Feb. 5, 2025

I Was Hunted by a Cryptid in a Snowstorm

I Was Hunted by a Cryptid in a Snowstorm
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Trapped in a blizzard, a trucker faces an unimaginable nightmare—a monstrous cryptid lurking in the snow, watching, hunting. A gripping horror story of survival against a supernatural predator.

 I Was Hunted by a Cryptid in a Snowstorm by Michael Kelso

You can purchase books from this author here: https://geni.us/michaelkelsoauthor
https://www.reddit.com/user/Horror_writer_1717/

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Contact Us / Submit Your Story

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis
Check out Ray’s work here!

👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Mark Shields, Bobbletopia.com

🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

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📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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Trapped in a blizzard, A truck driver faces an unimaginable nightmare,

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a monstrous cryptid lurking in the snow, watching and hunting.

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A gripping story of survival if he can somehow escape

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the bloodthirsty monster. Is it possible to escape the cold?

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What's that? You want to be scared? Come with me.

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He will experience tales over opera, ghosts, and death. He

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is not recommended at the foot of week At our

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heart listen as in the dark.

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It's more fun at that way way. This is Weekly Speaking, Hello,

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my Spookyes, it's Wednesday, and you know what that means.

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It's time for a little spooky in your weekly. I'm

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your host and narrator, Enrique Kuto, and tonight's story is

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beyond chilling, as winter brings us so much surprising weather.

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Maybe there are some other surprises behind the snow around us.

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But before we get to that, I want to say

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a big thank you to you who are listening to

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the show. I really do appreciate it, especially those of

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you who joined us for the first time ever in October,

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or those of you who have been with us for

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the vast majority of the last five and a half years.

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We can't wait to bring you another year of Spooky

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every week, and I want to remind you to subscribe

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on your favorite podcasting app. We have a brand new

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novella just for you on Valentine's Day next Wednesday. But

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tonight we have a very special treat from author Michael

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Kelso if you love what we do here at Weekly

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Spooky and want to show us some support, we really

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would appreciate that as well. You can head to Weeklyspooky

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dot Com slash join for as little as one dollar

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a month. You get two bonus episodes every single month.

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My gratitude, and of course, over four years of bonus

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material like audiobooks and so much more. Weeklyspooky dot Com

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slash Join. Winter storms can be very dangerous, freezing temperatures,

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blinding snow roads that disappear beneath the ice. But sometimes

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the cold isn't the worst thing out there. Sometimes something

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else is waiting in the blizzard, something hunting. Tonight's story

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is all about a truck driver who discovers what exactly

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it is that waits for us in the white out.

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So get comfortable, my spookies. This story is gripping, and

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it starts right after this, I was hunted by a

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cryptid in a snowstorm by Michael Kelso. I never thought

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it would end like this. My truck's windows smashed blood

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all over the interior, the frigid wind and snow blowing

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in on me as those two empty eyes stared in

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like a predator sizing up a helpless animal for the kill.

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It didn't start out like that, of course. When I

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started out for my morning run, it wasn't even snowing.

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There was snow on the ground. There had been a

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quick storm with some squalls that left to half a

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foot of white stuff on the roads just a few

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days earlier. The state took care of it pretty quickly,

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and travel was barely interrupted. Everyone went about their merry way,

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even me. The fact that I hated winter even more

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than driving a truck never entered my mind. Okay, that

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was a lie. As I drove down the road, I

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found myself looking at the small piles of snow along

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the roadside and cursing them for not being enough to

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cancel my run. I had to drive my truck through

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some pretty empty places, the kind that made you long

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for anything to break up the monotony of two lanes

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of asphalt surrounded by endless trees. I had to drive

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that route quite often, and it never got easier to

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stay awake. I would even imagine seeing odd thing things

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looking out of the trees as I flew by. I

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knew it was my mind playing tricks on me, trying

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to scare me into staying alert and not crashing the truck.

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If it had been a deer or bear or something

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like that, I would have just laughed it off. But

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this thing looked like it was out of some nightmare.

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That's how I knew it wasn't real. There was no

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way it could exist, so I put it out of

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my mind and kept on driving. Fortunately, with it being

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a two day run, I was able to pick where

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I wanted to stay after I got my load. Hotels

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were nice, but if needed, I had the sleeper in

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my cab, which I called Home away from Home. It

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wasn't so bad as far as cramped spaces go. There

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was lots of shelf space Above the bunk. I had

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a TV mounted on the wall which was hooked up

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to a game cube. There was a DVD player with

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an assortment of movies that I rotated out on a

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weekly basis, and there were some paperback books Lord of

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the Rings, Frankenstein, This Present Darkness, along with all the

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indie author books I had on my phone. I didn't

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have to worry about being bored. There was always my

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laptop that held the novels I'd started writing and never finished.

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The only thing I really needed was food and a bathroom.

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I had snacks stashed around, sometimes in places even I

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didn't find for months, but it couldn't compare to a

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nice hot meal. I had my favorite stops on the road,

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and they all had two things in common, good food

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and a quiet place to park and sleep. I didn't

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like having my trucks squashed up against other trucks, wondering

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if I would be able to get my door open

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if they parked like an idiot. I liked parking near

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the outskirts of any lot. It was more private and

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I didn't feel as hemmed in. Of course, there was

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a trade off. More privacy meant walking further to get

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to the truck stop, sometimes a lot further, but I

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used that to my advantage. Nothing like a nice long

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walk to get the blood flowing to all those muscles

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I didn't use when driving Unfortunately, the place was a

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local mom and pop operation, which meant they didn't have

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the money to stay open twenty four hours a day.

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Usually I would pull my truck into my spot in

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the evening, go get supper at the lunch counter, then

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grab supplies for the night. I'd always go inside one

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last time to use the restroom just before they closed

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at midnight. That evening, I followed the same pattern, pulled in,

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walked to the store, got some supper, and went back

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in around eleven thirty for the restroom, and said applies

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before going back to my truck and falling asleep. Normally

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I tried to keep a good watch on upcoming weather.

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For whatever reason I hadn't that day, I woke up

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around eight am and looked out to a sea of white.

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It had snowed, and it had snowed hard. It looked

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like someone wanted to make up for the snow quote

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of this winter and did it all in just eight hours.

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I dressed in my cold weather gear and went out

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to see how bad it was and if my truck

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would be going anywhere today. When I jumped out of

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the cab, my legs disappeared. There was at least two

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feet of snow on the ground, and it was still

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putting it down. I trudged around the truck to make

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sure everything was okay, then got back in the cab,

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brushing off as much snow as I could. First, I

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climbed into the bunk and turned on the news to

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the announcement that a major blizzard had hit the air. Wow,

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I thought, Wow, I thought, that is some great investigative reporting.

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Right there, they were calling for another foot before the

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snow stopped. Great time to call the boss and get

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my ear chewed off. Why can't you get here, he growled.

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There's this stuff called snow, I said. It lands on

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the ground and piles up until it begins to impede travel.

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All right, smart ass, when do you think you can

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be here? Well, seeing that I haven't even seen a

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snowplow go by, and I'm sitting in a parking lot

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that probably won't get plowed until much later than the highways.

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On top of the fact that my tires are nearly bald,

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even though I've been telling you for months they needed changed,

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I'd say, I have no earthly clue. When you'll see

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your precious cargo. He was silent for a long moment.

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Do you like your job, he said, through barely restrained fury.

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Not particularly, I said, then added, when the weather's like this,

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you might want to update your resume. With that, the

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line went dead. Thank you for your support, I said

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to the no longer connected cell phone. I settled back in,

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turned off the TV, and went back to sleep. When

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I first started out and trucking, a fellow driver gave

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me a tip that I never forgot. Anytime you have

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a chance to get some rest, take it. That little

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tidbit helped me tremendously over the years. A little extra

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sleep means a lot less coffee. When I woke a

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few hours hours later and peeked outside, it was still snowing.

