An Unwelcome Guest

To say the Sawtooth Mountains of Minnesota were cold was an understatement. No, they were heartless and frigid. It wasn’t often I had enough time off work to enjoy my hobbies. This weekend, me and the boys from work at the brewery were going to the mountains. Iron Creek Trail was certainly no easy trek in the dead of winter, but it’d been our tradition for nearly three years.

When Friday afternoon rolled around, I ducked out of work early to find Earl and Chuck already waiting for me at my truck. Slung across their backs were a set of heavy packs and a rifle each. The grin on my face spread ear to ear as I hopped into the truck “You ready boys?”

Chuck had a sad look on his face as he nodded “You know it.”

Earl whooped and hollered as he clambered into the back seat “We gonna bag us a cougar for certain this year!”

Chuck shook his head slightly as he tossed his stuff into the back and joined me in the front seat “What’re you gonna do with a whole ass cougar, Earl? You don’t got room in that tiny house of yours to fit a taxidermy like that. Not with all them kids’ mountain bikes and shit.”

Earl’s good mood was unshaken “Hell if I know! Maybe I’ll cook it up and eat the thing! Never tried cougar meat before!”

I grimaced “You’ve lived here long enough to know there aren’t any cougars in those mountains. Haven’t been for at least 100 years. You’ll be lucky to catch a bobcat.”

We continued to chatter on the winding drive up to the mountains. We only hiked a mile or two before setting up camp. We didn’t want to be out galivanting around the freezing wilderness in the middle of the night.

Earl popped open a can of beer and began to chug. With a belch he exclaimed “That new manager is something else! Thank God we’re finally out on this trip, I needed a chance to relax and shoot something!”

I cleared my throat “That’s not really the reason we come out here, ya know?”

Chuck’s eyes remained glued to the fire, not willing to contribute to the conversation.

Earl continued anyway “That buck last year was really something, wasn’t it?”

I popped my own can open “Yup, sure do. Still got the thing’s head mounted above my fireplace.”

Chuck sighed “The wife must love that.”

I sipped my beer and nodded “Eh, could be worse. She isn’t exactly thrilled, but she lets me keep it.”

Earl huffed “Better than my wife! Damn woman has me on a ball and chain lately. Can you pick up the kids from school? It’s your turn to take out the trash! Why are you following OnlyFans models? You flirting with the neighbor’s wife again?”

I eyed Earl “I don’t know man, those sound like fair complaints.”

Without so much as a goodbye, Chuck was already retreating to his tent. As he zipped it harshly behind him, Earl called “See you in the morning, sourpuss!”

I elbowed Earl “Come on. You gotta be nicer to the man. He’s still processing shit.”

Earl complained “It’s been three years Jimmy. He should already be moved on. It’s no excuse to ruin our trip.”

I frustratedly fidgeted with the pop tab on my can and replied “He has every excuse to ruin our trip. He’s why we go on the damn thing.”

Earl exclaimed “Not anymore! Three years man!”

The pop tab broke off my beer, sent flying somewhere into the snowy woods. I shook my head “I’m going to bead Earl. Put the fire out when you’re done drinking.”

He didn’t reply to me as I returned to my tent, watching the fire flicker ominously through the sheer fabric. No amount of bundled clothes made it warm enough to sleep comfortably. The chill of the night air radiated deep into my core. The only thing that lulled me to sleep was the awful ache in my bones.

Last night’s hostility seemed to be mostly forgotten in the bright light of day. The sun reflecting off the thin layer of newly fallen snow was practically blinding. Light conversation was made as we cooked some eggs on the fire and disassembled last night’s camp. It was another eight miles to our next designated camping spot, so we planned to leave early as possible.

It was a gorgeous hike up to our favorite lake. Spires of snow covered rock were scattered amongst towering pine and spruce trees. The occasionally falling needles of the deciduous trees were still a deep green shade, contrasting with the rest of comparatively barren surroundings. We kept track of the trail using the small stream that ran beside it. Parts of it were frozen over, while others were a slush of ice and water. Every so often there was chatter of an interested squirrel or annoyed bird as we disrupted their home. Our boisterous talk and clomping footsteps were an unwelcome guest amongst the local wildlife. Almost as if they knew we didn’t belong there. Like they knew humanity had forced its way into an environment that did not want it.

The sun had begun to lower in the sky, turning the crystal snow a beautiful ombre of oranges and pinks. It was difficult work restringing our tents and collecting firewood in the bitter wind. I shone my flashlight through the dense trees, searching for fallen logs. Suddenly, a flash caught my eye from the nearby stream. It was completely frozen over, as this part of the mountain had yet to see sun in a very long time. Even with the ice, I could tell that this section was far deeper than the rest, most likely due to its proximity to the mouth of the lake. When I shone my flashlight on it again, something caught the light from beneath the icy sheet. I crept closer, squatting down to peer into the ice. Some sort of metal was just beneath the cloudy surface. I called the other men over, pointing out the odd sheen. We stared at it in confusion before Earl mused “I think it’s a watch you guys.”

