Chapter 1
The tires crunched over the last stretch of packed snow before the SUV rolled beneath the towering entrance of Black Pine Ski Lodge.
A faded wooden sign creaked overhead, its carved letters barely visible beneath a dusting of fresh snow.
The parking lot was nearly empty.
Only three other vehicles remained.
The ski season was ending.
Inside, warmth greeted them in a rush.
The heavy front doors groaned open, spilling the scent of burning cedar and old pine into the lobby. A massive stone fireplace crackled across the room, its flames throwing lazy shadows over leather couches, mounted antlers, and polished timber walls that had seen decades of winters.
Johnny stepped inside first.
He stretched his arms dramatically.
“Welcome,” he announced with a grin. “To luxury on clearance.”
Emmi brushed snow from her black jacket without looking at him.
“You really know how to ruin a first impression.”
“It got us seventy percent off.”
“It got us seventy percent off because they’re closing.”
Johnny shrugged.
“Details.”
He rolled his duffel bag across the hardwood floor.
“I call the biggest room.”
“You booked the place.”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You’d steal your own birthday presents.”
“I’d wrap them first.”
A laugh almost escaped her.
Almost.
Johnny caught it anyway.
“There she is.”
“I wasn’t laughing.”
“You smiled.”
“I twitched.”
“Same thing.”
He wandered toward the towering windows overlooking the mountain.
Outside, the final skiers carved slow paths through the thinning afternoon crowds while chairlifts carried the last handful of riders toward the peaks.
Clouds were already gathering beyond the ridgeline.
Dark ones.
Johnny glanced back.
“So…”
He folded his arms.
“Who’s actually coming?”
“Leo.”
Johnny sighed dramatically.
“Oh, great.”
“What?”
“The dork.”
Emmi shot him a look.
“He isn’t a dork.”
“The one who’s been hopelessly in love with you since the day you met?”
“He works with me.”
“He stares at you like you’re the only person in the building.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“I’ve got eyes.”
She walked toward the reception desk.
“Leo’s a good guy.”
Johnny followed.
“Sure.”
“He actually listens.”
“Mhm.”
“He doesn’t spend every weekend trying to pick someone up.”
Johnny placed a hand against his chest.
“That hurts.”
“It should.”
He grinned anyway.
“I still say he’s got the hots for you.”
She stopped walking.
“And if he does?”
Johnny leaned against one of the massive support beams.
“Guess you won’t know if he’s boyfriend material until you sleep with him.”
Silence.
Emmi’s expression hardened.
“You really haven’t changed.”
“Nope.”
“You always think everything comes back to sex.”
Johnny shrugged.
“It usually does.”
“For you.”
He didn’t answer.
She pulled her phone from her coat pocket as it vibrated.
Leo: Six minutes away. Roads are getting slick, but I’m almost there.
She slipped the phone back into her pocket.
“He’s close.”
Johnny nodded toward the staircase leading deeper into the lodge.
“Perfect.”
He grabbed his bag again.
“Let’s look around before everyone gets here.”
Together they wandered farther into the enormous lodge, their footsteps echoing through hallways that felt just a little too quiet.
Outside…
The wind picked up.
Snow drifted sideways across the empty parking lot.
High above the mountain peaks, dark clouds slowly swallowed the last traces of afternoon sunlight.
Chapter 2
The front doors swung open just as the wind carried another swirl of snow across the entrance.
A young man stepped inside, stamping the snow from his boots before pulling the hood from his jacket.
His cheeks were flushed from the cold.
A pair of rectangular glasses sat slightly crooked across his face.
Leo looked around the spacious lodge with quiet amazement.
“So this is the place…”
His voice barely rose above the crackling fireplace.
Johnny appeared from around the corner, carrying an unopened can of soda he’d found in one of the lounge refrigerators.
“There he is.”
Leo smiled politely.
“Hey.”
Johnny walked over, looking him up and down.
“The famous Leo.”
“I don’t know about famous.”
“Oh, trust me.” Johnny smirked. “I’ve heard plenty.”
Before Leo could answer, Emmi rounded the corner.
“There you are.”
A genuine smile crossed her face as she walked over and wrapped him in a quick hug.
“I’m glad you made it.”
Leo returned the hug, a little awkwardly.
“The roads weren’t too bad.”
