Catherine

He dropped a rock into it, but we never heard it hit bottom. He laughed, called it badass, and said we'd come back tomorrow with rope. I didn't respond. I just wanted out of there. By the time we got back to camp, it was already dusk. The sun bled out behind the horizon like it was trying to escape, and the temperature plunged.

We cooked a fast dinner and zipped into the tent before the wind kicked up. I lay there for a long time, listening to it whistle and moan across the lake. I thought I'd imagined it at first, but then I heard it again. Footsteps. Crunching snow. Slow. Heavy. They circled the tent once, then stopped, and right outside the nylon wall, barely a foot from my head, I heard breathing. Shallow. Wet.

We cooked a fast dinner and zipped into the tent before the wind kicked up. I lay there for a long time, listening to it whistle and moan across the lake. I thought I'd imagined it at first, but then I heard it again. Footsteps. Crunching snow. Slow. Heavy. They circled the tent once, then stopped, and right outside the nylon wall, barely a foot from my head, I heard breathing. Shallow. Wet.

Guttural. I held my breath and didn't move a muscle. Danny was already asleep. Whatever it was, it stayed there for what felt like hours. Then it left. When I finally slept, I dreamed I was under the ice, and something was tapping from the other side, waiting to be let in. I woke up to silence. Not the kind you get in nature, the peaceful kind filled with birdsong or wind through trees.

Guttural. I held my breath and didn't move a muscle. Danny was already asleep. Whatever it was, it stayed there for what felt like hours. Then it left. When I finally slept, I dreamed I was under the ice, and something was tapping from the other side, waiting to be let in. I woke up to silence. Not the kind you get in nature, the peaceful kind filled with birdsong or wind through trees.

This was wrong. It was too quiet. Even the ice wasn't groaning like it had the day before. It felt like the lake was holding its breath. Danny wasn't in the tent. I scrambled out, boots half-laced and adrenaline already pounding through my chest.

This was wrong. It was too quiet. Even the ice wasn't groaning like it had the day before. It felt like the lake was holding its breath. Danny wasn't in the tent. I scrambled out, boots half-laced and adrenaline already pounding through my chest.

I expected to see his orange parka near the gear pile, or maybe him off relieving himself behind a snowbank, but instead I found a trail of disturbed snow leading away from our sight. Not prints, just a long erratic path like something heavy had been dragged. One of our sleds was gone, the one with most of the meat packs.

I expected to see his orange parka near the gear pile, or maybe him off relieving himself behind a snowbank, but instead I found a trail of disturbed snow leading away from our sight. Not prints, just a long erratic path like something heavy had been dragged. One of our sleds was gone, the one with most of the meat packs.

When Danny finally came back, 20 minutes later and totally unaware of my near heart attack, he was grinning like nothing was wrong. Found some cool stuff up by that ridge past the caves, he said, like he hadn't just vanished before sunrise. Tracks going toward the cliffs. Could be wolves. He noticed the missing sled the same time I pointed it out, then shrugged.

When Danny finally came back, 20 minutes later and totally unaware of my near heart attack, he was grinning like nothing was wrong. Found some cool stuff up by that ridge past the caves, he said, like he hadn't just vanished before sunrise. Tracks going toward the cliffs. Could be wolves. He noticed the missing sled the same time I pointed it out, then shrugged.

Maybe wind caught it, or coyotes got bold. I didn't believe that for a second. We'd staked everything down, and there were no prints, no claw marks, no blood, nothing.

Maybe wind caught it, or coyotes got bold. I didn't believe that for a second. We'd staked everything down, and there were no prints, no claw marks, no blood, nothing.

just that drag line veering toward the caves like something had calmly taken what it wanted we argued i told him we needed to head back but he reminded me the path to myers beach was iced over and cracking when we came in even if we tried now it could buckle under us we were trapped So instead, we did something colossally stupid. We went back to the caves.

just that drag line veering toward the caves like something had calmly taken what it wanted we argued i told him we needed to head back but he reminded me the path to myers beach was iced over and cracking when we came in even if we tried now it could buckle under us we were trapped So instead, we did something colossally stupid. We went back to the caves.

Danny was obsessed with the shaft we'd found. He said there might be a collapsed lava tube under the lake, or some secret glacial cavern. I didn't want to go back, but the alternative was sitting alone at camp while something circled our tent at night. We brought ropes, headlamps, a handheld flare gun, and what was left of our food in case we didn't make it back by dark.

Danny was obsessed with the shaft we'd found. He said there might be a collapsed lava tube under the lake, or some secret glacial cavern. I didn't want to go back, but the alternative was sitting alone at camp while something circled our tent at night. We brought ropes, headlamps, a handheld flare gun, and what was left of our food in case we didn't make it back by dark.

Inside, it was even worse than I remembered. The smell had intensified. It was no longer just rot. It was sick. Like a freezer full of spoiled meat mixed with mold and sulfur. I had to breathe through my scarf to keep from gagging. When we reached the back chamber, something had changed. There were bones now. Dozens of them, stacked in a loose pile near the shaft. Long bones. Deer, maybe.

Inside, it was even worse than I remembered. The smell had intensified. It was no longer just rot. It was sick. Like a freezer full of spoiled meat mixed with mold and sulfur. I had to breathe through my scarf to keep from gagging. When we reached the back chamber, something had changed. There were bones now. Dozens of them, stacked in a loose pile near the shaft. Long bones. Deer, maybe.

But some were unmistakably human. One femur had what looked like bite marks on it. another still had a tattered pant leg frozen to it danny finally hesitated maybe maybe we shouldn't be down here he said his voice lower than usual no crap i whispered still he pulled out a flare lit it and dropped it into the shaft