WINTER: NOW AVAILABLE ON KINDLE

Winter is now available on Kindle at Amazon.com. You can purchase it for your ipad and iphone as well for 2.99. You can also read a portion of it for free. The Printed Version will be available soon
WINTER
CLICK ON THE TITLE IN THE POST TO READ
Hope you all enjoy and share with others.

PART ONE: NEAR COMPLETION

Completion of Part One of Winter is almost done. I decided to just wait and put the entire book on the blog for download. For all those that is reading, i want to just make it easy on you and finish book one so you can enjoy it anytime you wish. Give me at least 2 weeks, I'll keep you posted on how far it is. I'm almost done. 

You can check a three chapter sample right here on my blog in the older post. Thx again

CHAPTER THREE: DECEMBER

The Winter

December 20^th 2049, this is the year I felt I would never forget. This was the first time in a long time that I had all of my relatives with me, and most of none of my immediate family. I never believed this day would get any worse. Days have passed and my wife Daphne was out there somewhere. My two boys stuck in a store with a bunch of strangers. I wondered if Dick had made it out in time. But I knew he was still here. The snow hit us before any of us knew it did. I found myself hoping for the worse when it came to Dick and Daphne situation. I wanted them both to be safe, but I didn’t want either of them meeting each other. As I waited and wondered about my family, my other family continued to be themselves. Having drinks and talking lot, the kids playing with board games and running around. The winter did do something that no doctor or television show could’ve done.

It brought us all together. See with no electronic communication between each other nobody could play on the phones, the video games or watch TV. It was a huge disadvantage in our day and age. It’s the year 2049; you would think we would have flying cars and cybernetic implants in our heads. Or by now we should have tall buildings that reach into space. But no it’s almost the same as 2013 from now. In fact when 2027 hit that’s when this whole continent shutdown came in to play with the fierce winter. That procedure was put into place decades ago, which hindered a lot of technological advancements. We are no closer to solving mankind’s problem then we were to finding a cure for the common cold. And around this time of the year catching the flu is a whole lot easier then it was decades ago.

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The air is thinner, and the snow is heavier. It’s like something else entirely is talking our air and way of survival away from us. And we as humans were possibly responsible for this hindrance in the first place. Maybe it’s a good thing I thought that we as a society can’t move forward. Some times I wonder if this is God’s way of saying enough is enough. I know that’s not the case but the thought still crosses my mind.

I mean if we could continue to move forward. No trees would be here, no wildlife. We put almost every exotic animal in the grinder of extinction. All that is left are birds, simply because they could fly. Squirrels are left simply because we don’t care about them and their useless anyway. Then there are the cats and the dogs. Because rich people give their whole inheritance to them, they waste millions of dollars on keeping a dog and a cat warm in their own penthouse. While the average guys freeze their rears off. There is no middle class anymore. There are only the poor, the rich and the super rich. I just happen to be in the rich class because of my father. You should see how the super rich live. Winter means nothing to them. And the poor, well the poor are just food for the season, a Christmas gift to the white wonderland that surrounds us from December to March.

Meanwhile, as I was pondering my next move, whatever that move was, my family started to talk about how man has put us all in a jammer ever since World War Two. How we as a people made nuclear bombs and contaminating the air and environment. That’s why we have this kind of weather. I was so sick and tried of them talking about the winter. My family, mostly on my wife’s side has a bad tendency to complain. I saw my daughter Lane; play with Stan and Ranger. They seem to have hit it off pretty good with each other. And the dog Ranger was standing at the window looking outside just as I was when I was thinking about my family. I wondered about that dog more so then anybody else in the room.

It was like it had something on its mind too. Something that involved the snow and what was out there. Maybe his lady dog friend is out that freezing her butt off with something other adulteress hound. I laughed a little inside. As the days progressed I started to get even more worried about by boys and Daphne. My boys are out there in the snow in a store with god knows who. All of a sudden Eric and Jimbo started to talk about some of the most insane killers in the countries history. For some reason the two of them got a kick out that stuff. Eric and Jimbo are both psychiatric therapist and they like to debate on whose theory of the human brain is more accurate. They talked about, Charles Manson, Dr. Death, Ted Bundy, the Zodiac and the Snowman. Now Lateia’s kids; Ron, Peter and Aliesa liked that kind of stuff with gruesome murders and movies. They’re all pretty weird but I didn’t say anything.

Eric and Jimbo had the bright idea of talking about the Snowman Killer during the middle of the evening. And in the winter it gets darker much faster. So the mood was set perfectly for them. They started if off with how the Snowman would only come during the winter time. He would dress up like a Snowman and travel to different homes preying on children. That’s how he got his nickname. My daughter Lane and Stan was in the back sort of listening in. They talked about how the Snowman chops off the hands and feet of his victims so that they couldn’t resist him. And all they would have to defend themselves or show their resistance is to scream as loud as they can. The Snowman would have his way with them in the middle of the snow so that nobody would ever find out. After he was finished with the children he would bury their bodies in the snow. And after the winter is over then that’s when the bodies would pop up in people’s yards.

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Eric and Jimbo went on how The Snowman would disappear in the warm seasons, But then return in the winter. He would leave a sign of his presence by putting an ice sculpted carving of a snowman next to his victim’s dead corpses. And sense it was much harder for the police to operate in the winter they would never find him. The three kids of Lateia were trembling in their boots. But at the same time they loved the story Eric and Jim were telling. And it’s those types of stories that will get you killed one day.  I looked over at Lane and Stan. They were both listening in on the conversation. But either one of them really seemed to care too much about what was being said. In fact Lane had seen I lot of stuff in her short life time living in Mexico. She was use to scary stories; well actually in a lack of a better term she lived in a scary story.

Stan I believed had no clue, but I guess he was alright. He must have thought the dog would protect him. Then out of nowhere Bob comes down the stairs with a bottle of Sour Whiskey. He starts to rant again about how mass murders are a product of man’s desire to go to war. Everybody just turned their heads and began to ignore him. Accept for Jamie, Lateia’s sister. She started to go head to head about how Bob likes to talk about non –violence when he constantly acts violent all the time. Bob asked her what she meant in a drunken angry kind of voice. Jamie then tells him how he likes to beat women and act like there’s nothing going on. Bob get’s really mad and throws the bottle at Jamie. Now before I can get up and do something about this myself, Jamie gets up and pulls a 45 mm pistol out on Bob. I WILL BUST A CAP IN YOU FOOL! Jamie screamed. Now I know Jamie, she is very professional. But she does have another side of her. She would tell me it was her side back from living in the projects. She would have to defend herself and her sisters from violent men from their past. That included her dad, something I can relate all too well too. I told her to put the gun down.  And she did comply.

Bob went back upstairs with this angry look on his face. He directed that look straight at Jamie. I was afraid he was going to do something stupid, like take out his frustrations and anger on Nancy. She was upstairs too. Lane walked up to me and asked if the gun Jamie had is bigger then the ones I have in the attic. The family looked at me with shock. I was kind of embarrassed that Lane would bust me out like that, but I had to answer her. No, honey minds are much bigger, I said. Stan grabbed Lane and asked her if they could play in the basement. Lane looked at me to see what I was going to say. I told them sure. Stan, Lane and the Dog Ranger went downstairs in the basement. Jimbo then came to sit by me with a coke in his hands. He took small sips from it. I knew what he was trying to do. I looked at him, and he looked at me from his peripheral vision. I told him to come on and follow me. He got up with this excited look on his face.

We went to the attic were all my gear from the Marines were. Jimbo and I picked up some of the gear. I grabbed a M16 rifle from my gun locker. Jimbo then grabbed a 56 caliber rifle. See Back in the day Jimbo was a navy seal fighting in the Bermuda triangle. In fact he served with my deceased brother Carl Mac in the Navy who was also a Seal. It’s was at the end of that war that we started to learn about the snow and what it could do. Jim and I talked about the old days, fighting the seceding countries located in that area of the world. Most of which were located in the Middle East that bled into the Asian territories. I then opened the attic window so that we could shoot some rounds in the snow. It felt good, hearing those shots being fired. I felt like I was alive again, like I belonged somewhere. I started to get even more excited and unload a few more rounds. Then all of a sudden I started to feel angry. I started to feel like I was shooting somebody I wanted to be gone forever.

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Then Jimbo put his hand on my shoulder very softly. As if he was comforting me or calming me down before the rage over took me. I stopped and looked at him. Right then and there I knew what had done. I didn’t like it, so I was ready to walk out and leave him in the attic. Zim stop, he said to me with authority. Jimbo was a psychiatrist. I know you don’t like what I did there but I had to see what was wrong with you, said Jimbo. How you know if anything is wrong with me, I said to him. It’s because of the way you look, how you talk whenever someone mentions Daphne. I asked him if he and Daphne talked when I was away in Somalia. He told me no, but he knew what the deal was with us. I never liked mind games because that’s what they did to me in the Somalia POW camp, then when I returned to base for a physiatric evaluation. I told him that I was afraid that she’s out there in the cold dead trying to have affair. He then asked if I was afraid if it was with Richard. Jimbo always impressed me on how he could just figure stuff out. That’s why I liked him; it saved me the embarrassment of having to tell him out of my own mouth. Maybe that’s why his patients kept coming back to him.

Jimbo received patients with family issues mostly people with young teen and children who were runaways or killed in whatever circumstances. Jim has always been a good friend; he may have been a little crazy on the religious side but still a good friend. But then again, Jim was a Navy Seal so the things he saw would make any man go crazy. Jim then noticed the gas freezer I had. I didn’t know you had on of these, said Jim. The gas freeze keeps whatever is in it cold below zero. But the beauty of it is that it doesn’t ice up. Therefore, when we take out food or anything that is frozen in the gas freezer, it thaws out right away. See it’s impossible for us to have ice or any kind of frost accumulating on anything. Having ice in the house is far too dangerous. When we need a cold glass of water or something to drink we just dip it in the gas freezer for a few seconds.