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I looked out my driver's side window and even my

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tracks were gone. I was feeling the call of nature

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and decided to brave the elements to take the trek

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to the truck stop for some relief. I felt a

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little silly for putting on all my cold weather gear,

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including gloves and goggles. That feeling didn't last long. It

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was snowing so hard I couldn't even see the truck stop.

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I drew an invisible line with the side of my truck,

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aimed in that direction and started walking. I never read

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Call of the Wild. I never saw Alive. Maybe if

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I had, I wouldn't have been so eager to throw

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myself out into this blizzard just to go pee. Trudging

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through the snow and the driving wind was growing old quickly,

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I felt like I should have reached the truck stop

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by now. I paused and looked around to realizations hit

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me at the same time. First, I couldn't see the

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truck stop. Second, I could no longer see the truck.

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As a lovely addition, my tracks were quickly disappearing. I

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tried to focus on my path toward the truck stop

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and begin trudging again. Fifteen minutes later, I believe, by

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sheer luck, I saw the store appear off to the right.

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My track hadn't been dead on, but I was close

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enough to find the place. My winter gear was starting

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to fail me, especially with the wind finding all the

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little places it could to inject frigid air. As I approached,

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I breathed a sigh of relief at getting in out

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of the cold, not to mention a massive cup of

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steaming hot coffee. I reached for the door but it

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refused to open. Maybe it was frozen shut. I pulled harder,

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but nothing happened. I looked in through the glass and

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saw no lights on. It struck me how the walkway

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wasn't shoveled either. Oh no, I thought the storm has

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them stuck at home. My hopes for a nice, warm

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toilet and a steaming hot cup of coffee plummeted. I

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took one last forlorn look at the dark store and

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turned back toward my truck. My disappointment grew as I

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realized my tracks were gone.

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You're not safe yet, Weekly Spooky will be right back.

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I was now snowblind and navigated without a compass or

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any means of direction. I tried to draw an invisible

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line with the outer wall of the store and hoped

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it would lead me back to the truck. I felt

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my cold, wet feet protest as I headed back toward

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the warmth of my truck. I hugged my jacket, attempting

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to keep the wind out. The snow was up past

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my knees now and seemed like trudging through mud. In retrospect,

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it would have been better for me to wait in

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the truck until I saw a snowplow in the parking lot.

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I had plenty of empty tea bottles for bathroom emergencies,

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but there was no use chiding myself. Now. I had

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to get back to the truck to keep this mistake

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from becoming a fatal one. If I got lost and

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couldn't find the truck, no one would come looking for me.

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They might not find my frozen body until the spring thaw.

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That was a cheer, he thought, as if my journey

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hadn't been hard enough. After a while, something caught my

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foot and sent me sprawling face first into the snow.

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I struggled to wright myself and quickly wiped the snow

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from my face, silently thanking God that I had worn

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my goggles. I tried to get my bearings again, but

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curiosity nagged at me. What had I tripped on in

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the middle of a parking lot. I dug down and

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discovered the offending object. It was a parking space barrier.

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I chuckled for a moment until I realized, to my

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horror that I should never have come near any of

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these in the middle of the parking lot. In fact,

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the straight trail from the store to the truck would

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have been a couple of dozen yards to the right,

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past the barrier I had tripped on. I scraped the

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rest of it off and saw it was running nearly

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parallel to my path. I had veered off course badly.

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00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.919
The bright side was I now had a point of

227
00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:12.879
reference and hopefully could correct my course. I looked around

228
00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:16.559
and found myself adrift in a sea of white. The

229
00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:20.559
store had disappeared and the truck was nowhere to be found.

230
00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:24.519
I took a deep breath and used the barrier to

231
00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:28.480
aim toward where the truck should be. I remembered one

232
00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:33.000
key fact in the process. These barriers lined the edge

233
00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.440
of the parking lot, and just past them was a

234
00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:40.159
drop off. In retrospect, it was lucky I had tripped

235
00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:43.159
on it instead of stepping over it and rolling down

236
00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:45.679
a hill that I might never make it back up again.

237
00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.720
I turned to aim myself where I thought my truck was,

238
00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:53.120
when out of the corner of my eye, I thought

239
00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:59.399
I saw a shadow of a figure walk by. Due

240
00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:03.679
to the blow snow, visibility was almost impossible more than

241
00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.880
a few yards away, making it hard for me to

242
00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:11.400
be certain. It could have just been my imagination. I

243
00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.960
had been out in the cold for much longer than

244
00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.400
I planned, and it was time to get back to

245
00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:19.839
the truck. I was suddenly reminded why I got out

246
00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:23.240
of the truck to begin with. I had to peace

247
00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:27.160
so badly. I did a quick look and saw nothing

248
00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:30.319
but snow, so I whipped it out and let it go.

249
00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:34.200
I think whipped it out was a bit of an oversimplification.

250
00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:38.519
I fought to unzip my frozen zipper as my bladder

251
00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:41.160
screamed a full red alert that it was about to

252
00:17:41.160 --> 00:17:44.440
release the floodgates, whether I was ready or not. I

253
00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:47.519
finally got it out and started the yellow stream when

254
00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:52.359
the wind shifted direction, sending it spraying all over my pants.

255
00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.799
I quickly turned so that the stream was downwind. When

256
00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:59.079
I finished, I looked down at the front of my

257
00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:04.720
now why pants and swore internally yet another reason to

258
00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.000
find the truck. Quickly, Wet pants turned to frozen pants

259
00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:13.319
turned to dangerous pants. I looked down at the barrier,

260
00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:17.920
now covered in flecks of yellow snow, and started on

261
00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:21.720
my new course. The snow had not let up one bit,

262
00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:25.519
and my energy started to wane, even though I had

263
00:18:25.559 --> 00:18:30.000
just been standing around for the last ten minutes trudging

264
00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:33.920
through nearly waist high snow was making me more tired

265
00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:37.200
than I had been in a long time. The wind

266
00:18:37.319 --> 00:18:40.880
rushing in my ears tore away my hearing. There wasn't

267
00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:43.799
anything out here to listen to, and yet I thought

268
00:18:43.880 --> 00:18:50.400
I heard something. I looked around but only saw white.

269
00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:54.720
Was this my mind starting to play tricks on me,

270
00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:57.279
like it did when I was driving and thought I

271
00:18:57.319 --> 00:19:00.839
saw the creature that doesn't exist peeking out at me

272
00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:05.000
from the trees. I turned back to my imagined destination,

273
00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:09.119
wondering if delusions were the first step, and freezing to death.

274
00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:12.920
As if to answer, the wind hit me with a

275
00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:17.480
solid gust, knocking me down. If I didn't know better,

276
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.960
I'd swear I felt a giant hand in the middle

277
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:23.759
of my back before I fell. I looked up and

278
00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:29.519
saw nothing but snow swirling around, making many tornadoes. I

279
00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:33.039
chuckled at the irony of them being called snow devils.

280
00:19:33.599 --> 00:19:37.720
I guess my own personal snow devil was pushing me around.

