The next morning everyone was up to date with what happened last night, putting them a bit more on edge. But Ryan and Virgil just stayed close to one and another. Following one if the other had to go somewhere, remaining in each other's presence. The other three noted what was happening but decided not to say anything for the time being.
They leapt on their sleds, racing to the lake. The sky was clear, and everything was quiet. They were the only ones making noise, which worried Ryan. Wondering if something could follow their tracks and could easily spot them out in the open, for they no longer had the cover of snow and wind to hide them anymore.
Then they saw it, just over the horizon, far below them was the lake. Ryan sighed in relief, but the thought of having to deal with natural dangers worried him some. They, at the moment, were high on the cliffside of the lake down below, the pathway leading around down to its banks was thin, and the slant down from that had a few ledges and inclines. Ryan breathed in and out, slowly eased his dogs along the pathway, the rest of the group inched along behind him. They were heading down nicely so far, bits of snow skipping under their sled and down the descent. He could see his breath, the cold simulating the air around him.
There was a noise, a call somewhat and the dogs were barking. Ryan tore his eyes away from the crumbling incline to see a mass at the other end of the path. It was a large dark mass and as his eyes adjusted to it more, he realized it was a male sea lion. It was a big one, easily towering over him and he yelled loudly at the rest of them as he slowly slid up the path. Ryan pulled the dogs back who were aggressively barking at the sea lion, who was trying to intimidate them with his size and weight. The dogs behind them started barking as well. The others began pulling their sleds back, but the animals were ready to snap back at each other. Roberto came off and directed Chuntao to start hooking the sleds together and motioned Elucid and Virgil to try to pull them, as he tried to soothe the dogs. As Roberto was placating one side, the sea lion was coming closer and Ryan pulled out an ice ax and flare gun. He made his way in front of the dogs, but by doing so, the sea lion felt instigated and charged him.
When he reached the front of the dogs, the sea lion was on a dozen feet away, so he acted quickly and fired the flare that shot out at the creature. It flew to its face, just barely scratching it, but the loud noise and sudden light startled the animal and it quickly whipped around to avoid it. But as it turned around, its tail reached underneath Ryan and knocked him down. Ryan landed on some ice, the sound of his ice cleats seemed to snap off, releasing him, which made him slip off over the edge.
"Ryan!" Virgil called. He left his station and dashed to the part of the cliff Ryan fell off of as the sea lion ran away. When he reached that side, he saw Ryan had latched his ice ax into the side of the cliff and was dangling precariously over the side. Virgil dropped his arm down to try and extend out to him. Ryan tried lifting his left hand up to try to grab hold of Virgil's, but he was too far away, about three feet apart. Virgil called to the others. "I can't reach him!"
Roberto secured the sleds with a rail nail into the ice, Elucid and Chuntao ran to Virgil who was still trying to grab Ryan. Ryan felt his right hand begin to slide off the ax, so he held on further with both hands. He glanced down to see that the lake hadn't completely frozen over and that there was water to fall into. But he knew they'd never reach his freezing body in time if he fell in. He tried yanking himself up more, but just couldn't. His hands were sweating, and his breathing was getting fast. He could only hold on for so long.
He felt something touch his hand and looked up to see Virgil was much closer than he was before and had sunk down to reach him. He glanced up to see Elucid and Chuntao were holding the man's legs as he tempted to reach further to grasp ahold of Ryan. His eyes were lit up with determination as he said, "Grab my hand!"
Ryan felt his chest become warm for some reason, even in a situation this precarious. He swung his left hand up to Virgil who grabbed onto him and he called to the others, "I got him." Altogether, the group yanked Ryan back up onto the ledge and he landed on his knees as they were all exasperating panting from the whole ordeal. Ryan looked over all of them, and smiled a bit, then he turned to Virgil who was watching him. He told him, "Words can't describe how amazing you are."
Virgil flinched at that and Ryan pulled back too, then changing his tone, saying, "Thank you, everyone for saving my life. Thank you."
