《Winter Camp》


 Chapter One

    When the bell rang to end class, Jay shoved a handful of papers covered in idle doodles into his backpack, followed by a pencil and a tattered textbook. He stood up from his desk and joined the cluster of students making their way through the door and to the freedom of the hallway. It was the end of the school day, and a Friday at that, so the halls were crowded with teenagers rushing to their cars or buses. Jay took his time, allowing people to push past him and continue on their way.


    Strolling down the hall, he overheard pieces of conversations. Plans for hanging out this weekend. Dates to the movies. Gatherings at the bowling alley. Jay listened without trying or wanting to. No one called out to him with invitations. No one even waved goodbye to him as he walked through the sturdy double doors and climbed onto his designated bus.


    The ride home took less than ten minutes. Jay wished it would have been longer. He stepped off the bus without a word to anyone else, and the bus continued on as if he''d never been on it. He stood in his front yard for a few minutes and wondered, not for the first time, what would happen if he just started walking up the road and never came back. But Jay didn''t have the courage to do something so dramatic. Instead, he slipped his backpack off his left shoulder and practically dragged it up onto the porch.


    Jay hated Fridays. He hated weekends. Because as awkward and empty as school made him feel, home was worse.


    He stepped through the front door and kicked off his shoes, stopped to straighten them into a neat position, then walked from the living room to the stairs. He made it halfway up to his room before a voice from the kitchen yelled, "Jay! Get in here!"


    He froze mid-step and took a deep breath. He slowly walked back down, a sudden feeling of nausea forming in his stomach.


    He stood in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. He clutched the handle of his backpack in both hands and asked, "Yeah?"


    Jay''s mother was sitting at the kitchen table, a pile of papers scattered in front of her and a cigarette in one hand. She looked up at him with bleary eyes. "Do you have any idea what the cell phone bill is?"


    Jay didn''t say anything. He stood rooted to the spot, waiting for her to go on.


    "Almost three hundred dollars," she said, her face all hard lines.


    Jay hesitated, then cleared his throat. "But didn''t you use my phone for two weeks this month?"


    His mother suddenly wadded up the papers she''d been clenching in her hand and threw them at Jay, hitting the wall beside his face. "Don''t you dare try to blame this on me! I barely even used it! I called three people at most! You''re going to pay for this, Jay. If it takes you all winter, I''m holding it out of your allowance."


    For a moment, Jay considered pulling out his phone and showing her the evidence, the call logs and text messages and data usage she had built up in the two weeks she''d borrowed his phone. But doing so would only make her angrier, so he remained silent while she continued to yell. He had figured out early on that arguing with her or fighting back only made the situation worse. It was much easier to just stand there and accept her rage.


    This was nothing new. Taking the blame for every single financial crisis, no matter how big or how small, seemed to be his designated role in the family. It was his fault when she got fired. It was his fault when a check bounced. It was even his fault when her maxed out credit cards were declined.


    After his mother had finished her rant, Jay quietly returned to the stairs and climbed up to his room. He flung his backpack onto his bed and collapsed beside it, draping one forearm over his face. His cell phone chimed from inside his backpack so he rolled over and pulled it out. A text message from his aunt Linda glowed from the screen: "Happy early birthday! Sweet 16 tomorrow lol! Invite me if you have a party!"


    Jay smiled and replied, "No party. Too old for that now, but thanks. Stop by and see me tomorrow if you can."


    A few seconds later, his phone chimed again. "Maybe we could meet up somewhere," Aunt Linda''s new text said. "How about I treat you to a movie?"


    Jay quickly began typing his response. "Great! Call you tomorrow and we''ll pick a movie."


    He dropped the phone on the bed beside him and laid back against the mattress. He waited for it to chime again, but nothing happened. When it became clear that the conversation was over, he felt empty again. He stared at his ceiling, counting the tiny stains or hairline cracks. Within minutes, his eyes slid closed as he fell asleep.


    When Jay woke up, an unfamiliar sound assaulted his ears. It was a roaring sound, like the ocean or very strong winds. He blinked rapidly, realizing that his vision was blurry. He had a headache and his body was cold and sore. He sat up, rubbing his forehead and wincing. It took several minutes for his vision to clear enough for him to notice his surroundings.


    This was not his bedroom, he realized with alarm. He was surrounded by rough wood on all sides and sitting on a simple cot with a thin mattress. He saw a window and hurried to stand up, but dizziness swept over him and he stumbled before falling back onto the cot. He took a few deep breaths then stood up again, slower this time, and carefully made his way to the window. Looking out, he immediately identified the noise he''d been hearing since he woke up. A blizzard raged outside the window, gusts of wind blowing snow with such force that the wood around him was creaking as if it was about to break.


    Jay had seen snow before, was not a complete stranger to cold weather, but he''d never seen anything like this. Names of places ran through his mind, possible locations that could have weather like this: Michigan, Aspen, Alaska, Canada. But he couldn''t even guess what he would be doing in any of them. He turned around and saw a door, made of wood like the rest of the room, and limped over to it. His vision was clearing up and the dizziness was nearly gone, but his body still felt sore from head to toe and his legs felt as if they were asleep. He glanced back at the cot and wondered how many hours he''d been lying on it. There was an eerie numbness that seemed to be coating his limbs and even his mind. Had he been drugged?


    The door led to a hallway with several more doors on either side. He walked past them as he began to hear voices from further down the hall. Jay hesitated for a moment, a sudden rush of fear running through him. Were his kidnappers at the end of the hall? He was beginning to regain his senses, but being alert only made him more afraid. With trembling legs, he continued on.


    At the end was a large room with a higher ceiling than the hallway. There were several other people, all around Jay''s age, standing in the room. They stopped whatever conversation they were having to look up at him.


    "He makes twelve," a boy with short dark hair said.


    A tall black girl who reminded Jay of a model stepped toward him. "Hey, do you know anything? Do you know where we are?"


    Jay shook his head. "I just woke up and I... I have no idea what''s going on."


    The boy who had spoken earlier sighed and sat down on one of four large couches arranged in a square, facing each other, in the middle of the room. "Welcome to the club then," he said.


    "Is this all of us?" someone asked.


    "I don''t know," the tall girl answered, then quickly said, "Wait, there''s number thirteen."


    Jay turned to look back at the hallway, where a small, confused-looking girl with bright red hair emerged. She was asked the same questions, but she clearly knew nothing as well. Several people were talking at once, and Jay became dizzy again. He wavered, then leaned against the back of a couch for support. All of this was too much, too fast. Too many people, too many unfamiliar faces and too many voices.


    "Where the hell are we?"


    "Are we being pranked?"


    "Is this a reality show?"


    "No, stupid, this is a kidnapping!"


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    "Maybe this is a camp for delinquents."


    "I''m not a delinquent!"


    Finally a clear voice rose up over the others as a broad-shouldered boy with sand-colored hair stepped into the center of the group. "Wait, let''s all calm down and try to figure out what''s going on," he said, and Jay was surprised that everyone did as he told them. "First of all, let''s introduce ourselves. I''m Nolan."


    The tall, model-like girl spoke next. "I''m Trinity."


    The red-haired girl squeaked out the name "Ginger". A boy in a wheelchair called himself "Quentin", and the boy with the short dark hair sitting on the couch said his name was "Diego".


    A girl with black hair in dozens of tiny braids was standing closest to a window. ''I''m Kyrie," she said, before returning her gaze to the snow swirling around outside.


    Nolan looked at Jay expectantly and he realized he was next. "Oh, uh, I''m Jay."


    Standing near the couch in front of Jay were two girls, one with mousey brown hair and a pallid complexion said her name was "Leah" and the other, a small-framed Asian girl who looked even younger than Ginger, called herself "Kat". Jay was immediately struck by the fact that Kat was the only person in the room who didn''t look confused or slightly dazed. If he had to describe her expression, Jay would have called her "bored".


    A pretty blonde girl who looked like she belonged in a mall sat down on one of the couches and crossed her legs. "I''m Harper," she said, Closest to Harper was a young man with platinum, neatly trimmed hair and glasses who called himself "Scott".


    Standing with one hand pressed into the back of the couch that sat across the room from Jay was a girl with copper skin and long, straight dark hair. She had large dark eyes that seemed to be scanning the room as she said, "I''m Mickie."


    Last was an Asian boy standing slightly apart from the rest of the group. He had a somewhat delicate, frail look to him, with pale skin and dark hair that Jay privately thought needed cutting. The boy smiled brightly, the first person in the room to do so, but there was something in the expression that Jay found alarming. "I''m Caden," the boy said.


    "Alright, now that we know everyone''s names," Nolan began, "Let''s see what we know. Does anyone remember how they got here? Does anyone remember anything at all?"


    The room was full of blank stares and hopeful glances. No one said anything, so Nolan continued.


    "Is this building familiar to anyone? Do any of you recognize anything that might tell us where we are?"


    Again, silence. Nolan sighed. "Does anyone have a cell phone with them?"


    A couple of people checked their pockets but Diego stood up from the couch and frowned at Nolan. "If any of us had that, wouldn''t we be calling the cops or our parents by now?"


    Jay remembered having his phone just before he fell asleep, but it wasn''t in his pockets. Actually, he just realized he hadn''t checked the room he woke up in very carefully. Thinking back, he''d been so hazy that he couldn''t remember much about the room at all. "Maybe we should search our rooms," he said in a quiet voice.


    Nolan looked at him. "That''s a good idea. Let''s search the whole building. We might find something helpful."


    There were numerous nods and agreements before everyone split up and began looking around. Jay saw Nolan approach Quentin and offer to push him, but Quentin gave an uneasy smile and said, "Thanks, but I''m used to pushing myself."


    Jay took the time to look around the room he was in. Aside from the couches, there was a large fireplace with a roaring fire already lit, three wooden rocking chairs along one wall, several small tables with lamps on them, a coffee table in the middle of the ring of couches, and two doors.


    Jay went to the first door and looked out through a round glass window. This door led outside, and Jay could see a porch covered in snow. Opening the second door, Jay found himself in a kitchen. It was old fashioned and simple but it had all the necessities. The refrigerator was well stocked with butter, cheese, milk, and various meats. There was a tall oak pantry full of bread, canned foods, pasta, and even some snack items like potato chips, soda, and candy. Regardless of what was going on, they were not going to starve to death, at least not for a while. On the other end of the room was yet another door that led to a dining room. There was a long table surrounded by thirteen chairs and a line of large windows along one wall.