Jimbo reaches in the gas freezer and pulls out a dead rabbit. I used it for target practice. He told me to shoot it before it hits the snow. He throws it out of the window and I proceed to fire. I shot the rabbit too pieces and it lands on the snow. For some strange reason I felt a whole lot better. I guess this was some kind of free of charge therapy right Jim, I said. He laughed a little and said no it’s a family discount. He walked out and when back down to the main floors. I too was ready to exit the attic. But then I spotted another dead rabbit in my gas freezer. I took it out. I then grabbed an old injection needle and pumped it with hot water. I didn’t know why really, but I figure that the therapy Jim gave me was working. It had calmed me down. But I figured that it would make more sense to have a simulation of a being with heat in it‘s body. Just has if it was alive.

I took the rabbit and threw it outside and tried to shot it. But I missed the shot that time. The rabbit fell into the snow. And with no hesitation, the snow sprung up and grabbed the rabbit devouring it. Just like that the rabbit was gone. I looked at the snow, for a minute. I started to play with it, mock it little. Tell it how it couldn’t get me since I was at the top and the snow was at the button. I could only imagine how stupid I looked and acted talking to the snow. See this is the reason why we don’t go and walk around in the snow. During the winter months the snow has a mind of its own. It has a heart, it is alive. And it wants to feed. Feed on our flesh and blood; feed on our living heat and tissue. It wants to eat us. That’s the winters we have. It’s been a long time since I actually did this but I just thought this would blow off some more steam for me. I then took another rabbit and injected with rabies and blood. I had stolen some old samples of what the Somailians were trying to use against us while I was in the POW camp. I threw it out again, and this time the snow reached up like a giant arm and grabbed the rabbit, eating it. I jumped back a little and closed the window.

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 I wondered why the snow made an arm for itself to grab the rabbit when it didn’t even hit the ground. Then as I glanced at the ground I saw blood oozing from the ground. It was quite a bit of blood and the snow was just sucking it in. I notice that it was coming from the water pipe that is connected to the washer and that pipe leads into the downstairs basement. Then I hit me like bullet in the head. LANE! I screamed. I ran down stairs as fast as I could. I then heard a lot scream come from the room Nancy and Bob was staying in. I saw Eric, Lateia, and Jim rush up the stairs to see what was happening while I was rushing down the stairs to see if anything happened to Lane. As I passed down the stairs and into the basement I saw Stan and the dog Ranger in the living room playing. I asked Stan where Lane was. He told me that she was downstairs with Jamie looking at some old pictures and going through some clothes.

I kept on running down the stairs to see what the cause of the blood was. I had hope different, but I know blood when I see it. I ran down stairs calling for Lane. Then I called for Jamie. I saw the pictures and the clothes Stan said they were looking through but I didn’t see them. I heard the washer machine going. I wondered who was washing clothes. The washing machine sounded like it had something big and bulky in it. As I approached the washer slowly I could hear a lot of commotion upstairs. I recognized Bob’s voice, then Nancy’s then Jimbo’s and Stacy all shouting and screaming. I figured what the crap is going on up there? I knew it had something to do with Bob and Nancy, but I couldn’t focus on that right now. I was still looking for Lane. As I entered the room where the washer was, I saw that it was leaking red water. But it’s wasn’t red water it was blood mixed with soap oozing out of the washer.

I went to the washer as the sound inside of it got louder and louder. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. That’s what it sounds like. As I approached the washer with so much fear in my heart racing against my chest, the shout from up the stairs grew louder and louder. I heard thumping upstairs just as loud as the thumping in my washer. THUMP, THUMP THUMP. The washer and whatever was in it was banging so hard my lips quivered with pain and fear. I feared what was in that washer as much as I feared what was happening upstairs.  The shouting of the all commotion upstairs grew louder and louder, and the thumping in my washer also grew louder and louder. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

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My shoes began to get soaking wet from all of the blood leaking out the washer. It was going into my socks. But I was so nervous of what I was ready to find in the washer as it continued leaking all of this muddy blood. I turned the washer off and took a deep breath. I cleared my throat and all I did from there on out was prey to God. Oh lord please don’t let my baby be in here I prayed. I was ready to open the door to the washer. All of the horrible memories of Africa racing in my head and the conflict in Somalia started to hit me like a ton of iron balls. The screams and the thumping of the mysterious conflict taking place above me grew more fierce and loud. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. I opened the door to the washer. It was filled with blood and soap. I saw a piece of dark hair in it. I pulled it out, and then the hair became a head. Then the head became a neck and the neck became a body. It was female. I saw the face of who it was. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was ready to scream in horrible. But before I could I heard a loud noise shot off upstairs. NOOOOOO!!! I heard. BAM!!!! I heard like a gun shot going off. Then I heard it again, BAM!!! And “BAM” again!!! Each time I heard it I lost my grip on the body stuffed in my washer. I fell to the ground in horror at to what I saw and heard. The person killed in my washer was very precious to me and very close to the family. Close to us all, for it was…

It was Jamie? I thought to myself. What in the world happened to her? It was like somebody had smashed her head in and squeezed her in the washer like a damp blanket. I couldn’t comprehend why she was in here. How did this happen all of a sudden. What lead to this? Is this some kind of sick joke I thought to myself. I felt myself getting sick and woozy. My head started to spin like a quarter ready to fall on the table. I couldn’t believe that someone in my family died in my house. And the only people in this house are my family. Well expect for a few. As I was trying to get it all figured out in my head, I ran upstairs to find out what that noise was. I didn’t want to spill the beans just yet; after all I myself was still trying to soak in what had happened. I closed the door behind me.  Stan, Debra, Lateia and her kids were all in the living room and in the kitchen with these weird looks of fear and shock on their faces. I wanted to ask them what had happened. But the thought of Jamie’s dead body in my washer was still twirling in my head. I ran up the stairs and saw a blood spatter on my hallway wall.

Oh Lord not again, I thought to myself. I ran inside Nancy’s room. Bob, Stacy, Jimbo and Eric were all there looking in shock and horror at something. I glanced over to see what they were looking at. It was Nancy, she was shot in the chest three times, and the gun was on the floor next too her. WHAT HAPPENED! I shouted. None of them answered. WHAT HAPPENED! I shouted again. None of them answered. I started to get very upset and confused. I don’t like it when people don’t answer my question, and this was a very big question I wanted answered. They all had a look of fear in their faces. I looked at Bob, and he too had the same look. I rushed over to him and knocked him on the floor. He didn’t even try to defend himself at first. I started to punch him in the face! I had believed that he was the one that did this to Nancy! That he was the one that killed her!

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Eric, Stacy and Jimbo all tried to pull me off of him! They all kept telling me that he didn’t shoot her! HE DIDN’T DO IT ZIM, HE DIDN’T DO IT! They all shouted. WELL WHO DID, I screamed! They all just stared at me. Not saying a word. I asked them again, but none of them responded. They all had that look of fear, all four of them looking at each other, as though they were hiding something. Then I heard a scream downstairs. AHHHHH NOOOO!!!!! I heard. We all rushed downstairs to see what was going on. I saw that the door to the basement was opened. Aliesa and Lateia were downstairs. They saw Jamie’s body.

Aliesa was crying and holding Lateia. But Lateia herself couldn’t hold her own self up. Eric shielded both Aliesa, and Lateia. Stan tried to come downstairs but Stacy wouldn’t let him. WHAT HAPPENED! Lateia screamed. I told her I didn’t know I found her like this. Lateia looks straight at Bob. YOU! YOU DID IT! She replies to Bob. Lateia heads straight for him, but I step in her way.  Me, Jim and Eric all lead the ladies upstairs. Then Jim and Eric are in shock just as much as was at what we saw. I can’t believe it Eric replies. Who could have done this? How can this be? As Eric and Jim continue to pounder what had happened. I quickly ran around the house trying to find my little girl Lane. She was no where to be found in the house. I went to Stan to ask him what happened when him and Lane was downstairs. I asked him, when did Jamie come down? But Stan was scared out of his mind. He couldn’t answer me. Stacy was trembling and Bob was in a corner talking to himself. WHAT YOU SAY! Lateia shouted at Bob. Bob told her to leave him alone! I asked everybody if anybody saw Lane! But no one responded, instead they all bickered amongst themselves. Trying to figure out who or what killed Jamie. Maybe the snow did it Aliesa said. Bob told her no the snow doesn’t stuff people in a washer. Then Lateia slashed back at Bob saying “OH SURE YOU WOULD KNOW BECAUSE YOU DID IT! Bob and Latiea were going at while her kids cried in confusion! Stacy tried to calm Lateia down as to not to scare the kids or Stan anymore.

There were so many things going wrong in this house I didn’t know what to make of it. Nancy was shot dead in room full of people that won’t say anything! Then we find Jamie stuffed in a washier with no knowledge of who did it! Then lastly and worst off my daughter Lane is missing in the middle of all of this! So I shouted again, QUIET! The whole house got silent. I asked the whole family again. Where is Lane? Then it hit everybody that Lane was gone. Oh god no, said Jim. Stan where did she go, Eric asked. Stan was still in shock, but he tried to answer. I...I saw her downstairs with Jamie, he said. Basically it was the same thing he told me. Eric’s girlfriend Debra came out of the other room on the far end of the house. She stared to ask what was going on. Where were you this whole time I asked her? She said she was taking a nap. Debra took a very long nap in my opinion. Eric asked her if she saw Lane. Debra said yeah. When she said that, I gave her my full attention. I asked where she went. As I got closer to Debra she started to look like she was strung out on something. I asked her again. Where did she go Debra? She said that she wanted to go outside and play in the snow. So I unlocked the door for her and she went out. I didn’t believe her because once the doors are locked for the winter there’s no way out.

