the Subaru lost traction the back end slid into the right and then the tires kicked up Snow and mud as I fought to keep control for a moment I thought I was going to make it the car lured forward inching up the last stretch of the hill but then the front tires hit a patch of ice and everything
went sideways I skid it off the road sliding into the ditch with a heavy muffled thud I sat there for a moment gripping the wheels so tightly my Knuckles achd the engine sputtering before it fell silent outside the snow swirled in Relentless waves Burying my car inch by inch I was stuck there was no getting out not in the storm and not without help the cold seeped in quickly I wrapped myself in emergency blanket from the back seat my breath fogging up the windows around me I told myself that I was safe that somebody would
come along eventually but as the minutes stretched into hours and the storm showed no sign of letting up that old familiar dread crept back in stronger than ever as the sun dipped below the Horizon the wind howled around the Subaru rattling it and bursts so violent that I thought the car might tip over roll on down the hill snow piled up against the windows creeping Higher by the minute until the interior felt more like a sealed tomb than a vehicle the world outside had gone silent save for the occasional groan of ice shifting in the
trees or even the muffled crack of a branch succumbing to the weight of the snow there were no voices no engines no signs of life just me the storm and the suffocating realization that nobody was coming I kept the car off to save gas switching it only on when the cold became unbearable the air inside grew damp and sour filled with a sharp Tang of melting snow in my own breath I wrapped that emergency blanket tighter around me and tried to think of anything but the creeping Panic clawing at the edge of my mind I
kept looking out the windows half expecting headlights to appear through the wide out but but there was nothing except the faintest pin Pricks of light far off in the woods glimpses of dome lights maybe or headlights from other stranded cars but they seemed impossibly far away I took inventory of my supplies a swallow of coffee from the thermos a half tin of cookies a protein bar a bag of chips and a bag of jerky that I found under the seat there was a flashlight that emergency blanket and a Ziploc bag full of light tea with
the box of matches to go along with it not really a great spread but I guess it was something I tried to sleep but every time I Clos my eyes I jolt up awake heart pounding the interior of the Subaru wants this Safe Haven and now become cramped a claustrophobic prison my legs achd from that awkward angle my back was stiff from that seat the snow still hadn't let up if anything it was falling harder the drifts climbing higher against the window until I could only see a narrow band of the sky above me it
literally felt like I was being buried alive sometime in the dead of the night I finally drifted off though it was a fitful shallow kind of sleep that offered no real rest when I awoke the world outside was pale and blinding the storm had now reduced to a light flurry the snow was easily 4T deep a solid unbroken blanket that stretched as far as I could see my car was in tuned tires completely submerged engine coated in Frost I rubbed my hands together trying to will warmth into my numb fingers and check my phone no
service battery icon and Flash red almost taunting me I turned it off to conserve what little charge I had left the day passed in this slow agonizing crawl the hunger was manageable but The Thirst was worse I ate sparingly half a protein bar here and a handful of chips here the melted snow and an empty D can over a tea candle for water the makeshift heater barely warmed my hands let Al BL the frigid air inside the car but I guess it was better than nothing I kept the blanket wrapped around me like a second
skin and tried to ignore the gnawing ache inside my stomach I remember this old hobo trick and kept tea lights burning in a small metal box which made something like a small Stone when I draped the blanket around it it actually made a decent little pocket of heat a second storm started Brewing late in the afternoon and I could see it gathering on the horizon wall of gray clouds rolling over the mountains the temperature now dropped sharply and the wind began to howl again my anxiety spiraled another night like the last I wasn't sure if
I'd make it I didn't know how much gas I had left either but it couldn't be much the thought of freezing to death in my car was suddenly very real very possible I tried to distract myself by watching lights in the trees we're still there faint and flickering a reminder that I guess I wasn't entirely alone I thought about that SUV that I'd seen idling in the parking lot the empty interior that had filled me with unease the memory lingered heavy and incessant and although I couldn't tell why I just could not shake the thought