281
00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:42.240
I got up and started for the truck again. Every

282
00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:46.519
step felt like my feet were encased in concrete. I

283
00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:50.599
plodded on, trying to pull from whatever reserve energy I

284
00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:55.559
had to keep going. I couldn't die in the middle

285
00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:58.559
of a parking lot, just yards away from my nice,

286
00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:04.720
warm truck. That would be the ultimate irony. I walked on,

287
00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:09.359
barely conscious, wanting only my eighteen wheeled safe harbor from

288
00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:14.640
this merciless storm. My head was down. I wasn't even

289
00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:19.680
looking any more. It didn't make any difference. I knew

290
00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:23.920
I would never find it. I knew it was like

291
00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:27.400
looking for a needle in a field of haystacks. There

292
00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:30.640
was no way I would ever get back. I slammed

293
00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:34.400
into something and fell back. The snow was so deep

294
00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.319
I just lay there like a turtle, unable to get

295
00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:41.599
off my back. I looked up and saw the thing

296
00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:44.359
that had hit me was the back corner of the

297
00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:48.400
truck two feet to the right, and I would have

298
00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:52.839
missed it. I smiled, but it took a lot of energy.

299
00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:57.599
I focused everything I had into getting up. Adrenaline took

300
00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:59.920
care of the rest. I marched up to the driver

301
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.039
side door and reached into my pocket for the key

302
00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:09.079
to unlock it. I couldn't find the key. I ripped

303
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:14.720
off my glove and searched again. Still no key. Despair

304
00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:17.599
smothered my mind. If I had dropped it one of

305
00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:21.079
the times I fell in the snow. It was lost forever,

306
00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:26.240
and so was I. I leaned against the truck door,

307
00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:32.039
so close yet so far I could almost feel the

308
00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:35.400
heat through it. I smashed my fist into my leg

309
00:21:35.480 --> 00:21:38.720
in frustration, but felt more pain than I should have.

310
00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:44.400
I patted the other pocket and felt a lump. I

311
00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:47.200
tore off my other glove and reached into the pocket,

312
00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:54.119
pulling out the holiest of holies, the key. Tears streamed

313
00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:57.039
down my face and quickly froze as I stuck the

314
00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:00.359
key in the lock and opened the door. It took

315
00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:02.759
every ounce of energy I had left to climb up

316
00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:07.640
into the cab and collapse into the driver's seat. A

317
00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:11.119
wave of heat washed over me. For the longest time.

318
00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:14.359
I just sat there until I mustered the strength to

319
00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:18.480
start pulling off my cold weather gear, one piece at

320
00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:22.160
a time. I threw them into the passenger seat until

321
00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26.039
I sat in my underwear only. I leaned my seat

322
00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.480
back and basked in the warmth that flowed over me

323
00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:34.119
like a wave from the ocean. I imagined sitting on

324
00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:37.839
a beach with the sun shining down on me and

325
00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:41.880
the water beckoning. I fell asleep like.

326
00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:48.799
This, don't go away weakly, Spooky will be right back.

327
00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.039
I woke to a sore back and stretched as best

328
00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:59.559
I could in my seat, then looked out the windshield.

329
00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:02.920
The snow seemed to have let up a little bit

330
00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:07.480
and the wind wasn't nearly as fierce as before. There

331
00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:10.160
was still no sign of a plow, and there was

332
00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:13.759
no way I was getting anywhere without one. Off in

333
00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:17.799
the distance, I could almost see the outline of the store.

334
00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:22.039
I wasn't going there again until the parking lot was plowed,

335
00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:26.319
but looking around, I couldn't imagine how long that might be.

336
00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:30.200
There was at least three feet of snow already on

337
00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:34.119
the ground, and it was still putting some down. I

338
00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:37.599
crawled into the bunk and covered up for a serious nap.

339
00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:42.160
Hours later, I was starting to feel refreshed. I rolled

340
00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.359
over and turned on the TV, trying to see how

341
00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:49.680
bad things were. I couldn't even pick up the local station,

342
00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:54.079
so I stuck in a movie. After it was done,

343
00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:57.359
I decided I should probably take stock of my supplies

344
00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:01.440
since I might be here for a while. I had

345
00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:06.039
plenty of snacks, chips, pretzels, and jerky, among other things.

346
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:09.920
As long as I didn't binge, I should have been fine.

347
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:12.920
I had drinks in the mini fridge too, but water

348
00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.039
wasn't a concern. All I had to do was bring

349
00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:19.519
some snow inside and melt it. I only needed to

350
00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:22.079
check one last thing to make sure I could outlast

351
00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:27.000
this storm. I looked at the fuel gauge. I rubbed

352
00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:31.119
my eyes and looked at the gauge again. I only

353
00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:37.279
had a quarter tank left. That might last, and it

354
00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:41.039
might not, depending on how long it took to get

355
00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:45.640
plowed out. Obviously, once the plow freed me, I could

356
00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:48.359
drive a hundred yards or so to a gas pump.

357
00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:52.440
As I was looking at the fuel gauge, my eyes

358
00:24:52.599 --> 00:24:55.920
drifted to the windshield and the field of white that

359
00:24:56.039 --> 00:25:00.759
stretched out in front of me. The snow had find stopped.

360
00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:06.640
How long that would last? I had no idea. I

361
00:25:06.640 --> 00:25:10.400
could finally see the store clearly, but I could also

362
00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:14.880
see clearly that it remained closed. It was hard to

363
00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:18.440
believe anyone would be plowing that amount of snow anywhere.

364
00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.079
I guess that's why they had the drop off along

365
00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:26.279
the edges of the parking lot. As I softly chuckled

366
00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:31.920
at my realization, my eyes caught movement. There was some

367
00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:36.720
kind of animal walking around in the parking lot. At first,

368
00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:39.079
I thought it was a deer because of the wide

369
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:43.359
horns on its head, But the longer I looked, the

370
00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:50.079
more I realized this creature was something else. It seemed

371
00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:54.359
bigger than any deer I'd ever seen. Its torso rode

372
00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:57.720
above the snow like it was a ship. Its face

373
00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:00.319
looked like it had wasted away to bear skar gull,

374
00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:04.720
and it had massive teeth that went far beyond its jaw.

375
00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:11.279
It was rather haunting to look at. It was sniffing

376
00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:14.839
around in the snow. The more I thought about it,

377
00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:19.279
I began to realize that was probably the spot where

378
00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:23.599
I had taken a leak. I was mesmerized and horrified

379
00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:27.240
by this thing at the same time. I was nearly

380
00:26:27.319 --> 00:26:30.960
convinced my mind was playing a trick on me. When

381
00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:34.880
it looked right at me and my blood turned to ice.

382
00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:39.599
Its look pierced my soul and made me wish I'd

383
00:26:39.680 --> 00:26:42.880
never come to this place. When it took its first

384
00:26:42.920 --> 00:26:46.400
step in my direction, I dove back into the sleeper

385
00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:50.200
and drew the curtain. I shook for reasons that had

386
00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:53.480
nothing to do with the temperature and was breathing in

387
00:26:53.559 --> 00:27:00.119
panicked gasps. What was that thing? Did I really see

388
00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:04.200
what I thought I saw? How could a creature like

389
00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:07.920
that exist? I tried to settle down and get my

390
00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:11.640
breathing back to normal, but my mind refused to let

391
00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:17.680
go of the image of that thing. It's just my imagination,

392
00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:22.799
I told myself. It's just a deer roaming around out there.

393
00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:28.720
I told myself that same thing over and over until

394
00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:34.599
my mind finally believed it. However, I didn't look through

395
00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:38.000
the curtain to confirm it. I didn't call it denial.

396
00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:43.720
I called it not pushing my luck. I pulled out

397
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:47.119
a pack of cheese crackers and turned on the first

398
00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:52.960
Diehard movie to try and forget about the deer outside.

399
00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:55.599
I was fifteen minutes into the movie when I felt

400
00:27:55.640 --> 00:28:01.680
the first nudge. I didn't know what else to call it.