In fact every building in every city in the country with 4 to 6 inches of snow is put in automatic pressure lock. No one can get in, and no one can get out. I asked her again to tell me the truth. That is the truth she said with blood shot baggy eyes.

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Debra are you okay Eric asked. She said she was fine. She started to go back into her room and close the door. I didn’t trust her in fact I barely knew her. So I rushed into her room to see if I could find anything weird. I looked on her bed and I saw pulls and white powder. She was doing drugs. Then I noticed that she had Lane’s keychain on her bed.  I gave Lane those keys for when she would come over for the summer. I thought I had taken them back when she went back down to Mexico to live with her mom. The keys on her chain couldn’t have opened any of the doors. So the only way she could have gotten out was through the attic. I rushed back up the stairs and into the attic. I saw that I did leave the window open when I saw the blood. But to me it didn’t make any sense. Lane was still downstairs when I and Jim were shooting outside. So how could she have gotten pass everybody in the house and me without anybody noticing. Something was up in this house. Eric, Stacy, Jim and Bob were upstairs when Nancy was shot and nobody said anything.

Jamie mysteriously appeared in the washer dead with only Stan and Lane down there with her. And now Lane is gone. Bob had an argument with Jamie but he couldn’t have gone upstairs shot Nancy and headed back down in time to kill Jamie. It didn’t make any sense to me. Nothing added up. Eric, Stacy and Jim all said Bob didn’t kill Nancy. Debra said she unlocked the door to let Lane play outside. But Stan said Lane was downstairs with Jamie who is now dead. I was so confused. I didn’t know what to do. So I went into Marine mode. I grabbed a piece of Lane’s clothes and took a gamble. What are you doing, asked Eric? I went to the dog and held the piece of Lane’s clothes to its nose. I hoped that the dog would smell where Lane was. The dog known as Ranger gave me these eyes like he knew what I wanted him to do. He sniffed the clothes and started to sniff some more around the house. He went to the door that leads into the garage. And he started to bark. There was nothing in the garage except for what lies outside.

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So it was true I thought to myself. Lane is out there in the snow, in the cold! I went to my closet and got my winter gear. What are you doing Zim? Jim asked. I’m going to get my daughter back, I told him. Eric tried to convince me that there was a good chance that Lane was dead without actually saying Lane was dead. But I didn’t listen, I rubbed the dog’s head and I was ready to go outside. Wait Zim you can’t just go alone Jim replied. I told him that if he wanted to go then he would have to tell me what happened to Nancy. He looked at me as if he didn’t want to make that deal. I told him, fine have it your way. Eric then jumped and said that I couldn’t go out there with the snow. That I wouldn’t surivive out there, the snow will get me before I even make the first step outside. Eric obliviously doesn’t know me very well to say that.

I went into the attic to get some weaponry to go out in the cold to defend myself just in case I had to fight the natural white elements. Jimbo once again pleaded with me not to go outside by myself. I told him yet again that if he wants to come then he’s going to have to tell me what happen to Nancy. Jim once again didn’t say anything. So I kept going on about my business to get ready to go out. Then Jim just took it upon himself to grab some of my gear and strap it on to him. I asked him what he was doing. He said that he was going with me whether I liked or not. I beg to differ I said.

I pulled out my pistol and pointed at him. Jim then backed up and said “so is this what’s it come to?” Yeah it’s pretty crazy this evening I said to him. Eric looked at Jim and Bob. Bob looked at them an slightly shook his head. Jim sighed and said okay. I tell you after we leave the house to go look for Lane. I didn’t trust this deal. My senses from the war started to kick in. I knew Jim and Eric would never turn on me. But in this day and age you never know. Besides I had the upper hand anyway with my toys. I told them okay. I said but Bob is coming with us. Bob didn’t want to a first saying how he is asthmatic. Bull, I said to him. I don’t care if you have only one lung to breathe from you’re coming with us. I pointed the gun at him very carefully.  After all it’s better to have one full lung, then one with a bunch of holes in it. Bob got the point and agreed to come with us. I went downstairs and told the oldest of Lateia’ boys Ron to come with us. Peter and Little Stan were going to stay with the women and that no one was allowed in Nancy’s room.
Why, Lateia asked. Because it’s better for your health if you don’t go in there I said. I ended up giving some of my gear to Bob, Eric, Ron and Jim.  How you know if Lane is even alive, Eric asked. Because the dog sniffed so, I said to him. What if Ranger is just sniffing a body or another piece of clothing, Jim asked. I went to Lane’s room to see what coat she put on. To my everlasting joy she did put on the coat I gave her years ago. She put on the Nitro coat I said. The Nitro coat is very much like the gas freezer in my attic. It keeps all of the essential parts of the body warm, arms, legs, chest, neck and noise. But there is an outer layer of the coat that is kept below freezing level. See the snow comes alive when it senses heat from our bodies. The coat’s outer layer keeps the snow from sensing the heat.

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Lane also put on the strider boots as well, to keep her from sinking into the snow. I had 4 more of the coats. They were for my boys and Daphne and a guest coat, a coat that I was going to give to Richard. I let Eric, Jim and Ron have one.  I give Bob the guest coat. It didn’t have all of the cool features like a watch or inferred and an ice pick. I kept my eyes on Bob and he did the same to me. I had to keep my cool, for high emotions raise the temperature in our bodies. These coats are only full proof up to 4 inches of snow. And judging by what it looks like out there it would have to be at least 7 to 8 inches of snow outside. I hoped that the others going with me knew this and was calm. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Two people, no, two loved ones are dead in my house. I can still her Lateia and her kids crying. Ron was trying to be a man and hold it in. But I knew he loved his aunty very much. Stacy was shaking next to Stan knowing full well what happened to Nancy, but not saying anything.

Tensions are high with Eric, Jim and Bob. And Me, I’m probably the most tense. My family is out there somewhere. My wife hates my guts. I have a potential killer maybe two in my house but have no idea who it could be. My money is either on Bob or Debra. Both drink and do drugs. But I can’t prove it and the ones that saw it won’t help me. And my poor Lane, my precious Lane, she is out there somewhere. All happy and excited to play in the snow, the way a little kid should feel like. But this ain’t” It’s A Wonderful Life”, this aint no “Christmas Story” or no Rudolph the Red noise Reindeer. This is Winter, and it is dangerous. It’s not just slick roads and car accidents and traffic and cold months of shoveling snow and black ice. No it’s more then that now!

 You can’t even shovel snow anymore without it shoveling you! Winter fights, it goes into the ring with you! And so far it’s been the winner! The snow comes after you like a predator!

It waits for the kill in the calmness of the white wind. It doesn’t play with us. It’s not happy with us. It wants us dead and gone.  Extreme fear, Anger, Happiness and Stress, yes these are among many emotions that boils us up. And makes us ripe for the taking, we are like fruit ready to be plucked from a tree. And the snow, the winter will eat us. And Lane has been waiting to play in the snow for some time now. So I’m sure she is happy out there. And that’s what I’m afraid of. We all got our gear together. I emphasize to the girls not to panic, and also to not touch anything. I know it can’t be easy to have two dead people in the house; the government gave us procedures to follow in case of such a thing.  I grabbed an embalmed body bag. Me and Jim took Nancy’s body and put into the bag of preservation for a later autopsy. We also did it to keep the smell out.

We then went downstairs and did the same for Jamie. I told Stacy to watch out for Debra. I didn’t like the idea of a junkie in my house along with my family. But I trusted Stacy and definitely Lateia never would allow something bad to happen when it came to this Debra lady. I went back to the attic and grabbed some needle shots of rabies. I was going to save them for a snowy day like today. Eric, Bob, Jim, Ranger and I all went to the garage door ready to taste the winter. The girls were worried that we weren’t going to make it back. Eric tried to comfort them into believing that Lane could just be right outside the garage door. I wish that was the case.

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It could be the case, just hope it’s a case that involves my daughter being alive. We closed the door behind us. My heart started to race. But I couldn’t let my body heat rise to much. Jim asked everybody how long it has been since any of us ever walked in the snow. Nobody said anything. Jim figured that meant we never walked in the snow, not at least for 10 years. And the ones who did, you can find their feet and bones in the spring time.

Eric asked me if I was going to put the code in to open the door. I told him not to rush me. I stood at an angle towards Bob as I reached for the pad to open the door. If it was true that Lane was right outside my garage dead. I promise you I was going to knock him right in the snow for him to be eaten by it. I put the code in. The door opened, and Ranger started to bark. We saw a flash of white hit us, I warning sign that we was ready to enter the winter. As the door open, we heard the cold wind raging like a mad mob. The wind in winter doesn’t sound pleasant or peaceful. It’s hard, like a thunderous train. Enraged at all who enter its presence. The harsh snow flakes started to hit our eyes and coats. We all had goggles on to protect our eyes. I could feet even the snow flakes biting and gnawing at my coat. I started to see little hoes form on my sleeve. The snow was starting to eat its way through it, trying to get to my skin. The snow flakes from the wind were even eating at the others coats. DON’T BE AFRIAD, DON’T BE TOO EXCITED! I screamed. The snow already senses our frustration, our anxious! I can’t do it Ron said, I don’t want to go out there!

Zim let Ron go back inside, Jim said. No I can’t keep opening and closing the door we have to go now! Ron’s a 17 year old weirdo who loves scary stories, but can’t handle this story. Well today he’s going to have to handle it I thought! He’s going to be a man and help me find my little girl!