"No problem," Chuntao smirked. "Told you those ice cleats were shit."
Ryan chuckled a bit, for some reason he felt safer.
-
The group was asleep that night, wanting their own privacy, they decided to pitch up their own tents to sleep in separately. But Virgil and Ryan were fine sleeping in the same tent. Ryan was sound asleep, dreaming of snow and someone standing in it. A voice called to him, but he ignored it, trying to stay away from the figure as far as possible. But then he heard another voice, telling him to wake up.
His eyes snapped open to see he was the only one in the tent and Virgil was missing. He pulled himself up and out of the tent to see him standing in the middle of the snow, with no protective gear, and was gazing up at the moon. Ryan dashed over to him to see his cheeks redden, but his hair and lashes covered in frost. He continued to stare at the moon even when Ryan got in front of him. But before Ryan could reach him, he heard a loud boom and turned to see something gigantic tower over them. Its eyes glow in the clouds above.
Ryan abruptly woke up, sweating and panting as he felt around him to try and stabilize himself. Virgil was lying right next to him and woke up with sudden movements. Ryan saw and grabbed him, bringing him in closer. Virgil blinked in confusion and lightly held on, wondering what was happening. Ryan pulled away and Virgil quickly noted, "You're covered in sweat."
"It... It was a bad dream," Ryan answered, glancing at Virgil with a hint of embarrassment.
"I... I'm sorry," Virgil stated, slowly lying back onto the blanket. "A lot of stuff is happening. Was it really bad?"
"Not... not in a gory way or anything," Ryan answered. "Just in a creepy way. I don't know what is happening sort of way."
"Sorry."
"It's okay," Ryan sighed. "We'll be fine."
"I hope so," Virgil hummed, his eyes slowly beginning to close, but then they heard a loud scream. The two jolted up and Ryan ripped open the entrance of the tent, glancing over to see the others opening their tents as well. He quickly looked about. Until his eyes landed on a figure out a bit aways. The figure stared at them, and he was unfamiliar with their presence at first. Not until Virgil shrieked, "Kathlyne!"
Ryan's eyes widened at that, and then it was clear; dozens of meters away in a sweater and khakis was Mrs. Hailey. She stood there unmoving, unwavering. Her face was shadowed. Virgil darted out of the tent to her, Ryan unable to stop him, but unsure if he should. He was too amazed and dumbfounded how she was out here in the first place. He saw Virgil run up to her and exclaim, "Kathlyne! Kathlyne! Oh Kathy, it's you!" Her hair was blonde, and she was shorter than Virgil, thin with a decent complexion. She didn't look like she was affected by the elements at all while out here.
He reached her with a wide smile on his face and he held her shoulders, stating, "Kathy, we've looked for you everywhere! I never gave up! I'm so happy you're alive..." His words drained out, and he gave her a quizzical stare. He then muttered, "You're... you're not..."
Up close she was Kathlyne, but something moved in her cheek. Virgil took a step back and she opened her mouth. Wrinkles and crevasse formed all over her face like she just aged fifty years in a second. The inside of her mouth was a pitch-black hole, showing nothing at all, and her eyes became sunken. Sunken so deep, and her voice croaked without her lips moving, "Virgil... came to me... Virgil... is here now."
That voice, the one they heard before. The one that rings in your head instead of slithering in your ears. Ryan dashed out of the tent and ran to Virgil who had fallen back at this figure whose visage of Kathlyne was disappearing. She faded away and a shadowy figure appeared, hardly humanoid. It had no hands, no feet, but long shadowy appendages like arms and legs. Its mass contorted to have less of the curving shapes of a human and instead shed its shoulders and neck, growing one bulbous and nightly bulging head with a single large eyeball that stared at them, unblinking. Ryan reached Virgil, who was too blown away to comprehend what he was seeing. He pulled, seeing the creature slowly approach them, not by walking, but by gliding against the air. It was still speaking, "Virgil... come to me..."