that something terrible had happened to its driver maybe they left the vehicle in search of help only to get lost in the storm maybe they succumb to the cold buried somewhere out in this endless snow I shivered pulled the blanket tighter as if it could Shield me from the weight of my thoughts that second night was worse than the first the storm roared back with a vengeance and the Subaru shook underneath its Fury I kept the candles burning as long as I could staring at the tiny flame as if it held the key to my
survival the last one guttered out I curled into myself shaking and terrified Just prayed for Dawn I must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I remember is the sound of engines cutting through the dark it was faint at first distant and muffled and for a moment I thought maybe I was dreaming but then the noise grew louder clearer the unmistakable growl of snowmobiles I scrambled upright pressing my face against the Frosted window through the snow I saw their headlights bright and unwavering slicing to the storm relief flooded through me me so
sharp and sudden that I almost started crying I fumbled with the door handle shoving it open against the weight of the snow and waved my arms frantically as the snowmobiles Drew closer to me one of the Riders stopped lifting a gloved hand in acknowledgement and pulled up beside my car he was bundled up in heavy gear his face obscured by goggles and a scarf but his voice was steady and calm as he asked me if I was okay I nodded too choked up to speak he didn't linger too long just marked the car with a
bright orange flag and told me that more help was on the way then he was off the snowmobile Vanishing into the trees as quickly as he arrived by the time daylight broke fully the storm had begun to ease and more rescue teams had arrived they found over 20 cars stranded along that road and in the parking lot their occupants cold but alive all except to one the news would later report that an elderly woman had died after wandering away from her vehicle that first night of the storm she'd been found not far from the lake
Frozen and alone my thoughts went back to that idling SUV the empty interior and the faint flickering lights in the woods I wondered if she'd been one of them her story a lonely tragedy etched in the storm's Relentless grip even now years later I can't forget the way those lights seemed to hover watching and waiting as if the forest itself wanted us to [Music] live there's a special kind of magic in the silence after a snowstorm as a kid I felt like time itself froze like the snow wasn't a weather event but a gift from
the universe a reprive from the grinding monotony of school in the endless rules of just being young snow days were rare enough to feel sacred and when one would come it turned everything electric I remember the morning's best snow casting a soft pearly light through the blinds and the first delicious moment when the news would come school was cancelled the air now felt cleaner on those days the cold sharper in a way that woke you up more than any alarm clock ever could I pull on my boots and my puffy coat scarf wound tight enough
to stifle my breath and head out into the neighborhood before the rest of the world even had begun to stir it was tradition the first thing I did before snowball fights with friends before sledding down a big hill at the park before I even touched the cocoa my mom left me warming up on the stove I'd shovel driveways not just my families mind you ours could wait no I'd hit the neighbors places first moving faster before anybody else got that same idea or Worse decided to clear the snow themselves there was this narrow window under
a storm maybe an hour or two when fresh snow still sat PR and untouched and I'd learn to capitalize upon it I'd knock on those same doors every year a route ingrained in me as the back roads that I rode my bike on during the summer old Mrs Hendrick across the street was always my first stop she didn't trust snowblowers said they messed up the natural lay of her yard next would be the Thompson three houses down who lived there since I was born and tip better than anybody else on the Block then the Peter
who always had their driveway packed down into ice by the time I got there because their kids were lazy and didn't want a shovel and so on and so on house after house until my arms burned and my fingers went numb even when I had my gloves on I make it sound endless but it was honestly maybe 2 hours worth of work at least for a Breakneck kid like me I mean it wasn't all about the money not really sure I liked having a little cash to spend on some comic books or candy bars but
to me it was more than that there was this Rhythm to shoveling the scrap of metal on concrete the satisfying way the driveway transformed from a buried Wasteland to a clean slate underneath my boots and there was something about the quiet working in that quiet that I just loved the Stillness of the world muffled by snow even the sounds of cars were muted as if the storm had pressed pause on reality itself most of the time I was the only one out there a few dog walkers maybe bundled up and shuffling along with red noses
