Page 15 of Primal Snow

Her body, limp and broken, slides to the floor in a lifeless heap.

“You fucking bastard!” Vicky screams at Derek, her voice sharp with rage and grief. She snatches a beer bottle from the table and hurls it at Yeti. It shatters against its head, but the beast doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, it turns its attention to Derek.

“No! No!” He stumbles backward, tripping over thecouch. “Stay back!” His wide eyes dart to us in desperation. “Please! Help me!”

“Go to hell.” Vicky hisses venomously.

And these are the last words he hears right before Yeti lunges. Its claws slice through him like butter, splitting his torso open from sternum to stomach. His intestines spill onto the floor with a wet plop. Derek’s screams dissolve into gurgles as blood floods his mouth. But the sounds are drowned out by ripping flesh as Yeti tears him apart with a force that sends gore spraying across the walls and furniture.

I’m frozen, my back pressed against the wall, unable to move as the nightmare unfolds.

Vicky grabs my arm, yanking me toward the kitchen. “Hurry—” Her words are cut off by a screech.

The beast moves faster than I thought possible, its claws wrapping around Vicky’s ankle. She cries out, thrashing wildly and clawing at the floor as it drags her toward it.

“Emma!” she bellows in despair, her eyes begging me for help.

I reach for her hand, but it’s too late. Yeti lifts her high above its head, then slams her down onto the coffee table. The sickening crack of her spine echoes through the cabin as her body folds unnaturally. Her head lolls to the side, her wide, unseeing eyes staring at me still.

I can’t breathe. The walls are closing in on me, the smell of blood and death choking me as my stomach lurches.

But Yeti isn’t done. He towers over Vicky’s mangledbody, gripping her arms with his massive hands. I hear a pop and then a wet tear as he rips them clean off, tossing them aside like discarded trash. Blood gushes from her torn shoulders, pooling on the floor beneath her. Then, with deliberate cruelty, it twists her legs free, one by one, as if it’s toying with her remains.

Or withme.

Something snaps inside me. Instinct kicks in, and as he keeps himself occupied dismembering her body, I bolt.

The car. I have to get to the car.

My bare feet slip on the blood-slick floor as I run for the front door, snatching the keys from the console table. The freezing air hits me like a punch when I burst outside. The snow is falling fast and heavy now, the blizzard in full force.

I throw myself into the driver’s seat, my hands shaking so violently I almost drop the keys. My breath fogs the windshield as I jab them into the ignition, and finally, the engine roars to life.

The tires spin uselessly for a moment, screeching against the ice before gripping. The SUV lurches forward, and I slam the gas pedal to the floor, steering blindly into the storm. With no idea where to go, my breaths come in ragged gasps, my mind racing as I pull onto the road. The headlights cut through the thick haze, illuminating the endless cascade of snow.

Behind me, a sound pierces the howling wind. A heavythump.

My heart clenches like a fist in my chest and rides up.

And then I hear another one. Louder. Closer.

“No, no, no!” I choke out as I press the accelerator down as far as it will go. The car skids wildly. Gripping the wheel with white-knuckled hands, I try to maneuver it in a straight line, but I feel no control over the wheels on the ice-slick road.

What’s worse is that the thumping behind intensifies. Each impact sends a tremor through the vehicle as Yeti catches up. And then, the SUV jerks violently as something slams into the back with bone-rattling force, sending the car spinning. As the tires scream against the ice, my vision blurs, and the world tilts. A crunch rips through the air as the roof buckles heavily. The sound of claws scraping against metal, like nails on a chalkboard, sends chills down my spine.

Panic overrides reason. Impulsively, I kick the door open and yeet myself out of the seat. I fly a few feet away and hit the frozen ground hard, the wind knocks out of me on impact. My head spins like a carousel, my body screaming in pain, but I force myself to roll down the embankment.

When I come to a stop, everything is agony. There’s a sharp sting above my brow, and as I touch the spot, I feel a gnash. The warmth of my blood cuts through the penetrating cold, almost feeling pleasant.

Dizzy and disoriented, I look up. At first, all I see is white. Snowflakes whip through the air, blinding and relentless, and the icy wind is merciless on my face.

But as I focus, I see the beast. Its enormous silhouette stands on the road above me, illuminated by the headlights. It scans the tree line, its nose tilted up as itsniffs the air to track my scent.

I don’t wait for it to spot me. With every ounce of strength I have, I scramble to my bare feet and run, ignoring the sharp, icy ground piercing my soles. The forest swallows me whole, pine branches clawing at me as I flee into the absolute darkness.

I can’t see shit. The night is pitch black, and the snow swirls in every direction as the wind whistles in my ears. It bites at my face, stinging like needles with every stride. The cold is everywhere, sinking into my bones and numbing my limbs.

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