A red light flew past them, and hit the creature, having it shriek. But that light glowed brightly, revealing in the darkness of the night, other creatures of its shape being silhouetted and screaming at the sight of light. Ryan glanced at Chuntao who had shot the flare gun at the creature, he pulled Virgil up to his feet and made a dash to the tent. As they did, the creatures glided to them calling in loud unison, "Come to me... come to me..."
Ryan screamed to the others, "Get in your tents! Get in!" He and Virgil ran inside theirs and the others followed suit. The creatures loomed over the tent, loudly chanting, "Come to me... Come to me..."
-
They gained no more sleep that night, and before the first light of dawn hit, the chanting stopped, and the creatures were gone. Pulling themselves out of their tent one by one they circled together to discuss what the hell was that, "Ghosts," Chuntao stated almost immediately. "They were ghosts of everyone who's died here. Creepy, ghastly ghosts."
"Can't be..." Virgil mumbled.
"How can it not be?!" Roberto shrieked.
"That wasn't her," Virgil answered. "Up close I realized... that wasn't her. I just know it."
Silence fell for a second and Elucid spoke, "Do you think they are the ones who lured and killed the others?"
"Possibly," Chuntao nodded, "But they couldn't come into our tents."
"Could they even touch us?" Roberto questioned.
"Don't wanna find out," she tiredly sighed. "But they tried to lure us out. Or at least Virgil."
"How do they even know about Kathlyne...?" Virgil muttered. "How can they possibly know?"
"They could speak," Roberto noted. "But it wasn't like we were hearing them. Like they were talking... in our heads."
"What, like psychics?" Elucid scoffed.
"Like psychics," Roberto nodded, then glanced at his dogs saying, "They didn't touch the dogs."
The others glanced at them as well and Virgil said, "They didn't bark to warn us either."
"Whose side are you on?" Roberto snipped to his dogs who paid no attention to them.
"Ryan, you've been pretty quiet," Chuntao pointed out. "Care to shed some light on this situation?"
"...Light," Ryan whispered.
"What?"
Ryan gazed out to the morning sun and exclaimed, "They only come out when it's dark outside. They only whisper when it's nighttime." The others thought about it, then nodded in agreement at that as Ryan continued, "If they've been following us, they'll probably come back tonight too, no matter if we hitch up our tents. But during the day, they won't bother us."
"What are you suggesting then?" Chuntao questioned.
"I'm saying we need to move at night."
"Oh, hell no!" Elucid yelled. "No way!"
"Do you want to sleep? Do you want to hear those things?" Ryan questioned. "We saw that they couldn't move too fast. We can outrun them, easy."
"Easy?!"
"Easy!" Ryan affirmed. "I know it isn't good to move at night, but we're in a pretty hectic situation. We can outrun them."
"So, we...?"
"Sleep during the day," Ryan nodded. "And move at night."
-
They barely had any rest during the day, but when the sun was setting, they started to move out. The group sledded along the open plains and for hours none of them heard any voices or anything strange in particular. It wasn't until midnight that they saw things traveling across the snow in the distance. Chunato called, "What's that?!"
Ryan glanced that way but told her, "Ignore it! Keep moving!" The figures in the distance weren't faster than them, but they moved as quick as people could, sprinting here and there. Looking like they were trying to get closer to their group, but they were already too far ahead to be caught.
They could see that some of these figures lurked and some of them moved in groups, but they speedily left their line of sight in a hurry in the opposite direction. The group noticed the figures fled from something that wisped in the darkness, something big and unnatural. Its strange movements swarmed across the planes, not seeming to notice the group and then it vanished from their line of sight. Nothing went wrong the first night they traveled this way.
-
Ryan couldn't sleep all too well in the daylight, it glared through the tent and just caused restlessness. He glanced to Virgil who was sound asleep next to him and sighed. He pulled himself up and left the tent to see Chuntao sitting out with the parked dogs. She was petting them, but her eyes seemed drowsy and sullen. Ryan approached her, "Hey."
She turned and nodded to him, "Hey."
"Can't sleep?"