Chuck shrugged “Could be a compass.”

I peered at the ever darkening sky “Let’s dig it out tomorrow. See what’s under there.”

Earl frowned “I can’t wait that long! Not knowing is gonna kill me!”

He examined the thing even closer “What if it’s a Rolex? Look at it! Looks like a Rolex Explorer if I’ve ever seen one. Do you know how much those things are worth? There could be ten grand frozen in that river!”

I squinted, making out what definitely could be a watch face maybe only an inch beneath the ice.

Chuck rolled his eyes “You’ll catch your death out here in the cold before you see a lick of that money. Let’s find out in the morning.”

Snow had already begun to fall by the time we’d piled the firewood together, making the damp wood far harder to light. Many beers deep and all Earl could focus on was the mysterious watch. Chuck and I humored him for as long as we could. Lucky for us, the snow put the fire out soon enough and we all retired to our tents.

As I drifted to sleep, the wind began to howl. A howl I’d never heard the wind make before. I chalked it up to a mixture of alcohol and sleep deprived hallucination. It wasn’t long before sleep took me from the waking world, clouded no longer by the worries in my head.

The next morning was far less pleasant than our prior awakening on the mountain. I was awoken by a loud banging, as though someone was knocking a rock against a tree. Earl was about to get a talking to for whatever prank he had pulled that had so rudely awakened me. I shivered, attempting and failing to pull my sleeping bag closer. Perhaps if I were to get up and move about that would warm me up. As I unzipped my tent, a massive clump of snow tumbled in. I shuffled out of the tent only to find the snow nearly up to my waist. I shouted for the others “Earl! Was that you out here banging on shit!?”

Earl groaned, sticking his head out of his tent “What the fuck are you talking about? What time is it?”

I checked the cheap watch on my wrist “It’s nearly noon, idiot. Get up and stop fucking around. Trying to scare the daylights out of Chuck and I is a dick move.”

Earl crawled out of his tent, pale and worse for wear “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man. I just woke up. I wasn’t banging on anything.”

He peered around the clearing we’d camped in, eyes wide “Jesus! Look at that snow!”

I glared at him “Yup. A whole lot of snow. It looks like someone didn’t check the weather forecast.”

Earl blanched “Huh? You shits never said I had to check the weather. I already packed all the food! That was Chuck’s job.”

I sneered “No the fuck it wasn’t! Chuck doesn’t have to-”

Earl cut me off “Yeah, Chuck doesn’t have to do anything on these trips! Ever! It’s all up to me. I’m the only adult here!”

I huffed “Shut up Earl. You know why we do all the planning.”

Earl was practically screaming now “No, I don’t know why! It’s been three years, why isn’t he just over it!”

I clenched my fists and fought off the urge to deck Earl then and there “Because his fucking wife died! You don’t just move on from that!”

Earl replied “I would’ve moved on a long ass time ago!”

I growled “That’s because you are a callous piece of shit Earl!”

We both turned our heads as the quiet but devastating sound of a zipper interrupted our conversation. Chuck poked his head out of his tent, tears welling in his eyes as he pleaded “Can we leave? This… this isn’t a fun trip. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

My heart leapt to my throat, hurting as though I could feel it breaking. I rushed over to Chuck “I’m sorry-”

He cut me off sternly “The only reason we started going on this trip was to get my mind off her! That is the opposite of what you two are doing right now. I want to leave.”

I kept my mouth shut and nodded. If I spoke, I was only going to make things worse.

After a long silence, I answered him “We’ll pack up and leave. Right now.”

Earl glared at the both of us “Do you two not see the snow? We aren’t leaving this place anytime soon, not till it melts.”

Chuck was clearly about to lose his cool “Stop bullshitting me. Just because you want to stay and hunt after ruining the whole damn weekend doesn’t mean you get to!”

I inspected our surroundings, the snow still piled up around us. I was reluctant to say it, but I had to “Chuck, I know you’re upset, but Earl is right. We’re snowed in. It’s too dangerous to hike down the mountain in this condition.”

Chuck scowled and disappeared back into his tent with a loud zip. Earl grumbled “Fuck you guys. I’m gonna go check out that frozen watch. Maybe then this trip won’t be a complete waste of time.”

I followed after him yelling “Seriously, dude? You’re still thinking about that stupid watch?”