and puffs of white breath trailing after them but otherwise it felt like I had the entire block to myself and the Solitude never bothered me if anything it felt kind of cozy I had work for hours moving from house to house until the snow was stacked in neat Mounds along the edges of every driveway I can still picture all those houses too every door every window every crack in the pavement as familiar to me as the lines of my own Palms I knew the ones to skip the Grumpy Old Men who'd bark at you to
get off their property or cheap skates who'd offer a handful of nickels for an hour's worth of labor but most of my neighbors were kind even the ones who didn't hire me I could count even a few Smiles maybe a cookie or two for Mrs Hendrick and sometimes even if the snow is bad enough somebody would give me an extra five bucks just for braving it out here the snow had really piled high that winter I a heavy dense blanket that muffled the world and turned my neighborhood into a frozen postcard I was 15 and
used to the rhythm of those snow days the gleeful Anarchy of no school the scramble to bundle up and the steady grind of shoveling driveways to earn some new cash it was honest work the kind of thing that left your muscles aching and your wallet heavier by the end of the day that year though there was a new house to add to my circuit at the end of the block stood the old Marshall Place a squat Rancher that had been empty for some odd years nobody really talked about why it sat so long with that
for sale sign out front it was just one of those places the kind of house you walk past a little quicker without even knowing why but a few months back somebody finally moved in this middle-age reclusive man and a woman at least that's what I heard though I hadn't really seen much of them myself they didn't come to the block parties or wave at the neighbors if it hadn't been for the faint flicker of their television at night you'd think the place was still abandoned that morning after clearing the other houses I stood at the
edge of the driveway the snow was untouched I hesitated my breath hanging in the air like a question a quick 20 bucks I told myself maybe 30 if they tip well money was money and if they weren't going to shovel it themselves somebody had to I knocked on the door my Knuckles echoing against that hollow wood it took a long time for them to come answer and I was about to turn around and leave when I heard the faint Shuffle of footsteps followed by the click of a dead bolt the door creaked open just wide
enough for me to see them a man stood first tall and pale the kind of washed out look that made him seem like an old photograph left far too long out in the sun his wife stepped into view a moment later her face almost identical to his and its gunness they weren't twins exactly but there was something unnerving about how alike they were same sharp cheekbones same sunken eyes can I help you the man asked I explained about shoveling rattling off my usual pitch about how much I charge and how quick I could get it
done they both stared at me for a beat too long their expressions unreadable then the woman gave me a small nod almost to herself all right the man said go ahead the door then shut without another word and I got to work the snow was heavy packed down with every step and it took a lot longer than I expected to clear it even half the driveway about 20 minutes in I saw the woman emerge from the house bundled in a long coat and scarf she walked down to her car this old boxy sedan and backed
out slowly onto the street before driving on toward town I watched her go tires crunching on the snow and felt this flicker of a KN something about the way she moved it was mechanical robotic and it set my nerves jangling but I quickly shook it off people are weird sometimes it's not that big of a deal I had almost finished when the front door creaked open again the man stepped out onto the porch he was dressed for the weather now in a thick coat and boots but he didn't make any move to help just stood
there while watched me almost done I said forcing a smile he nodded but didn't reply after a moment he came down the steps and started pacing along the edge of the driveway you do this every year he asked yeah I said it's a good way to make some money and people around here know me so I trailed off realizing how stupid that sounded he grunted stopped walking and turned to face me you charged 20 25 I said quickly I wasn't about to let him blowball me after all this effort I thought it was 20 he
said again your drive is much bigger than I thought plus the snow is extra high over here he nodded along no chance of 20 sorry was all I said he tilted his head like he was considering it then just nodded again all right you want to come inside when you're done warm up with some hot chocolate I got Twisted the way he said it it wasn't friendly it wasn't neighborly it felt like a trap like a spider offering tea to a fly he hovered behind me impossibly tall everything in my psyche was screaming at me
