Page 99 of Grave Matter

The relief is palpable.

She saw the half-dead creature.

I’m not fucking crazy.

“Look!” Rav yells.

We watch in the distance as the creatures come to the middle of the road, still half-buried by the fog so only their outlines can be seen. They don’t run after us but the bears are joined by others. It looks like a dozen of them have gathered, watching us leave, before the mist swallows them entirely.

Lauren reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. I squeeze her hand back. “Rabid bears, maybe?” she asks.

“Maybe,” I say. But I know now that’s not it.

It’s not even close.

By the time we get back to the lodge, the mist has cleared a little, and we march right into the dining hall for dinner. The atmosphere is still tense, especially for those of us who saw the bears, and we mostly eat in silence. Even the other groups seem to be on edge as we dig into our chicken pot pies. Though the fire roars from the hearth, I can’t seem to shake a chill.

After dinner some of us hang out in the common room, snacking on cookies with mugs of hot chocolate. I hang out with the usual crew, though Patrick has joined us now, all of us sitting in the chairs in the corner, talking about what we saw, trying to make sense of it. Lauren and I seemed to be the only ones to see the bears melting faces but the others don’t dismiss us. Instead they believe it. Everything about that encounter seemed to be against the laws of nature.

“Strange vibes,” Lauren says, nibbling on a cookie and dusting the crumbs off her thighs. “Not just from the journey, but like here.” She motions around her. “This place. The lodge.”

I have to agree. I feel with us coming back early we interrupted something. I know the lodge is just a bunch of buildings, but some days, particularly at night, I feel it has a personality of its own—and it’s not a nice personality. Moody, perhaps. And tonight, I feel like it wants us gone, like we’re not supposed to be here.

“Okay, I’m actually going to have an early one tonight,” Lauren says, getting to her feet.

“Yeah me too,” Rav says, stifling a yawn. He and Lauren lock eyes and a knowing look passes between them before they wave goodbye to us and head up the stairs together.

“Oh, they are so doing it,” Munawar says.

I elbow him, almost causing his hot chocolate to spill on his shirt that saysAll Mushrooms are Edible—Some Only Once.

“Nah, they are,” says Patrick. “Good thing I don’t share a wall with either of them.”

And at that the rest of us decide to turn in.

I say goodbye to the guys, unlock my door, and step inside my room. I head straight to the sink, washing all the camping off my face and hands until I feel clean and refreshed, even if my mind is still in the murk.

Suddenly an impossibly loud, clanging alarm sounds, and the room starts flashing red, like I’m in a submarine and a missile is coming. I yelp and cover my ears with my hands, unable to block out the noise as a shuddering sound starts to shake the building.

“Warning,” a robotic voice announces over loudspeakers I didn’t even know existed. “Dangerous animal reported in area. Please seek shelter immediately. Warning. Dangerous animal reported in area. Please seek shelter immediately.”

“Oh my god,” I cry out, running to my door and opening it to see everyone filing out of their rooms, some excited, some in a panic.

“Do you think it’s the bears?” Munawar says, grabbing my arm, and I can’t tell if he’s excited or not.

“What bears?” Natasha asks, holding Justin’s hand.

Further down the hall I spot Lauren and Rav stumbling out of her room, their clothes askew, their hair messy. If I wasn’t starting to panic myself, I’d think it comical that the lodge is cock-blocking her.

“We’re locked in!” someone yells from downstairs.

We all clamor down the steps to the common room where Toshio is struggling to open the door. It only moves an inch before it hits metal siding.

“No way, they have automatic shutters,” Justin says. “This is like living in the middle of a bank robbery!”

The door to reception opens and Michelle steps out, red-faced and looking flustered as hell, her palms raised.

“Don’t panic everyone!” she shouts. “Remain calm. This happens sometimes, it’s probably just a cougar.”

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