A Deadly Winter Retreat

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THE COLD CHILL seeped into my skin as snowflakes continued to fall steadily from the sky. I trudged through the thick clumps of snow, the scent of pine filling the frosty air with each breath I took. I couldn't deny that fear had taken hold of me. I had no clue which path would lead me back to the cabin.

I scanned my surroundings, desperately hoping for familiarity, but none came. Feeling utterly lost with each passing moment, the threat of freezing to death became more real.

As I forged ahead through the snow, my eyes darted around the landscape, searching for any sign of another cabin where I could possibly seek out help, but regrettably, no other cabins were in sight.

Without my phone, I was stuck. I was lost. I didn't even have a Smartwatch. I had nothing and felt as though I was welcoming death to grab hold of me. That's when I realized I had no choice but to accept the fate being handed to me until I heard the hissing sounds of tires on a truck as they plowed through the snowstorm. My heart descended into the pit of my stomach. I just knew right then, and there they had found me.

Panicked, my eyes darted from left to right, desperately searching for an escape. Anywhere. I'd even climb a tree if I had to. But they were all full of ice. I gulped as I realized I was stuck and had nowhere to goto settle. Nowhere to run but to continue my journey through the dark and empty forest.

I ran faster than I imagined my feet could carry me. The wind biting at my face, striking my cheeks, I endured a delicate pain. Maintaining my momentum, I refused to let them capture me again. Nervously, I stared out ahead at the snowy path in front of me. However, all I saw were the frosty-covered trees and the bushes. I was hoping with all my being that somewhere behind the landscape lay a row of cabins where I could retreat to safety.

"Help!" I frantically yelled out into the forest. As I continued to run, the sound of the tires grew closer, and just then, I fell face-first into the snow.

***

"How dare you run from us?" A deep, authoritative voice cut through the air, jolting me back into consciousness.

Blinking away, the haziness clouded my vision, and I struggled to sit up. A disorienting grogginess lingered within me, and I couldn't shake it. I felt as though they had drugged me. The unyielding touch of the hardwood floor pressed against my back was a cruel reminder of my surreal situation.

Raising my head, I avoided meeting the eyes of those who had entangled me in their wrath. I maintained my gaze on the hardwood surface beneath me, refusing to grant the satisfaction of acknowledging the devils who sophisticatedly orchestrated my captivity.

The man let out a vicious, burly laugh. Slowly, I raised my gaze, staring at him as if he were a decrepit crypt keeper. He stood there. His dark eyes were brimming with sadistic joy as he gazed down at me while I stood helpless on the hard, cold floor. In his black boots, he stepped closer. I scooted backward, placing my hands on the side of me as I slid my bottom back. Gripped by the hands of despair, it clung relentlessly to my core. Terror invaded my very being, coursing through my veins like a relentless current.

"What do you want from me?!" I demanded, my body shivering in the chill."We want you!" The man yelled back.

"Who are you!" I shouted, the words tearing through the air with the weight of my mental and emotional anguish.

Another man walked out from the hallway into the room where they initially put me. He had his hands stuffed into the pocket of his black jeans. A black t-shirt covered his long torso. He placed his hand over his face, grabbed the mask that concealed it, and viciously ripped it off.

"Who are you?!" I shouted, realizing I had never seen him a day.

"That's none of your business!" He yelled back as he stepped closer to me.

"What did you do to my friends?!" I cried.

Another man appeared as his figure loomed in the doorway. He sauntered into the room with the slowness of a turtle as his shadow eerily crept alongside him. He appeared to be dressed in the same attire as the man standing over me, except for the chains the man carried in his hands. I gulped as my eyes fixated on the chains. I immediately knew what that meant.

They were going to chain me up.

I screamed with my entire being, pleading with them to let me go.

"Please, please!" I begged. "I'll do anything. Just please let me go!" Trembling, I frantically shook my head. Desperate for them to see how frightened I was. However, it was useless. They were going to keep me as their hostage in whatever sick game they were playing.

"You owe her!" The man shouted in my face. His breath left behind a wave of frosty air.

"I owe who what?!" I asked impatiently as my legs shook uncontrollably.

The man bent down behind me, grabbed my hands, and wrapped the metal chain around them. I winced as the cold metal weighed down my wrists.

"You owe her!"