    The only other door in the dining room led to a tiny laundry room and one more door to the outside, so Jay returned to the living room area and headed back to the room he woke up in. Walking down the hall and trying to remember which room he came from, he was thankful that most of the doors were open and occupied. When he came to a closed door that looked like it might be his, he put his hand on the doorknob.


    "That''s my room," a voice said behind him.


    He turned to see Mickie, the girl with copper skin and large eyes. Up close, Jay realized she was beautiful. He pulled away from the door. "Oh, sorry! I can''t remember which room was mine."


    Her eyes locked with his and he felt as if she were judging how honest he was being. Then her face softened and she smiled. "It''s okay. I think we were all pretty confused when we woke up."


    Jay smiled back, then stepped away and headed for the next closed door as Mickie disappeared behind hers. This room looked right, but he guessed all the rooms probably looked alike. He searched the room thoroughly, eventually finding his own backpack in the closet. When he opened it, he was surprised to find it full of clothes and other personal items like his toothbrush, rather than the books and papers that had been inside it just the day before.


    When he returned to the living room, most of the others had already gathered there as well, sitting on the couches or standing near the fireplace. After everyone was back, Nolan called everyone''s attention. "Okay, so it looks like we have plenty of food and water, and we have heat, so we''re okay there. Did everyone have a bag of clothes in their rooms? Okay. Did anything look familiar to anyone?"


    "Nothing is familiar. None of us have ever been here before," Trinity answered.


    "Does anyone recognize anyone else, or are we all strangers?" Scott, the boy in glasses asked.


    The pretty blonde mallrat Harper tapped her pink-booted foot impatiently. "I don''t recognize any of you," she said.


    Diego was standing with his arm''s crossed. "So we still don''t know anything."


    "Well, we know a few things," Nolan said. "We know someone brought us here. We know whoever it was wants to keep us alive, at least for a while. They did leave us plenty of food. We know they took our cell phones and there are no land lines here, so they didn''t want us to be able to call for help. There are no tv''s or radios either. Whoever brought us here wants us isolated."


    Diego narrowed his eyes. "So we''ve been kidnapped. Great work figuring that out, Sherlock."


    Trinity stepped into the space between Diego and Nolan. "Hey, we''re just going over information. No need to get hostile." Without waiting for either of them to respond, she looked around the room. "Did anyone look outside yet?"


    Mickie spoke up this time. "I walked out on both of the porches. The weather is way too bad to go any farther. There''s a big stack of firewood just outside the front door, under a tarp. I didn''t see anything else but when the weather lets up, we should search outside and see if there are any houses nearby."


    Diego made a sound that resembled a snort. "You think they put us anywhere near other people after they went to so much trouble to isolate us?"


    Jay shot Diego a glare. "Probably not, but it would be pretty stupid not to look around outside," he told him.


    Nolan walked over to a window and looked out. "Guess we''ve got no choice but to wait out the blizzard. It''s getting dark already. We can''t do anything til morning."


    Harper stretched her arms above her head. "God, this place is boring. Would it have killed them to leave a magazine lying around?"


    "I saw some books over there," Quentin said, pointing to a small table near the rocking chairs that had three drawers.


    "What kind?" Jay asked.


    "Nothing good," Quentin replied, "A few trashy romance novels and a couple of old mystery books."


    "They''re trying to torture us," Harper said, sighing dramatically.


    Jay heard sniffling and turned to see the little redhead, Ginger curling up on one of the couches. Kyrie, the girl with braids, sat down beside her and patted her back, then leaned in and said something Jay couldn''t hear. Ginger nodded and wiped at her eyes.


    Nolan and Trinity stood at one of the windows for several minutes, talking to each other in quiet voices, then they approached the group. "Looks like we can''t do anything until morning," Nolan said. "It wouldn''t be safe to go out in that weather while it''s dark. We''ll have to wait out the storm."


    "Are you guys serious?" Diego asked. "We''ve been kidnapped and probably drugged and trapped in some deserted camp in the middle of a blizzard and you guys wanna sit around waiting?"


    Trinity was quick to answer him. "What do you want us to do, Diego? Wander around out there all night? We can''t do a damn thing until the snow lets up. If you want to go out there yourself, no one is stopping you."


    Jay could actually see Diego''s jaw clenching, but the boy said nothing.


    With the tension dissipating, the group separated. Kat, the girl who had looked bored, had moved to one of the rocking chairs and was thumbing through one of the books. Scott was talking to Harper, the mallrat, by the window. The frail looking boy named Caden was standing near the fireplace, half his face nearly covered by black hair.


    An hour later, it was completely dark outside, and despite having been asleep for who knows how long before this afternoon, despite generous amounts of soda and snacks, everyone was getting drowsy. Jay wondered if it was an aftereffect of whatever drug they''d been given to knock them out for the trip to the camp.


    Suddenly the lights went out, and a couple of people screamed in surprise. Nolan stood up quickly. "Everyone stay calm! The lights are probably set up on a timer. Apparently we have a bedtime."


    The fireplace provided enough light for them to see each other and make their way to the hallway, where tiny dim lights could be seen above each door, just barely illuminating the path to their rooms. As they were all walking down the hall, a loud, piercing howl rose up over the sound of the raging winds outside. Everyone froze. Ginger whimpered. Someone asked, "What is that?"


    In the darkness, Jay couldn''t see Nolan''s face as he answered, "Probably just a wolf or a coyote. Don''t worry, it can''t get inside. Let''s go to bed."


    Jay entered his room and felt his way to the bed, then collapsed across it as he did at home, draping one arm over his face. The howling sound rang out again, and a strange shiver crept over Jay''s body. He wasn''t particularly afraid of a wolf or a coyote if they were outside and he was inside, but somehow, he just couldn''t associate that sound with any animal he knew of. He rolled over and looked at the faint outline of his window. "Some birthday this turned out to be," he muttered before falling asleep.

 Chapter Two

    The next morning Jay climbed out of the makeshift bed. The cot creaked slightly as he stood up and stretched. He went to the closet, pulled some clothes and his toothbrush out of his backpack, and headed into the hall. He saw a few girls lined up outside one of the bathrooms but no line outside the other, so he walked over and opened the door.


    Just as the heavy wood slid open, Caden was stepping out, buttoning a white, long-sleeved shirt and carrying more clothes over his arm. "Oh, sorry," Jay said, moving aside to let Caden pass.


    Caden smiled, the same unnerving smile he''d displayed the day before. "No problem."


    Jay took a quick shower in the small bathroom and changed into clean clothes, then brushed his teeth. He brushed his hair back with his hand and picked up his dirty clothes to carry them out. He remembered seeing a washer and dryer in a tiny room and wondered if it was already being used by someone else.


    As he passed through the living room, he heard Diego arguing with Nolan and Trinity.


    "We can''t go out. It''s still pretty rough out there," Nolan was saying.


    "You said that yesterday! Are we supposed to wait another day and night to find out anything? I don''t plan on spending the whole winter here," Diego said.


    "Go if you want to," Trinity told him sharply, "no one is stopping you. But you won''t get far in that weather. It''s still pretty early, let''s give it some time. It might let up."


    Diego''s hard expression changed to resignation "Alright. I''ll wait a little longer, but I''m not letting another whole day get wasted."


    In the laundry room, Jay found Harper and Kyrie standing by the washer, dumping in clothes. He decided to try again later and turned to leave, but Harper stopped him. "What color?" she asked.


    "Um, excuse me?"


    "Your clothes," she said, pointing to the bundle of laundry in his arms. "Are they all dark?"


    Jay nodded.


    "Oh, you can''t wash them with our stuff then," she said, holding up a handful of white and pastel colored clothing. "You can do a load of dark clothes later."


    Jay said, "Sure," and left the room. He''d been doing his own laundry at home for the past four years so he knew how to use a washing machine, but it wasn''t like his mom taught him how so he was new to the idea of separating things by color.


    He passed through the living room again and dumped his dirty clothes on the floor of his room. Back in the hall, he almost collided with Kat as she came out of the bathroom. Some of the clothes she''d been carrying slipped from her hands and Jay stooped down to help her pick them up. "Sorry about that," he said, feeling like he''d been apologizing all morning. Kat shook her head to dismiss the apology and the two of them stood up as he handed her a pair of jeans and a small towel.


    As she reached out to get them, he caught a glimpse of dark red marks across the underside of her white wrists. He quickly looked away and pretended not to notice as she thanked him and quietly returned to her room.


    In the living room, Nolan and Trinity were sitting on a couch together, talking. It didn''t appear to be a casual, friendly conversation, as both of them appeared deep in thought and kept looking at the window to check the status of the blizzard outside. Nolan held a sheet of paper and a pen, and would occasionally stop to write things down.


    "Looks like those two are planning something."


    Jay flinched at the sudden voice behind him and turned to see Mickie. He smiled by reflex. "Oh, hey Mickie."


    She smiled back. "Hey."


    He looked back to Nolan and Trinity. "They''re probably figuring up how long the food will last or something. Those two seem to be on top of things."


    "Yeah," Mickie said, "but I''m still curious." She walked over to them and Jay followed.


    Nolan looked up. "Did you guys sleep okay?"


    Mickie nodded. "Uh huh. So what are you writing down?"


    Nolan held up the sheet of paper. "Trinity and I were just writing down everything we know about this place, everything that happened before we were knocked out or whatever, how much food there is, things like that."


    "Sometimes you can notice things you didn''t see before if you write stuff down," Trinity said.


    On a couch nearby, Diego sighed and rolled his eyes. "I keep saying there''s no point in rehashing stuff we already know over and over. You guys are wasting time. We could be out there looking for a way home right now."


    Mickie turned to him. "Aren''t you the one who thought I was stupid yesterday for thinking we could find help outside?"


    "I still think it''s stupid. But we might find a road or someone might drive by. We have no chance of getting out of here if we don''t do something."


    "Look out the window, Diego," Trinity began. "We don''t have the gear to be out in that weather for long. We all had a coat in our bags but they''re all ''winter in Tennessee'' coats, not ''survive a freaking blizzard'' coats."


    Nolan spoke up too, but with a calm, even voice. "Besides, there''s not a lot of visibility out there. None of us are familiar with the area. It would be way too easy for us to get lost in the woods and end up freezing to death."


    "I wish they''d left us a clock," Jay said, watching the snow blow past the window. "Then we could at least know how much longer it is until dark."