The low temperature from the cold was already freezing the panels and wheels that operate the garage. WE HAVE TO GO NOW! I said. I saw Ranger sniffing again, trying to pick up Lane scent. Ranger barked and ran outside full speed! Because of him I knew Lane had to be alive or at least close and shallow enough for Ranger to smell her. In the winter you can’t smell anything, you can’t taste anything. Because the snow that lands on our mouth gnaws at your tongue. It is easy, too easy to get frost bitten. LET’S GO! I said, and we all went out side. I closed the door. It was like walking into the lion’s pit. We were outside, in the snow, in the winter.

The wind was fighting against us. We could barely see anything, hear anything. I for once didn’t think the coats were going to last. The bullet proof polycarbonate safety goggles was getting small cracks in it. I started to see small white strains of snow crawling their way into my goggles, trying to penetrate the heat coming from my eyes. I would purposely tear up my eyes as to melt the snow worms (that’s what I call them) so they wouldn’t eat at my pupils. Water dilutes the snow, so in a liquid state it can’t do anything. Bob and Ron didn’t know that. The snow worms started eating away at their pupils. AHHHHWAHW!! I heard from Ron. I told Ron not to make any large movements! Stand still while I get you I shouted to him! IT’S BURNS he screams. No it’s stinging, because of the coldest of the snow worms bites. The colder the temperature the worst the bite is. I walked over there to him. But I mistakenly stepped a little too hard on the side of my left foot.

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A large white snowy tentacle looking arm sprung up from the snow. It tried to grab my leg.  I quickly slowed down and calmed myself. I didn’t want the snow ripping my leg off. If that happens then I’m really history! The arm sensed that I had calm down, even in the middle of all this hard wind. It proceeded to retract back into the snow. I then slowly walked over to Ron as he was holding his eyes. He couldn’t rub them or get too anxious! If he did the snow would grab him from his feet and suck him in!

The snow, it wants to get us. In any way it can. I had to make sure it didn’t get Ron. Lateia already lost her sister. And we all lost a member of the family. We were not going to lose another. If anything we were going to get a member back, my daughter. I walked over to him and told him to cry. Ron didn’t believe in crying, so much even when his eyes were being sucked from his sockets by icy cold snow worms. He then punched him three times, but held his shoulder to make sure he didn’t fall back in the snow. Every time I punched my nephew, the snow would rise and make arms to kill us. It could sense the anger, the fear, the strees we both were experiencing. But I kept going. CRY DARN IT! YOU WANNA DIE! I screamed at Ron.  Finally, Ron started to cry and the snow worms in his eyes started to liquefy.

The arms in the snow retracted back in to the ground. Except for one, the arm zone in on us. It still felt Ron’s fear. And it was ready to strike.  It moved towards us like a creature from a horror movie. The only horror was that nature was the creature. Right before the snow arm could reach us, some bullets hit the arm. The arm started to crack and brake up and fall back to the snowy ground. The bullets came from Bob and Jim. Jim was so calm, like a true seals men. Bob was also calm too like he has done this before, like he has had special training of some kind.

The gust of wind from the snow then died down. We’re able to see and hear Ranger barking, telling us where he was. That dog was starting to grow on me a little. After the wind blew away, the sky and field became nothing but white. It was a white calm wonderland, beautiful and peaceful as it should be. But right below was our greatest and most deadliest enemy. The snow was waiting for us to make a mistake, or a wrong move. We all walked very carefully towards Ranger. Eric started to speak. I’m surprise the dog came with us in the first place, it never leaves Stan. I’m shocked as to why the snow hasn’t gotten Ranger and he has no coat or anything on to protect him, Eric states. Did you forget Eric, the snow doesn’t kill live animals for some reason, and I told him. If that’s true then why did the snow eat those dead rabbits you were throwing outside to it in your attic, Bob replied with a smart tone. How you knew I was throwing dead rabbits outside of my house, I replied back to him. I saw you though the window, Bob said. Which window, Nancy’s room window, I asked, right before you shot and killed her!

Okay that’s enough, Jim said. He didn’t kill Nancy. Then who did Jim, tell me now, I asked! You said you were going to tell me when we got out here, now we are out here! Jim had backed up and started to look down. WELL, I said waiting for a response. I then proceeded to walk towards Jim and grab him by the collar. ANSWER ME! I said with a loud and firm voice. Zimmery, you don’t want to know, Jim replied. I told him very clearly that I did want to know other wise I wouldn’t be asking him. Eric then stepped in and said it. Zim, Nancy killed herself! I looked at Eric with fire in my eyes.

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I was a little confused and insulted at Eric. I then went to him and started to grab him by the collar. I grab Eric tightly by the collar. I looked deep into his eyes with extreme intensity. I told him too look back at me. He didn’t want to. But I shook him a little to force him to look at me. I wanted Eric to see how stupid that sounded to me. How could Nancy kill herself with three bullets in her chest? Not one, but three. Jim then told me to put Eric down. I turned to Jim and pleaded with him to tell me the truth.

It angered me that they would hide this from me. I felt like they were protecting this man, from something. How could they do that to me, too Nancy? How could they protect this stranger in my house? What did he do to you all, I asked Jim and Eric? I even got so desperate that I turned to Ron for help. But Ron didn’t know anything. He was still trying to savor each moment of life that he had just kept from that little snow experience. I looked at Bob hoping to catch something from him. But he didn’t respond. Eric then tried to ask me if we were going to continue the journey for Lane, so we can get back home. I told Eric to zip it! It was his fault we’re out here in the first place! How is my fault, Eric replied with a defensive tone? I told him that if he didn’t bring his junkie girlfriend that is way to young for him anyway into my house, then Lane wouldn’t have gotten out here. Eric started to get angry, and got all up in my face. We soon all felt the snow tremble beneath us. It could sense our frustration, our anger. I asked everybody to calm down. Bob then gave a smart remark on how I’m asking everybody to relax when I’m the one getting everybody heated.

Ranger then barked some more, his bark brought me back to why I was really out there. I was here to get my Lane back. And if she is still alive, then I have to find her. I stepped out of Eric’s face and went on my way toward the dog. We all followed him as Ranger continued to sniff and guide us to Lane. As we continued onward, I started to question my trust in my own family members. Why would Eric and Jim, do this? Why would they protect this man that none of us like or hardly know? It didn’t make any sense to me at all. I was more alert now then ever. More cautious as to what I was going to do, who these so called family members I’m with. I guess I have to assume the worse. Maybe Bob threaten them with something. But what, and why, what does Bob have that is so scary that it would make Jim silent. Jim, who is a former navel officer, what does Bob have that I don’t know? As we continued to walk, Ron noticed that something was in the snow. Hey what’s this? Ron must have been recovering quite quickly to notice something in the snow. He didn’t want to pick it up; I could tell that he wasn’t even comfortable walking in the snow.

I went to go see what he was talking about. I then saw a chain in the snow. It looked like something you put around your neck. It was a necklace. Someone lost their necklace in the snow. All of a sudden Bob hurried and grabbed the necklace before any of us could get a look at it. GIMME THAT! Bob said. I didn’t care too much, but I wondered why he acted so funny over it. But in my mind it was just a necklace, it didn’t mean anything to me that much. How did you lose it, Eric asked him. It must have broken off when I was trying to get my automatic semi off around my neck, Bob said. I want that weapon back when this is over Bob, I told him. Bob rolled his eyes and kept on going.

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I then asked Bob where he learned how to defend himself against the snow like that. What Bob did was a military type of shooting. Bob said that he learned it in a defense course. I asked what course. He told me he knew some guys in the military, and that they taught him how to shoot when he was younger. It was a way of protecting himself.

I didn’t know that much about Bob, Nancy never really broadcasted it.  All we knew was that Bob was also a bum, and a redneck bum to say the least. He had no job, he was in construction but he quit because of his boss. After that he moved in with Nancy, and has been living off her for the longest. He was true white trailer trash. I mean this guy even went to prison a few times while Nancy was dating him. Daphne and I never could understand why Nancy loved this man, this nobody. That’s why I was so shock when I found out that he could shoot so well. It was almost as good as Jim and I am at shooting. As we continued to walk and let Ranger guide us, Bob was making sure to cover and hide the necklace he had lost. It must have been something very close to him. I wondered if it was something Nancy gave him. Nancy gave Bob everything anyway, or maybe it was something he took from Nancy, maybe even after he killed her. I won’t be surprised if he killed Jamie too after the argument they had. I was in the attic with Jim. He might have gone down there and did it then. He might also be the reason Lane is out here.

The walk the dog Ranger was given us seem like days. In fact I checked my watch. We had been walking in the snow safely for at least 5 to 6 hours. It’s funny how that works; as soon as I realize how long we had walked I started to feel fatigue in this cold environment. This white and dead environment was getting to me. I then told the others how long we had been walking. As soon as I said it, I heard them starting to pant and gasp.

We had all been walking on adrenaline for the majority of the search. I told them specifically that so that they would get tired. Just in case Bob or the others might turn or do something I wouldn’t like. Then at least we would all be on the same level. I knew Ron and Eric couldn’t hold up too long. But I never suspected Ron. The only people that might give me a hard time even in our fatigue state would be Jim and Bob.  We continued the walk until Ranger stopped and started to bark. Ranger must have spotted something up ahead. Ranger then proceeded to dig in the snow. I had believed he found something. But apart of me was hoping it wasn’t what I thought it was. I hope my Lane is not down there. Ranger continued to dig, my eyes got wider, wider, and I started to sweat a little, trying to keep my composure. We all started to see something form out of the snow. It looked like a boot. It looked like Lane’s boot. And it was to my everlasting horror it was my little girl’s boot. Oh lord, exclaimed Eric. Jim just looked to the side, and Ron looked as if he was about to explode with tears. I for myself started to become enraged and incensed with anger!

This was a clue that my little girl was gone. The snow must have gotten to her. But why was her boot off her foot I wondered trying to hang on to hope. Maybe Lane didn’t put it on tight enough. Maybe some snow got in it or something. But none of that mattered, it was over. I’m so sorry, Jim said. He urges us that we should start to make it back to the house. But then a sound of hope came upon my ear.

