Prey

Prey of the Ranger

"Fucking hell," I mumbled.

The sky was bright, like staring into a fluorescent light bulb. I opened my eyes, limbs numb in a cold blanket of wet ice. My brain didn't seem to function for a moment and I was just fine with lying in the snow for the long haul. As if on cue, a fat snowflake fell into my glazed-over eye. As soon as it made contact, like a computer switching on, I began to process the situation. My hands and feet stung with cold (like my eye now did). My head throbbed where it rested, my ears ringing like a someone had emptied a clip next to my head.

I sat up casually, everything pulling back into focus. What a nice nap in the slush. 

A smashed ATV helmet rolled away from me. I had disturbed it when I moved. I wiped my wet hair off my face. Why did a have a helmet if I wasn't going to wear it?

I sighed, shoving my hands into my armpits. I managed to lift myself out of the snow, legs too numb to refuse. Did I seriously come out here in jeans and a hoodie? What was I thinking? Was I drunk? Probably.

A flimsy, plastic sled sat in the woods a few meters away, an offensive shade of toothpaste-blue. From the looks of things, I had taken a joyride after a few beers, thought "fuck it, safety first", and brought my helmet along for the trip. A lot of good it did. It felt like I got real familiar with the tree on my right. Birch tree to the face; I'll be sure to cross that off my list of hangover cures.

I gagged a bit. Stale vodka is not the nicest taste to wake up to. I pressed my arms closer to my chest. My ribs ached, probably from my close encounter of the wooden kind. I gazed up the icy slope behind me and out over the little stream down the hill. I decided to retrace my steps rather than stumble blindly in the general direction of my destination before I hit the tree. My friends will never let me live down this little stunt.

"Hey, remember that time you got wasted and ran into that tree?" I could almost hear Dallas say, probably hammered at that point. "That weekend at Magpie Point..."

"Oh, yeah..." I remembered.

My buddy, Dallas had invited me to stay at his uncle's cabin over spring break. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from my family for a few days, a real break. We've been friends since grade school and we've known each other for even longer. Even though his judgment is questionable, we always seem to make it out mostly unscathed. Mostly.

I continued to trudge through the slush. This is ridiculous, I grumbled to myself. In two days this hill will be dry. The seasons up north can be temperamental; Snowstorm in April and the next day, sunny skies. No joke, it has happened.

I was able to see over the crest of the hill, the cabin coming into view. Large, interlocked logs gleaming slightly in the morning sun. I made the last several yards and stomped up the porch steps. I banged on the door and within moments it was flung open. Dallas looked me up and down, still in flannel pajamas.

"You look like shit."

I'm sure as awful as I looked, pale and shivering, I felt worse.

"Heh, yeah," I managed, tongue thick and mind sluggish.

"Get in here, you're drenched," He remarked, ushering me in.

As if I didn't know, I grumbled silently, wrestling my wet shoes off my feet.

"Where the hell did you go last night?" He asked, moving into the bedroom.

"I don't remember," I sighed, left standing awkwardly in the living room.

The cabin was a single story, three rooms; the living room/dining room with kitchenette and fireplace, the bedroom and half bathroom. There was only one bed, so I crashed on the couch.