Trapped in the Snow

A trip to the mountains with my husband and best friend. Then the blizzard hit. Now, we're trapped.

The three of us were snowed in. My best friend, Zoe, suggested she and my husband, Mark, go out to find supplies, leaving me to rest in our rented cabin with a raging fever.

I dont know how much time passed before a frantic pounding rattled the door. Marks voice, raw with panic and pain, tore through the wood. Ava! Open the door, please! Zoes lost it! She went crazy over the supplies, she she cut me!

Just then, a text from Zoe lit up my phone. Ava, run! Dont you dare open that door! Mark is trying to kill us! Im hiding outside, dont trust a word he says!

I stared at the two conflicting messages, a cold sweat breaking out across my skin.

The first time this happened, I chose to trust Zoe. I didnt open the door. In the end, Zoe hacked Mark to death with an axe, then broke into the cabin and strangled the life out of me.

The second time, I chose to trust Mark. The moment I unlatched the door, he burst in, his eyes wild with madness, and stabbed me until I bled out on the floor.

No matter who I chose, the outcome was always the same: death. And I never understood why. Why did they have to kill me?

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that very same day.

This time, I would find the truth.

I snapped back to reality, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I snatched it back as if the metal were white-hot. The ghosts of my two previous deaths were still fresh, a chilling dread coiling in my gut.

Hearing my silence, Mark began to hammer on the door with more force.

Ava, hurry! You have to let me in before she gets back! If she finds us together, were both dead!

My phone buzzed again. It was Zoe, calling me. Her voice was a ragged whisper. Ava! Dont open that door! Hes lying! Think about itMarks a gym rat. How could I possibly overpower him?

Besides, she continued, her logic sharp despite her panicked tone, if I was the one who hurt him, wouldn't I have gotten back here first? Why did he, the injured one, beat me to the cabin?

From outside, Mark must have heard her voice. His own tone shifted, laced with suspicion.

Ava, who are you talking to?

Dont listen to her, Ava! Zoe planned this! She had a fruit knife hidden on her. She told me to scout ahead, then attacked me from behind when my back was turned! I tried to fight her off, but it was too late. My arm is bleeding, and in this blizzard if I didnt run, Id have frozen to death out there with her! I broke free and ran straight back to you!

His performance was drenched in sincerity. I fought against the fog of my fever, my eyes landing on the heavy wooden cabinet in the corner. With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed it against the door, barricading us in.

Mark heard the scraping sound and his voice grew frantic. Ava, what are you doing? Dont you believe me? Open the door! Im losing a lot of blood. If I dont get warm soon, Im not going to make it! And if something happens to me, youll be all alone when she gets here!

When I still didnt answer, his voice cracked with desperation. Look! Ill prove it! I really am hurt!

A pained grunt followed, and then his voice turned weak. Im sliding a piece of cloth under the door. Its soaked in my blood.

Its so cold I was afraid the wound would get infected, so I ripped off a piece of my shirt to wrap it. Its the only reason I made it back.

I knelt down and picked up the bloody strip of fabric. The coppery tang of blood filled the air, a stark reminder of the danger I was in.

He was telling the truth. He was hurt.

Just then, another text from Zoe appeared. Ava, hes tricking you! Look closely at that scrap of fabric. Its not from his shirt!

I rubbed my throbbing temples. She was right. The color and texture of the cloth didn't match the flannel shirt Mark was wearing.

My fever was making it impossible to think clearly. I could only hope their words would reveal the truth.

Zoes next text came through: Mark wants to kill us to buy himself more time until rescue arrives! Hes the one who tried to hoard the supplies, and now he wants to use us as an emergency food source!

A picture followed the text. In it, Zoes face was deathly pale. A long, gruesome gash ran across her stomach, the ripped fabric of her parka visible beside it.

I didn't want to worry you, so I didn't say anything before. This is what he did to me. I was lucky I reacted fast enough to get away. If I hadn't, I'd be dead.

A jolt went through me. She had been my friend for over a decade; my instinct was to worry. Are you okay? I typed back.

Ive patched it up. Don't worry about me. Now do you believe me?

I stared at the photo of the wound, my throat dry. Send me a video, I said out loud, as if she could hear me. A photo could be faked.

After a moment of silence, a video file appeared. I played it. Zoe, looking exhausted, held up the camera and gave me a grim middle finger. The gash on her stomach was still weeping blood.

It looked real. She was definitely hurt. But

I frowned, then carefully lowered myself to the floor, pressing my cheek against the cold wood to peek through the crack beneath the door.

The moment I did, a single, bloodshot eye stared right back at me.

A short, strangled scream escaped my lips before I clamped my hand over my mouth.

Sorry, Ava, I didn't mean to scare you, Marks voice came, feigning concern. You were so quiet, I was worried youd passed out from the fever.

But the pounding on the door intensified, turning from desperate knocks into violent blows.

I scrambled backward, my heart hammering against my ribs, my body slick with cold sweat. The look in Marks eye hadn't been concern. It was the look of a man lost in the desert whod just stumbled upon an oasis. It was pure, ravenous craving.