“Yet.”
He looked toward the windows.
Snow continued to drift down outside.
“I almost turned around once.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
Johnny leaned against the wall with a grin that usually meant trouble.
“You know…”
He looked between the two of them.
“If you would’ve taken another ten minutes, Emmi and I probably would’ve gotten back to our old ways.”
Leo blinked.
“Oh…”
Emmi closed her eyes for a second.
“Johnny…”
“What?”
She pointed toward the hallway.
“Shut the hell up.”
Johnny laughed.
“I’m kidding.”
“No, you’re being annoying.”
“There’s a difference?”
“A huge one.”
He raised both hands in surrender.
“Fine.”
Still grinning, Johnny wandered deeper into the lodge, whistling to himself as he disappeared around the corner.
Silence settled over the room again.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck.
“He’s…”
Emmi sighed.
“I know.”
“…different.”
She couldn’t help smiling.
“That’s one way to put it.”
Leo looked down at the two duffel bags resting beside the door.
“I should probably get these upstairs.”
“I’ll help.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She grabbed one of the bags before he could protest.
The staircase creaked softly beneath their footsteps as they climbed to the second floor.
The hallway stretched in both directions, lined with heavy wooden doors and old framed photographs of the lodge during winters decades earlier.
Emmi stopped outside a room near the end.
“This one’s yours.”
Leo looked surprised.
“It’s right next to mine.”
“I know.”
She unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The room was cozy.
A queen-sized bed sat beside a stone fireplace, with a small balcony overlooking the snow-covered mountain.
“It’s…nice.”
“I figured you’d like something quiet.”
He set his bag down.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“…And thanks for inviting me.”
She turned toward him.
“You didn’t have to.”
“I know.”
“But…I appreciate it.”
“You’ve been buried in work for months.”
“So have you.”
“Exactly.”
She smiled.
“We both needed a weekend away.”
Leo laughed softly.
“I guess.”
As he reached to remove his jacket, his glasses slipped lower on his nose.
Without thinking, Emmi stepped closer.
“Hold still.”
He froze.
She gently nudged the glasses back into place with two fingers, straightening them until they sat comfortably again.
“There.”
Her hand lingered for only a second before she stepped back.
“You’d lose these without me.”
A nervous smile crept across Leo’s face.
“Probably.”
She folded her arms.
“And stop thanking me every five minutes.”
“I can’t help it.”
“I invited you because we’re friends.”
She shrugged.
“You’re always welcome on any adventure I’m stupid enough to agree to.”
That earned a genuine laugh.
“I’ll remember that.”
A voice echoed from downstairs.
“Minor problem!”
Johnny.
Emmi groaned under her breath.
“What now?”
They stepped back into the hallway.
Johnny looked up from the bottom of the staircase.
“I may have forgotten one tiny little detail.”
Emmi narrowed her eyes.
“What?”
“Dinner.”
Silence.
“You forgot dinner?”
“I got excited.”
“You drove all the way out here…”
“Mhm.”
“…and forgot food?”
“Mhm.”
She stared at him.
Johnny shrugged.
“I’ll run back into town.”
“In this weather?”
“It’s only supposed to take twenty minutes.”
He jingled his car keys.
“I’ll grab enough for everybody.”
Without waiting for an argument, he headed for the front door.
A blast of icy wind swept through the lodge as he stepped outside.
The heavy doors slammed shut behind him.
Leo watched through the front window as Johnny’s SUV disappeared down the snow-covered road.
“He doesn’t seem that bad.”
Emmi folded her arms.
“You’ve known him for five minutes.”
Leo chuckled.
“Fair.”
She shook her head.
“For the time being…”
She turned toward the staircase.
“…let’s just forget about Johnny.”
Outside, the snowfall grew heavier.
The road Johnny had taken was already beginning to disappear beneath fresh layers of white.
Chapter 3
Johnny’s SUV rolled steadily down the winding mountain road.
The lodge disappeared behind the trees as towering pines closed in on both sides, their branches heavy with the last snow of the season.
The radio hummed quietly.
Johnny drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, unconcerned.
His phone chimed.
A weather notification filled the dashboard display.
WEATHER ALERT
Light snowfall expected overnight. Visibility may be reduced. Travel with caution.
Johnny snorted.