"It's hard," she mumbled. "I should be used to it by now, I've had to do tons of time changes before while traveling."
"Hm," Ryan sighed then sat down with the dogs. "Those things don't particularly help... knowing they are out there."
"You can say that again," Chuntao said. "Feels like they'll be after us anytime now." They sat in silence, looking up at the sun that was high in the sky. "Do you think Abraham was taken by them?"
"Don't know, it was during the day," Ryan responded.
"Looks like it isn't just those shadow things out there," she noted. "God this is crazy. How come no one knows about this?"
"I've got no idea," Ryan replied. "...I want to go home."
"What's back home?"
"Besides safety and a warm bed?" Ryan stated. "My daughter is back home. I'd like to live to see her again. What about you?"
"No kids," Chuntao replied. "Disappointed the parents with that. No, I don't have much at home."
"You don't need kids to be happy," Ryan assured her.
"I know," she smiled. "I was plenty happy."
-
The second night they enacted their plan, they sled across the planes and heard nothing. They reached a little enclave that housed a few winding tunnels here and there. The ice reflected them and their lights that glistened and sheened. They slowly traveled through the tunnel, and halfway through Chuntao yelped. The other men rushed to aid her, as she flailed around at something holding her arm. Virgil showed a light on it to see a pale hand had grasped her arm.
Roberto and Ryan pulled it off, but as the light was shown further, the thing that grabbed Chuntao revealed itself to be a person. The person was encased in snow and ice, it's front area and right arm released from the ice as they still were breathing. They recognized the person in the ice as Zoya, the other Asian woman at the first base that Chuntao had befriended prior.
Chuntao kneeled to her, her eyes becoming wet and hands shaking at the sight of the woman. Zoya was very still beside her slow breathing and her twitching arm. But her face, her face was almost blue from the cold and when she opened her mouth, it was revealed that her tongue was cut out.
"Get her out, help me get her out!" Ryan commanded all of them. "Chuntao, make a fire or something, we need to get her warm." The men hacked away at the ice and Chuntao kept a fire lit in that cramped area. She dug away snow from where her legs were to show one of them was missing. It was cauterized, but the open flesh to snow was causing frostbite. She quickly covered that and continued to dig her out. She noticed tears on Zoya clothes and peeled them back to see stitched-up scars, long and amateur-like. It took hours, but they broke her out, taking her out of the snow, starting a large fire out of the caverns, trying to keep her warm as much as possible.
Her voice gurgled in her throat, but she tried to speak, though it was difficult to understand, "Whe'sa Hnad... Whe'sa quraze... non't... non't... twast hamee. Non't twast hamee... Swamnseen. Non't."
She passed out that night and was extremely ill the following morning. Nothing they had would be enough to help her, they would have to get to a hospital.
"She's going to die," Elucid stated.
"Shut up," Chuntao snapped at him.
"She is," Elucid countered. "Look at her, whatever did that..."
"No," Ryan shook his head. "Whoever did that. A person did that to her."
"The stitches, the cauterized leg," Roberto mumbled. "It looked like she was tortured."
"But where is the rest of her group?" Chuntao questioned. "What happened to them?"
"They might have left her," Elucid pointed out. "Or they did that to her."
"Oh god," Chuntao whined, "...Why?"
"Who knows," Ryan answered. "We need to get her to a hospital. But Chuntao." She looked at him, worry filling her eyes, "Prepare for what might come to pass."
-
The following morning, everyone was taking turns sleeping and caring for Zoya. She was looking really bad, like her life was just barely hanging on by a thread. Chuntao was easing her wounds early that morning, she would soon trade off with Elucid. It was quiet, and she was sweet with Zoya.
There was a snap outside and she heard snow crackling, she peeked out of her tent to see someone in winter gear wobbling with each step they took towards their encampment. She exited her tent to go to the figure, calling to them, "Hello?"
The figure limped then collapsed on the ground and she rushed to them, she rolled them over and saw under the fur hood that it was Samson; the scientist guy who made the DNA tracker. He peered up at her and muttered, "Hey, I know you. You're... Chuntao."