    Mickie shrugged and headed toward the kitchen. She looked at Jay over her shoulder and said, "Wanna join me for breakfast?"


    Jay grinned and went with her, ignoring a soft chuckle from Nolan.


    The day crept on lazily as various people went to the kitchen for food, washed their clothes, or repeatedly checked the weather. Most of them were surprisingly calm, except for Ginger who occasionally sniffled and wiped her eyes. Nolan sat beside her for a while, giving her a reassuring smile. Jay stood next to the couch as Ginger dried her tears and headed into the kitchen for a snack.


    "You''re good with kids," Jay remarked.


    Nolan looked up at him. "I have a lot of younger siblings, so I''m used to taking care of people. I''ve had to be an adult since I was twelve."


    "So you''re the closest thing to an adult here?" Jay asked.


    Nolan laughed. "Pretty much, yeah."


    "Mind if I ask how old you are?"


    "Sixteen," Nolan answered.


    "Same here," Jay said. "You look older."


    "A lot of people don''t look their age. Would you believe Ginger is fourteen?"


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    "No way!"


    "That''s what she told me anyway," Nolan said.


    "I thought she was twelve, tops," Jay said, then he remembered the incident in the hallway and said, "Have any idea how old Kat is?"


    Nolan looked across the room to where Kat was curled up in a rocking chair with a book in her lap. "Judging by looks alone, I would say twelve. But judging by personality? I would guess older. Maybe fifteen or sixteen."


    "What about Trinity?" Jay asked. "She''s gotta be eighteen."


    "Sixteen, at least for another month," Nolan said.


    Jay thought for a moment, then said, "Everyone here is sixteen or younger? Who''s the youngest? Shouldn''t we figure out what the age range is?"


    Nolan sat up. "Yeah, it''d be a good idea to know everyone''s ages. I''ll round everyone up."


    Within minutes, the living room was full of people. Nolan took a clean sheet of paper from the drawer of an end table and went from person to person, writing down their names and asking their ages. As Jay had suspected, everyone was under seventeen. The youngest were Ginger, Quentin, and Leah at fourteen. Fifteen year olds included Harper, Kyrie, and Caden. The rest of them were sixteen.


    As Nolan went over the list, his brows slowly knitted together. "Wait, this is only twelve. There are thirteen of us."


    Trinity looked around the room. "Who''s missing?"


    Everyone looked at each other, then Harper suddenly said, "Ah! I know! The guy with glasses!"


    "Who?" Diego asked.


    "You know... bright blonde hair, polo shirt, kind of a snob..." Harper said.


    "Wasn''t his name Scott?" Mickie asked.


    Nolan looked around the room. "Okay, has anyone seen Scott?"


    No one said anything.


    "Has anyone seen him since last night?"


    Several people shrugged or shook their heads. Nolan headed toward the hall of rooms. "Which room is his?"


    Harper stepped ahead of Nolan and walked to one of the doors. "Here, I only noticed because it''s right beside mine and I walked in here by mistake yesterday while he was searching the closet."


    Most of the others had followed Nolan and Harper into the hallway. Jay and Mickie were close to the front of the line when Nolan knocked on the door. "Scott?" he called, "Are you okay?"


    After several seconds of silence, Nolan tried yelling through the door again. When nothing happened, Nolan put his hand on the doorknob. "We need to check. He might be sick or something."


    Jay felt a sense of dread as Nolan twisted the doorknob and drew in a sharp breath, holding it without thinking until the door slid open. A gust of wind and snow suddenly hit their faces and the room was freezing cold. Jay saw that the window had been broken completely out, leaving only a gaping hole for the snow to blow into.


    "What happened?" Mickie asked, pressing into the room behind Nolan.


    Jay followed after her, and once inside, was able to see the crumpled blanket on the cot and what appeared to be several splashes of blood. The blood made a trail that led out the window. "Where''s Scott?" someone behind them asked, then Jay heard one of the girls, probably Ginger, scream.


    Nolan ran to the window and looked out. "There''s blood out here too," he said, before turning and running to his own room. He emerged seconds later with his coat on and headed for the door leading outside.


    "Wait," Trinity said, pulling on her own coat, "I''ll go with you."


    Jay hurried back to his room to get his coat too then the three of them headed outside. The winds were harsh and strong against their faces, making Jay feel like his skin was being cut with a knife. It was still daylight, but it was cloudy, and it was the coldest weather Jay had ever felt.


    Trinity, Nolan, and Jay walked slowly around the building, toward Scott''s window. When they reached it, Nolan bent down and examined the snow beneath the eave of the roof that hung out over the broken window. "There''s still some blood here," he said, then moved a couple of steps away from the window and began digging through the snow with his bare hands. "More blood here. It got covered up pretty deep so it''s been here for a while."


    "What could have happened?" Trinity asked, raising her voice above the wind.


    Nolan looked toward the line of dark trees. "No idea."


    "You think he might have gone into the woods?" Jay asked.


    "I don''t know why he would, but it seems likely. He was definitely out here."


    Trinity shoved her hands in her pockets. "Let''s go back inside. We can''t do anything for Scott out here."


    In the living room, the three of them shook the snow off their coats and stood near the fireplace. Everyone else had gathered around. "So? What did you find?" Diego asked.


    Nolan held his hands closer to the fire as he spoke. "There was blood outside, but some of it had been covered by the snow. It looks like Scott was outside at some point."


    Diego gave him an incredulous look. "What, he threw himself out his window and ran into the woods?"


    "If that were the case, there would only be blood outside," Trinity said, "but there was more blood on his cot than we saw in the snow."


    Diego turned to her. "And who are you, CSI Camp Blizzard? He could have broken the window from the inside, bled all over the cot, then jumped through."


    Jay frowned at him. "Why the hell would he do that?"


    "How should I know?" Diego said. "Maybe he was on crack. Maybe he''s a psychopath. We literally know nothing about this guy. He could be running around out there with an axe for all we know."


    Ginger gasped and Kyrie put an arm around her shoulders, saying, "Don''t worry, Diego has no idea what he''s talking about."


    "He didn''t take his coat," Mickie said.


    Diego turned to her. "What?"


    She held up a dark green coat. "This was in his closet. He didn''t take it, which means he probably didn''t intend to go outside."


    Jay felt that creeping dread again. Everyone instantly thought it, but Jay was the first to say, "Someone pulled him out."


    There was a silence over the group for several moments as everyone let the information sink in, then Diego suddenly said, "Who did it?"


    Everyone looked at each other, suspicion and fear on several faces. "Is one of us a murderer?" Ginger asked.


    "No," Nolan said, still facing the fire, "No one here pulled him out."


    "How do you know that?" Diego demanded.


    "Because I saw footprints under his window. The eaves of the porch kept most of the snow from covering them."


    Jay was surprised. He hadn''t seen any footprints and he wondered why Nolan hadn''t mentioned it outside. "How do you know none of us left the footprints?" he asked.


    Nolan''s eyes never left the fire as he said, "Because they''re way too big to belong to any of us."


    Silence again, then Diego broke it once more. "So now we''ve got Bigfoot outside?"


    Nolan didn''t respond, but Trinity shot Diego a warning look and said, "Whatever or whoever it was, they clearly attacked Scott. We should assume they could possibly attack again."


    Ginger was crying again and Kyrie pulled her closer. "You can sleep in my room tonight," she said.


    "That''s a good idea," Trinity said, "Everyone should double up."


    Harper spoke up. "I''m not sharing a room with anyone. Any of you could have killed Scott and made fake footprints in the snow! I don''t trust anyone here."


    "That''s actually a good point," Mickie said.


    Trinity sighed. "Alright, double up if you want to. If you don''t, no one can force you. But if you want to stay in someone else''s room, you better start moving your cots now. It''s getting late and it''ll be hard to make sleeping arrangements after the lights go out."


    Several people headed to the hallway and Jay heard the sounds of cots being dragged across the wooden floor. Nolan finally left the fire and approached Quentin. "Want to stay in my room tonight?" he asked.


    "Sure," Quentin said, looking a little relieved.


    Jay walked over to them. "Room for one more?"


    Nolan smiled. "Of course."


    "Thanks," Jay said, "I really didn''t want to room with Diego and Caden creeps me the hell out."


    Jay went to his room and began dragging his cot out. In the hall, he bumped into Mickie, who was heading into her room. "Are you really sleeping alone tonight?" he asked.


    "Yeah. Until I''m sure no one here is secretly a serial killer, I don''t like the idea of sleeping beside them."


    "But what if it was someone else? Someone from outside?" he asked. "You''d be in danger."


    She gave him a smile, obviously detecting the concern in his voice. "I''ll be real careful. I''ll sleep with one eye open."


    With that, she walked into her room and shut the door behind her. Jay couldn''t help worrying that he wouldn''t see her again. He forced the thought out of his mind and finished dragging his cot to Nolan''s room, where Quentin''s cot was already set up. Nolan was checking the locks on the windows when Jay came in.


    "The locks probably won''t help since Scott''s window was broken, but I thought I might as well check them anyway," Nolan said.


    Jay sat down on his cot after settling on a position for it. "Okay, be honest. Is there a chance one of us made those footprints?"


    Nolan sat down on his own cot. "I guess so. They looked awfully convincing though."


    Quentin wheeled up close to his cot and lifted himself over to it with such ease that it was clear he''d been using a wheelchair for a long time and was very used to it. "Did they really look like Bigfoot prints?" he asked.


    Nolan shook his head. "I don''t know what Bigfoot prints look like, but these looked human. Just... really big."


    "That''s why they call him Bigfoot," Jay said.


    Quentin laughed and Nolan chuckled.


    "If one of us did fake the footprints," Jay said, "who do you think it would be?"


    Nolan laid back on his cot, his hands behind his head. "I don''t even want to think about it. If we start suspecting each other, we''ll all fall apart. We have to stick together until we figure out what''s going on."


    Jay laid down too. "Okay, I''ll just throw this out there, but I think Caden is an axe murderer."


    Quentin had laid down but he shot back up. "Really?"


    Jay nodded. "Yeah. I don''t even know why, but something about him really freaks me out."


    "He''s just a little strange," Nolan said, then after a brief pause, added, "probably."


    "But let''s keep this to ourselves, okay?" Jay said, "If he finds out I''m talking shit about him, he might stab me or something."


    Quentin laughed again. Nolan closed his eyes and said, "Don''t worry. If he tries to murder you, I''ll back you up."