401
00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:05.960
It felt like something just nudged my truck. It was

402
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.079
almost like when a strong wind gust pushed the cab,

403
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:16.000
but I didn't hear any wind outside. The two sides

404
00:28:16.039 --> 00:28:19.160
of my mind engaged in a shouting match over whether

405
00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:22.880
I should check it out or ignore it. Fear through

406
00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:26.720
its own two cents in and ignore it one out

407
00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:33.200
until the second nudge. Actually it was like the fifth

408
00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:37.880
or sixth nudge, until curiosity took over and made me

409
00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:42.519
go take a look. I peeked through the curtain and

410
00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:48.039
didn't see anything but snow through the windshield. I climbed

411
00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:52.279
out and looked through the passenger window, but saw nothing.

412
00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:56.599
I chided myself for my skittishness when I looked through

413
00:28:56.640 --> 00:29:00.680
the driver's side window and saw a set of horns.

414
00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:07.640
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but they were gone.

415
00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.400
There were tracks in the snow that looked like deer,

416
00:29:11.279 --> 00:29:18.680
only bigger. Or was that my imagination carrying me away again?

417
00:29:20.200 --> 00:29:22.319
I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the

418
00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:26.960
creature poking at my tires with its horns. I was

419
00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.640
fairly sure it couldn't puncture one with just horns, but

420
00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:35.279
I didn't want to chance it. I reached down and

421
00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:39.079
grabbed my club and opened the door to scare it away,

422
00:29:40.319 --> 00:29:46.200
but again it was gone. I was beginning to question

423
00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:52.119
my sanity. Was this thing real? Was it my mind

424
00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:56.920
playing tricks on me? Or was the creature toying with me,

425
00:29:58.119 --> 00:30:02.079
drawing me out of the truck. I closed the door

426
00:30:02.119 --> 00:30:05.680
and went back to my movie, but I couldn't get

427
00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:09.559
that creature out of my head. I was on pins

428
00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:18.559
and needles, waiting, listening, anticipating the next nudge. Before the

429
00:30:18.599 --> 00:30:28.680
movie was over, I fell into a fitful sleep. I

430
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:32.519
was in a tall building and there were bad guys everywhere.

431
00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.000
I had a machine gun, but had been better served

432
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:39.440
hiding and picking them off one by one. I was

433
00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:42.119
sneaking up on one who was standing guard on an

434
00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:47.319
isolated floor when I turned the corner and there stood

435
00:30:47.400 --> 00:30:51.960
the deer creature. It was massive, standing on its hind

436
00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:56.279
legs and its horns scraping the ceiling. It looked at

437
00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:59.799
me with those empty eye sockets from its bare skull face.

438
00:31:00.880 --> 00:31:04.279
It made a sound that was half grunt half howl,

439
00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:10.440
then started towards me. I backed away around the corner,

440
00:31:10.759 --> 00:31:13.839
trying to get back to my hiding space, but as

441
00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:17.359
I turned to run, suddenly the creature was in front

442
00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:20.119
of me. I pulled up my machine gun and started

443
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:23.599
firing short bursts. I hid it in the chest, but

444
00:31:23.720 --> 00:31:26.480
it kept coming. As I backed away, I shot it

445
00:31:26.519 --> 00:31:29.440
several times in the head. I watched as chunks of

446
00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:34.319
bone flew, but it kept coming, as if it didn't care.

447
00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:38.039
I shot at its legs, hoping to throw it off balance,

448
00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:42.400
but it had no effect. As if it had had enough,

449
00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:45.680
it charged, pinning me to a wall with its horns.

450
00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:48.359
I looked down as the blood began to seep from

451
00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:52.599
my belly around its antlers. It pulled back and charged

452
00:31:52.599 --> 00:31:56.599
me again and again, sending shock waves of pain through

453
00:31:56.640 --> 00:32:01.640
my body and crushing my spine. It pulled back and

454
00:32:01.720 --> 00:32:05.799
allowed me to fall to the floor. Blood pulled around me.

455
00:32:05.839 --> 00:32:09.200
As I tried to crawl away from the creature. I

456
00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:12.960
could only use my arms. I couldn't feel anything below

457
00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:17.720
my waist, which was a partial blessing because it cut

458
00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:21.960
my pain in half. After I had crawled a few feet,

459
00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:25.480
I suppose it had enough of toying with me. It

460
00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:28.799
stomped its foot down on my neck so hard I

461
00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:33.079
heard a snap and my arms went dead. I could

462
00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:37.240
feel it tear into my back, ripping away pieces of meat.

463
00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:42.319
I could hear the sickening, chewing and slurping as I

464
00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:43.920
was eaten alive.

465
00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:50.799
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors. Weakly, spooky,

466
00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:52.039
We'll be right back.

467
00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:57.799
I woke with a start, sweat pouring from my forehead

468
00:32:58.240 --> 00:33:01.599
and looked around the sleeper cab, trying to find the

469
00:33:01.640 --> 00:33:06.039
creature that was tearing me to pieces. After a few seconds,

470
00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:09.799
I came to the realization it had been a nightmare.

471
00:33:10.559 --> 00:33:13.680
I turned off my DVD player and stuck my head

472
00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:16.880
out through the curtain to check on my fuel situation.

473
00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:21.839
The needle was well below the quarter mark, almost down

474
00:33:21.880 --> 00:33:25.480
to an eighth. I looked out through the windshield and

475
00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:30.440
the snow had not magically melted. In fact, the wind

476
00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:33.039
had picked up and now it was starting to drift.

477
00:33:33.680 --> 00:33:37.200
There was once an even field of snow, Now there

478
00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:41.119
were peaks and valleys forming like dunes in the desert.

479
00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:45.359
The store was still dark and there was no traffic

480
00:33:45.480 --> 00:33:49.160
moving on the road. The sun was riding low in

481
00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:52.720
the sky, and I had yet to see another living soul.

482
00:33:54.240 --> 00:33:56.960
I wondered if my fuel would last until a plow

483
00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:01.519
could rescue me. Soon, I'd have to give some serious

484
00:34:01.599 --> 00:34:07.359
thought to conserving. It wasn't ideal. The thought of bundling

485
00:34:07.440 --> 00:34:09.719
up and blankets in the dark, with no heater and

486
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:13.840
no TV to watch wasn't exciting to me, but it

487
00:34:13.920 --> 00:34:17.000
was better than waiting until my fuel ran out and

488
00:34:17.079 --> 00:34:20.920
I froze. To death. As I killed the engine, I

489
00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.920
chided myself for not coming up with this plan sooner.

490
00:34:24.800 --> 00:34:27.199
I would have conserved fuel when the sun was out

491
00:34:27.440 --> 00:34:30.880
and the temperatures were higher. Now I was going to

492
00:34:30.920 --> 00:34:35.159
pay for my lack of foresight. I dug out every

493
00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:38.360
blanket I had stored in my closets and laid them

494
00:34:38.400 --> 00:34:43.360
over the bed, then tucked in for a long nap.

495
00:34:47.599 --> 00:34:51.320
When I woke, I was drowning in utter darkness. I

496
00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:54.280
panicked for a moment before I remembered where I was.

497
00:34:55.360 --> 00:34:58.079
I looked at my watch and it was four in

498
00:34:58.119 --> 00:35:01.360
the morning. I pulled the covers off me and was

499
00:35:01.400 --> 00:35:05.760
immediately assaulted by cold air. I grabbed a flashlight and

500
00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:08.960
found my way into the cabin. I turned the key

501
00:35:09.079 --> 00:35:12.599
on and waited with bated breath that billowed out in

502
00:35:12.679 --> 00:35:16.400
clouds that filled the cab until the engine turned over.