"Samson, you're alive!" Chuntao stated, relief flooding her voice.
"Barely," he groaned, holding his stomach. "Please, do you have any food, something?"
"Of course, come over here," she led him to some supply bags with canned food and he nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you, oh thank you," they both sat on the ground as he ate and asked between each bite, "Your party... it had Mr. Hailey, right? Is he okay?"
"He's fine," Chuntao explained. "Everyone is still alive except..."
"Except?"
"We were separated from Sargent Abraham," Chuntao answered. "We have no idea where he is."
"That's terrible."
"Yes, it is," Chuntao sighed then questioned. "What happened to you? What happened to your group?"
"You'll think I'm crazy if I tell you," Samson grumbled.
"Samson, we've seen shadow things, and an entire massacre at the base we were supposed to meet at," Chuntao told him. "We've seen a lot of crazy things by now."
"God, you saw the dead people too, huh?" Samson sighed solemnly. "Our group came across them too and we ran."
"What happened to them, Samson?" Chuntao questioned. "Where are they?"
"There was… There was this being," Samson tried explaining. "He wore a mask... a skull of an animal. I couldn't describe it. His hair was wild. He spoke to us, calling himself Jack... He murdered them, Chuntao. He killed all of them. I barely got away. I think maybe Zoya got away."
"Zoya?! Zoya was part of your group?!"
"Y...Yes," Samson responded.
"She's here, she's alive!"
"Oh my god! Really?!" Samson stood up at that and Chuntao beckoned him to the tent they kept Zoya in. When he saw her, relief dawned on his face and he smiled, "Oh, thank goodness."
The two sat in the tent and she said, "She's not doing so well. We need to get her to a proper doctor."
"Yes... we'll have to," Samson agreed. They continued to talk, for about an hour or so and Samson gasped, "You found her ring?!"
"Well, Ryan did," Chuntao corrected. "He found it after the mountains."
"All the way over there?" Samson responded in awe. "That's crazy. He found it with my Tracker, right? There is a metal detector on that as well."
"Oh... no, um, he found it on his own," Chuntao answered. "Pure luck, I guess."
Samson's eyes widened, but his smile also fell as he repeated, "By himself?"
"Uh-huh."
"He didn't use the detector... at all?"
"No, we didn't really need it," Chuntao explained.
"Oh..." Samson looked away then said, "Pure luck... outdid millions of dollars in science... is what you're saying."
Chuntao stared at him, watching him tremble just a bit as his hands curled into fists, "How... How are we supposed to be sponsored now? Millions of dollars spent on that thing... and it was never used." He pulled his glove off and rubbed his eyes with his knuckle. He chuckled a bit "I thought maybe something good would have come out of all of this... maybe it wasn't all for nothing. Has science left me with nothing?"
"Samson?"
He looked at her with a smile, but not a comforting smile, just a smile. There was no heart behind it, "At least I found one more thing worth living for out there."
"What's that?"
He pulled down his sleeve of his jacket to show his wrist, wrapped around it was an array of stitches. Before she could say anything, she heard a yell behind her. Chuntao whipped around to Zoya who was awake and was staring straight at Samson, she tried to say with a shaking hand, "Swamnseen! Swamnseen! Hno!"
Chuntao turned to him and he pushed her away as he grabbed at Zoya. He quickly said, "You got away," he unzipped his jacket and pulled out a sharp piece of metal. Chuntao reacted quickly, lunging, grabbing at him and the blade. But he elbowed her off with strength she didn't expect and turned to Zoya. She weakly tried fighting him off, but he quickly plunged the blade into her chest. Then again and again, splattering blood all over the inside of Chuntao's tent. Chuntao scrambled away and screamed, she ran out of the tent. Hearing movement in the other tents but then saw Samson pull himself out of hers. He was covered in blood and he chased after her with the blade.