“Yeah… sure.”
With a tap, the alert disappeared.
Another notification immediately replaced it.
Emmi
Don’t give Leo a hard time.
Johnny smirked.
A second message arrived.
Seriously.
Then a third.
I’ll beat the shit out of you.
He laughed to himself.
“That’s the Emmi I know.”
His thumb hovered over the screen.
Worth it.
Before he could hit send—
Something stepped into the road.
Johnny’s eyes widened.
“What the—”
He yanked the steering wheel.
The SUV fishtailed violently across the snow-covered pavement.
Tires screamed.
The rear end swung around—
CRASH!
The passenger side slammed into a wooden utility pole with a deafening crack.
The engine sputtered.
Then…
Silence.
Johnny sat frozen behind the wheel, breathing hard.
“…Damn.”
The windshield was cracked.
Steam drifted lazily from beneath the hood.
Outside, light snow drifted through a growing veil of fog.
He unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out.
Cold air immediately swallowed him.
“You okay?” he muttered to himself, rubbing his shoulder.
He looked up and down the empty road.
Nothing.
No damaged vehicle.
No footprints.
No woman.
Only the whisper of wind moving through the pines.
Johnny frowned.
“I know I saw somebody.”
He walked several yards in each direction.
The snow remained untouched.
No tracks.
No sign that anyone had ever been there.
The fog thickened, rolling slowly between the trees.
An uneasy feeling settled into his chest.
“…Hello?”
Only silence answered.
Johnny shook his head.
“Great.”
He turned back toward the SUV.
The headlights still illuminated the road in pale beams.
As he reached the driver’s side, he grabbed the handle.
Locked.
He blinked.
“What?”
He tried again.
Locked.
“I didn’t lock the damn—”
Click.
The locks suddenly popped open on their own.
Johnny hesitated.
A chill crawled across the back of his neck.
Slowly…
He reached for the handle once more.
The door swung open.
Darkness filled the back seat.
He leaned inside.
“…Seriously?”
A hand exploded from the shadows.
It seized Johnny by the throat with crushing force.
His eyes flew open.
“What—!”
He was ripped violently into the vehicle.
The door slammed shut behind him.
The SUV rocked violently.
Johnny’s muffled screams echoed from inside.
His fists pounded against the windows.
The vehicle lurched from side to side as if something inside were throwing him around.
But the windows never broke.
The screams became sharper.
More desperate.
Then…
Silence.
The SUV stopped moving.
Snow continued to fall.
The headlights remained fixed on the empty mountain road, cutting through the thickening fog.
Inside the vehicle…
Nothing moved.
Chapter 4
The fire crackled softly beneath the stone chimney.
Outside, snow drifted steadily past the lodge windows, the mountain disappearing a little more each minute behind sheets of white.
Leo sat in one of the oversized leather chairs, his hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate he’d found in the kitchen.
Across from him, Emmi rested comfortably on the couch, her boots kicked off beside the fireplace.
For the first time since arriving…
Everything felt peaceful.
Leo stared into the flames.
“So…”
Emmi looked over.
“So?”
“I’ve been wondering something.”
She smiled.
“That usually means you’re about to ask something awkward.”
He laughed quietly.
“…Probably.”
She waited.
Leo rubbed the back of his neck.
“You and Johnny.”
“What about us?”
“What… happened?”
Emmi watched the fire for a long moment before answering.
“I was nineteen.”
Leo remained silent.
“He was in his third year of college.”
She shrugged.
“I was just… doing shit back then.”
Her voice carried no pride.
“No real plan.”
“No direction.”
“I wasn’t thinking much about my future.”
The fire popped loudly between them.
“I met Johnny.”
“And?”
She smiled to herself.
“It was exciting.”
“For about two weeks.”
Leo blinked.
“Two weeks?”
“Mhm.”
“What happened?”
“He stopped pretending.”
She leaned back into the couch.
“The funny guy…”
“The charming guy…”
“The guy who made everybody laugh…”
She looked toward the ceiling.
“That part was real.”
“But so was everything else.”
“The flirting.”
“The ego.”
“The constant need to turn everything into a joke.”
She sighed.
“It didn’t take long before I realized who he really was.”
Leo nodded slowly.
“So…”
“You’ve just stayed friends?”