to run uh no thanks keeping my voice as polite as I could I've got a few more trivo to do before it dumps again he didn't push it just Shrugged and said he'd go get the money he disappeared back into the house and I tried to get my hands to quit shaking I shoveled faster now working double time to finish and just get out of there something about that man was just all wrong the way he watched me like he was sizing me up like I wasn't a kid with a shovel but a problem he
was trying to solve I paused to wipe the sweat from my forehead and that's when I saw him again he was at the window now the one in the living room curtains pulled back just enough to see his face he was holding a camera now was one with a long lens and he was taking pictures of me my stomach turned to ice I dropped the shovel and took a step back boots slipping on the packed snow I watched the camera's flash pop twice he didn't even care that I could see him like he wanted me
to know what he was doing I turned towards the street ready to leave now but then I saw the car the woman was back her sedan crawling slowly up the road she stopped at the base of the driveway engine idling and just sat there staring at me through the windshield she slowly pulled into the driveway like she was savoring the approach tires crunched against the snow I stood there awkwardly shovel still in hand unsure if I should just leave but something told me to just stay maybe it was the way her gaze locked on me
as she continued to park her car unblinking she stepped out the cold air now seeming sharper with her presence every breath visible like pale ribbons she nodded at me lips twitching into the thin strange smile all finished she asked yeah I said clearing my throat and tried again yeah I'm done I just came to let you know she didn't respond right away her eyes scanned the driveway she was inspecting my work she nodded again satisfied at least seeming to be then tilted her head did you go inside the question hit me like a slap to
the face no I said a little too quickly no I didn't why would I go inside that's a shame she said you would have had so much fun the words turned my stomach there's definitely something weird here something going on I took a step back without realizing it my boots slid a little bit on the pack snow before I could say anything else the front door creaked open the man stepped out but now holding a neat stack of bills in his gloved hand he didn't say anything as he walked toward me each step deliberate crunching
through that snow here he said holding out the money I reached for it but he didn't let it go right away instead he started counting the bills alow one at a time his voice slow and deliberate one two two three he was paying me in $1 bills by the time he hit 25 I was ready to bolt but he didn't release the cash instead he leaned in slightly eyes boring into mine are you sure you don't want to come inside he asked again voice colder now no I said almost ready to scream I've got to
go the change in his demeanor was instant like a switch flipping his face then turned into a snarl and he yelled then get off my property now I didn't need to be told twice I stuffed the money in my pocket and sprinted down the driveway I did not look back even when I thought I heard the woman laughing not even when I felt the weight of their stairs pressing on my back when I finally reached my house I locked the door behind me and vowed never to set foot near that place again never waved never
offered to shovel again just avoided that place like a plague [Music] the mountains around me had this way of seducing you something about that crisp beir slicing against your cheeks that icy wind that bit into your lungs as you tore down the slopes it was addictive I wasn't just a casual skier I pretty much lived for it craved it like some people crave coffee or a stiff drink after work it was a part of me and I was better at it than anybody I knew my friends were good good enough sure but they stuck to
the groom Trails the safe runs the ones with plenty of signage and forgiving curves I preferred something more raw and More Alive the kind of terrain where the snow made you work to get to the Finish Line we used to spend every winter at the resorts a group of us piled into shared cabins laughing late into the night over beers and cheating card games but for me the real magic started when I clicked into my skis and felt the rest of the world drop away the mountain became a challenge to conquer a beast to tame
and sometimes I wanted to do it all alone and that's where things would get well complicated there's this unspoken ruing scheme never go off by yourself the mountain doesn't care how skilled you are or how many runs you've done one wrong turn one patch of bad eyes and you're at its Mercy people die out there all the time Avalanches Falls hypothermia a broken leg could be a death sentence if nobody knows where you are but my dumbass didn't care the Solitude was part of the appeal alone it was just me and the slopes the quiet
pressing in on all sides broken only by the hiss of my skes carving through that powder others would tease me call me a showof you're going to end up on one of those missing persons posters my friend Jenna would always say half joking I'd laugh it off and brush your words aside they didn't understand me how could they there was a thrill pushing in past those boundary ropes and leaving the crowds behind and cutting through untouched snow out there every turn every drop was a test of my skill those slopes weren't for tourist they were