The dogs were barking at him, and he quickly reached Chuntao, pushing her to the ground. She hit him and grabbed the arm that held the blade as he tried to swing it into her head. She was struggling as he laughed, "Stop moving already!" She screamed at him with anger and fear in her voice.
Suddenly Samson was pulled off of Chuntao by Ryan and Roberto. Roberto held his blade-wielding arm down as he tried to bend it out of his hand. But Samson grabbed Roberto by the hair, ripping some out, making him let go. Samson elbowed him and dashed a bit away, laughing. Ryan helped Chuntao up, questioning, "Is that Samson?!"
"He killed Zoya!" Chuntao sobbed out. "He killed her!"
Samson was giddily giggling as he called, "Come on! She was going to die anyway! We're all going to die!" His eyes then turned to see Virgil who had also emerged from his tent and he screamed, "Mr. Hailey! I'll take my check now!" He darted right towards him and Ryan dashed after him, body-slamming him to the ground. But Samson shook him off easily and barked at him, "My tech should have found that ring! Not you!" He slashed at Ryan and grazed his arm.
He fell over, but Roberto and Chuntao jumped on him. He stood with them both on, trying to shake the two off like a towering large animal. Chuntao tried to strangle him, but he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her. Elucid caught her as they both stumbled onto the ground, and Samson then turned to Roberto, stabbing his hand. Roberto fell off, but Ryan stood up and took a piece of burnt wood from the fire and slammed it into Samson's neck. Samson shrieked as he tried to brush the burning embers off of him, but some fell down his shirt, so he yanked his jacket and shirt off to rid himself of it.
Once he did the group stared at his body, seeing freshly carved markings all over his skin. They were pulsating with an angry red and some were still bleeding. There were markings of what could have been a language none of them could recognize. They were all over his chest and back, but they were not the most alarming parts. His arms, hands, were stitched together with body parts that were not his own. His right arm was too long, too big, and too dark to be his own and his hand was a delicate white. His other arm was a varying skin color variation that had a tattoo on the shoulder that was cut off by the stitches. On the markings themselves, there were several stitched-up sections that were strewn across his skin.
He was still freaking out about the embers and stripped off his pants, only leaving boxers. And that's when they saw it, a leg, a female's leg was where his was. It was all sewn up.
"That's... Zoya's..." Chuntao gasped.
"Was," Samson mocked, gaining some level of composure as he returned his attention back to them. "But I can't survive with these... I need to be stronger. I need more. I won't feel any pain. Jack said I wouldn't. Markings mean no suffering." He charged at Ryan who dodged that blade and skidded away.
Everyone was keeping their distance from him, but he eventually turned to Virgil again. With a grin, he chased after him. Virgil ran off, and Ryan rushed after Samson who noticed he was following them and then turned back to Ryan who was now closer. He swung his blade at him, and Ryan dodged, taking both hands in a fist and swinging upwards, knocking Samson in the face. He then took those fists again and slammed down on his back. Samson quickly picked himself up from that and swung his blade, cutting Ryan's leg. He was going to swing again, but he stopped and turned to his side.
On his side was the blade of an ice ax embedded into his hip and holding the handle of that ice ax was Chuntao. Her eyes glared at him and she pulled it out, he was squirting blood everywhere. He held his side, picked himself up, and tried slashing at Chuntao, but then he felt something in his back to see another ax, this time held by Roberto. He pulled it out, but before Samson could react, Chuntao slashed into his neck.
Everything grew quiet then, Samson stared at her. His voice being choked up by blood as he said, "...Jack..."
He fell to the ground, motionless and dead. The group circled around his corpse, all were shaking, all were terrified.
-
Zoya and Samson were buried in the snow with a marker to show where they were. They'd come back for them. Chuntao's tent was burned, she wouldn't use it with all that blood inside. She'd be staying with Roberto or Elucid from now on. The wind howled around them, Chuntao was cleaning Roberto's hand wound and Elucid's head got cut in the back when he and her both fell. They were being stitched up separately in their own respective tents. Virgil was cleaning Ryan's wounds as he thought to himself. Virgil looked at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Ryan glanced at him, his eyes tired and lonely, "I... I don't know what to think about right now," he put himself into his sleeping bag when Virgil was done, and sighed, "I think what just happened was terrible, that we'll face more terrible things along the way... That we might not make it."