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Ranger started to bark once more. Ranger then proceeded to dig again. We then started to see, gloves, then a hat and a couple of goggles and two coats. To my surprise I knew these clothes were not Lane’s. The only thing that was Lane was the boot. I wondered where all these clothes came from. Who did they belong to? Then out of nowhere, we heard a sound come from a distance. It sounded like something was shooting. The sound got closer, and closer to us. Then all of a sudden my eyes saw a giant net hit all six of us. Me, Jim, Eric, Bob, Ron and Ranger, we were all trapped in this giant net. Some body has captured us I thought. The net was solid strong. It was made of some kind of alloy. We all hit the snow hard.

Next we all felt the snow try to come up and grab us. I told everyone to relax. But Eric and Ron kept squirming. Only I, Jim and Bob and even the dog Ranger kept cool. The snow was started to pick away at Eric and Ron. I could only think that this was the end. And that we’re all going to die out here. Then we heard gun shots come from a distance. The shots broke up the snow long enough for Ron and Eric to get themselves together. Next we saw a group of men come out of the cold. They had automatics as well. They looked at us. Then one of the men gave a loud whistle to the others. Soon a group of the men started to cut the net so that we can be freed. The asked what were we doing out here? We told them we were looking for someone. They replied saying that they were looking for someone too. There had to be at least 32 men in all. Four of them introduce themselves to us. Their names were, Chris, Russell, Akin, and Devon. Chris and Russell looked like they were white from what I could tell. Akin was an Asian looking man, maybe from the Philippines. Then Devon was a tall dark looking man. He had to be black. They said that they were looking for a group of children, their children.

They had set up a point of return in some nearby woods across the snow field. They invited us to come with them. We told them we found these clothes in the snow buried deep. The four of them looked at each of the clothes. I had already taken Lane’s boot. Devon took the gloves. He said the glove belonged to his daughter Pam. Chris said that the hat we found, he gave to his son Johnny along time ago. Russell said that the two goggles and the two coats belonged to his twins, Alex and Alexis. Akin was the man in charge of the team that led them all here. Who were you all looking for, Akin asked. I showed them the boot from my daughter. I told them, I’m looking for my daughter Lane. They all looked at each other with shock and amazement. Bob then leaned over and said “Well at least you’re not the only free spirited parent out here” I didn’t like that remark at all, but for some reason I did have my concerns. How did three men lose their children out here? And how did all of their clothes get placed in the same spot. Ranger then proceeds to dig deeper in the snow and find one last thing. He had it in his mouth. I reached to pull it out of Rangers mouth. And what we all saw horrified us. It was an ice carving of a snowman. Right there we all knew what this was. The stories we heard on the news. The hundreds of missing children and the grieving families that later found their dead bodies after the weather cleared up. It was here in our town, in our city of Scranton. This nation serial killer had come to us this season. The famous and vicious child predator: The Snowman. The Snowman Predator at come to town.

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I was enraged at what I saw, and also frighten. But this time this sadistic killer had picked the wrong family to mess with.

A few hours later, we all had gathered in the woods near an electric fire starter. Each of the dads ended up explaining how their children got lose in the snow in the first place. Russell said that he let his twins Alexis and Alex; go outside to get some wood from the back. He said that he and the twins would do it every winter, so this season he figured it wouldn’t be an issue. Both Alex and Alexis was 12 years old so Chris argued to his wife that he was old enough. Devon stated that Pam was visiting her cousins. And then before December 20^th arrived, she was supposed to head back home. Devon said that he never heard back from her cousins. The snowstorm came early so he couldn’t communicate with them to see if she was alright. Chris said that his son Johnny who was 13, was supposed to be flying back to the Bahamas for the winter to continue his education. Since all schools close during the winter, the children have to make up big time for it in the spring and summer.

In this day in age there is no summer break. At least not for 3 months, it usually last for about 2 weeks. Some time in June or July, then the kids goes back to school. When Chris said that he flies his son to “The Bahamas” to continue school, right there you know what kind of person he was. To afford to have a squad of men with a commander leading a rescue party for your children, Chris was a part of the rare class known as the “Super Rich”. Akin must have been a hired gun or something. But hey like my brother Carl use to say get an Asian on our side and your bound to save the day. As we all talked I asked them how they all manage to trace their children to the exact spot where the Snowman placed their clothes. Devon said he had put a GPS in the Nitro coat he gave his daughter. Chris and Russell knew each other somehow and their kids played together all the time. Russell said he had hoped that Chris could help him. But then he found out that Chris’s son was missing too.

Chris said that he hired Akin and his team to find their kids. And down the road they ended up finding Devon and the three of them teamed up to search for their children. They asked me how my child got out and how I was able to find them. Obviously we had the dog Ranger lead us, I told them. I didn’t wanna tell them about the two murdering in my own household. I did however tell them how Lane supposedly got out. But I don’t think the story about Debra unlocking the door was true. I didn’t have a good state of trust for Jim and Eric now, since they are deceivingly trying to hide something from me.

Ranger was still barking and sniffing. It would appear that your dog is trying to tell us something Devon said. Ranger was barking towards the north. We didn’t know if they met that our children was still alive somewhere or not. But Ranger was acting on the smell of the clothes. His sniffing could lead us to the Snowman, Chris said. Do we really want to find him, Russell replied. I cocked my gun and told them that I do. I hoped that Ranger’s barking was implying that the children were indeed alive. Man I really do hope they’re okay said Chris. My boy is out there with that manic. He screamed. Chris started to break down, but he was put back on his feet by Devon. Devon started to tell him how he feels about his baby girl out here too. I started to relate to Devon. Even thought I just meant him a few hours ago, I feel this man knows what its like to lose someone. I have lost many, even in this short period of time.

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Russell on the other hand was more concerned about what is wife would think if he didn’t get the twins back. Jim and Eric started to tell the three men how this predator in the winter sort of operates. Jim tells them that there is a good but slim chance that the children are alive. The Snowman cuts off the limbs first to get his sick mental fantasies started. It’s a three step process before the actually killing began. Devon then rose up on Jim and replied back to him saying, so we should be comforted that before this psychopath kills my daughter, he’s going to chop her hands and legs off and have his way with her? It’s that what we should feel so good about, Devon replied. Jim tried to explain his statement by saying that it’s not a good process either way but at least we know their not dead yet. Besides we only found the clothes, we haven’t found any body parts yet or any sign of a struggle.

Bob then jumps in and process to make a negative remark on how if we even know their alive. The snow could have killed the children and the Snowman. Why are we wasting our time out here?  Devon then launched Bob up against a tree and told him that we are out here because of my girl. No were out here because of somebody’s stupidly that leads us out here to find someone that might be already dead, Bob replied. YOU PIECE OF CRAP! I shouted a Bob. I got very hot at Bob and I was ready to put him out of his misery. But then Akin stepped in and broke the fight up. He and two of his men came between us. Calm down! One of the men said. But Bob, Devon and I we’re still going at it. I didn’t care what was going to happen. I just knew what I was going to make happen to Bob. Calm down one of the men shouted again. But we just kept getting more and more heated. Then one of Akin’s men tazed all three of us, we all fell to the ground. CALM DOWN! The man shouted. And right there. One of Akin’s men was devoured by the snow. The snow had got a whole of his lower half and started to pull him in. He cried for help. We saw his hand get sucked into the snow. Then the snow around us came alive. Our heated argument finally caught up with us. The snow around us started to make arms, some with pointed ends.

The snow began to suck some of the men in the ground. While some of the men where impaled in the chest by the pointed ends of the snow’s arms. Some were grabbed and slapped around. We all started to run around like maniacs, shooting at the snow, as it tried to devour us. Devon ran with me too the right of the woods. The snow didn’t have to chase us. It would just grab us from the ground up. Akin told all of us to try to gain higher ground, to try to get our feet off the ground. Bob ran up a rock hill. We ended up losing Jim and Eric in the commotion. I saw Ron try to run for it. But he fell into the snow, panting. I tried to save him; I didn’t want Lateia losing her oldest child. But I couldn’t reach him in time. The snow made an arm and latched on to Ron’s head completely engulfing in it. NOOOO! I Shouted as I couldn’t believe my eyes. One of our relatives dies right in front of me. The giant snow arm started to twirl Ron’s body like a rag doll. Back and forward. Sucking off the fluids from his bone marrow and all the heat he creates with every move of resistance he makes. I couldn’t bear to stand and watch it. I went back in the snow trying to reach him.

But Devon grabbed me by the neck collar. No don’t, he said. I tried my best too free myself from his strong grip. But then I saw the snow on the ground open up like a pit with teeth that looked like icicles. I know that there was no way that I could ever get Ron.

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Ron’s body was pulled under the snow like a monster ready to feast on his prey. It was a man-made buffet out there. I saw many men get pulled under or taken by the tentacles of the snow. The snow made pits to trap them in so they couldn’t escape. It was a sight not to see.

It got dark; it was night time with the moon was shining in the sky like a blue beacon of light. The trees were calm as the night sky. But the snow wasn’t quite. You could hear it eating and peeling away at the flesh of the men it took under its vast and deep white field. You heard the men screaming and crying in agony under the belly of the snow. Help, oh god... I heard faintly under the snow. We sat in a tall tree above it. I saw that there were a few of us left. It had to be at least 20 of us who made it into the trees above. I had no idea where Jim and Eric were. I was in the tree hanging above with Devon, looks like we made it out at the thin of our skin, said Devon.  I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I was still thinking about Ron. What could I have done different to save him. Should I have even brought him out here? All these thoughts started to tare through my head. But it was too late. All of it meant nothing. I started to feel like my head was about to explode all over Devon.