    Jay grinned as the lights went out. "Thanks. I feel safer already."

 Chapter Three

    When Jay woke up, Quentin was still asleep but Nolan was gone. Jay found him in the living room, sitting on one of the couches and looking up sharply every time someone came from the hallway. He was obviously doing a mental headcount. Jay immediately scanned the room for Mickie, but she was nowhere to be seen. He looked in the kitchen and dining room, and asked Kyrie and Trinity if they''d seen her. Kyrie shrugged and shook her head. Trinity patted Jay on the arm and said, "Don''t worry. Mickie''s tough."


    Still worried, Jay decided to join Nolan on the couch that faced the hall so he could watch for her.


    Nolan nudged him with his elbow. "Why don''t you just knock on her door?"


    "Huh?"


    "Mickie. It''s really obvious that you like her. If you''re worried, go knock on her door and see if she''s okay."


    Jay turned slightly pink. "I don''t wanna seem like a stalker or some weird possessive freak."


    "I don''t think that''s happening anytime soon," Nolan said.


    They spent the next half hour in silence, watching people come from their rooms. Finally Mickie emerged from the hallway and Jay stood up. She noticed him and walked over. "Don''t tell me you thought I was dead," she said with a laugh.


    "No, but I did wanna make sure you were okay," Jay replied.


    She smiled, and Jay noticed that her smiles never seemed genuine. She looked toward the window and said, "Looks like the snow let up a lot overnight. Anyone going out?"


    "I''m planning to," Nolan said, "as soon as everyone''s been accounted for."


    Mickie followed Nolan''s gaze back to the hall. "Who''s still asleep?"


    Nolan glanced at the paper in his lap that listed all their names and ages. There were checkmarks beside most of the names and a shaky line through Scott''s. "Harper''s the only one I haven''t seen yet."


    "Didn''t Harper sleep alone last night?" Jay asked.


    "I''ll go check on her," Mickie said, heading to the hallway.


    Nolan and Jay got up from the couch and followed after her. In the hallway, they stood nearby as Mickie knocked on Harper''s door. When no answer came, Jay felt that familiar dread building in the pit of his stomach. Mickie called Harper''s name, but there was still no answer. She tried opening the door but it was locked.


    "This doesn''t look good," she said.


    "Step back, well break the door down," Nolan said.


    Mickie stepped aside and Nolan and Jay stood against the wall opposite the door. They counted to three, then ran forward and rammed the door with their shoulders. The wood cracked slightly around the doorframe but it didn''t open. They rammed it a second time and the door broke loose from the hinges and fell into Harper''s room with a crash.


    "Oh no," Nolan said as the icy air in the room filled their lungs. Harper''s window was broken. There was blood all over her cot and a trail of it leading out the window.


    Jay ran to the window and looked out. In the brightness of the day, he could clearly see splotches of bright red blood in the snow. "Hey, the blood isn''t covered up this time! We can follow the trail!"


    Nolan and Mickie were already headed to their rooms to get their coats. Jay had to push past a small crowd that had gathered in the hall to get his own. They met in the living room, where Kyrie and Trinity were waiting.


    "I want to go too," Kyrie said.


    Nolan opened the door and they filed out, then circled around toward Harper''s window. The snow was falling faintly, nothing like the wild gusts from the day before, and Jay could see the forest surrounding the camp much more clearly. It was dark and ominous, full of towering pines. The snow was still deep enough to hinder them, so they walked carefully, single-file, until they reached the bloodied snow. They gathered around it and Jay''s eyes tracked the red spots, and the large footprints beside them, as they made a line from Harper''s window straight out toward the forest.


    "Oh hell," Jay said, "we''re gonna have to go in there, aren''t we?"


    Nolan''s face was tense. "If we want to find out anything, yeah."


    Trinity placed a hand on Jay''s arm. "You can stay here if you want."


    Her tone had been so flat that Jay couldn''t tell if she was being nice or making fun of him. He gave an uneasy smile. "Nah, I''ll stick with you guys."


    The five of them walked as quickly as possible along the blood trail until they reached the edge of the woods. There was a small pause during which all of them seemed to take a deep breath before pressing on. The forest was quiet and dark, the trees blocking out most of the sunlight that had filled the yard of the camp. Occasionally they would hear snow falling from the branches and hitting the ground, but otherwise the forest was completely silent.


    In front of Jay, Nolan suddenly stopped and held his hand up to signal the others to wait. He squatted down and raked his hands through the snow. "The trail ends here."


    Jay looked down. The snow was pure white, not a hint of red anywhere, nor were there anymore footprints. "There''s nothing here," Jay said, gesturing toward the trees that surrounded them.


    Trinity looked back at the last drops of blood they had seen, several steps back. "The trail was pretty much making a straight line up til this point. Let''s keep going straight. We might find something."


    Everyone agreed, so they continued walking. Jay noticed that the snow seemed to be getting a little heavier, but he didn''t say anything. The others had probably noticed too, and he didn''t want to seem like he wanted to give up. Still, with the blood trail ending, it seemed unlikely that they would find Harper.


    After walking for twenty more minutes, they came to a clearing and all of them stopped at the same time, looking up with shocked and confused faces. Before them stood a huge metal fence. Jay guessed it was at least twenty-five feet tall. It was made of iron bars that were rusty, but still looked strong. ,


    "Oh my God," Trinity said, walking forward until she could reach out and touch the fence. The others did the same. The metal was so cold, Jay thought it was burning his fingers. He quickly pulled away and rubbed his hands together.


    Nolan looked from side to side. "It keeps going for as far as I can see."


    "We''re trapped in here," Mickie said, gazing up at the fence with dark, unreadable eyes.


    Kyrie still had her hands pressed against the metal, and Jay wondered how she could stand the pain. Her face was turned downward and she said, in a small voice, "We''re being punished."


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    "What?" Jay asked.


    She didn''t look up. "Maybe... maybe we''re here for a reason. Maybe... this is punishment for all the bad things we''ve done."


    Trinity frowned. "Hey, hold on. Maybe you''ve done something bad enough to deserve being locked up and killed by a pissed off Bigfoot, but I haven''t. Don''t go making assumptions about the rest of us."


    Nolan interrupted them. "The snow''s getting worse, we should head back for now."


    No one else said anything as they began walking away from the fence. Kyrie trailed behind them, her eyes downcast. Jay couldn''t help being curious about what she''d done that was so horrible, she thought she deserved this.


    As they trudged through the snow, the wind picked up and whipped at their faces, making an eerie sound as it blew through the trees. Jay looked up toward the sky. "Is it my imagination, or is it getting darker already?"


    Nolan was in front of the line and he answered without looking back. "It''s not your imagination. The days must be shorter here. We''re already losing light."


    Mickie was walking directly in front of Jay. "We''d better hurry," she said. "We definitely don''t want to be out here when it gets dark."


    It took them longer to get back to camp than it did to reach the fence, partly because the weather was worse and the wind was slowing them down, and partly because they all felt dejected. It was clear now that they couldn''t escape and couldn''t find help. And if they were trapped there, whoever had taken Scott and Harper was trapped there with them.


    The sun went down and darkness crept across the forest. To Jay, it seemed like the darkness was chasing them out of the trees as they broke free of the woods and entered the camp''s yard. They could see several faces in the living room window, watching for their return.


    Nolan was the first to the porch, so he opened the door and held it back for the rest of them. As Mickie passed through, the sound of howling pierced the silence of the evening and all of them jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Jay looked back at the forest, and though he spent the night convincing himself it had been his imagination, he thought he caught a glimpse of a tall, dark figure among the trees.


    Safely inside the living room, warming themselves up near the fireplace, the five who had ventured into the woods found themselves being hammered with questions.


    "Did you find Harper?"


    "Did you see any houses?"


    "Did you see a road?"


    Trinity looked up with an impatient expression. "Hold on a minute. We''ll explain everything as best we can," she said. "First of all, we didn''t find Harper, or Scott."


    "The trail ended in the middle of the woods," Nolan said. "We kept going in the same direction for a while after that until we had to stop."


    "Why did you have to stop?" Diego asked.


    "There''s a huge metal fence out there," Kyrie said.


    There were a few sounds of surprise and fear around the room. Quentin wheeled himself closer to Nolan and asked, "What''s a fence doing out there?"


    "To keep us trapped in here," Diego said, "right?"


    Nolan nodded quietly.


    "What about the monster?" Ginger asked. "Did you see it?"


    "No monster," Mickie answered her. "Probably just a crazy person, but we didn''t see anyone."


    "So we still know nothing," Diego said, "except that there''s a psychopath lurking around outside and we''re completely trapped. That''s fantastic. If anyone is dumb enough to sleep alone tonight, they deserve to get butchered."


    Jay stepped closer to Mickie. "Still gonna go it alone?" he asked.


    She gave him a half smile. "Are you trying to get me to bunk with you?"


    "What? No! I mean... if you wanted to... but no, seriously, I''m just worried about you."


    "I know, and I appreciate it," she said. "But don''t worry, I''m staying with Trinity tonight."


    Jay let out a sigh of relief. Between Mickie and Trinity, he almost felt sorry for whatever poor monster would try to attack two fierce girls like them.


    "Alright everyone," Trinity called, "it''s getting late so you better check your sleeping arrangements and get ready for lights out. Group up! Don''t be alone for any reason! If anyone hears or sees anything at all, come tell me or Nolan."


    Most of them were keeping the same arrangements from the night before, except Mickie and Trinity who were rooming together. Still, Jay went to Nolan''s room and got his cot ready while waiting for the others to join him.


    Nolan and Quentin were both quiet that night, and Jay didn''t feel like joking around. The situation was getting worse by the day, and there was no indication that it would be getting better anytime soon. Jay closed his eyes and slid into a restless sleep.


    A loud knocking at Nolan''s door caused Jay to snap awake and sit up. In the dark, he could make out Nolan''s form as the boy jumped out of bed and hurried to open the door. Jay joined him in time to see the dim light from the hall illuminate Kat''s face.


    "Leah is missing," she said simply.


    "The mousey girl who never talks?" Jay asked.


    Kat nodded. "We both had to use the bathroom, so we went together. I waited outside the door for her to finish, then went into the bathroom myself. She was supposed to wait in the hall for me, but when I opened the door, she was gone."


    "Have you checked your room?" Nolan asked. By this time everyone else was coming out of their rooms upon hearing the commotion in the hall.


    Kat nodded again. "I checked but she''s not there."