503
00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:22.079
As it roared to life, I felt even colder. I

504
00:35:22.119 --> 00:35:27.079
looked to my left and froze. My driver's side window

505
00:35:27.719 --> 00:35:32.480
lay in pieces on the seat and floor. I slowly

506
00:35:32.559 --> 00:35:36.400
turned to look at the passenger side window when fear

507
00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:41.440
grabbed me. There was a face looking in at me,

508
00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:46.480
but it wasn't a human face. It was the ungodly

509
00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:49.360
face of the deer creature that had gored me to

510
00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:53.079
death in my dream. A river ran down my leg,

511
00:35:53.239 --> 00:35:56.239
forming a yellow puddle on the floor. As I stared

512
00:35:56.320 --> 00:36:00.599
into the dark, hollow eyes of this thing, said, straight

513
00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:04.719
from hell. It reared its head back and then smashed

514
00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:09.480
into my passenger's window, splintering it. It reared back again

515
00:36:09.559 --> 00:36:13.320
and this time shattered the window, reaching in for me

516
00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:17.800
with its fierce, long teeth. I jumped back and landed

517
00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:21.280
in the driver's seat full of glass. I knew I

518
00:36:21.440 --> 00:36:25.480
was dead. There was nothing I could do. I sat

519
00:36:25.519 --> 00:36:29.800
there as it entered the cab, coming for me. Its

520
00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:35.199
head was half way inside when it suddenly stopped. It

521
00:36:35.280 --> 00:36:40.760
moved around a little bit, then roared in frustration. Its

522
00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:45.000
horns were too wide to fit in the window. It

523
00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:48.159
tried over and over to get in, but there was

524
00:36:48.239 --> 00:36:52.679
no way it could fit with the horns. As suddenly

525
00:36:52.719 --> 00:36:58.400
as it appeared, it vanished. I looked around to see

526
00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:02.519
where it had gone, but the darkness of night covered

527
00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:06.320
it like a shroud. As I was looking, it silently

528
00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:09.360
reached in behind me and would have had me if

529
00:37:09.360 --> 00:37:13.960
it hadn't breathed out, warning me of its approach. I

530
00:37:14.079 --> 00:37:17.880
dove into the center console as its deadly jaw snapped

531
00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:22.039
shut right where my spine had been. It continued its

532
00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:26.599
assault on this window, gaining ferocity as it frustrated itself

533
00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:30.239
by not being able to get hold of me. I

534
00:37:30.360 --> 00:37:34.039
stood in between the two windows, hoping I was safe

535
00:37:34.039 --> 00:37:37.960
from either direction. It was then I decided to go

536
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:42.880
back into my bunk and closed the curtain. I covered

537
00:37:42.960 --> 00:37:46.760
up and reached underneath the bunk to a secret compartment

538
00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:52.480
and pulled out my forty caliber semi automatic handgun. I

539
00:37:52.559 --> 00:37:55.760
took the magazine out and made sure it was loaded

540
00:37:55.800 --> 00:38:00.760
with all ten rounds, then put it back in, pulled

541
00:38:00.760 --> 00:38:04.880
back the side, and flicked on the safety. It made

542
00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:09.039
me feel a little better, but not much. I didn't

543
00:38:09.079 --> 00:38:12.159
know how true my dream was or if bullets would

544
00:38:12.199 --> 00:38:17.360
do anything to this monster. I no longer had any

545
00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:21.480
illusions that this was a deer. It was something much

546
00:38:21.519 --> 00:38:26.679
more dangerous and terrifying, and it was after me. I

547
00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:30.480
covered up with my blankets again, holding my gun close.

548
00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:35.320
The heater wasn't doing much good with two windows broken out.

549
00:38:36.119 --> 00:38:38.199
I would try to do something about them in the

550
00:38:38.239 --> 00:38:41.639
morning when it was light. There was no way I

551
00:38:41.719 --> 00:38:46.039
was doing anything in the dark with that thing lurking

552
00:38:46.079 --> 00:38:50.320
out there. I lay there for an hour, watching every

553
00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:54.760
second of the clock tick by, eyes wide open ears

554
00:38:54.920 --> 00:39:01.360
listening for any sound, but there was none, just the

555
00:39:01.400 --> 00:39:06.119
wind howling in between the two broken windows, making my

556
00:39:06.239 --> 00:39:11.840
curtains flutter. Eventually, I recognized the futility of having a

557
00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:15.719
truck running and the warm air just escaping before it

558
00:39:15.760 --> 00:39:19.320
could even get to me. So I got out of

559
00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:23.119
my bunk, keeping my new best friend with me, and

560
00:39:23.280 --> 00:39:27.039
slowly made my way out to the cab, my head

561
00:39:27.159 --> 00:39:30.280
darting left and right to see if the creature was

562
00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:34.639
about to launch itself through either of the windows. I

563
00:39:34.719 --> 00:39:37.760
turned the key off, and before I could pull it

564
00:39:37.800 --> 00:39:41.079
out of the ignition, a set of horns smacked against

565
00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:43.920
the frame of the window, and the deadly teeth came

566
00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:49.000
in and snapped just inches short of my face. I

567
00:39:49.039 --> 00:39:53.880
whipped around and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. It

568
00:39:54.039 --> 00:39:57.679
snapped at me again, and I panicked until I realized

569
00:39:58.480 --> 00:40:02.239
the safety was on. I flicked it off and aimed,

570
00:40:03.400 --> 00:40:07.639
but the monster was gone. I didn't dare make a

571
00:40:07.719 --> 00:40:11.360
move toward the window for fear it would launch itself

572
00:40:11.400 --> 00:40:15.079
back in at me. I stood still as a statue

573
00:40:15.599 --> 00:40:19.800
and stared at the window it had come through, then

574
00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:24.119
slowly turned to the other side. I kept looking back

575
00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:27.599
and forth between the two, trying to keep my peripheral

576
00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:31.599
vision on both. At the same time, I was shaking,

577
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:35.280
not only from the cold, but also from the sheer

578
00:40:35.480 --> 00:40:40.599
terror of not knowing where or when this thing was

579
00:40:40.679 --> 00:40:45.000
going to show itself. I decided my cold weather gear

580
00:40:45.320 --> 00:40:48.559
would be my best option, so I climbed back into

581
00:40:48.599 --> 00:40:51.639
the bunk and put on as many layers of clothes

582
00:40:51.679 --> 00:40:55.360
as I could find. When I popped my head back out,

583
00:40:56.239 --> 00:41:01.559
I was met with the most terrifying sight imaginable. The

584
00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:04.639
monster had climbed onto the hood of my truck and

585
00:41:04.800 --> 00:41:08.199
was now bashing its head against the windshield, trying to

586
00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:11.960
make its way inside. I knew the windshield was wide

587
00:41:12.039 --> 00:41:15.360
enough that it would be able to get its antlers inside,

588
00:41:15.960 --> 00:41:19.880
and I would be done. I pulled the gun up,

589
00:41:20.480 --> 00:41:25.800
aimed at its head, and fired. The explosion was massive.

590
00:41:26.400 --> 00:41:29.400
I instantly lost my hearing, except for the ringing in

591
00:41:29.480 --> 00:41:33.719
my ears. I staggered back, but the monster kept coming.

592
00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:36.679
Not only had my bullet done nothing to the creature,

593
00:41:37.000 --> 00:41:41.960
it weakened the windshield, making it easier to get inside.

594
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:44.639
The monster shook its head in surprise when the bullet

595
00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:49.039
ricocheted off the bone and then continued its assault of

596
00:41:49.119 --> 00:41:53.199
the windshield. It hammered on the glass until it shattered

597
00:41:53.199 --> 00:41:56.760
into a million pieces. I was already aiming at its

598
00:41:56.760 --> 00:41:59.960
face and fired two shots before the glass even hit

599
00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:04.760
the floor. They both ricocheted off its skull, causing it

600
00:42:04.800 --> 00:42:07.119
to rear up just enough for me to fire two

601
00:42:07.199 --> 00:42:12.119
shots into its chest. It didn't collapse screaming in agony

602
00:42:12.239 --> 00:42:15.760
like I wanted, but I could tell it didn't like

603
00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:19.880
it either. It jumped down off the hood and disappeared.