Virgil's eyes were soft as a small frown fell on his lips, "You have..." Ryan gazed up at him, Virgil's sunken lips turned into a gentle smile, "You have been so strong... I don't know whether it's you being a survivalist, or you are more than that. But you've been so amazingly strong. It feels like you have been carrying us to safety. Doing all you can." His head dropped a bit and leaned onto Ryan's arm, his hair curled on his sleeve, "You practically the leader now, but you have been so good, so strong. Even if things have been terrible, I don't know if we would have made it this far without you here." His head turned to Ryan's, "Even if those things take me away right now, I'll have known that you have done more to save me than anyone else ever has. That you are here."
Virgil slowly lifted a hand, and Ryan mirrored the movement. Their hands met, right in the middle, their palms touching. Their fingers were cold and bare, but the pulsating warmth in the palms held a balance between them. Ryan felt Virgil's hand, soft and dry. Virgil felt Ryan's hand, callused and warm. Virgil looked up at Ryan again, saying, "Thank you, Ryan. Thank you."
Ryan stared at him, then started to lean in. The light of the lamp flickered out. Ryan and Virgil turned to it, for a split second they were bewildered, but then a darkness grew outside their tent. They whipped their heads to see that somehow, it was dark outside. Ryan acted quickly, taking a flashlight and ice ax, rushing outside. Virgil followed suit as he watched Ryan cast a light on the snow outside, and saw their whole area was dark, even though it was only nine in the morning.
Suddenly Ryan felt that the air was heavier, somewhat difficult to breathe. He turned to Virgil who was holding his chest, slowly wheezing at the lack of oxygen, like they were at the top of a mountain. The air felt thick, in fact, all around them felt thick, like there was this pressure surrounding them. A thickness like they were floating in water, but they could breathe.
Ryan flashed his light on the darkness and saw them, the shadow things from before, but they kept their distance this time. They stayed a distance but were whispering while their single eyes stared directly at them. Virgil came closer to Ryan as he whispered, "Why haven't they attacked us yet?"
"I don't know," Ryan muttered. "Maybe because of the light. But why is it so dark out here already?"
They then began to speak again, but in a voice that neither of them recognized. It sounded like an old woman, calling in a language they didn't immediately recognize, "Nae Ttal... Nae Ttal... Eomeoni...Eomeoni jeonhwa. Wassda. Naegewa..."
"My daughter... my daughter... mother... mother calls. Come. Come to me."
"What is it saying?" Virgil asked.
"It sounds..."
"Eomeoni!" they whipped their attention to the tents to see Chuntao exiting it, distress written on her face. Roberto was groggily waking up behind her, "Eomeoni!"
"Mother! Mother!"
"Chuntao!" Virgil called, as he rushed to her, but she pushed him aside calling to them.
"Eomeoni, naneun yeogieissda!" she yelled.
"Mother, I am here!"
"Nae Ttal..." Ryan looked back at the shadows to see only one remained, but it took the form of an old Korean woman, in knitted clothing and a needle through the bun of her hair. "Naegewa. Chuntao."
"My daughter. Come to me. Chuntao."
"Eomeoni," Chuntao rushed to her, her eyes trance like. But Ryan quickly stopped her as Chuntao called to her, "Eomeoni! Naneun yeogieissda!"
"Mother! Mother! I am here!"
"Wae, Chuntao?" the old woman called to her. "Geu namja... dangsin-eun geuleul jug-yeossda."
"Why, Chuntao? That man... you killed him.
"Eomeoni..." Chuntao bit her lip back as she said, "Geugeos-eun dangsin-i saeng-gaghaneun geos-i anibnida!"
"Mother... It isn't what you think!
"Chuntao, whatever that woman is saying," Ryan assured her "It isn't real! She's one of those shadow things!"