    "What about Leah''s room?" Jay asked.


    Kat looked down at the floor. "Her door is shut. I knocked but there was no answer. I didn''t want to open it and look. Not by myself."


    Jay was surprised by the hint of fear in Kat''s voice. It was the first time she''d shown any sign of being afraid of anything.


    Trinity and Mickie joined them as they headed to Leah''s room.


    "What would make Leah go back to her room instead of waiting for you?" Nolan asked.


    "Maybe she went to get a tampon," Trinity said. "If she went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, then ran to her room, it makes sense."


    Mickie nodded in agreement, and Kat said, "You''re probably right. I saw blood on some toilet paper in the garbage can in the bathroom."


    "That explains it then," Nolan said, and Jay wondered why the other boy didn''t seem uncomfortable with the conversation. Then he remembered that Nolan had younger siblings, which probably included a younger sister.


    They gathered outside Leah''s room and Jay swallowed before placing a shaky hand on the doorknob. He glanced at the others, then swung the door open. The bitter wind stung their eyes as it blew in through the broken window. The scene was painfully familiar to them now: blood all over the cot and floor, leading out the window and into the snow outside.


    Jay and the others backed out of the room and shut the door. The weather was too bad, and it was far too dark, for them to try following the trail into the woods again. Kat had lingered outside the room, and Jay realized she had never looked in the other rooms either, as if she was making sure to avoid seeing the blood. When she saw their faces, she understood immediately and left the hall without a word.


    Nolan stood in the middle of the group outside Leah''s room, eyes downcast and face tight. "New rules. Every night, we split into two groups. All the girls stay together. All the boys stay together. No exceptions. No one can be alone after the sun goes down. I don''t care if you''re taking a shit, someone better be in there with you."


    For once, Diego had nothing to say. The others huddled together in the hall, waiting for sunrise. Jay sat between Nolan and Mickie. Trinity, on the other side of Nolan, stood up and began to speak. "I think we should go over some facts," she said, "Number one, the attacks only happen at night. We can''t be sure they won''t happen during the day though, so everyone should stay on their guard no matter what time it is. Number two, only one person is taken each night. Whoever is doing this had a great opportunity to get several of us the first night, when we were all alone and vulnerable, but they only took one. I think this is important."


    "That''s probably why there''s plenty of food," Mickie said, "Whoever trapped us here wanted to make sure we survived at least thirteen nights."


    "But who''s doing this?" Quentin asked.


    Diego stood up. "Forget who! It''s some lunatic in the woods! I wanna know why. Why did it have to be us? Why were we sent here?"


    The hallway was quiet for several moments, then Mickie spoke up. "I think I know."


    Jay looked at her. In the dark, he couldn''t see her expression, but he felt her body go tense next to him. "What?"


    "I think I know why it had to be us," Mickie said.


    Diego stomped over to where she was sitting. "Then tell us!" he screamed impatiently.


    There was a pause, then Mickie asked, "How well do you all get along with your parents?"


    Jay hadn''t been expecting the question, but he suddenly imagined his mother''s face, angry, bitter, disappointed. Always disappointed.


    "What does that have to do with anything?" Diego asked.


    Mickie''s body tensed again beside Jay. He heard her exhale softly before she went on. "Around a week ago, I was using my dad''s computer and I found a weird website in his browser history. It was a place to sign up if you want your child to ''disappear''. The site said it was a free service, and all you had to do was fill in some information about your child and submit a picture."


    Jay felt his stomach tighten. He suddenly felt colder. "You think... our parents sent us here?"


    "That''s crazy!" Diego yelled.


    "Is it?" Mickie asked, raising her face to look at him. "How''s your relationship with your parents, Diego?"


    Diego was silent for several seconds, then he said, "That''s none of your business!" and sat back down.


    "You can believe it if you want. Actually, it might be better for you guys if you don''t believe it," Mickie said, "but I''m certain my dad sent me here to get rid of me. That''s probably what happened to all of you."


    The wind whipped against the camp and in the darkened hall, Jay could hear Ginger begin to cry.

 Chapter Four

    The next morning Jay joined Nolan on one of the couches in the living room. Nolan had been quiet since they checked Leah''s room the night before, and Jay was getting concerned.


    "Are you okay?"


    Nolan looked at Jay. His eyes were red and watery. "As okay as I can be, I guess."


    "So? You think Mickie''s right about our parents sending us here? You didn''t have anything to say about it last night."


    Nolan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don''t know. I can''t speak for anyone else, but I can say that I wouldn''t be the least bit surprised to find out I was sent here by my family."


    Jay''s eyes widened. "Really? Why?"


    Nolan glanced at him through sand-colored bangs. "My parents died three years ago. My aunt and uncle took us in, me and my siblings, two sisters and two brothers. At first, I thought they were kind, decent people. I mean, not everyone would agree to take care of five kids like that. But within a month, they were treating us like garbage. I''ll spare you the details, but I put up with it for as long as I could. Two months ago, I fought back. I punched my uncle when he tried to hit my sister again. Then I tried reporting them to child services. They threatened to kick me out, but they never did. I guess they found a better way to get rid of me."


    Jay sat in stunned silence for several moments before blurting out, "That''s messed up. You end up in this hell hole because you tried to protect your little sister? How is that fair?"


    Nolan gave a bitter little chuckle. "I realized three years ago that life has never been fair. So what about you?" he asked, sitting up straight again. "You think someone sent you here?"


    "Oh yeah, definitely my mom," Jay said flatly.


    Nolan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Your mom?"


    "It''s nothing dramatic like your story," Jay said, "but my mom hates me. As far as I can tell, she''s hated me since I was born. Makes me wonder why she didn''t just get an abortion and save us both the trouble."


    "Why would your mom hate you?" someone asked.


    Jay turned around in his seat to find Mickie standing behind the couch. "How long have you been here?"


    "Just got here, but I couldn''t help overhearing. Sorry."


    "Don''t worry about it," Jay said, motioning for her to sit down. "To answer your question, I have no idea why she hates me. All I know is, I''m apparently the reason for every bad thing that''s ever happened in her life. I''m the reason dad left, even though I was seven at the time. I''m the reason all her boyfriends dumped her. I''m the reason we''re always broke."


    Mickie was sitting beside him now and she looked at him with her dark, unreadable eyes. He realized, not for the first time, that he really liked her eyes. "That''s... sad," she said, and he felt a little embarrassed.


    "You said your dad sent you here, right?" Jay asked. "Feel like sharing why?"


    She hesitated for a while, as if thinking it over, then shrugged and said, "Why not? It''s pretty simple. The man who''s supposed to be my father is just a lazy, greedy playboy who knocked my mom up and then got stuck with custody when she died during childbirth. He never really wanted me and now he''s got a new girlfriend, who has kids of her own. Suddenly I''m in the way of the lifestyle he wants, so he made me disappear."


    "Could he just let you live with some of your mom''s family?" Jay asked.


    Mickie shook her head. "Believe me, he tried. He was gonna dump me off on the grandparents, but they were already dead when he looked them up. My mom was an only child, so I don''t have any aunts or uncles. We did find out my mom has a cousin, but we couldn''t find out where she lives now and dad couldn''t be bothered with tracking her down."


    "Again, that''s messed up," Jay said. "What the hell is wrong with parents, just getting rid of their kids like they''re throwing out old clothes or something."


    Mickie looked him straight in the eyes. "You probably know this already, given your situation, but some parents really don''t give a shit about their kids. All those family movies and feel-good tv shows we grew up watching lied to us. Parents aren''t these saintly, self-sacrificing angels who only want their children to be happy. Parents are just people. Selfish, greedy, human people."


    Jay thought of his mother, always yelling or screeching or throwing things, and he couldn''t remember ever being hugged by her. He couldn''t remember ever holding her hand or sitting in her lap. The one time she had broken down and cried, after a particularly nasty breakup when he was thirteen, he''d stood several feet away from her in the kitchen, his hands held stiffly by his sides. And it never even crossed his mind that he should go to her and hug her or comfort her, because she''d never comforted him, and the idea of it was foreign to him.


    He met Mickie''s gaze and said, "I think you''re right about that." When Trinity walked by, Jay stopped her. "It''s confessional hour. Wanna talk about why your parents hate you?"


    Trinity thought for a moment, then put one hand on her hip and flipped her dark brown curls over her shoulder. "Probably because my mom''s last three boyfriends tried to get with me and she wanted to get rid of the competition."


    "Wow," Jay said, not knowing what else to say.


    "Am I the only one who had good parents?" Nolan asked, "I guess I was pretty lucky until they died."


    Though Jay asked the rest of the others, only Quentin and Ginger were willing to share any information about their families. Quentin guessed his parents were tired of taking care of him and Ginger confessed that she''d been living with her grandparents in a homeless shelter. Jay privately wondered if her grandparents had thought "disappearing" was better than the life they could give her.


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    As the day wore on, some of the tension from last night began to dissipate. Nolan and Mickie made dinner for everyone, and they all gathered in the dining room to eat. When the sunlight began to fade outside the windows, Nolan stood up from the table. "Okay, it''s starting to get dark out, so we need to talk. It would be too cramped in the bedrooms, so I was thinking all the girls could sleep in the living room together and all the boys could sleep in the dining room."


    "They get couches and we get a table?" Diego asked. "How is that fair?"


    "Dude, just pull your cot in here," Jay said.


    Nolan ignored Diego and went on. "Also, someone from each group needs to keep watch at all times, so you need to plan out a schedule for taking turns. If you start to get sleepy while you''re on watch, for God''s sake wake someone up."


    Trinity stood up then. "We should also grab up anything that could be used as a weapon. There''s a fire poker in the living room and knives in the kitchen. If you see someone besides one of us, scream for help and run. But if you get cornered, fight!"


    Across the table, Jay saw Ginger trembling. Kyrie was beside her, patting her arm and saying, "I''ll protect you, don''t worry."


    Trinity gave them a reassuring smile. "So far the attacker has only taken people who were alone. They''re avoiding groups, so we should be okay as long as we stick together. Everyone remember what happened to Leah. Don''t go off alone, no matter what."


    After dinner, Jay volunteered to wash the dishes. Standing at the sink, he thought of home, of his mother, and remembered the time he''d dropped a teacup a little too hard into the drainer and a tiny piece of glass had chipped off the bottom edge. He''d dreaded telling his mother about it, but he''d decided to just get it over with when she walked into the kitchen to get some water. He was still drying the dishes when he held up the cup and said, "I think I chipped it when I put it in the drainer."


