“Damn, it’s freezing out here!”

The wind made it difficult to hear, so Lenore tried again, raising her voice against the blizzard of snow and ice. Chris, who was far too engrossed in snapping pictures, finally glanced in his friend’s direction. His smile was almost hidden by his beard, which was thoroughly caked with frost.

“It’s amazing, I know!” His snowshoes crunched over ice as he started towards a cave.He was observing one of the biggest snowstorms of the century. Collecting visual data, photographs, testaments from nearby residents who lived in Ashland Reign, the town cursed with perpetual ice. It was also the town cursed with something known as the White Beast. A creature that emerged in the bitter cold and devoured humans during the dark months of winter. It was a tale centuries old. So old, in fact, and so bizarre that Lenore claimed Chris had made it up simply for the sake of his documentation. And for the sake of having her come with him. He would need a witness, and a co-photographer, when he discovers the frosty creature.

Moreover, there was always something unsettling about the winter air. A strange type of quiet emerges in those cold months. Blanketing the town not only in frost, but something almost ominous. At least, that’s what Chris had read weeks before the trip. He was dying to uncover more information. Just imagine, he had said to her on the flight over, a front page heading. I’d finally be making a name for myself, Leni! He was being paid for his work, too. Compensated with a week’s worth of vacation in the best inn Ashland Reign had to offer.

All the while Lenore stood in the shivering cold, rubbing her hands along her arms to keep warm. She was the only one who agreed to accompany him. And her reason was simply, “I could use a vacation before next semester begins.”

But, alas, here she was. Trudging along the snow with a backpack heavier than the one she used for college. Her stressed and exhaling breaths a mixture of exhaustion and borderline hypothermia.

“I thought you said we’d be able to check in first before you start working?”

“Nope, not yet!” Another snap. “We check in at four.” It was only two fifteen, and Lenore couldn’t feel her face anymore. She looked back to the rental van and sighed, her breath floating into the icy air. “Besides, we can collect more data now before the blizzard gets worse.”

Lenore reluctantly nodded. She was freezing her ass off, but if it meant that he’d be able to work on his assignment, she’d muster through the frozen cold. And Ashland Reign’s Inn did have a spa and a fireplace (at least, that’s what the brochure said). She sighed, rubbed her dripping nose on her scarf, and marched forward.

Chris was standing at the opening of a cave. Lenore could only see so much before it disappeared into the depth of the mountain. He looked to Lenore and called out, in his reporter voice, “This is the Broken Cave, where dozens of Ashland Reign residents and tourists have gone to seek shelter, but have never returned.”

A pause. Lenore adjusted the weight of her backpack.

“Let’s go in!”

“Wait!” She stumbled after him as he entered the mouth. It was much quieter. And twice as cold. “You want to go inside? I thought you needed pictures of the snow?”

“Well, yes, but.” Chris took out a portable lamp from his backpack. It clicked to life, illuminating the space around them. “I need more story, and since this cave has more questions than answers, I figure we can start here.”

“I-I don’t know.” She turned to look back at the opening and stopped in place. “What if something bad happens? Don’t you think we should--”

“It’s going to be fine, Leni. Plus, I’m pretty much an expert.” He clapped a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “ I don’t want to pressure you if you want to stay behind. But I need to do my job.” And at that, he gestured to the camera strapped around his neck. Almost as if it was some kind of sacred weapon.

Lenore offered a hesitant smile. She readjusted her backpack and slipped out her phone to use as extra light.

“Alright, fine. But this isn’t what I was thinking when you said ‘Hey, let’s go on a winter vacation!’”

His laugh echoed around the darkness of the cave. And for a moment, Lenore thought she heard another sound. Something low and deep. But before she could question it, Chris nudged her to keep moving.

They continued on, with Lenore close to Chris, gingerly brushing against his arm to make sure she doesn’t lose him. They had been walking for almost an hour. The cave getting colder and darker. The air getting quieter. Chris taking more pictures. Lenore eventually steeling herself to his side, wrapped around his arm like an anaconda.

And then, she heard it again. A dark drawl. Almost like the sound of a growl. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shake. She gestured for Chris to stop.

“Hear that?” she whispered.

“No, what?”

“That sound--”

It was like she was falling through thin air. The ground beneath their feet cracked open. Swallowing the two into the heart of the cave. She was slipping through time and bathing in the coldness of space. It wrapped around her like a blanket. She couldn’t stop screaming.

<><><>

When she awoke, her eyes adjusted to the dim blue around her. Her body was slick and sore, pulsing with pain. She could but only lift her head. “Chris? What happened?”

She struggled to sit up, to speak again. Pain was locking her muscles in place. Binding her legs and arms.

And then, in the azure darkness, a voice rose, floating on the cold air of the underground.

Dark and echoed.

And it said, “Who dares enter my realm?”