× Highest Ranking: #42 in Horror
× 2nd Place in Horror: Angel Awards
!WARNING!
Contains:
× Explicit language
× Mild LGBT content
× Extreme violence (Blood and gore)
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A double murder leads Miles Trenton and his family to a small...
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When Landon, Isaac, Bill and Dolph arrived where they had left the rest of the group, they realized that no one was there.
"I t-thought you s-said they w-would be here?" Bill said, shivering as he cradled himself to keep warm while clutching his wounded shoulder.
"The monsters must have cleaned them out," Isaac commented. "I told you it was a bad idea to separate."
"Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions," Landon scolded, walking around the car to open the driver's side door. He frowned when he spotted the broken glass on the ground and shattered truck window in the back seat. Surrounding that was blood, and his eyes instantly sprang open.
"What?" Dolph asked, first noticing the panic in his eyes. "What is it?"
"There's blood everywhere," he answered. The others came to stand behind him and observed.
"You're right, Isaac, they must have been killed," Bill reiterated.
Isaac followed a trail of blood with his eyes and came upon two bodies where it ended. He gasped, picking up right away who they were. "I think I know what happened here," he said to Bill, pointing at the corpses. "Dawn and Joshua are gone."
"Guys, I found a note," Dolph said, standing at the driver's side seat and waving a piece of paper.
"What does it say?" Landon asked, running to his side and taking it. He quickly opened and read the note, automatically sighing with relief at what it said.
"Well...?" Isaac said impatiently.
"With the exception of Dawn and Joshua, they're okay. Gina said that they headed to the mines and that we should meet them there."
"How the fuck are we getting out of here, though?"
"The truck isn't busted so we can still use it to get there," Dolph said.
"You guys smell that?" Bill asked, sniffing as he walked to the front of the truck. His nose led him to open the hood and there he found what his nose had picked up, coughing violently.
"That's gasoline," Isaac said.
"The engine was shot so that's why it's leaking."
"Fuck!" Isaac slammed his fist on the hood of the vehicle and leaned over it, continuously cursing under his breath.
"What are we gonna do now?" Dolph asked. "We have no car and we're all tired from that long ass walk from the fucking hospital, so walking's out of the question."
"The others walked, why can't we?" Isaac spat.
"If I walk any farther, these stitches in my ankle will pop, asshole." Dolph glared at him, blatantly annoyed, while Landon thought of a way to get to the mines.
"The mines are all the way on the other side of the woods," Bill started. "Doesn't look like we'll be getting anywhere with that truck, and I'm sure all of these other vehicles are busted from just sitting in this snow all the time. So," he glanced at Dolph, "our only other option is to walk."
"What--?"
Bill held up his hands in placation. "Hear me out. Now, since your ankles aren't in mint condition, why don't the two of you," he pointed to Landon and Isaac, "interchange in carrying him?"
"No way!" Isaac said immediately. "There's no way I'm fetching him; he'll only slow me down. What if one of those creatures show themselves while we're in the middle of switching turns?"
"You can't stop being negative for one fucking minute, can you?" Landon asked. "I'll carry him. All the way, too, so you don't have to worry about taking turns."
"Landon, you don't have to do that," Dolph said. "Maybe it would be better if you guys just go ahead without me. Like Isaac said, I'll only slow you down."
Landon sighed. "Can you guys give us a minute?" Bill and Isaac excused themselves and left the two to talk. "Why are you giving up already?"
"I'm not giving up, it's just common sense to leave me behind."
"Stop talking like that," Landon said, trying to contain his emotions. "I didn't come all this way to save you and then leave you like that. It's cold, it's dangerous, and I'm not taking no for an answer."
Dolph's mouth was half open. "You came back...because of me?"
Landon took his hand and smiled weakly, tears prickling the corners of his eyes. "Of course, I did. And I'd come for you over and over and over again," he added with a smirk.
"You dirty bastard," Dolph giggled.
Across from them, Isaac whispered to Bill, "Is something going on with the two of them?'
"It might seem so," he replied. "Why'd you ask? Planning on joining them for a ménage à trois?" Bill chuckled.
"Fuck you, man," Isaac rebutted, punching him in the shoulder. Bill hissed in pain. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--."
"It's okay. I'll be fine," Bill said, slowly rubbing his injured shoulder.
Isaac sighed and brought his attention back to Landon and Dolph. "That Landon is some kind of guy. He's got something going on with that Antonio fella, and now he's making googly eyes with this dude."
"So? It's not any of your business. They'll sort that out themselves whenever the three of them are in the same room again."
Isaac turned to Bill. "Look, I just really want to apologize for what happened with the kids and all of that. I wanted to help Rebecca and her brother find their parents but, at the time, I was scared. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd survive this long."
"I understand," Bill replied. "When Lou and my father died, it took a toll on me. I wanted to get out of this town, too, but I didn't let it cloud my vision of helping others, who wanted to achieve the same goal." He inhaled deeply. "Sometimes, you've just got to let that particular spirit inside you take over and do the right thing."
Isaac smiled and gave Bill an unsuspected hug. When he realized what he was doing, he pulled away immediately. "Tell no one, understood?" Bill nodded in understanding. "By the way, speaking of spirits, Landon was giving me a theory he had about these creatures. He thinks they might be supernatural and are the reason for the sudden change in the weather."
"He can't be serious. If that's the case, then how come we're able to kill them? How is it that the bodies don't disappear after they die?"
"I don't know, but he seemed pretty confident in his assumptions that there's a deeper meaning behind these creatures' presence, and he's determined to find out what."
Their conversation was interrupted when the two detectives approached them. "Let's get a move on," Landon said. "The faster we catch up with the others, the better our chances of survival."