“I wouldn’t even call it that.”
She smirked.
“We tolerate each other.”
“Sometimes.”
Leo laughed.
“I guess that explains a lot.”
“It does.”
Silence settled over the room again.
The fire continued to dance across the stone hearth.
Outside…
The snowfall grew heavier.
Leo looked down into his mug.
There was another question sitting in his mind.
One he’d wanted to ask for months.
He swallowed.
“…Can I ask you something else?”
“You just did.”
He smiled nervously.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
She folded one leg beneath her.
“Go ahead.”
He hesitated.
“What kind of guy…”
His voice almost disappeared.
“…are you into?”
Emmi blinked.
She genuinely considered the question.
“Hm.”
Leo waited.
“I don’t think I have a type.”
“You don’t?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“I think everyone’s different.”
She stared into the fire.
“I’ve met people who looked perfect.”
“They weren’t.”
“I’ve met people I never would’ve noticed at first…”
“…and they surprised me.”
She smiled faintly.
“I like people for who they are.”
“Not because they fit some checklist.”
Leo felt the knot in his stomach loosen.
“So…”
She looked at him.
“…being yourself is probably more important.”
“Exactly.”
A small smile spread across his face before he could stop it.
Emmi noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You smiled.”
“I know.”
She laughed softly.
“I’ll take that as a good sign.”
Before Leo could answer—
Three heavy knocks echoed through the lodge.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Both of them looked toward the front door.
Silence followed.
Emmi frowned.
“Johnny forgot his key?”
Leo glanced toward the windows.
“I thought he’d just use his phone.”
Another knock.
Louder this time.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The fire continued to crackle behind them.
Neither of them moved.
Chapter 5
The knocking came again.
Three slow, deliberate knocks against the heavy front doors.
Emmi and Leo exchanged a glance.
“I’ll get it,” Leo said.
“You sure?”
He nodded.
Together, they crossed the lobby, the wooden floor creaking beneath their footsteps. The fire behind them continued to crackle, filling the lodge with a warmth that seemed to stop just short of the entrance.
Leo unlocked the door.
The wind immediately pushed it inward.
Snow swirled through the opening.
Standing on the porch were a man and a woman, both bundled in dark winter jackets dusted with fresh snow.
The man looked to be in his late twenties. Tall, broad-shouldered, calm. A worn backpack hung from one shoulder, and a leather sheath rested discreetly against his belt beneath his coat.
Beside him stood a younger woman, her hood pulled low over her head. Snow clung to strands of dark hair that had escaped around her face. Though tired from the cold, her eyes remained alert, quietly studying the lodge behind Leo.
“Sorry to bother you,” the man said. “I’m Zayn.”
He gestured toward the woman.
“This is my sister, Yuma.”
Leo offered a polite smile.
“I’m Leo.”
“Emmi,” she added.
Zayn glanced back toward the road disappearing into the storm.
“Our car started having problems a little ways down the mountain.”
“The snow’s getting worse.”
“We were wondering if we could stay inside for a couple of hours until it lets up.”
Emmi hesitated.
Her eyes drifted toward the empty parking lot.
Then back to the strangers.
“We don’t usually…”
“It’s okay if the answer’s no,” Zayn said before she could finish.
He reached into his coat pocket.
“I’ll pay you for the inconvenience.”
He pulled out his wallet.
“The forecast says the snowfall should ease up in a few hours.”
“We don’t need a room.”
“We won’t even be here long enough to fall asleep.”
Leo looked at Emmi.
She wasn’t convinced.
He leaned closer and whispered quietly.
“I’ll keep an eye on them.”
Emmi considered it for another moment before stepping aside.
“…Come in.”
“Thank you,” Zayn said sincerely.
The two siblings stepped inside, immediately brushing snow from their jackets.
Yuma held her hands toward the nearby fireplace.
“I forgot what warmth felt like.”
Emmi smiled faintly.
“I know the feeling.”
They wandered into the living room, where the fire painted soft orange light across the timber walls.
For a few minutes, nobody spoke.
Everyone simply enjoyed escaping the cold.
Leo finally broke the silence.
“So…”
He settled into one of the armchairs.
“Are you two from around here?”
Zayn shook his head.
“No.”
“We’ve just been passing through.”
Before he could continue, Yuma answered for him.