My daughter has been kidnapped by some psycho killer. Two of my in laws our dead in my house, and my family is hiding the truth from me. Ron, Latiea’s boy is dead, along with her sister Jamie. My wife Daphne maybe out there dead too or having an affair, and to top it all off, we our out here in the snow hanging in a tree. Wondering if we’re ever going to get from down here without the snow eating us, I know that’s what’s going through everyone’s mind.  Devon tried to cheer me up with encouraging words of how we’re going to get out of here. I saw Akin, climbing from tree to tree. He tried to tell us to move from the trees and head to the ones on the north side. Is he crazy, said Devon? Does he expect us to hang and swing from a tree like a monkey, Devon continued. Then someone replied, Well isn’t that what yo people are? Who said that, Devon replied? I looked and saw it was Bob who made that racist comment.

Hey watch your month Robert, I said to Bob. Don’t tell me what to do, Bob said. We’re in the middle of nowhere in the snow ready to be ripped apart by it and it’s your entire fault. Bob started to turn his attention toward Devon. Telling him how irresponsible of a father he his and how me, him and the others are so stupid. If we wasn’t out here you wouldn’t be alive, Devon told Bob. Then me and Devon spotted the tree that Bob was one was moving. I tried to tell Bob what was happening to the tree that he was on, but he didn’t want to listen. The tree branch began to move towards him from the back, as if it was ready to perform a sneak attack on Bob. I tried to tell Bob once more that the tree was ready to attack him, but he still refuse to listen. Then Devon shot a bullet at the tree branch to shut Bob up. HEY GET OFF THE DARN TREE IT’S MOVING YOU IDIOT! Devon shouted. The tree then knocked Bob of its branch. Bob then fell into another branch that didn’t move. I realized that the tree that Bob was on had a lot of frost on it. And since anything solid cold, like the snow and ice can come to life. The frost and snow formed on the tree branches began to move. The snow and ice could manipulate the tree through the frost on it.

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We then knew why Akin told everybody to move to the trees to the north. They had less frost on it. So we did. But we had to do it quickly but calmly. If we got too emotional like Bob did, then the trees would kill us. We with our 40 year old bodies started to swing to the next batch of trees to the north. The trees tried to grab some of us and pull us down so that we could fall in the snow and be eating. Some of the men were pulled down by the tree branches and taken by the snow. Some of the men couldn’t hang on long enough, or they got too fearful and the branch pulled them down. Some of them slipped off because of the frost on the tree. I heard men falling down to their death, screaming in horror, some where calling on the name of Jesus to save them. Some cursed like a sailor all the way down. Akin was the most flexible and the most agile. I don’t want to sound stereotypical but it was true what my brother said about Asians. Have one of them on your side and you’re bound to win. Akin then position himself on a tall oak tree to the north of the woods. He took out a sniper rifle out of his back pack. He then stared to shoot rounds at the tree branches that were trying to grab us. Akin even fired on some of the men that fell or were falling into the snow, so as to prevent them from experiencing a worse death by the snow.

I and Devon were swinging from tree to tree as best as we can. We both saw Bob on a tree branch with not frost on it. He was calling for help. Hold on man we trying to save ourselves, Devon replied. I saw a string of frost and ice forming and crawling to the branch that Bob was on. It must have since Bob’s heat from a distance. Hey Bob, watch out, I shouted! Bob look over his legs and saw the ice heading towards him climbing onto the branch he fell on. Bob then took out his gun and started to shoot at the ice. It worked; it prevented the ice from getting to him for the moment. I saw one of the men grab on to a tree. But the ice was climbing on the tree trunk to get him. I tried to warn the man but he couldn’t hear me.

The ice grabbed his hand and instantly frost bit him. Then the man started to scream very loudly. His hand had turned black and blood started to ooze out of it. Then the tree became frosted up, and it leaned towards a snow bank. That bank then turned into a large month looking thing, and a long string of ice that looked similar to a tongue came out of it and grabbed the man.

Then Devon’s foot got caught in a tree branch. AHH IM STUCK! Devon screamed. I saw the ice heading towards his foot. I tried to grab his hand. But his foot was snagged onto the branch pretty good. I told him to hang on. Devon shouted that he couldn’t go anywhere anyway. The ice got closer and closer to his boot ready to frost bite it. I kept pulling at the branch but it was too strong. Then a bullet went through Devon’s foot. Devon screamed in agony! But the shot released his foot from the branch. The ice began to absorb and fed on the blood left on the branch by the gun shot. I looked down and saw that it was Bob who shot the bullet. We all saw a near by cave and tried to swing to it as fast as we could. But Devon was shot so he couldn’t move. So I took a risk and kicked him towards the cave, hoping he would make it far enough to craw in it. Devon flew towards the cave. His body barely made to it. He started to crawl in as the snow tried to chase him in there.

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I then proceed to jump towards the cave myself and shoot the snow on my way down. It was a hard fall that almost split by leg in two. But I made it. I picked up Devon and we both ran in. The deeper we went the moister and darker it got. The snow couldn’t chase us this deep, for it would dissolve into liquid and be no threat.  This mysterious cave is the only thing that saved our lives, at least for the time being. I and Devon heard some of the other men found their way in the cave from another entrance. Hey you hurt, one of the men said. It was Chris and a few of his men. I told him that Devon had been shot. By whom Chris asked. I heard somebody screaming and shooting getting closer to us. We all grabbed our guns and were prepared to fire. But when we saw who it was, all expect me put their guns down. It was Bob running in the snow like mad man. It’s me I’m okay, said Bob.

That’s the problem, I told him. I didn’t lower my gun. This was the man who may have been responsible for me and my daughter being out here in this frozen nightmare anyway. Chris asked if I could lower my weapon. But I didn’t responded. If you guys got some issues to work out, then settle it when we all get the heck out of her, Devon said. He shot you Devon, I said. Yes, but it saved my life didn’t it, he replied back. I couldn’t just shoot Bob at point blank range. I didn’t have the proof that he did kill Nancy and or Jamie. But I knew that if I let him live long enough then the truth will come out, especially in this environment, in this white death trap. All of us are inside a cave as the night grows darker; we all hear the sound of the cold wind coming from the entrance. Something told me that we were going to be here for a while. I didn’t mind, I needed the rest. But a part of me felt that in this cave was more this just us men looking to save our children. I had a feeling that there was something in this cave that we needed to be saved from.

It maybe I'm being paranoid, but sometimes being paranoid can keep you sane enough to say alive.

LATE POST

Hello, all you visit this page. Yeah for those that are interested in the next chapter of Winter. I have forewarn you that the next post will in the afternoon today. I have some important things to do this mourning. But I assure you it will be up before the end of the day.

Also since the Saturday is coming. I will be using that time to tell you about my weekend. It might not be something that you may think is interesting. But trust me life my is full of surprises. Why do you think I can write this crazy book right.

WINTER: THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

This is the Promotion Video for the Book I created. Check it out. Rate and Comment if you Wish.

IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR, EVERY SEASON.

CHAPTER TWO: DECEMBER

The Fall

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A few weeks passed, December 20^th was around the blasted corner, and it became clear to me that this was going be a cold winter. We all began to pack up our fall gear and unpack the winter gear. The snow was going back and forth fighting with the fall season. If you ever experience the winters like the ones we have, you would start to think of the falls as your friend. You view the fall trying to hold back the old man in the blue frosty coat, from peeling his way into your lives for three to four months. My son, Zach and Micky starts to get the fire wood ready and Daphne got the forms for the HAR insurance ready to sign and take to the agency. My little girl Lane still excited as ever as we all scramble for the coming storm. Richard continues to do research on the winters in America and why we act so crazy about it. But I also began to catch the eye peeking he keeps on giving my wife Daphne. As thought he was trying to check her out, but at the same time being sneaky with it. He would glance at her for five seconds and then back at his android phone for another ten seconds. Of course this wouldn’t be the first time somebody looked at my wife like that. But they were never this close to her. But the strange part is my wife’s reaction.

You see when you’re in war you tend to catch certain things, and also when you’ve been married to the same women for the last twenty years. Like I notice how my wife doesn’t move around that much. You see, my wife can’t stand to sit in one spot for a long period of time. I mean the dinners we had with people was a disaster, because she would never stay still. Even though, that’s what I like about her in some weird way. And especially during the winter months, she would always be a busy bee. She was always moving around trying to get things done and prepped. But not this time, this time she was still, sitting down and crossing her legs in a way that somebody could notice her. She did that a lot when we were younger, when ever she would try to get my attention. And it would work every time. But this time it was different. You see I was standing on the opposite side of her legs. Her head was turned looking away from me. As if she was in deep thought filling out the HAR insurance forms. But she was really trying to get someone’s attention. Not mind, but his. Old Dick here, he’ll be staying with us until next week. Next week is when his flight leaves to go back to the outback.

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It was disturbing me a little but I figured he would be gone. Daphne began to talk on the phone to the insurance agency about getting the free heat and hot water from the government’s super generators. It’s a prevision the government gives to us when the winter comes. But you have to have gotten a pretty good tax return to get it. I tell you, even in times like this, they still try to get money from you. Even when they stay it’s suppose to be free. Anyway, Daphne tells me to go to the agency and take the forms to the HAR providers. I for one refuse for the simple fact that we can just email the forms online. But Daphne insists that I go to the agency and also pick up a few things while I’m down there. I tell her okay but we need to talk in private later. She brushes me off and goes upstairs to the bedroom. I look at Dick, and he is still on his phone. I ask myself, is it so hard to find out info about the weather that’s about to hit us? But as I got a closer look at his hands, I realized he‘s typing something. Or better yet he’s texting. Is he texting his family back at home, or someone else he knows. Or is he writing an email? Hey Richard come with me to the agency, I gotta take these forms to them. Richard gets up still texting. I tell my boys to come with us. Since were going to have to get some salt and auxiliary heaters. My little girl Lane comes running down the stairs asking if she can come too.