We were in a tough spot, sure, but we weren't desperate enough for cannibalism, were we?

What bothered me more was what Id seen in that brief glimpse. There were indeed drops of blood staining the snow where he knelt. The cotton stuffing was spilling from a tear in his jacket. He hadn't been lying about that.

His voice turned into a pathetic plea. Ava, please, let me in! Im so cold I think Im getting hypothermia

His words were faint, but I held my ground. If youre telling the truth, I challenged, then why isn't Zoe back yet? Its been ages.

Mark let out a series of weak coughs. Did you forget? Zoe has a terrible sense of direction! Without me to guide her, shes probably wandering in circles right now. If you dont open this door, shell eventually find her way back. She has a weapon, and Im too weak to fight. Well both be finished! I I dont have much strength left

I slapped my forehead, cursing the fever that was clouding my judgment. He was right. Zoe couldn't find her way out of a paper bag. Its why shed insisted Mark go with her instead of them splitting up to search.

Just then, a video call from Zoe came through. I hesitated for a second before answering.

On the screen, her face was a ghostly white, her lips chapped and dry. Her voice was a hoarse, urgent whisper.

Hes lying! I know my sense of direction is crap, but the ground is covered in fresh snow! He ran off in a panic. All I have to do is follow his footprints! How could I possibly get lost?

Ava, Im begging you, dont open that door! That bloody cloth he gave you? Its from my jacket! I tore his when I was fighting him off. Hes the one whos lost his mind, Ava. I dont dare come back to the cabin. I found a small cave to hide in. Im trying to call for help. Don't let him in! Whatever you do, protect yourself!

You have to wait for me!

She spoke with such intensity that her features seemed to strain with the effort. Her words sent a fresh wave of fear through me, and I backed away from the door, tears welling in my eyes. I grabbed a thick fireplace poker, the only weapon I could find. It wasnt much, but it was something. My only real hope was that the old wooden door was strong enough to hold.

Zoes face was ashen. The knife is in his hand, she said, her voice dropping lower. He didnt tell you that because hes planning on using it the second you open the door.

When I didnt respond, she quickly sent another video. This one showed Mark, a vicious sneer on his face, slamming his body against the door while clutching a small, gleaming knife. The sounds in the video perfectly matched the violent thuds coming from outside.

My heart plummeted into my stomach. My head felt like it was about to split open.

Mark, sensing my hesitation was gone, changed his tone again. It was now laced with a desperate, trembling sincerity. Ava, dont believe her! Please! Just open the door a crack. Youll see.

After a moments thought, I cautiously slid the cabinet aside and opened the door just wide enough to peer through with one eye. Marks face was pale, his eyebrows frosted with ice. He held up his hands to show they were empty, even turning his pockets inside out. There was no knife. He looked like he was on the verge of collapsing.

He offered me a weak, painful smile. Ava, Im sending you a video. If you still dont believe me after this, then then I guess were all going to die here.

A video appeared on my phone. The footage was shaky, clearly filmed by someone terrified. It showed Zoe, a wild look in her eyes, holding a bag of supplies in one hand and a small knife in the other.

See? Mark whispered from outside. I risked my life to get proof. I knew you two were close. I was afraid you wouldnt believe me.

On my other phone, Zoes voice rose in panic. No! Dont listen to him!

Ava, look at his throat! Is he swallowing over and over again?

Mark learned some sideshow tricks when he was younger. That knife isnt big. Hes hiding it in his throat!

My face paled. Every second I wasted was a second closer to disaster. Forcing myself to stay calm, I peered through the crack again. Open your mouth, I demanded.

Mark let out a bitter laugh, already slumping against the doorframe. From the phone, Zoe screamed, Ava! Barricade the door! Now!

Her terror was contagious. I slammed the door shut and shoved the cabinet back into place. At that exact moment, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Zoes end of the line, and the call abruptly cut out. Simultaneously, a heart-wrenching cry of anguish came from Mark outside the door.

Shes here! he yelled. Zoe found me!

A blurry photo hit my screen, clearly taken in a panic. A woman, her face a mask of rage, was charging at him with an axe. It was blurry, but I could still make out her features. It was Zoe.

Mark hammered on the door, his fear palpable. When I still didnt move, his voice broke into a bitter laugh. Its okay, honey. You dont have to open it. Im done for anyway. Im going to charge her, try to buy you some time. When you see an opening, you run!

A guttural roar followed, then the sounds of a struggleheavy footsteps in the snow, grunts of effort, the clash of something heavy. Tears streamed down my face. I thought of all the happy times wed shared, unable to comprehend how everything had gone so horribly wrong. What was I supposed to do?

I couldnt face it. I gripped the poker, my hand trembling. I would open the door. To hell with it. We would all die together.

In my panic, the phone slipped from my grasp, clattering to the floor. The last video Zoe had sent me flickered on the screen. My eyes locked onto a corner of the frame, and suddenly, everything clicked. The memories of my past lives, the lingering doubtsthey all crashed together in my mind.

My pupils shrank to pinpricks. A chill colder than the blizzard outside washed over me. Of course. Thats what this was all about.