“Our grandmother lives a few towns over.”
“We were on our way to visit her.”
She laughed softly.
“Didn’t expect the weather to turn on us like this.”
Leo looked toward the windows.
Snow now swept across the glass in thick waves.
“Yeah.”
“It came in fast.”
He looked back at them.
“There’s really no rush to head back out.”
“It’s freezing.”
“So take your time.”
“We’re not throwing anybody back into that.”
Zayn smiled.
“That’s generous.”
He remembered the money he’d offered and reached into his wallet again.
“At least let me pay you something.”
Leo immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind helping people.”
Some of the tension left Zayn’s shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“Seriously.”
Yuma nodded in agreement.
“We appreciate it.”
Leo smiled.
“No problem.”
“Our friend should be back soon with dinner.”
“He had to run into town.”
Emmi stood, stretching her arms.
“I’m going to throw my bag in my room.”
Leo rose with her.
“I’ll help.”
They started toward the staircase.
Before disappearing upstairs, Leo looked back into the living room.
Zayn sat quietly near the fire, warming his hands.
Yuma stared out one of the large windows.
Beyond the glass…
The storm had grown stronger.
The road leading to the lodge had already begun to disappear beneath fresh snow.
Chapter 6
Nearly twenty minutes passed.
The fire continued to burn as the wind howled against the lodge.
Snow now struck the windows hard enough to rattle the glass.
Another knock echoed through the building.
Three quick knocks.
Emmi looked toward the front entrance.
“That has to be Johnny.”
Leo stood.
“I’ll get it.”
Together they crossed the lobby once again.
This time, Emmi reached the door first.
She pulled it open.
Johnny stood on the porch, covered in snow.
His hair was damp.
His jacket was zipped to his chin.
He looked exhausted.
“…Finally,” Emmi sighed.
Johnny stepped inside without saying a word.
He slowly brushed the snow from his shoulders as Leo shut the door behind him.
Emmi looked past him.
“No food?”
Johnny shook his head.
“The roads are closed.”
His voice was strangely flat.
“I couldn’t get very far.”
“The storm got worse.”
“The shops were already shutting down.”
“Everything nearby is closed.”
Emmi let out a frustrated sigh.
“Seriously?”
Johnny simply nodded.
No joke.
No sarcastic remark.
No grin.
Just silence.
Before the awkwardness could linger, Zayn stood from the fireplace.
“I’ve got a small cooler in my car.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“It’s nothing fancy.”
He gave a small shrug.
“Some bread.”
“Lunch meat.”
“Cheese.”
“A few snacks.”
“It should be enough to make sandwiches until this weather settles down.”
Leo smiled.
“That would actually help a lot.”
“You sure?”
“Of course.”
Zayn slipped his coat back on.
“I’ll go grab it.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He pulled his hood over his head before disappearing into the storm.
The front door shut behind him.
For a moment…
The lodge was quiet.
Emmi looked back at Johnny.
“So…”
“How far did you actually make it?”
Johnny frowned.
As though he genuinely had to think about it.
“I…”
His eyes drifted toward the floor.
“I don’t know.”
A long pause.
“…Not very far.”
He rubbed the side of his head.
“My memory’s a little…”
He searched for the word.
“…foggy.”
Emmi stared at him.
Normally, this would’ve been the moment he’d make some smart comment.
Something sarcastic.
Something to annoy her.
Instead…
Nothing.
Johnny looked up.
“I’m tired.”
“I think I’m going to lie down.”
Emmi’s expression softened with confusion.
“…Yeah.”
“Okay.”
She stepped aside.
Johnny quietly walked past her.
His boots echoed against the wooden staircase as he disappeared onto the second floor.
No jokes.
No flirting.
No attitude.
Just…
Silence.
Yuma watched him the entire time.
Her eyes never left him.
Only after his bedroom door clicked shut did she finally look away.
Outside…
The storm swallowed Zayn’s figure almost immediately.
Chapter 7
Night settled over the lodge.
The wind battered the walls with steady force, rattling the old windows every few minutes. Snow continued to pile against the entrance, burying the porch beneath fresh drifts.
The hallways were quiet.
Most of the lights had been dimmed.
Emmi eased her bedroom door shut behind her and stepped into the hallway.
She pulled her sweatshirt tighter around herself.