604
00:42:21.159 --> 00:42:24.320
I stared out into the inky blackness, trying in vain

605
00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:27.880
to pick up any glimpse of it. I whipped around

606
00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:30.480
from one side window to the other and back again,

607
00:42:31.239 --> 00:42:35.559
waiting for it to show its horrid face. After what

608
00:42:35.719 --> 00:42:40.039
seemed like forever, I saw horns rising through the passenger

609
00:42:40.119 --> 00:42:45.159
side window. I fired a shot into its face, and

610
00:42:45.239 --> 00:42:46.119
it disappeared.

611
00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:52.800
Did you hear that? Better check the locks on your doors. Weakly, spooky,

612
00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:54.079
We'll be right back.

613
00:42:55.880 --> 00:42:59.119
I threw myself back into the passenger's seat, when suddenly

614
00:42:59.159 --> 00:43:02.039
I saw its head rising in the driver's side window.

615
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:06.840
I fired a shot, making it disappear again. I jumped

616
00:43:06.920 --> 00:43:09.800
up and threw myself to the other seat, knowing it

617
00:43:09.800 --> 00:43:14.119
would be on the passenger side soon. Sure enough, ten

618
00:43:14.199 --> 00:43:19.039
seconds later it appeared and I fired another shot. It

619
00:43:19.119 --> 00:43:22.719
was toying with me. It disappeared, and I threw myself

620
00:43:22.800 --> 00:43:26.800
over into the passenger seat, waiting, aiming at the empty

621
00:43:26.880 --> 00:43:32.800
driver's window, but instead I felt teeth clamped down on

622
00:43:32.880 --> 00:43:37.000
my neck. It had fooled me. I shoved my gun

623
00:43:37.079 --> 00:43:40.599
up under its skull and fired a shot. If I

624
00:43:40.639 --> 00:43:43.800
hadn't been deaf from the first one, this one right

625
00:43:43.840 --> 00:43:46.639
next to my ear would have done it. And yet

626
00:43:46.679 --> 00:43:51.519
somehow I heard it squeal and pain as it released me.

627
00:43:52.719 --> 00:43:55.559
I knew I had been inches from death. I reached

628
00:43:55.639 --> 00:43:58.239
up and touched the wound on my neck and came

629
00:43:58.280 --> 00:44:02.199
away with a handful of blood. I went back into

630
00:44:02.239 --> 00:44:05.559
my bunk, tore away a piece of sheet and pressed

631
00:44:05.599 --> 00:44:08.519
it to my wound. Then I tore some more of

632
00:44:08.559 --> 00:44:11.559
the sheet and tied it around my neck to hold

633
00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:15.039
the bandage in place. I went back out to the cab,

634
00:44:15.159 --> 00:44:18.639
only to see it crouching on the hood waiting for me.

635
00:44:19.920 --> 00:44:22.880
I never thought it would end like this. My truck's

636
00:44:22.960 --> 00:44:26.719
windows smashed blood all over the interior, the frigid wind

637
00:44:26.760 --> 00:44:30.559
and snow blowing in. As those two empty eyes stared

638
00:44:30.559 --> 00:44:33.280
in at me like a predator sizing up a helpless

639
00:44:33.320 --> 00:44:37.239
animal for the kill. It crawled in through the remains

640
00:44:37.239 --> 00:44:41.599
of the windshield. I knew I was dead. In desperation,

641
00:44:41.960 --> 00:44:44.280
I shoved the gun into one of its eye holes

642
00:44:44.639 --> 00:44:48.920
and squeezed the trigger. The sound it made was something

643
00:44:48.960 --> 00:44:53.039
I'd never heard before and never wanted to hear again.

644
00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:57.639
The scream was both a low guttural sound and a

645
00:44:57.719 --> 00:45:01.559
high pitched shriek. It sound like someone had unleashed a

646
00:45:01.639 --> 00:45:05.639
demon from the pits of hell. My mind screamed at me,

647
00:45:06.480 --> 00:45:09.599
get out of there. I fumbled with the driver's door

648
00:45:10.159 --> 00:45:13.400
and ended up falling out when it opened. On a

649
00:45:13.440 --> 00:45:16.159
clear day with no snow, I would have gotten a

650
00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:20.480
concussion or broken bone falling on the bare asphalt with

651
00:45:20.559 --> 00:45:23.239
three feet of snow on the ground, I landed on

652
00:45:23.320 --> 00:45:27.079
a soft, cold pillow. It was the only time in

653
00:45:27.119 --> 00:45:31.000
the last twenty four hours that the snow had helped me.

654
00:45:32.159 --> 00:45:35.159
I immediately jumped up and looked around for any place

655
00:45:35.199 --> 00:45:40.440
to hide, but there was nowhere. Everything was covered in snow.

656
00:45:41.719 --> 00:45:45.079
I glanced back at the trailer and realized the snow

657
00:45:45.280 --> 00:45:48.480
was so high that it reached the bottom of the trailer.

658
00:45:49.280 --> 00:45:52.719
I couldn't see underneath it at all. I quickly dove

659
00:45:52.800 --> 00:45:55.880
under it, then turned around and tried to pile the

660
00:45:55.960 --> 00:45:59.960
snow into the opening to hide where I had gone,

661
00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:03.239
I shone my light around at the beautiful sight of

662
00:46:03.360 --> 00:46:08.199
bare asphalt. I lay on my belly, gazing in every

663
00:46:08.239 --> 00:46:13.360
direction simultaneously to spot the monster's potential attack points. My

664
00:46:13.480 --> 00:46:17.559
breath blew out in billows of desperate smoke as I

665
00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:25.599
came up empty. There was nothing. The monster wasn't there yet.

666
00:46:26.639 --> 00:46:29.320
I didn't dare hope to imagine that my shot had

667
00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:33.000
killed it. If anything, it had made it even angrier.

668
00:46:34.119 --> 00:46:36.880
It was probably destroying the inside of my truck. At

669
00:46:36.880 --> 00:46:40.119
that very moment, what I didn't trust was that the

670
00:46:40.159 --> 00:46:44.320
monster wouldn't find me underneath the trailer. I looked around

671
00:46:44.400 --> 00:46:47.039
for anywhere I could use as a better hiding place.

672
00:46:48.239 --> 00:46:51.559
My eyes fell on the wheels of the truck. It

673
00:46:51.599 --> 00:46:54.280
looked like there was just enough room between the tires

674
00:46:54.320 --> 00:46:57.800
and the differential. It would be a tight squeeze, but

675
00:46:58.280 --> 00:47:01.559
it was better than that thing finding me. I turned

676
00:47:01.559 --> 00:47:05.679
around and slid my feet in first. The further I slid,

677
00:47:05.719 --> 00:47:09.559
the tighter it got. Ironically, the grease and oil from

678
00:47:09.559 --> 00:47:13.800
the differential helped me slide through a little easier. When

679
00:47:13.840 --> 00:47:17.280
I almost had my shoulders through, it suddenly felt too tight.

680
00:47:17.960 --> 00:47:22.599
I was stuck. I couldn't move forward or backward. Panic

681
00:47:22.639 --> 00:47:26.920
flooded my mind, and I struggled frantically like I couldn't breathe.

682
00:47:27.159 --> 00:47:31.440
After the longest minute of my life, I finally managed

683
00:47:31.480 --> 00:47:35.280
to maneuver my shoulders through and into my hiding spot.