wild and unpredictable I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as I navigated those steep descents weaving out through the trees legs burning with effort but mine clearer than it ever was anywhere else but I did know the risks I knew that if I fell there would be nobody to pick me up no one to hear me scream and yet it never stopped me I remember one of my trips in particular the snow was perfect that weekend fresh and deep I was itching to find something new something that would push me harder than any
of the Resort's well manicured Trails ever could I told the others I'd meet them for lunch at the lodge and then headed towards the lift they didn't ask any question questions anymore when I slipped away it was just what I did as I rode up there the world sprawled out before me silent and endless I didn't know it then but that day would be very different something waited for me on the other side of the mountain something that I could not ski my way out of it was early just after sunrise and the lodge rre
of coffee and regret most of my friends were nursing a bad hangover the previous night had been a blur of shots and laughter music blasting through the cabin until we were all yelling over it now they looked like the undead huddled together on couches groaning about how they might ski later if their stomachs stopped doing back flips I on the other hand was ready my legs were solid head was clear I barely drank anything the night before just a beer or maybe two skiing hung over wasn't skiing at all it was survival and I wanted
to Glide the soore by 4:30 that afternoon the others had thrown in the towel slinking back to the lodge to crash or nurse their headaches I stayed behind the mountain was nice and quiet now most people either heading home or winding down their runs it's perfect the storm was still a whisper on the horizon the snow crisp and forgiving I had several of those trails in quick succession letting the rhythm of it just take me down one slope up the lift then down the next each run brought a deeper calm muscles warming up as my
focus sharpened when I saw a sign for the professional grade Hill I didn't even hesitate I could hear my friends Voices Inside My Head their teasing warning you're nuts Jenna would say you're going to get yourself killed out there but Jenna wasn't here and the mountain wasn't going to conquer itself the lift creaked Upward at the top the operator gave me a pointed look last run he said storm's coming we're going to shut down the face be quick I nodded already fastening my gloves together I wasn't worried I thrived in the empty quietness of a
closing slope only one other person came up behind me a snowboarder tall and wiry with a face that looked like it belonged in a jailhouse mug shot he gave me a quick nod then strapped in disappeared down one of the gnarlier slopes his speed sending a lur of snow in his wake I adjusted my goggles took a deep breath and started my descent the slope had greeted me like an old friend its curves familiar and welcoming my skis cut through the powder like knives my body flowing in sink with the rhythm of the mountain I
felt weightless Untouchable the world faded to nothing but the hiss of my skis and the crisp out of the wind and that's when I saw them at first it was just a flicker of motion at the edge of my vision a snowboarder weaving through the trees but as I focused I realized there were two of them moving erratically there shouts echoing across the slope one of them was shirtless his skin was a raw Angry Red that made me winse just looking at him the other was shorter dressed in all black movements aggressive and jerky the
shirtless one howled like a wolf throwing his arms wide as if challenging the mountain itself then as if sensing my gaze both turned toward me I slowed instinctively expecting them to blow past me like most skiers or snowboarders would do but they did not do that instead they veered toward me closing the distance with alarming speed my heart stuttered hey the shirtless one called his voice slurred and too loud where you going snow bunny the shorter one laughed a harsh ugly sound that scraped against my nerves they didn't pass me they flanked me close enough
that I could smell the booze on their breath let's see what you got the shorter one sneered his gloved hand darting out to Brush against my hip Panic flared this was going from bad to worse I shifted my weight and picked up my speed trying to put some distance between us but they were Relentless matching my Pace with this ease that turned my stomach come on don't be shy the other one bellowed out his voice carried on the wind like a curse he started pinching his nipples and making these kissy lips at me I soared