At first I was hesitant if I should bring her, but I figured why not. We were all going to be stuck in the cold for three months. I told her to get her coat and come on. She ran back upstairs like a NASCAR driver ready to burn some rubber. You have a nice family, says Dick. Yes I do, I replied back to him. Dick’s phone starts to go off like a ringing bomb.  It was as if a thousand text messages where coming his way. Looks like you’re pretty popular, I said. Yeah I guess I’m mate, he said. My boys grab their coats and hats. They come rushing into the garage with the keys to the truck. Ow now wait a minute where do you think you both are going, I asked them.

Mom wants us to get some things from the store across the bridge, says Zach. They really wanted to go driving, using my old truck I promised them when they got their licenses. Come on Dad, it’s not winter yet, we’ll be back before you know it. I didn’t trust my boys with the truck in this weather. But they were both in their late teens ready to become men. So I guess they would have to grow up eventually. Oh come on mate, this weather will teach them character, says Dick. Dick’s phone still continues to blow up with text messages. I said okay but get what you have to get and come straight home, I told them. They jumped for joy and ran into the truck. Keep those seat belts on at all time boys no funny stuff. My sons backed out of the driveway and went to the store across the bridge. Me, Dick and Lane all got inside my SUV and drove to the agency. But before I got too far I saw my wife look out of our bedroom window, staring at me with that same glare from a few weeks back.

I continued to wonder about that glare for the whole duration of the ride. As we drove to the store, I started to ask Dick how the conversation with my wife was when they first met. I began to look at Dick’s face closely to see any signs for falsehood in it. He told me it was a good conversation, and how he was proud to have a friend like me in the Marines and how close we stuck together and what not. See Dick here was imported to the U. S because he worked with the government on the Somalia conflict before. That’s how me and him met. He said he wanted to come to America and just spend some time here for vacation. I had invited him to come along when we made it back home. Now I don’t judge men on their appearance, but I have to tell you Dick was a guy that you can see a woman fall for. I mean when we were in Somalia the African women there loved the way he looked. He’s around my age in his mid to late forties. But I guess he had some pretty good genes. Plus he was single, never married with any kids.

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I asked him about his texting stalker on his phone. He just started to laugh, but he never replied back to me. I got a little annoyed. See I have a problem with people not answering me when I ask them something. Especially, when the question I ask them to a degree involves my wife. I asked him again, he said that it was a business partner he was talking to and that he was sending him a lot of info about the project coming up in the summer. What project I asked him? He tried to brush it off as if the project wasn’t really about anything. Or that it was top secret, but I really didn’t care. My daughter Lane was constantly looking at his phone, as if she was amazed at its complexity. I proceed to turn on the GPS tracker on my old truck to see how the boys were doing. It showed that they were indeed at the store. I felt a little more at ease.

We arrived at the agency, standing in line with a bunch of other people. Some where mad that they couldn’t qualify for the free heat and hot water. Some were dancing with joy. I for one was still thinking about Daphne. After I sat down with the agent, I got distracted by Dick still texting on his phone. I had wondered if he was texting my Daphne. But then again how could he have possibly gotten the number. And even if he did, why would Daphne continue to talk to him. I mean both my wife and Dick just met like a few weeks ago. They couldn’t have had that much to talk about back and forth. The agent tried to get my attention on the forms. I looked back at the forms and sign on the dotted line. Usually Daphne handles these kinds of affairs, so I trusted that she did what the forms said and I signed for her. My mom always told me to check everything, even if it’s the person you love. But I didn’t think about double checking the forms. I was however concern about my marriage, afraid that it was going to be as cold and dead as this winter coming up.

After we left from the insurance agency, Dick wanted me to do something for him. Something that was very odd and just out of nowhere in my personal opinion.

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 He asked me to drop him off at the Starwood Hotel. I thought you were going to say with us for a while longer until your flight comes next week? That’s what I said to him. But he said that he didn’t want to be a burden anymore. And he figured that it would be better for me also, since I wanted to spend some personal time with my family. Well I thought that was considerable. But also I wondered if Dick was trying to double coin me. You know, act like it was better for me when it was really better for him. Better, as in him cheating with my wife. But I don’t refuse a grown man’s request. But maybe Dick was trying to do the right thing. Maybe he knows how I feel about this. With him staying in my house and a wife that won’t speak to me. Maybe he knows that. And how can he and my wife just up and have affair together if they never met before?

I said okay and drove him to the hotel. Dick had put most of his clothes in the SUV. He was going to stay with us for a few more nights then head back to the airport. He didn’t leave anything at the house. He still had his duffel bag with all his stuff in it. But I guess this was his plan from the jump. Maybe, I don’t know. We walked in the Starwood Hotel. And I and my daughter Lane accompanied him to the check in desk. Dick’s phone went off again. But this time the phone fell out of his pocket. He didn’t feel it. I saw Lane pick it up and proceed to give it back to him. But she was also looking at the screen at the same time she was giving it back. Hey Mr. Dick I think this person who you were talking too was wondering if you were here at the hotel yet. Dick turned around looking startled. What person, he asked Lane.

The person name Wondergirl 45 on the Facebook page of your phone. Dick’s eyes got wide and his eyes pierced at my eyes. But only for a split second, did he look at me. As if to see if I knew the username my daughter Lane had mentioned. Uh thanks Lane, well its being a pleasure Zim. Dick hurried to grab his key card and he began to head to the elevator. I stopped him in his tracks. He looked at me with striking fear in his eyes. But I couldn’t tell if it was what I thought it was the whole time. But with those eyes, I didn’t need an explanation. But I and he were like brothers after that war. Dick stuck with me through every bullet hole I took. Every fire fight we had in the jungles for Somalia. I couldn’t prove it; I couldn’t prove if it was true. Dick, and my wife Daphne having affair, or ready to have affair. So I declared him innocent, until proving guilty. I hugged him tightly letting him know how much I cared for him. Goodbye Mate, I said to him. He laughed a little and gave me the goodbye we both deserved. He gave my little girl Lane a rub on the head and he took off. But even as he left I still wondered.

I took Lane into my arms and began to head back to the car. Now on the return journey back to my house, I begin to track my sons again. They were still at the store. I wondered what was taking them so long. We had been gone for like three hours. And the store was not that far from the house. I started to call them. But I figured that the boys didn’t know a thing about grocery shopping. And let’s face it, either do I. So I figured it might be a while before they got home. Lane started to ask me some questions. Like what’s the snow like in the winter. Why can’t we play in it and stuff? I told you sweetie, the snow won’t like it. But why, she asked. Is the snow mad at you or something daddy? I chuckled a little. No honey it’s not mad at me. Then in my head I thought to myself. It’s just mad at everybody.

As we got closer to the house I asked Lane how it was, living in Mexico with her mom. I had Lane with another woman from a previous relationship. Its fine she said with no expression in her face. I then asked her, is mommy treating you right over their? She said yeah. I can tell Lane didn’t like living over there because she didn’t talk about it too much. In the part of Mexico Lane lives in, it’s hot and dangerous. It’s Dangerous with all the drugs and stuff being shipped back and forth. She then asked me about the story between the man with the fancy car trying to escape the police and the drug dealers. I asked her what story you know about drug dealers.  Especially at her age, but then again she lives in Mexico with one. She said it’s called Boighni or boogatyee. She was misspelling the name of the story. But I never read it so I don’t know either. I loved talking to her, and she loved talking to me. I guess the only good thing about this winter coming up. Is that we get to spend it together. I get to spent it with my precious sweet heart Lane.

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As we arrived at the house, I picked up my Lane from the ground. I brought her into the house. She looked as though she was tired. So I took her to her Barbie based bedroom and put her to bed. Lane didn’t like naps so I would trick her into telling her that she didn’t have to go to sleep. Just lie down and rest your eyes, I said to her softly. She listened and rested those little eyes lying down comfortably. Eventually she would fall to sleep, and it would work every time. I exited Lane’s room looking for my wife Daphne. She was in our bedroom texting away. Those thoughts of insecurity started to rear its ugly head again. I tried to relieve all the anxieties I felt by throwing some playful banner towards her. I jumped on the bed that she was laying on and started to kiss her and touch her. I tried to make her feel that I’ve been wanting too be with her for a very long time. But she was not responding to my advances. Instead she threw me off of her like a rag doll. I took it as she didn’t want to be bothered. So I tried to take things a little slower with her. I started to give her a massage, hoping to relive some of the stress she felt. But she was still as tense as a stubborn bull. In fact she got tenser and tighter around the shoulders and neck.

I didn’t like the vibe I was getting from her. So I just stop asked “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM” in a nice way obviously. She screamed at me. “YOU” We both started to get into a shouting match to see who can scream the loudest. But then I thought about Lane. How she would be disturbed by all the screaming and shouting. Or worse, she would actually be listening to me and her step-mom scream at each other. She would probably think that being here with us is no different then being at home in Mexico. This experience would remind her of the relationship I and her biological mother had. So I tried to calm Daphne down. But Daphne just kept getting louder and louder. She kept screaming of how bad of a husband I was. How I was never here and there for her, always working, and how I was always putting duty over her and her needs. She started to scream about how she felt neglected with no phone calls from me during the war in Africa. How she had to raise the boys and my daughter from another mother by herself.

How she would have to avoid advances from other men. Because when ever she went out somewhere, she was alone. She would tell them that she was married. But the guys would never see me, her husband with her. All she had to prove it was an empty wedding ring. I realized what she was saying was true, and how important this whole situation was to her. But I encouraged her to lower her voice as to not to disturb Lane. But she just kept getting louder and louder. Daphne never acted this way towards me before and it was started to bug me a lot. I started to wonder if I truly did something wrong. But I couldn’t just let her keep on screaming so loud. I told her one last time to stop. But she continued to raise her voice. Telling me how the child of a drug dealing whore was more important to me then the children me and her had together.