    His mother had looked at the cup, then rushed over and grabbed it, examining it closely and running her finger along the edge. She looked up at him with cold, angry eyes. "This was my favorite cup," she said.


    "I''m sorry, it was an accident. But it''s just chipped a little on the outside, so it should still be okay to use..."


    She suddenly threw the cup on the floor, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "You ruined my favorite cup! You did it on purpose, didn''t you, you little shit!"


    Jay had backed away from the sink, though he still had a dish towel in his hand. "I didn''t do it on purpose! I just-"


    "You just what?! And I didn''t ask you to wash the dishes anyway!"


    Jay lowered his eyes and clutched the towel. "I just... wanted to help."


    His mother reached into the drainer where several clean dishes were waiting to be dried and pulled them out, one by one. "Look at these! You did a shitty job of washing them! I have to do them all over, so you just wasted your time."


    Jay silently laid the towel on the counter and started to walk out.


    "Hey! Clean this mess up before you go hide out in your little shit hole room," she said, pointing to the smashed cup on the floor at her feet.


    Now, Jay found himself washing different cups, at a different sink, in a different place. He carefully laid them in the drainer to avoid chipping them, as if his mother would suddenly burst into the kitchen and begin screeching if he made a mistake. Instead, it was Mickie who walked in, holding a towel.


    "I''ll dry," she said with a smile.


    Jay reddened slightly and smiled back. "Thanks."


    After that, everyone went about setting up their sleeping arrangements. Diego grumbled as he dragged his cot into the dining room. After taking Quentin''s cot, Nolan and Jay brought their own. Caden was the last, wearing a dark hoodie zipped all the way up. Jay wondered if the room was colder than he thought and checked the coal heater in the corner.


    Nolan held out a large meat cleaver. "Think this would work as a weapon?"


    "Sure," Jay said, "but you''d have to get awfully close to the guy to use that."


    "How do you know it''s a guy?" Diego asked.


    Jay shrugged. "I don''t. It could be a girl, I guess. Or a monster. Who knows?"


    The boys said little else as they settled in for the night. When the lights shut off, Jay shuddered and tried to get comfortable. Nolan had the first watch, so he sat in a chair at the table, the meat cleaver clenched in his hand, watching the windows. Though he tried hard to fall asleep because he knew his turn to watch was coming up next, Jay was wide awake. He heard Caden snoring and wondered how anyone could sleep in this situation. His thoughts ran randomly from what Mickie was doing to how Ginger was faring to whether or not a meat cleaver did indeed make a good weapon.


    After around an hour, Quentin suddenly sat up. "I can''t fall asleep," he said.


    Jay sat up too. "Same here."


    "Is there anything you can think of that would make you sleepy?" Nolan asked, going into what Jay mentally dubbed "big brother mode".


    "A glass of milk, I guess," Quentin said, sounding a little embarrassed.


    "Alright," Nolan said, standing up. "The kitchen is right next door, but we''ll all go together. That''s the rule."


    Diego rolled over. "Some of us were actually sleeping, you know."


    "But you''re awake now, aren''t you?" Nolan said.


    Diego swore under his breath and got up, then walked over and nudged Caden. "Get up. Quentin wants milk so we all have to risk our lives to get it for him."


    Caden sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Ah, okay," he said sleepily.


    The five of them walked down the short corridor that led to the kitchen and Nolan opened the door carefully, looking inside as best he could in the dim light before motioning the others in. Jay went to the fridge and got the milk for Quentin, who was already holding a glass.


    Diego stood leaning against the counter, looking annoyed and Caden raided the fridge for a pudding cup. Jay was closest to the door to the living room, so he looked at Nolan and said, "Should we check on the girls?"


    Diego made his trademark derisive snort. "You wanna try peeping on those chicks? They''ve got a fire poker and they''re all in a shitty mood. Good luck with that."


    "No, that''s not what I... I mean I''m just concerned and..."


    Nolan interrupted Jay''s stammering. "I''m sure they''re fine. We would''ve heard something if there was trouble, and we might wake some of them up if we go in there."


    "Ah, yeah, you''re right," Jay said, feeling kind of like an idiot.


    "What was that?" Quentin asked all of a sudden.


    "What was what?" Diego said.


    "I thought I heard something. Like... footsteps outside."


    Nolan ran to the window and looked out. "I don''t see anything, but everyone be careful."


    All five boys remained completely silent, waiting to hear something. Jay strained his ears and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. And then glass shattered somewhere, and Quentin cried out in fear.


    "Shh!" Nolan said, creeping over to the door they had came through. It had sounded like the glass broke in the dining room.


    Diego backed up against the counter and Caden sat his pudding cup down.


    Nolan put one hand on the door and pushed it open very quietly. From his position, Jay could see down the small corridor leading to the dining room. Illuminated vaguely by tiny lights overhead, Jay could make out a figure standing in the hall. It was impossibly tall and gaunt, with long limbs, covered from head to toe in darkness. Jay froze, utterly terrified. Nolan backed away from the door, obviously having seen the same thing. As it slid closed, Jay saw the figure heading toward them.


    Then, before Jay could even process what he''d just seen, he saw swift movement in the corner of his eye. He looked over just in time to see Caden step behind Quentin and shove the wheelchair through the swinging door. As the door swung closed again, they heard Quentin screaming in terror.

 Chapter Five

    There was a moment of pure shock as Nolan and Jay stared at Caden with wide eyes and mouths hanging open, unable to believe what had just happened. But it was just a single moment, then Nolan ran through the swinging door and down the hall, calling Quentin''s name. Jay could see the empty wheelchair just inside the dining room before the door stopped swinging. When the shock passed, he ran over to Caden and punched him in the face, knocking the other boy to the tile floor.


    "You bastard! You sick little bastard!" Jay screamed, punching Caden again. "Why did you do that?!"


    Caden shoved him away with surprising strength and stood up. He smiled, and it was the most horrifying thing Jay had ever seen. "It was gonna kill one of us. Should I have let it be me?"


    Jay was taken aback. "I... I don''t know! But I know that was wrong! He was just fourteen! He was in a wheelchair for God''s sake! He had the least chance of fighting back and you knew it!"


    Caden was eerily calm as he straightened his hoodie. "Yeah, and now that thing is gone. We''re all safe for another night. You can hate me all you want, but I''m just being honest. I don''t intend to die here."


    Jay looked to Diego, hoping for some support, but Diego still seemed to be stunned. He was rooted to the spot, his hands gripping the edge of the counter and his eyes wide and vacant. Nolan returned to the kitchen, snow in his hair and his face red. He was breathing heavily. "I couldn''t catch up to them," he said. "Whatever that was, it was moving faster than anything I''ve ever seen. It headed into the woods."


    For a few seconds, Nolan stood leaning against the wall, catching his breath. Then, suddenly, he was gripping Caden by the collar and screaming, "Why?! Why the hell did you do that? You killed him!"


    Caden looked him in the eyes. "I did it to save myself, and I''m not ashamed of it. If it came right down to it, and you knew that thing was gonna kill you or Quentin, you''d do the same thing, you damn hypocrite."


    Nolan glared right back at him. "No, I wouldn''t."


    Caden stared at Nolan as if judging the truth of his words, then smiled that same unnerving smile and said, "Well, aren''t you noble. Sorry, but that''s not the kind of person I am. I''m just a regular filthy human being."


    Nolan loosened his grip and Caden pushed him away. Jay stood in front of Diego and gripped his shoulders. "Hey, snap out of it!"


    Diego blinked, looked at Jay, then pulled away from the counter and went to the window.


    Jay looked at Nolan, who was looking at the floor. "Are you okay?" Jay asked.


    Nolan lifted his eyes. They were glassy and red. "We should tell the girls."


    Jay nodded, but telling the girls about Quentin was the last thing he felt like doing. He hadn''t had the chance to deal with what had happened, what he''d just witnesed, so how was he supposed to explain it to anyone else? But they needed to know, and he knew Nolan couldn''t deal with this alone, so the two of them walked together into the living room.


    Trinity was on watch, standing near the fire. She had the fire poker in her hands and she looked up sharply when the boys entered the room. "You guys were in the kitchen, right? I thought I heard someone in there but I figured you guys were getting a snack or something."


    "Yeah, that''s how it started," Jay said.


    At that point Trinity must have noticed the looks on their faces because she sat down on the nearest couch and nudged Mickie, who was sleeping there. Within minutes, all of the girls were awake and waiting to hear what had happened.


    Nolan explained everything, his voice becoming more strained with every word. Trinity sat down beside him and took one of his hands in her own. Jay noticed that tears were leaking from her eyes. Ginger was crying in Kyrie''s arms. Mickie was wiping her eyes, and Kat was curled up on the couch, hugging her knees and staring at the fire with a blank expression.


    When finished, Nolan sank into the couch like a deflated balloon. Mickie started toward the kitchen, saying, "Where''s Caden?"


    "It''s no use talking to him," Nolan said. "I think there''s something wrong with him, with his mind. I looked straight in his eyes, and there wasn''t an ounce of remorse. I think he was actually proud of himself. He''s disturbed or broken or something."


    Jay resisted the urge to point out that he''d suspected something was off with Caden from the very beginning. What good did being right do now? Instead, he asked, "What do we do now? Whatever that thing was, it was heading right for all five of us. I guess being in a group didn''t scare it off."


    "I think we should all stay together at night," Trinity said. "No more splitting into boys and girls. Safety in numbers, you know? And everyone be wary of Caden."


    "Also," Mickie said, returning to the group, "I think it would be worth our time to go back to the fence tomorrow if the weather allows it. If we walk along it, we might find an opening of some kind."


    Nolan nodded and several people voiced agreement. Jay moved to the window and and watched the faintly falling snow. The sky looked mostly clear, and the light from the moon, almost full, illuminated the yard. The snow glittered like diamond sand. "Looks like it''ll be clear by morning," he said.


    Jay nodded off about an hour before sunrise, so he woke up feeling exhausted and, upon remembering the events of the night before, sick to his stomach as well. But they had to go back into the woods. They had to find a way out of there. He glanced around at the others, some napping but most of them lying awake or sitting up. He wondered which one of them would disappear into the darkness again, and it made him feel even sicker.


    It took around two hours for everyone to get up, have breakfast, which Nolan insisted on, and dress in their warmest clothes. Kat and Kyrie both remained on the couch in their jeans and sweaters. "Aren''t you coming?" Jay asked them.