on slowly but surely leaving them behind a beer bottle whizzed past my head and shattered up against a tree with this explosive force they were throwing at me now another bottle struck the snow ahead of me Spring shards that caught the light like tiny daggers my vision tunneled as adrenaline surged through me I leaned into the slope skis slicing through the powder but they wouldn't let up I couldn't even tell where they were getting these bottles from but they must have thrown six or seven before one finally tagged me a sharp crack of pain exploded
to the back of my head as a bottle connected with it sending Stars shooting across my vision my legs wobbled and for a terrifying moment I thought I was about to lose control somehow I stayed upright instinct taking over as I zigzagged toward the tree line the forest was dense and the trees were a blur as I shot through them my breath wasn't coming my pulse was a drum beat in my ears I didn't dare look back but I could still hear them taunting and laughing they closed in to weave through the trees as well
a sheer drop loomed ahead of me a kind of fall that could shatter bones I swerved hard snow sprang up in this wide Arc as I skidded to a halt just inches from the edge behind me those two snowboarders weren't as lucky the shorter one hit first his scream cut short as he tumbled into the void the shirtless one followed his body cartwheeling through the air before slamming into the Rocks below with a sickening crunch for a moment everything was silent then I turned and skied there was a short ridge that allowed me to drop
down safely and I continued to slice towards the bottom of the mountain I looked over and saw that shirtless dude motionless but his friend was climbing to his feet and for a second we locked eyes the rush of The Descent had turned sour adrenaline curdling into dread I glanced over my shoulder hoping and praying that this nightmare was now over but it wasn't the shorter snowboarder dressed in all black was still there he was rocketing down the slope with terrifying Precision his figure a shadow slicing through the pale snow I was hoping he'd be rattled
by that fall but no he seemed to still somehow have it together my pulse pounded in my ears as I pushed myself harder I thought I'd lost him back at the cliff how was he still coming at me the storm clouds ahead pressed down and snow started to fall so hard I could barely see in front of me a sharp hiss of snow from behind me and then out of nowhere suddenly he was there so close I could feel the edge of his presence cutting into my space go away I screamed he didn't respond didn't
say a word he leaned into his board and closed the Gap a gloved hand shot out rushing against my arm his intention was clear he wanted to knock me off balance I zigzagged sharply trying to shake him but he mimicked every move his agility unnerving my panic deepened I screamed again desperate my voice raw with Terror I even tried to use the ski pole as a spear and did my best to keep him at Bay ahead of me cutting through the dim light I'd spotted movement another figure shredding down the mountain their form easy and
practiced that snowboarder from the lift earlier relief had surged through me and a flicker of Hope inside this madness help I screamed out for help the man looked up his body shifting As He adjusted his course now toward me he moved toward me with confidence I jabbed a glove finger towards the figure chasing me the Fear playing in my voice the snowboarder closed the distance fast faster than I could have imagined in one smooth motion he cut through the Rogue snowboarders path his board slamming into the aggressor side with the force that sent both of
them tumbling into the snow I veered off the side and skidded to a shaky stop my heart was hammering in my throat as I turned back to look the Rogue snowboarder was struggling to his feet his movements were slow and disoriented go the other snowboarder shouted at me get to the lodge I didn't argue with him my legs were shaking but I pushed off again skiing down that last stretch of the slope with all the strength that I could muster the lodge came into view its warm light blowing going like a beacon in the dark
moments later the snowboarder from the lift caught up to me his breathing heavy but even you okay he asked who was that I don't know but thank you so much I responded he shook his head don't worry about it once back in the lodge the warm SE back into my bones I explained everything my words tumbling out in this frantic Rush he listened we had a couple of beers while we spoke and the alcohol really had warmed me up now glad I was there he said finally let's get these clowns reported we finished our drinks
and headed to the main office where we were able to file everything with the slope management and their security company was a good thing too because if we didn't report them they probably would have froze to death out there on the mountain when they found them they sided them with a ticket and a fee and had them spending the night in a drunk tank the snowboarder who had helped me a guy named Doug turned out to be super friendly and helpful he was a seasoned Pro and ended up being a great long-term friend somebody I
still ski with to this day for