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All of a sudden I saw Daphne fall to the ground hitting her head against the lamp stand. I asked her if she was alright as I rushed to her aid. “DON’T TOUCH ME YOU MONSTER” she screamed. I told her that she needs to calm down. I thought that her over shouting attitude was what caused her to fall in the first place. But it wasn’t. She ran down stairs to get her coat. She began to cry trying to hold her tears in. I saw that she had a bruise on her left cheek. Who hurt you, I asked. She looked at me with such a confused and dreaded look. She proceeded to get in her car and drive off. But I couldn’t just let her leave without her answering my question. I asked her again, who hurt you! She told me that I was a psycho and that I needed to go back to that crazy place in Africa where I belonged. She sped off almost ripping my fingers apart, for I didn’t’ get a chance to let go of the door. I still wondered why she fell and why that bruise was on her face. I went back inside. I then started to feel a sting on my right hand, like I had hit something hard. I looked at my hand. And then it all came to me that the bruise and her falling down came from me hitting her. I didn’t remember doing it. I started to think about the war in Somalia. How I would get so mad at something or somebody, that I would do something irrational. Like shoot an entire platoon of Somalian freedom fighters. Or punch a senior officer in the face because of some smart remark he said. I never remembered doing those things until a few minutes after I did it. The doctor said it was a delayed rage blackout. And that I needed to keep my anger in check.

War makes you do crazy things, but also having an abusive father can make you do crazy things too. I went back up stairs to check up on my Lane. I heard a thump in her room. Almost like somebody was trying to run away from something. I opened the door and saw her in bed lying down. I thought to myself that she didn’t hear what was said. I looked at her sleeping soundly. As I was ready to leave her room, I look at the mirror on the side of her bed. It was a big mirror. You can practically see everything in it. And I saw her in it too, and the way it was positioned I was able to see her face. I noticed that she was not sound asleep. She was very much awake. She had a look of fear in her eyes. I then knew she heard everything that had happened. I think she even heard me hit her step-mom. I started to go towards her to comfort her. But every step I took towards her bed, she squeezed tighter and tighter to her white big teddy bear. As if she was afraid of me. I felt distraught at my heart that I allowed this to happen. I proceeded to close the door and her grip on the bear lessens with every inch of the door closing.

I stopped for a minute to reflect on what had happened. My wife Daphne is gone and my Lane is scared of me. I went to the couch to lay my head down and just rest. Now before I could, I ended up checking my voice-mail to see if there were any calls. I had like 10 voice-mails. I checked each one. Nine of them were of my family members. Jimbo, Nancy, Jamie, Eric and Stacy, they had all called me asking if they and their families could say at my house. I didn’t understand why. I continued to listen to the messages. I heard that each and every last one of them didn’t qualify for the HAR insurance heat and hot water services that the government gives to us every winter. I couldn’t believe it! This had never happened before. But the economy had never fully recovered anyway. Not to mention this winter might be the worst we had in years. So the HAR providers may be a lot stricter then before. I texted each of the family heads and told them yes, but to bring heaters and everything that they would need for the next three to four months.

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We have a large house with plenty of space. So people can lie down in different rooms. Jimbo was by himself. His children lived with their mom in Texas. Stacy was Jim’s half sister and she had a son name Stan and a dog named Ranger. Stan was around Lane’s age. Jamie was a black woman that married my dead brother Carl Mac. She had two sisters named Latoya and Lateia. Lateia had three kids name, Peter, Ron and Aliesa. Eric my brother in law had a twenty three year old girlfriend name Debra. And then there was my sister in law Nancy with her boyfriend Bob. Lord I hope Bob doesn’t come over, I thought to myself. They all wanted to say with us for the winter. When winter comes, it’s pretty much every man for themselves but in this cast I’ll make an exception. We had the space, so we could afford to do it.

The next voice-mail came from Lane’s mom back in Mexico. I didn’t want to listen to that message. Reason being was because of who she is and what she wanted. She knew I had money. She knew it and her drug dealing boyfriend Mario knew it too. I didn’t want to think about those two cokeheads today. I already have too much on my plate. I then rested my head on the sofa. I dazed out of reality and into my sleep right away. I started to feel good that I could get some good sleep. But the stress from my wife and Lane was still heavy on my mind. In fact it was so heavy that I had a dream about them. I dreamed I was back in Somalia fighting the terrorists there. I dreamed my Lane was held hostage. I dreamed that my friend Dick wasn’t there to have my back, because he was with my wife having an affair. I dreamed the snow coming down on us in the middle of nowhere. I dreamed of the soldiers trying to take cover.  I dream of the sergeant screaming over and over again. “STAY AWAY FROM THE SNOW, STAY AWAY FROM THE SNOW”I dreamed that my daughter was killed and devoured by a large man with white hair. I woke up from the dream, frightened, sweated and with really bad chest pain.

I felt like seconds passed but really a few hours passed. I got up to use the bathroom. As I took my time on the toilet I looked out the window across the hall. I flushed the toilet washed my hands and began to walk towards the window. I saw the snow, and it was coming down hard and fast. My heart raced like a man running from the cops. Oh no, I thought. It’s was too early, too early for the snow. I turned on the news and saw right away that the snow was coming early. Yes winter was coming early. I noticed that neither my wife nor my boys were back. I called all three of their cell phones as fast as I could. I told them to head back home right away. I called, I text, I did everything I could to communicate to them.

Next I heard a ringing of my bell. I rushed to the door hoping that it was my boys and Daphne. But it wasn’t. It was every body else. Jim, Stacy, Eric, Jamie, Lateia, Peter, Ron, Aliesa, Stan, The Dog called Ranger, Debra, Nancy and yes even Bob! They had all come, rushing in the house with their coats and luggage.

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I told them to get all of the snow off of them. Relax Zimmery, Bob said. The snow’s only is a threat when there’s a lot of it in one place. I noticed that Bob had a slight bruise on his leg. If that was so true then way do you have that frost bitten mark on our leg I asked him? I shut the door as fast as I could. The whole family came in talking and asking questions. Man the snow is coming down hard and fast said Jim. And it’s early too, Stan replied. I looked at Nancy, my wife’s sister. She had a mark on her head, as if something had hit her. I whispered in her ear, Are you alright?  She said yeah, why you ask?  She started to cover the mark on her head with her hair. I looked at Bob, and he looked at me. We both knew what was going on.

Next, my sweetie Lane came down the stairs. She was rubbing her eyes trying to get the sleep out. Stacy introduced her to Stan and the big dog Ranger. Stan was a little bald headed black boy with big eyes and a huge smile. Stacy had adopted him when he was a baby. He loved him some Spiderman, because he always had Spiderman gear on. His dog Ranger was a big husky. It had these blue eyes of passion and zeal in it. Where ever Stan went, the dog went with him. Ron, Peter and Aliesa were around my boys “Zach and Micky’s” age. They were standoffish, to themselves. They would only talk to each other. As everybody got situated I called my immediate family again. Jim, Eric and Nancy asked if Daphne and the boys were here. I got very worried. I’m trying to call them but no one is picking up. Bob then asked if Dick was here. I could tell he wanted to settle the argument they had earlier.

After a while, I got a call from my boys. Hey dad, they both said over the phone. My sons, where are you? Jim told everyone to be quiet so I could hear them. Their signal was breaking up do to the intense storm coming. They said that they were in the store but wasn’t allowed to leave. They said the customers would have to shack up there for the mean time. The government hopes that the snow would die down long enough for some people to go home. But from the look of outside I don’t think that wasn’t going to happen. Just as I was talking to my boys the phone service cut off. What? Hello HELLO! I shouted. The government had cut off all digital services. See when the winter comes all electronic devices and services shut down for the winter. But it wasn’t winter yet not for another week. Hey Zim, they will be alright, Jim said. No it’s not alright how could they just shut everything down before the deadline, Nancy replied.  The snow is coming down hard they have too, Eric replies.

The whole family started to talk about the government and how they screw with everything. The kids continue to play with each other. And the white husky dog known as Ranger looked at everybody like their stupid. I realized that I too was looking at everybody stupid like the dog was. But at the same time, I thought about my boys Zach and Micky and most of all, my beautiful wife Daphne. Was she out there in the dangerous wet snow that was ready to put us all in caves for another winter? Or did she make it inside a shelter somewhere. And if she did, which shelter.  Did she make it to the shelter for the homeless and bystanders, or the shelter for the hotel guest? The hotel guest who goes to have affair with a man who thought you could depend on?

I wondered that for the whole time. But it didn’t matter. Lane walks up to me as the family is still at it getting louder and louder. I started to regret that they came here. Lane tugs at my pants leg.

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She looks at me with those big beautiful cute eyes. She asked, Daddy can me, Stan and Ranger play in the snow?  I told her no before but I guess with her new friends here, she thought that would make a difference. I said no sweetie you’ll can’t. She said because the snow is mad at everybody? Yes Lane because the snow is mad at everybody. Then she said, is step mama mad at everybody like the snow is daddy. I looked outside for a minute and saw the snow storm come in. I saw the news broadcast and the prime time stations go off; I saw the gas stations, the stores, the phones all go out. I saw the lights go out. The family grew quiet. It became dark fast outside. And you heard nothing but the wind. You saw nothing but the blackness of the night sky and the whiteness of the snow piling up sealing us in. I looked at Lane, I looked at everybody. They all looked at me. And I said to her, no sweetie step mama is not mad at everybody like the snow is. She’s just mad at me. Right then and there it was apparent. There was nothing we could do anymore. The United States of America had shut down for the season. December 20^th was just another date for the season. For winter had made up its mind. Winter had come early. Winter had come now.