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    Kat looked up from the book in her lap. "No thanks. I doubt you''ll find a way out, and if you do, you can send help."


    Trinity looked at Kyrie. "What about you?"


    Kyrie wouldn''t meet anyone''s eyes. "I just don''t think there''s any point," she muttered.


    "Alright," Nolan said, opening the door, "we''ll send help if we find a way out."


    Outside, it was as cold as ever, but the snow was so light that they could barely see the flakes falling. They walked as a group around the building until they found the now familiar large footprints in the snow along with red spots leading into the woods. Mickie glanced at the blood and then shot Caden a look, but he didn''t seem to be bothered by it in the least. They followed the trail, and when they reached the interior of the forest, Nolan stopped and faced them.


    "Everyone stay together. This is really important. Keep your hands in your pockets as much as possible to prevent exposure. If anyone starts to feel weak or tired or too cold, let someone know."


    They moved through the trees, following the footprints, without talking. Just as before, the footprints stopped in the middle of the woods, and just as before, Jay and the others kept going in the direction the prints had been leading. When they reached the metal fence, those who hadn''t seen it before looked at it in awe.


    "This thing is huge," Diego said, looking straight up.


    Ginger reached out a hand to touch it, but Jay stopped her, saying, "Be careful, the metal''s so cold, it feels like it''s burning your skin if you touch it." She withdrew her hand quickly and shoved it back in her coat pocket.


    "Let''s see how big this place is," Nolan said, beginning to move east along the fence. Everyone else followed.


    After walking for thirty minutes, Ginger sneezed and wiped her nose. "It''s too cold out here. Maybe we should go back."


    Trinity wrapped an arm around her. "Here, this might keep us both warmer," she said.


    They pressed on, and eventually reached a gate with tall metal bars the color of charcoal and a huge padlock visible on the outside. Nolan shoved the gate hard, but it didn''t budge at all. Mickie shook the metal bars and screamed, "Hey! Can anyone hear us? We need help!"


    Jay joined her at the gate, yelling, "Let us out! There''s a killer in here with us!"


    After several minutes of screaming and no response, the two of them walked dejectedly away from the gate.


    Diego crossed his arms over his chest. "You think they''re gonna let us out just because we ask?"


    "Actually, I was hoping a passerby might hear us and come investigate," Mickie said.


    Trinity reached through the bars and checked the padlock. "Too bad we don''t have anything to cut this with."


    "Could we dig underneath the gate and escape that way?" Ginger asked.


    Nolan smiled at her. "That''s a good idea, but right now the ground is frozen, so it would be too hard even if we had a shovel."


    "So do we keep following the fence or what?" Jay asked.


    Trinity nodded. "We might as well see how far it goes. Is everyone okay with that?"


    There were reluctant nods all around, then the group continued moving. They trudged through the snow for another half hour before Nolan, in front, stopped suddenly. The others peered around him and saw what had made him freeze.


    The fence itself was connected to an enormous, steep cliff that jutted out from a tall hillside. And nestled inside that cliff was a rather large cave opening. Jay heard small gasps behind him as they made their way toward the cave and then stood in a half-circle, facing it.


    Diego tried to look inside, but kept his distance. "What is this?"


    Trinity was squatting down just outside the mouth of the cave, looking at the snow. "I''m guessing this is where our monster lives. Look," she said, pointing at the ground, "more footprints."


    Sure enough, the distinctive large footprints were leading into the cave. Jay shivered, realizing they were dangerously close to the creature he''d seen last night. Nolan began walking toward the cave entrance. "I''ll check it out," he said.


    Before any of them could stop him, a voice rang out behind them, yelling, "Don''t go in the cave!"


    They all whirled around to find the source of the voice. Jay quickly spotted a woman in the distance, standing among the trees. She wore a long brown coat and had dark hair that whipped around her in the wind.


    "Who the hell is that?" Diego demanded.


    "Someone who has answers!" Trinity said, taking off in a run toward the woman, who disappeared into the woods.


    The others followed Trinity, chasing after the mysterious woman. They ran for several minutes, following the set of light footprints as they zigzagged through the trees. The woman was obviously trying to lose them. Jay was beginning to feel out of breath, and Ginger was slowing down, so he stopped running and walked beside the younger girl. In front of him, the others began to slow to a jog, then stop altogether.


    "The trail ends here," Trinity said. Indeed, the footprints seemed to have stopped all at once, just like the larger ones they''d followed earlier.


    "What is going on in this forest?" Jay asked, catching his breath. He definitely wasn''t used to running very much.


    Diego was panting beside him. "I just wanna know who that was. If she''s been trapped in here with us all this time, why haven''t we seen her before?"


    "She might be the one who trapped us here in the first place," Mickie said.


    Trinity''s eyes lit up. "In that case she might have a key to the padlock!"


    "Yeah, but she''s gone now," Jay told her, motioning to the now dead trail.


    "We might run into her again," Nolan said.


    Mickie looked up at the sky. "Clouds are rolling in. It''ll be dark soon. We should probably head back to the camp."


    Ginger began crying then, burying her face in her hands and shaking as she choked out, "I can''t! I can''t take another night there! I don''t want to end up like Quentin!"


    Jay stopped and put an arm around her. "We''re all gonna stay together tonight," he said, "so don''t worry. We''ll kill whoever or whatever that was and then we''ll find that woman and make her let us out."


    Ginger wiped away the tears on her face. "I know everyone thinks I''m acting like a baby. But I''m scared! I''ve never been away from my grandparents before. Not even for one night! And now we''re all gonna die out here!"


    Trinity walked over and firmly grabbed Ginger''s shoulder. "We''re not all gonna die! We''ll make it out of here and go home, I promise."


    Ginger sniffled and nodded, and the group headed back to the camp.


    When they arrived, Kat and Kyrie were still on the couch, and Jay wondered if they''d ever moved. Nolan told them about the gate, the cave, and the woman in the woods. Kyrie listened with great interest but Kat seemed to care little about the new information. When finished, Nolan asked them if they''d seen or heard anything.


    "Nope," Kat said, still flipping through an old book, "but I did find something useful." Without looking away from the book, she reached behind a throw pillow and pulled out a flashlight.


    "Where did you find that?" Nolan asked.


    "In one of the kitchen cabinets."


    "That could be really handy tonight," Jay said, sitting down near Kat.


    Trinity sat down with them and said, "Can I?" before taking the flashlight from Kat''s hand. She checked that it worked and then handed it back to Kat. "This could be a big help. We''re definitely at a disadvantage at night because the lights go out and we can''t see very clearly."


    Kat pushed the flashlight back into Trinity''s hands. "You hold onto it," she said. "You''ll get more use out of it than I will."


    "Are you sure?" Trinity asked.


    "Yep."


    Trinity stood up and slipped the flashlight into the pocket of her jacket.


    That evening, everyone had dinner and then gathered in the living room when the sun went down. They huddled together near the fire, holding fire pokers, knives, and other makeshift weapons as the lights went out. Ginger planted herself between Nolan and Kyrie, and even in the dim,flickering light of the fire, Jay could see that she was trembling.


    Outside, the wind blew wildly as the snow picked up again, and something began to howl. As they sat shivering from fear rather than cold, the sharp sound of glass breaking came from the hallway that led to the bedrooms, and much colder air drifted in. People began to panic and scream, and amidst the chaos, Jay could hear Caden laughing hysterically.

 Chapter Six

    The sound of heavy footsteps came from the hall, walking slowly toward the living room where everyone sat together, gripping each other''s hands and their pitiful weapons. Ginger was screaming, an inconsolable mess, and Caden was laughing like a madman. Nolan was trying to get them to be quiet and Trinity had moved to the front of the group, brandishing the fire poker like a sword. With the orange glow of the flames highlighting her smooth, strong face, Jay thought she looked like some kind of warrior goddess. But then he remembered she was just a teenager with a fire poker, and he reached for Mickie''s hand.


    As the footsteps drew closer, they could hear a low, growling sound that sent chills up and down Jay''s spine. He clutched a kitchen knife in his left hand, but wondered how desperate or crazy he''d have to be to try and fight that thing with a knife. He glanced at Mickie and decided that, if it came down to it, he would try to fight.


    Just as Jay was gathering what little courage he had, someone stood up and moved past Trinity, heading toward the hall. In the dancing light of the fire, Jay realized it was Kyrie.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" he said, trying to keep his voice low.


    Kyrie turned around to look at them, but her face was shadowed and impossible to see clearly. "It''s not fair, for someone like me to keep living while the rest of you get taken before me."


    Trinity lowered the poker slightly, her eyes wide with surprise. "What are you talking about? Get behind me!"


    Kyrie shook her head. "I told you already. This is punishment. I deserve this. I... killed my little sister... when I was nine. We were playing by a stream and she pulled my hair, so I pushed her and..." The words trailed off, too horrible for her to speak them. She lowered her head for a moment then looked up again. "That''s why my parents sent me here. They couldn''t see me as their child anymore. They only saw me as the person who killed their daughter. And I can''t remember... I can''t remember if I did it on purpose or not. So it should be me this time."


    Jay stood up then. "That''s ridiculous! No one deserves to die like this! Who cares what happened when you were nine? You were just a little kid!"


    Ginger stood up too, her whole body shaking as she cried, "Please don''t go, Kyrie!"


    Kyrie shook her head again. "I''m sorry, but please don''t try to stop me. Like I said, it''s not fair if it''s one of you instead of me."


    Jay turned to see the others'' reactions, and while most of them were crying or telling Kyrie not to go, Jay noticed that Kat''s perpetually dull expression had changed to shock. Before he could even wonder about it, Kyrie broke into a run and disappeared into the hall, leaving the rest of them stunned.


    They heard more growling, louder and more aggressive, and then a thumping sound. Finally, they heard the heavy footsteps dragging something quickly away. All Jay could think was, "She didn''t even scream."


    Everyone sat on the couches in silence, no one wanting to talk. They remained that way until sunrise, when Trinity suggested that they all try to get some sleep while it was safe to do so. They were all so exhausted, physically and emotionally, that they fell sleep easily despite the fear and despair that had gripped them all the more strongly since last night.


    A little before noon, they began waking up, it was like they''d all had a delayed reaction to Kyrie''s sacrifice. Ginger began sobbing loudly, Trinity hugging her while tears streamed down her own face. Nolan sat with his face in his hands, while Diego was nothing but stony silence. Kat seemed more withdrawn than usual, and Caden stood looking out the window, smiling to himself as if he''d just remembered a funny joke.