"Sal-inja," the woman spat with a bitter voice "Nado. Honja. Dangsin-eun dangsin-ui gajog-eul tteonassda. Dangsin-eun naleul honja."
"Murderer. I also am alone. You left your family. You left me alone."
"Joesong haeyo! Joesong haeyo!" Chuntao cried "Eomeoni!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Mother!"
"Chuntao... Nae Ttal," the woman whispered "Nae Ttal."
"Chuntao... my daughter. My daughter."
"Chuntao, listen to Ryan," Virgil told her "That thing... don't listen to it."
"Eomeoni!" Chuntao called, Ryan holding her back. He couldn't focus his light on the figure, it tried approaching him.
"Mother!"
"Sal-inja," the woman said. "Nae Ttal... Sal-inja."
"Murderer. My daughter... Murderer."
"Eomeoni!" Chuntao screamed, Virgil ran in front of them and pointed his light at it and it suddenly pulled back like it was burned. It screeched and Chuntao fought Ryan more, screaming, "That's my mother! Stop it!" She headbutted him in the chin, and he pulled back at that pain. But before she could run off Elucid and Roberto grabbed her, she thrashed and screamed in their arms.
"Stop it Chuntao!" Roberto begged, but she didn't listen to reason. The thing kept calling to her, trying to lure away.
"Naegewa... Naegewa..." the figure called. Virgil bit his lip and rushed it with the light and ice axe.
"My daughter... My daughter..."
"Virgil no!" Ryan shouted, fear colliding into his heart.
Virgil dashed at the thing, shooting the light straight at it, and swung his ice ax, "GO AWAY!" he screamed, slamming the ax in the thing's eyes, the appearance of the old woman suddenly vanishing. It screamed, as it lunged back, Virgil pulling the ice ax back. He kept the light fixed on it as he swung again, the blade of the ax shoving deep in its side. It wailed as it pulled back, taking another form, of his wife Kathlyne.
Blood running down her eye and side, she cried, "Virgil... my love... stop."
Virgil hesitated at that, and then all the other figures behind her floated towards him. Eyes staring, encircling him. Ryan ran to his side and took his light, shining at the things. They avoided the beam and moved around it as they then sped towards Roberto, Elucid, and Chuntao.
Chuntao reached out to one who looked like her mother, Elucid and Roberto broke off from her, to escape the flurry of shadow beings that enveloped her. They crowded around her and took her, past the tents and into the darkness. When they vanished, the darkness that covered all of them moved, Ryan and the others could feel it release them as it took her.
They stood there, in shock, and then Ryan muttered "They took her..." he looked at the dogs and rushed to the sleds. "We have to run after her. We have to go. We need to go now!"
"Ryan... the camp," Virgil told him.
Ryan glanced at it, then said, "You guys get it together. I'm going after her!" He kicked his sled into gear and took off. As he sped off, he could hear Virgil calling his name.
He sped across the planes, trying to find that darkness. Trying to find what that was, he chased after it. He saw it farther away, it was so fast, it stayed so far away from him. He pushed those dogs, as best as he could to chase after that thing.
He thought they were safe; they were in the light. They were supposed to be safe. And they went after Chuntao this time. Why? Why? Why?!
He sled all across those planes to catch that darkness, even when it got out of his line of sight, he still chased it. He was supposed to protect them. Why didn't she listen?!
"Chuntao, where are you?!" he called. But he couldn't hear her, she was nowhere to be found. An hour and a half of pushing those dogs, they quickly became tired and slowed down. Sledding all night and more the next morning gave them no energy. They eventually came to a full stop and Ryan got off the sled, running off past them. He ran as fast as he could, but there was nothing, just white snow.
"Ryan!" it was Virgil's voice, it reached out to him. He turned to see him sled up behind him, stopping and running to him, "Ryan!" When he reached him, he placed a hand on his shoulder. There were tears streaming down his face. This finally broke him. He sobbed. Sobbed harder than he had in years. Tears streaming, cries quiet. He broke down and wept.