“Bathroom…”
She had barely taken a few steps when another door opened.
Johnny’s.
He stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
He looked better than he had earlier, though something about him still seemed… distant.
His eyes lingered on Emmi.
She stopped.
“You feeling okay?”
Johnny blinked.
“I think so.”
His voice was softer than usual.
No sarcasm.
No grin.
No attempt to get under her skin.
She searched his face.
“You’ve been acting weird since you got back.”
“I know.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“My head still feels… cloudy.”
Emmi frowned.
“Maybe you hit it when you crashed.”
“Maybe.”
A silence settled between them.
Johnny looked at her with an expression she hadn’t seen in years.
For just a moment…
He reminded her of the boy she’d first met in college.
Before everything had fallen apart.
“You know…”
he said quietly.
“I never really apologized.”
She looked at him.
“For what?”
“For us.”
His eyes dropped to the floor.
“I wasn’t a very good person.”
Emmi didn’t answer.
He stepped a little closer.
“I hurt you.”
“You were an idiot,” she replied.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“…Yeah.”
“I was.”
She couldn’t help smiling back.
Only a little.
Johnny looked into her eyes.
Before either of them could think better of it…
He leaned in.
Their lips met.
It lasted only a moment.
A brief, impulsive kiss.
Emmi froze in surprise.
Then she heard a door open.
She turned.
Leo stood in the doorway of his room.
His eyes widened.
For a second, nobody moved.
“…Sorry,” Leo said quietly.
He looked away almost immediately.
Without another word, he gently pulled his door closed.
The soft click echoed through the hallway.
Emmi’s stomach sank.
She stepped back from Johnny.
“What the hell was that?”
Johnny looked genuinely confused.
“I…”
“You kissed me.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
He frowned, as if searching for an answer he couldn’t quite find.
“I just…”
“I wanted to.”
Emmi shook her head.
“No.”
“We ended a long time ago.”
She turned and hurried toward the bathroom at the end of the hall.
Just before she disappeared inside…
Johnny spoke.
“Then why didn’t you stop me?”
She froze for only a heartbeat.
Without looking back…
She stepped inside.
The bathroom door clicked shut.
Johnny remained alone in the hallway.
His expression slowly faded.
The warmth disappeared from his eyes.
Chapter 8
The storm refused to let up.
Wind screamed around the lodge, rattling the old windows hard enough to wake anyone who had managed to fall asleep.
The digital clock beside Emmi’s bed read 11:47 PM.
She sat cross-legged against the headboard, her phone resting in her hands.
The image of Leo quietly closing his bedroom door refused to leave her mind.
She sighed.
Then opened their message thread.
Emmi: Can we talk? In person?
The typing bubble appeared almost immediately.
Leo: Sure. If you want to.
She stared at the screen.
Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard.
After a long moment, she erased what she’d started typing.
Emmi: Never mind.
Another pause.
Instead…
Emmi: I’m sorry.
The typing bubble returned.
It stayed there longer this time.
Leo: You don’t have anything to apologize for.
She frowned.
Another message arrived.
Leo: My feelings shouldn’t matter anyway.
Then another.
Leo: It’s not like I’m someone you’d date.
Emmi’s heart sank.
One final message appeared.
Leo: I don’t exactly look like Johnny.
She immediately began typing.
Emmi: Stop putting yourself down.
She hit send before she could second-guess it.
Another message followed.
Emmi: You’re a much better person than Johnny. In every way.
She hesitated.
Then added one last reply.
🖤
The black heart appeared beneath the conversation.
Leo smiled.
It wasn’t a big smile.
Just enough to remind himself to breathe.
He placed his phone on the bedside table and leaned back against the headboard.
Maybe…
He’d overreacted.
Maybe tonight wasn’t as hopeless as it had felt.
Knock.
Leo looked toward the door.
Three quiet knocks.
Not loud.
Not urgent.
Just…
Patient.
He stood and crossed the room.
“Emmi?”
he called through the door.
No answer.
Another knock.
Leo unlocked it.
The hallway beyond was empty except for one person.
Johnny.
He stood perfectly still beneath the dim hallway lights.
His face showed almost no expression.
His eyes remained fixed on Leo.
“…Hey,” Leo said cautiously.
Johnny didn’t answer.