684
00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:39.079
The hood of my coat did double duty of keeping

685
00:47:39.119 --> 00:47:43.599
me warm and completing my hiding place. I lowered it

686
00:47:43.639 --> 00:47:46.360
to the level of the asphalt and would raise it

687
00:47:46.559 --> 00:47:50.320
just an inch when I wanted to look out. The

688
00:47:50.400 --> 00:47:53.599
first half hour was the worst. The ringing in my

689
00:47:53.679 --> 00:47:56.920
ears had begun to subside, but I still didn't hear

690
00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:02.159
anything outside of my own breathing. The cold slowly leaked

691
00:48:02.239 --> 00:48:07.800
through my clothes, Still no sign of the monster. Another

692
00:48:07.880 --> 00:48:13.559
hour passed, My muscles started to cramp up. Still no

693
00:48:13.800 --> 00:48:19.199
sign of the monster. Another hour I felt like my

694
00:48:19.280 --> 00:48:25.400
bladder would burst, Still no monster. During the long boredom

695
00:48:25.440 --> 00:48:28.519
in between, I pulled the magazine out of the gun

696
00:48:29.239 --> 00:48:33.800
and counted how many bullets I had left. No matter

697
00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:37.400
how many times I counted, it always came out the

698
00:48:37.440 --> 00:48:43.320
same number. One. I knew one bullet wouldn't save me

699
00:48:43.400 --> 00:48:47.239
from the monster. There was only one thing I could

700
00:48:47.320 --> 00:48:52.559
do with one bullet and my suffering if it found me.

701
00:48:54.159 --> 00:48:57.239
I took it out of the magazine and stared at it.

702
00:48:58.440 --> 00:49:02.159
I used my coat to shine it up, then stared

703
00:49:02.199 --> 00:49:07.480
at my reflection in the gleaming brass. The edges of

704
00:49:07.519 --> 00:49:12.760
the snow around the trailer began to glow. I knew

705
00:49:12.840 --> 00:49:17.239
the sun was coming up. Darkness was no longer my friend.

706
00:49:18.559 --> 00:49:21.480
I was about to give up and crawl out of

707
00:49:21.559 --> 00:49:27.480
my hiding place when I heard it, a soft, sniffing sound.

708
00:49:29.000 --> 00:49:32.960
I lifted my hood an inch just enough to peek out,

709
00:49:34.320 --> 00:49:38.280
and there it was. Its head had broken through the

710
00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:41.360
wall of snow, close to where I dove under the trailer.

711
00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:45.000
There were a few drops of blood from my neck wound,

712
00:49:45.519 --> 00:49:50.400
and it was sniffing them. These drops would lead it

713
00:49:50.519 --> 00:49:54.400
right to me. Sure enough, it took a turn toward

714
00:49:54.440 --> 00:49:57.320
the front of the trailer and looked in my direction.

715
00:49:58.639 --> 00:50:02.000
I lay there still as as it inched its way

716
00:50:02.039 --> 00:50:06.280
toward me. It was having trouble squeezing its massive body

717
00:50:06.360 --> 00:50:09.719
under the trailer, and I could hear it growling with frustration.

718
00:50:11.039 --> 00:50:15.559
It came closer, crawling right toward me. There was no

719
00:50:15.679 --> 00:50:19.360
doubt it knew I was there. I closed my eyes

720
00:50:20.239 --> 00:50:27.119
and stuck the barrel of the gun under my chin. U, sh.

721
00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:30.559
It was only the wind. You are safe, weekly, Spooky

722
00:50:30.639 --> 00:50:31.639
will be right back.

723
00:50:33.679 --> 00:50:36.639
I felt its hot breath and smelled the stench of

724
00:50:36.800 --> 00:50:42.079
death as I squeezed the trigger. Suddenly it shrieked, and

725
00:50:42.119 --> 00:50:45.800
I could feel the truck bucking above me. I opened

726
00:50:45.800 --> 00:50:50.880
my eyes to the most amazing sight. Its horns had

727
00:50:50.920 --> 00:50:54.880
gotten caught in the chains hanging down underneath the trailer,

728
00:50:55.519 --> 00:50:59.480
and it was tangled. It screamed and bucked and fought

729
00:50:59.519 --> 00:51:03.159
to be free from its metal captors. It yanked backwards

730
00:51:03.199 --> 00:51:06.199
so hard I felt the truck move sideways an inch.

731
00:51:07.280 --> 00:51:10.599
The differential was pressing on me now and I had

732
00:51:10.639 --> 00:51:14.960
to shimmy over to avoid being crushed. I watched as

733
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:19.760
the chains broke away one by one, and then it

734
00:51:19.840 --> 00:51:23.519
was free. I took the opportunity to crawl out from

735
00:51:23.599 --> 00:51:27.000
under the truck. It was useless as a hiding place

736
00:51:27.079 --> 00:51:32.039
now it had already tracked me there. I was almost

737
00:51:32.079 --> 00:51:35.159
out when I heard another sound and saw a shadow

738
00:51:35.280 --> 00:51:38.400
pass by the other side of the truck. It was

739
00:51:38.480 --> 00:51:42.760
coming back, but it was trying from the other side.

740
00:51:42.800 --> 00:51:46.599
I crawled as quickly as I could. This was my chance.

741
00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:49.239
If it searched from the other side, it might not

742
00:51:49.480 --> 00:51:52.599
know I had left. I had no idea where I

743
00:51:52.639 --> 00:51:54.960
would go, but it was better to be out of

744
00:51:55.000 --> 00:52:00.159
a useless hiding place. Besides, I desperately needed to stretch

745
00:52:00.239 --> 00:52:03.840
and pee. As I stood next to the truck, I

746
00:52:03.920 --> 00:52:07.360
saw a large patch of red in the snow. I

747
00:52:07.440 --> 00:52:10.199
guess shooting it wasn't as useless as I had thought.

748
00:52:11.320 --> 00:52:14.880
I took care of business first, peeing before I ruined

749
00:52:14.880 --> 00:52:19.079
another pair of pants. I finished and thought about where

750
00:52:19.119 --> 00:52:22.280
to hide. I looked up at the ruined cabin of

751
00:52:22.320 --> 00:52:27.280
my truck when the nightmare crept around the corner. I

752
00:52:27.400 --> 00:52:32.079
stood there helpless. It had caught me flat footed. I

753
00:52:32.119 --> 00:52:35.599
had nowhere to go. It stared at me as it

754
00:52:35.679 --> 00:52:40.719
limped around the corner. Its empty eyes seemed to exude rage.

755
00:52:42.199 --> 00:52:47.239
I pulled up the gun and aimed. When it disappeared

756
00:52:47.639 --> 00:52:52.159
into a moving mountain of snow. The snow plow had

757
00:52:52.199 --> 00:52:56.320
finally arrived. I watched as the plow pushed its mound

758
00:52:56.360 --> 00:52:59.159
of snow, passed my truck and over the edge of

759
00:52:59.159 --> 00:53:03.360
the parking lot. The driver backed up and stopped beside me.

760
00:53:04.519 --> 00:53:09.239
You've been here all night, the driver said, since before

761
00:53:09.280 --> 00:53:14.159
the storm. What happened to your truck? He said, looking

762
00:53:14.239 --> 00:53:18.719
up at my shattered windows. I followed his eyes and thought,

763
00:53:18.760 --> 00:53:23.079
for a moment, someone tried to rob me. I lied,

764
00:53:23.679 --> 00:53:27.800
knowing the truth was unbelievable. I see you took care

765
00:53:27.840 --> 00:53:30.960
of it, he said, looking at the gun in my hand.