When he reached the stream, he whipped out a pocket knife. He jabbed the ice aggressively, over and over again. I watched as little chunks of ice flew through the air. A piece nearly hit me in the eye as I shouted “Would you stop that!”

Earl jumped up from where he squatted, a finger pointed at the ground “See! I told you it was a Rolex! I’m rich!”

Suddenly, all the color drained from his face. I crept up closer to him as he failed to stammer out a sentence, finger still shakily pointed at the stream. I gasped as the full picture came into view. There was indeed a Rolex, still attached to a human wrist.

I shuttered “Earl. Is that what I think it is?”

Earl turned to the side and vomited. He wiped his mouth “It’s a fucking corpse Jimmy! What else would it be!?”

Panic had begun to rush through my brain, my thoughts became blurry and frantic “What do we do? Do we call the police?”

Earl had begun to laugh hysterically “How, Jimmy!? We don’t have any cell reception up here! And we’re snowed in!” With a deep breath, he squatted back down “Besides, I want that fucking Rolex.”

To my horror, Earl’s hands were grasped around the corpse’s wrist. He pried at the watch and a sick crack rang amongst the trees. I screamed, clasped in Earl’s grip was a disembodied hand. He wedged the watch off the limb and brandished it before me with a smile “Think about how much money we can get from this! We aren’t calling the police. It’s not like anyone will ever find him up here. That watch will do us way more good than him!”

I remained still and ignored Earl’s antics as I stared at the cadaver in horror. The body, if it could still be called that, was covered in long gashes and tears. It was less of a human and more of a mass of flayed flesh. My breath quickened “Forget the watch Earl, what the fuck did this?”

Before Earl could answer, an ear piercing screech sounded from our campsite. I straightened and ran toward the sound with a shout “Chuck!”

In the minute it had taken me to reach the site, all hell had broken loose. Our tents were torn to shreds, I searched desperately amongst the debris for Chuck. I could hear labored breathing and a whiney cry. I rushed to Chuck’s tent, rifling through the ravaged detritus with no success.

As I whipped my head about outside, a drop of snow landed on my nose. I wiped it off, only for my hand to come away a dark crimson red. I stared up. In the trees above me was Chuck; what remained of him. His body was still wheezing, impaled through the middle on a tree branch. Guts hung outside his body, creating a gruesome tapestry of innards and gore.

Despite the bile that rose in my throat, I didn’t have time to grieve, not yet. I shouted “Earl, get your gun!”

From behind me, Earl strode into the campsite. He took in the disastrous scene, completely missing Chuck’s body. He questioned me, still more focused on the watch in his hand than anything around him “Why?”

I began to hunt through my own belongings to find my rifle. I aimed it around the field and waited. Whatever had killed the mystery man was still here. Whatever it was had killed Chuck.

In the blink of an eye, whatever the monster might be was upon Earl. He had in fact not gotten his gun in time. Through my rifle’s scope I witnessed what I knew would never be believed. A massive creature was in the process of tearing Earl limb from limb. It walked on two feet like a human, but towered far above the height of any man. Shaggy brown fur hung from its ape-like body, a horrid smell of carrion and body sweat rotting the air around us. With one of Earl’s legs dangling from its mouth, its eyes met mine. An animalistic hatred seared through its vision, burning holes into me. Still covered in my friends’ blood, it charged.

I aimed and took the shot. My gun exploded with a bang, the recoil wracking my shaking body. The bullet hit the creature straight in the chest. It flinched, pausing for a moment to paw at the bloody hole. It looked from the bullet wound back to me, a sort of shock in its expression. It wasn’t more than a few seconds before it was resuming its stampede towards me.

I had no choice. I ran. I couldn’t save my friends. The only thing I had was my own hope of survival. The thing’s thundering footsteps sounded behind me, gaining on me fast. Without much time to consider my plan, I turned the corner around a tree and dove into a thick pile of snow.

The creature lumbered past, still chasing a man who was no longer running. I held my breath for as long as I could, until the sounds of the creature were long gone. I stayed there until the cold around me had begun to burn. The frigid snow was beginning to feel so warm that I nearly let myself drift off to sleep. Nearly let death take me. No. Someone had to tell Earl’s wife where he was. Someone had to tell Chuck’s mother what had happened. It didn’t matter if no one believed me. They had to know.

With my last burst of strength, I fought my way out of the snowbank. It was late afternoon, snow beginning to drift through the sky once again. I wandered what I hoped was the Iron Creek Trail until my feet were numb, until my chapped hands and lips were bleeding. When the sun had set and all hope was gone I saw my savior. The shining headlights of an oncoming car. I sprinted to the road, waving my hands at the sweet light rushing towards me. The light that did not stop rushing towards. The last thing I heard as the world around me went warm and black was the blaring sound of a car horn. Then, silence.