He only continued staring.
Chapter 9
Emmi stared at her phone.
No reply.
The black heart remained the last thing she’d sent.
She sighed and tossed the phone onto the bed.
Maybe she’d embarrassed him.
Maybe he simply didn’t know what to say.
She reached for her earbuds again and slipped them into her ears.
Heavy guitars immediately filled the silence.
The familiar music helped settle her thoughts.
Outside…
The blizzard continued to rage.
Snow hammered against the windows.
The lodge groaned beneath another powerful gust of wind.
Emmi closed her eyes.
Then…
A dull thud.
She frowned.
At first she ignored it.
Probably the storm.
Another impact.
Louder this time.
THUD.
Even through the music, she heard it.
She pulled one earbud free.
Silence.
Then—
BANG!
Something slammed violently against a wall.
A muffled yell echoed down the hallway.
“…Johnny…!”
Leo.
Emmi’s heart skipped.
She ripped the second earbud out.
Another crash.
“Let me go!”
Leo’s voice.
She threw open her bedroom door.
The hallway erupted into chaos.
Johnny had Leo by the front of his sweatshirt, driving him backward into the wall hard enough to shake the framed pictures.
Leo struggled to pry Johnny’s hands away.
It barely slowed him.
Johnny slammed him again.
BANG!
Leo cried out.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
Johnny said nothing.
His face remained eerily calm.
His movements…
Were anything but.
He hurled Leo across the hallway.
Leo crashed shoulder-first into a table, sending a lamp exploding across the floor.
“Johnny!”
Emmi sprinted toward them.
She wrapped both arms around Johnny’s shoulders, trying to pull him backward.
“Stop!”
Without even looking at her…
Johnny shoved backward.
The force sent Emmi flying several feet.
She crashed onto the hardwood floor, the air rushing from her lungs.
She looked up in disbelief.
Johnny hadn’t even seemed to struggle.
He was…
Too strong.
Leo barely managed to crawl away before Johnny grabbed him again.
Emmi scrambled toward her backpack beside her bedroom door.
Her fingers shook as she ripped the zipper open.
“Come on…”
Her hand found the folding pocketknife.
She snapped the blade open.
At that exact moment—
Two more bedroom doors burst open.
Zayn.
Yuma.
They took one look down the hallway.
No questions.
No hesitation.
Zayn charged first.
He slammed into Johnny’s side, driving him away from Leo.
Yuma immediately helped Leo crawl clear of the fight.
“You okay?” she asked.
Leo coughed violently.
“I…”
He struggled to breathe.
“I think so…”
Behind them—
Johnny recovered almost instantly.
He threw a heavy punch.
Zayn barely managed to block it.
The impact still drove him backward.
“What the hell…” Zayn muttered.
Johnny attacked again.
Fast.
Relentless.
Yuma rushed in from the side.
She caught Johnny’s arm and twisted, attempting to break his balance.
For a brief second…
It worked.
Then Johnny exploded forward.
He ripped his arm free and struck Yuma across the side of the head.
She crashed into the hallway wall and fell hard to the floor.
“Yuma!”
Zayn lunged.
The two men collided near the upstairs banister.
Wood groaned beneath their combined weight.
They struggled for control.
Johnny pushed.
Zayn pushed back.
Neither gave an inch.
The railing creaked.
One of the wooden supports snapped.
CRACK.
Both men lurched forward.
Zayn caught himself.
Johnny didn’t.
His eyes widened for the first time.
The floor disappeared beneath him.
He toppled over the banister.
His body crashed into the first floor with a sickening impact.
Silence.
Everyone stared downward.
Johnny lay twisted across the hardwood floor.
His neck bent at an impossible angle.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The only sound left in the lodge…
Was the wind outside.
Chapter 10
For several long seconds…
Nobody moved.
Johnny’s body remained crumpled across the hardwood floor below, his neck twisted at an impossible angle.
Leo was the first to speak.
“…Oh my God.”
His voice trembled.
“Oh my God…”
Emmi hurried to him, kneeling beside him.
“Are you hurt?”
Leo barely heard her.
“He…”
His breathing became shallow.
“He fell.”
“He… he’s dead.”
Emmi looked over the banister.
Johnny hadn’t moved.
Not even a twitch.
She swallowed hard.