766
00:53:31.480 --> 00:53:33.559
I looked down at the pistol and stuck it in

767
00:53:33.639 --> 00:53:38.880
my waistband. It's been a hell of a night, I said. Well,

768
00:53:38.920 --> 00:53:41.760
don't worry. The roads are getting cleared and I'll get

769
00:53:41.800 --> 00:53:46.880
you plowed out of here. Thanks, I said. He nodded

770
00:53:47.239 --> 00:53:50.719
and backed up to continue plowing. I looked at where

771
00:53:50.760 --> 00:53:53.920
he had just plowed beside my truck and saw a

772
00:53:54.000 --> 00:53:57.960
long smear of red. I followed it to the edge

773
00:53:57.960 --> 00:54:00.559
of the parking lot and looked over the side with

774
00:54:00.599 --> 00:54:03.760
my hand on my gun. The drop off was a

775
00:54:03.760 --> 00:54:06.599
good ten feet or more and the snow had already

776
00:54:06.639 --> 00:54:10.280
started to pile up. I followed the path of red

777
00:54:10.320 --> 00:54:14.440
down the hill with my eyes and saw antlers poking

778
00:54:14.480 --> 00:54:18.599
out of the snow. I stared at them, looking for

779
00:54:18.679 --> 00:54:24.079
any movement. For ten minutes. I watched, and they didn't move.

780
00:54:25.440 --> 00:54:28.360
I was interrupted when the plow pushed another pile of

781
00:54:28.440 --> 00:54:33.440
snow over the side, covering the antlers. I watched for

782
00:54:33.480 --> 00:54:38.480
another five minutes, just to be sure. The plow guy

783
00:54:38.519 --> 00:54:43.360
pulled up beside me. You okay, he said. I pulled

784
00:54:43.360 --> 00:54:47.159
my eyes away from the snow pile. Yeah, I'm good.

785
00:54:48.360 --> 00:54:53.519
You sure, he said, pointing at my neck. Yeah. I

786
00:54:53.519 --> 00:54:57.559
had just got nicked by some glass, I said, remembering

787
00:54:57.599 --> 00:55:02.360
the teeth of the monster clamping down on my neck. Well,

788
00:55:02.400 --> 00:55:05.320
I think someone just pulled into the store, he said.

789
00:55:06.199 --> 00:55:10.360
Maybe you should go get something for that. I will, thanks,

790
00:55:10.840 --> 00:55:15.639
I said, knowing I would do no such thing. I

791
00:55:15.760 --> 00:55:20.280
wanted to avoid as many questions as possible. I climbed

792
00:55:20.320 --> 00:55:23.559
into the cab, brushed the glass off my seat, and

793
00:55:23.719 --> 00:55:28.159
drove over to the fuel pumps. After filling up, I

794
00:55:28.280 --> 00:55:32.599
started the long trip home. I kept my cold weather

795
00:55:32.679 --> 00:55:36.599
gear and mask on. Having no windows or windshield made

796
00:55:36.679 --> 00:55:40.800
for a frigid trip. The heater was on max aimed

797
00:55:40.840 --> 00:55:43.920
at my feet, keeping the bottom half of me warm.

798
00:55:45.119 --> 00:55:48.840
I didn't call for a tow truck because I desperately

799
00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:52.320
wanted to get away from there. I never went back

800
00:55:52.320 --> 00:55:55.440
to that truck stop ever again. I didn't want to

801
00:55:55.480 --> 00:56:00.960
take the chance that that thing was still alive. I

802
00:56:01.039 --> 00:56:05.639
never told anyone else about the harrowing encounter. I wish

803
00:56:05.679 --> 00:56:09.440
I could erase it from my mind. As I drove

804
00:56:09.519 --> 00:56:13.320
towards my home terminal through the endless stretch of trees,

805
00:56:14.519 --> 00:56:17.599
I saw one of the creatures peeking out at me

806
00:56:18.480 --> 00:56:23.639
that I used to think was my imagination. Now I

807
00:56:23.719 --> 00:56:31.480
know better. Well, my spookies, I hope you enjoyed that

808
00:56:32.320 --> 00:56:35.760
little something extra to get you through a cold winter's night.

809
00:56:36.559 --> 00:56:40.960
That story brought me all the chills in all the

810
00:56:40.960 --> 00:56:43.559
best ways, and I hope it did it for you

811
00:56:43.960 --> 00:56:47.679
as well. Remember to be subscribed so you don't miss

812
00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:51.280
anything we publish right here at Weekly Spooky. In Fact,

813
00:56:51.639 --> 00:56:54.719
two days ago on Monday, we published a very special

814
00:56:55.039 --> 00:56:58.880
terrifying and true about the folklore of the Wendy Gum,

815
00:56:59.480 --> 00:57:04.320
which Bear's a striking resemblance to the cryptid in tonight's story.

816
00:57:04.519 --> 00:57:07.119
So if you missed it, go back and check it

817
00:57:07.159 --> 00:57:10.159
out and head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify or

818
00:57:10.239 --> 00:57:13.599
wherever you listen to your podcasts. Make sure you're subscribed,

819
00:57:13.639 --> 00:57:16.840
and while you're there, leave us a five star rating.

820
00:57:16.880 --> 00:57:20.119
It really makes a difference. It helps the spookies like

821
00:57:20.199 --> 00:57:22.679
you find the show, and if you want to find

822
00:57:22.719 --> 00:57:26.000
the spookies like yourself, you can head to Facebook and

823
00:57:26.079 --> 00:57:29.559
type in Weekly Spooky's Tomb of Terror. It's a community

824
00:57:29.599 --> 00:57:33.400
of hundreds of like minded spookies, including myself and many

825
00:57:33.440 --> 00:57:36.079
of the authors from the show. And I want to

826
00:57:36.119 --> 00:57:38.440
say a huge thank you to the nearly one hundred

827
00:57:38.440 --> 00:57:41.800
of you who've joined us on Patreon at Weeklyspooky dot

828
00:57:41.800 --> 00:57:46.159
Com slash Join, especially our Patreon podcast boosters, folks who

829
00:57:46.199 --> 00:57:48.280
pay just a little bit more to hear their name

830
00:57:48.280 --> 00:57:50.960
on the show, and they are Jessica Fuller, Johnny Nicks,

831
00:57:51.039 --> 00:57:55.079
Jenny Green, Amber Hansford, Brent mccallough, Karen Wee, met Jack Kerr,

832
00:57:55.239 --> 00:57:57.079
and Craig Cohen. Thank you all so much, and if

833
00:57:57.079 --> 00:57:59.519
you want to join them, head to Weeklyspooky dot Com

834
00:57:59.639 --> 00:58:02.519
slash Join, Get all kinds of cool perks for as

835
00:58:02.519 --> 00:58:06.239
little as one dollar a month at Weeklyspooky dot com

836
00:58:06.239 --> 00:58:08.880
slash Join. But now it's time for me to get

837
00:58:08.880 --> 00:58:11.119
back to work because there's so much more to bring you,

838
00:58:11.400 --> 00:58:15.119
including a full length novella next week, so make sure

839
00:58:15.159 --> 00:58:18.639
you're subscribed. And for myself, for my executive producers Rob Fields,

840
00:58:18.639 --> 00:58:22.320
Markshields and Bobotopia dot com, my producer Dan Wilder, and

841
00:58:22.360 --> 00:58:25.719
my creepy composer Ray Maddis, I will talk at you

842
00:58:26.079 --> 00:58:28.880
next time. Thank you for listening weeks.

843
00:58:29.519 --> 00:58:33.199
Make sure to find your way back next week, but

844
00:58:33.400 --> 00:58:37.960
for now you are safe, trust me,