    Mickie sat beside Jay, looking numb until he patted her arm gently and said, "Are you alright?"


    She blinked and looked at him. "Oh... yeah. I''m okay."


    "Wanna talk about it?" he asked, trying to disguise the fact that he needed to talk about it.


    "I was just thinking," she said, looking away from him, "maybe Kyrie was right. Maybe this is punishment. Maybe we all did something horrible and we just don''t remember it, or it was something we didn''t think was that bad, but it hurt someone else really bad."


    Jay suddenly remembered something from several months before, when he was feeling sorry for his mother because she''d been fired from yet another job. She was in the living room, sulking on the sofa, when he came in and said, "I can get a part-time job to help with the bills until you find another job." He''d thought hard about what he could do to help their situation, and this was all he could come up with.


    She''d looked up at him then with venom in her bleary eyes. "Oh yeah, your minimum wage paycheck would save the day," she said bitterly. "Don''t be an idiot, Jay. I''d spend more money driving your ass to work and back than you could make flipping burgers."


    He''d felt embarrassed and stupid, not because he hadn''t considered the cost of travel to and from work, but because he''d actually thought for a minute that she would appreciate his attempt to help. Of course he knew any money he made wouldn''t be enough, but it would be better than nothing. But she had swatted down his offer and made him feel like a moron.


    "Well?" she asked, as he stood in the doorway. "Any more genius ideas? Wanna make a lemonade stand in the yard? Wanna collect cans? Since you''re so full of wisdom right now, you might as well get all your brilliant ideas out at once."


    "No, I just... I thought I could help and..."


    "I don''t need your help, you useless child!" she screamed, standing up. Jay took a reflexive step back. She''d never hit him before, but she''d always seemed like she was on the verge of just snapping and attacking him, so her angry outbursts left him on edge.


    "This is all your fault!" she yelled, over and over like a mantra. Jay had backed away and then went up to his room, closing the door and trying to drown out her voice.


    He remembered clearly that he had tried, on several occasions, to be good to his mother. He''d tried to show kindness to a woman who had shown him only anger and hate. He wasn''t perfect, he wasn''t a saint, but he''d tried to be a decent person, in spite of how she''d raised him.


    Jay put his hand on Mickie''s shoulder to draw her gaze back to his face. "I''m sorry, but I refuse to believe that. We''re not bad kids. Well, except for Caden, maybe. But I don''t deserve this, and you don''t deserve this. And Nolan and Trinity and Ginger definitely don''t deserve this. And Kat and probably even Diego. Someone is doing this to us for a reason, and we need to figure out why before we all get wiped out."


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    Trinity looked up. "You''re right. We can''t lose anyone else. Tomorrow, let''s find that woman and make her talk, no matter what."


    "Yeah," Mickie said, putting her hand over Jay''s. "We can do this. We can make her open the gate."


    Several of the others agreed, and Jay''s pep talk seemed to have lifted their spirits slightly. He grinned, happy that, for once, an attempt to help actually worked out. As everyone began discussing a plan of action, Mickie leaned in close and whispered, "Thank you, Jay."


    His face reddened and he stammered out, "No problem."


    "Okay," Trinity said, gently pulling herself away from Ginger and standing up, "That woman obviously didn''t want us to go inside the cave, so I think we can draw her out by going back to it."


    "That''s a good idea," Nolan said. "I also think we should check the cave out. If she didn''t want us in there, maybe there are clues about what''s going on inside."


    "Maybe some of us could chase after her while the rest look in the cave," Jay suggested.


    "So who are the fastest runners here?" Mickie asked.


    Diego stood up. "I''m on my school track team. I''m probably the fastest person here."


    Trinity put one hand on her hip. "Oh really? I''m on the track team too. So I guess we''ll be pairing up for this little mission."


    "Think you can catch her?" Jay asked.


    Trinity nodded. "Last time we were so shocked and confused by her appearance that she got away before we really started chasing her. This time we''ll be ready to go."


    "And while you two chase her," Mickie said, "Jay and I will check out the cave."


    Jay blinked. "We will?"


    She squeezed his hand. "You''re the one who got us all pumped up to find a way out of here. You might as well lead the charge."


    Jay smiled uneasily. "Uh, sure. That makes sense. We''ll take the flashlight."


    "If that thing actually lives in the cave," Nolan said, looking at Jay and Mickie, "don''t try to confront it. Just check things out and come back, as quickly as you can."


    "You don''t have to worry about that, trust me," Jay said.


    "I think the rest of us should stay here," Nolan told them. "The more people go, the more likely we''ll wake that thing up if it is sleeping in the cave."


    Everyone agreed on the plan, and after eating some light breakfast to give them energy, Jay, Mickie, Diego, and Trinity headed outside. As they trekked through the woods, Trinity handed Jay the flashlight. "You''ll need this in the cave."


    He thanked her and shoved it into his coat pocket, then rubbed his hands together and blew his own hot breath on them. Beside him, Mickie was calm and determined, looking forward with a serious expression. He was happy that his words had affected her, but now he was starting to worry that she might do something reckless.


    "Hey, Mickie," he started, "If we find that thing sleeping in the cave, you''re not gonna... you know... try to kill it or something, are you?"


    She looked at him with the expression worn by people who''d been caught doing something they shouldn''t. She hesitated too long, then said, "Oh, no... I''m not planning to."


    "You''re being really obvious," Jay said, "Please don''t get us both killed. I know it would be nice to save everyone, but it''s more likely we''d just piss it off and end up dead."


    She sighed. "Alright. I won''t do anything stupid, I promise."


    "Great. I appreciate it," Jay replied.


    "God, just get a room or something," Diego said from in front of them.


    Trinity grinned. "I think somebody''s jealous."


    Diego rolled his eyes. "Yeah, starting a relationship with someone when we''re all getting killed off one by one is the best idea I''ve ever heard. Maybe I''ll make a move on Kat when we get back."


    Jay frowned. "What is with you, dude? Is asshole your default setting or something?"


    Diego didn''t look back. "I just want out of this place. I never liked being cooped up."


    "Are you sure you have somewhere to go back to?" Mickie asked.


    "What, you want me to start crying to you guys about why my parents sent me to this God forsaken place?" Diego asked, still trudging through the snow. "Here''s an easy answer for you: I''m a trouble-maker. I make trouble. For everyone, apparently. No drama, no tragic history, no traumatic event. I live in the suburbs for God''s sake. My mom is president of the PTA. I guess they just got tired of having a screw-up for a son."


    "Wow," Jay said, "That''s... actually pretty sad. I mean, you''re an asshole but you don''t seem like that bad of a person."


    "I''m not," Diego said. "I pissed off a lot of people and I guess that included my parents, so here I am. End of story."


    Trinity interrupted them. "Okay, guys, we''re here."


    The cave was as dark and menacing as Jay remembered. He and Mickie stepped closer, while Jay and Trinity waited several steps back and kept a lookout for the mystery woman. The closer they got to the entrance, the more Jay''s palms were sweating inside his pockets. His hand was on the flashlight. Mickie was by his side. He was as ready as he ever would be. As he set one foot inside the mouth of the cave, he heard a woman''s voice yell, "No! Don''t go in there!"


    Before Jay could turn around, Trinity and Diego were already running. He mentally wished them luck as they disappeared into the woods, glanced at Mickie to be sure she was ready, and together they walked on in.


    He pulled out the flashlight and turned it on. In the narrow beam of light, he could at least be sure there were no holes they could potentially step in and that they weren''t walking into any walls. Above them, icicles glistened along the cave ceiling and Jay felt nervous. "Those things don''t usually fall, do they?" he asked, shining the light on the sharp peaks of ice pointing toward their heads.


    "I don''t think so," Mickie said, taking his free hand and leading him further in as he turned the light back to the path before them.


    The cave was cold, but not as cold as it was outside, where the wind continuously blew snow at their faces. The further in they went, the more quiet it was, as the sound of the wind grew fainter and fainter. After walking carefully for several minutes, Mickie said, "Shine the light over here."


    She was pointing at the wall to her left, so Jay aimed the flashlight and, surprisingly, illuminated some crude drawings. There were dozens of them, all depicting people with long hair and wolf-like heads. In several of the drawings, they were dragging or eating what appeared to be children.


    "Oh God," Jay whispered.


    "How long has this been going on?" Mickie asked under her breath.


    "I''m not sure I wanna know. Should we keep going?"


    She nodded, and together they pressed on. After rounding a corner, they ended up in a large, open area. As soon as they stepped in, they were assaulted by a foul odor that had them rushing to cover their noses with the collars of their zipped-up coats. And in the dark, they heard a sound that caused them both to freeze where they stood. It was a cross between a snore and a growl, and they instantly knew that something else was in the cave with them.


    Jay hesitantly moved the beam of the flashlight around, trying to find the source of the noise. When it fell on a large, human-shaped figure lying on piles of straw, Jay panicked and almost dropped the flashlight. It fumbled from his hand but he caught it in the crook of his elbow. He pointed the light at the figure again, and realized that what he''d thought was black clothing was actually dark-colored animal furs hanging all over the figure''s body. Jay immediately thought of a caveman, but he never imagined one would be this big.


    The figure made another growling sound and rolled over in its sleep. Terrified of waking it, Jay took Mickie''s hand and hurried back through the path they had taken. They moved quietly but quickly, and Jay shined the light behind them every few seconds, paranoid that they were being followed.


    Once they were outside the cave, Jay turned off the flashlight and dropped to his knees. "Oh my God. Oh my God. What was that?"


    Mickie was still standing, but she was clearly shaken. Her normally rich-colored skin looked oddly pale and her voice trembled as she said, "I have no idea. But that''s definitely the same thing that attacked us."


    Jay stood up. "Let''s go see if Diego and Trinity had any luck."


    They headed back through the forest, walking at a brisk speed because they were both excited to find out if the woman had been found. As they neared the camp, they broke into a run, then came to a sudden stop when they saw Trinity and Diego standing beside each other in the yard, their backs to the woods.


    "Hey, what happened?" Jay called, approaching them. The two of them turned around, and when they moved, he saw a woman sitting in the snow, looking down and avoiding their eyes.


    "We caught her," Diego said breathlessly, and for the first time since he''d woken up there, Jay felt like they had finally made some progress.