“We need to call 911.”
Leo fumbled for his phone with shaking hands.
“My phone…”
His fingers wouldn’t cooperate.
“They’ll send somebody.”
Emmi stared toward the snow-covered windows.
“The roads are closed.”
“They’ll still come.”
“And tell them what?”
She looked back at him.
“That our friend attacked everybody before falling over a railing?”
Leo opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Before either of them could continue—
A sharp crack echoed through the lodge.
Everyone looked downstairs.
Johnny’s fingers twitched.
Then…
His shoulders jerked.
Slowly…
He pushed himself upright.
His head still hung unnaturally to one side.
Leo’s phone slipped from his hand.
“No…”
Johnny reached up with both hands.
Gripped his own head.
And twisted.
CRACK.
His neck snapped back into place.
Perfectly straight.
Silence.
No one breathed.
Johnny slowly lifted his eyes toward the second floor.
Toward all of them.
Then he smiled.
It wasn’t Johnny’s smile.
Without warning—
He sprinted.
His feet pounded across the lobby as he charged toward the staircase.
“What the hell?!” Leo shouted.
Zayn stepped forward.
In one smooth motion, he pulled the hunting knife from beneath his jacket.
The blade caught the firelight.
Johnny reached the top of the stairs.
Zayn met him head-on.
The knife flashed.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Again.
Again.
Steel drove into Johnny’s chest.
His side.
His stomach.
Dark blood soaked through his clothes.
Johnny didn’t slow down.
He slammed into Zayn with enough force to send both of them crashing into the hallway wall.
The knife slipped from Zayn’s hand.
Johnny caught it before it hit the floor.
“No—!”
The blade plunged into Zayn’s shoulder.
Zayn cried out, staggering backward as blood spread across his jacket.
Yuma rushed in first.
She wrapped both arms around Johnny’s torso, trying to drag him away.
Emmi grabbed his knife arm.
“Pull him back!”
Johnny roared.
With terrifying strength, he threw both women away.
Yuma slammed shoulder-first into the hallway wall.
Emmi lost her footing.
She stumbled backward—
The side of her head struck the sharp corner of a narrow wooden table that sat against the hallway wall.
CRACK.
She collapsed onto the hardwood floor with a gasp.
For a moment, she didn’t move.
Then she reached instinctively toward the side of her head.
Her fingers came away stained with blood.
A thin stream trickled from her temple, running down her cheek.
Leo stared.
Everything around him seemed to stop.
Then he saw the blood.
“Emmi!”
Something inside him finally broke.
He charged.
Throwing himself into Johnny with everything he had.
For one brief moment…
Johnny stumbled.
Leo swung wildly, desperate to keep him away from Emmi.
Johnny barely reacted.
He caught Leo’s wrist.
Twisted.
A horrible crack filled the hallway.
Leo screamed.
His right arm bent at an angle it was never meant to.
Johnny released it only long enough to drive a brutal punch into Leo’s ribs.
Then another.
And another.
Leo collapsed, unable to defend himself.
Johnny stood over him.
Watching him suffer.
Almost…
Enjoying it.
Behind him—
Zayn forced himself back to his feet.
Blood dripped steadily from his wounded shoulder.
His breathing had become ragged.
His hunting knife still protruded from Johnny’s side where it had been left behind during the struggle.
Zayn grabbed the handle.
With one violent pull…
He ripped it free.
Johnny turned—
Too late.
Zayn drove the blade sideways into Johnny’s neck with every ounce of strength he had left.
The knife punched through flesh.
Its tip burst from the opposite side.
Johnny staggered backward.
His hands clawed at the wound.
He stumbled onto the staircase.
Lost his balance.
And tumbled backward.
His body struck the wooden steps over and over before crashing onto the lobby floor below.
Silence consumed the lodge once again.
Johnny lay motionless.
The hunting knife remained buried deep in his neck.
No one said a word.
No one dared move.
After everything they had just witnessed…
None of them believed he was truly dead.
Three friends escape to a secluded ski lodge for one last weekend before the season ends.
Then one of them comes back… different.
When a brutal blizzard seals every road off the mountain, what begins as an isolated tragedy quickly becomes something far worse. A relentless force is hunting them—one that steals bodies, twists the dead into weapons, and refuses to stay buried.
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