Red Blood. White Snow. Version 1

It was a strange night, there seemed to be a chill in the air. Derek could feel the wind passing by him in small gusts. Something wasn't right. It was calm. Too calm.1

Memories of the crash racked Derek's mind, poisoning his thoughts. The crushing pain as his right arm was smashed, splintering bone and tearing skin. Screaming to his wife, Beth who was sobbing uncontrollably that everything would be okay. The feeling of helplessness when Mick Dudley had screamed for help, groping at Derek's ankles to pull himself away from the jaws of death. The searing pain as Jake grabbed his torn, bloodied arm, his fingers sinking in like claws. The shock as he saw Mick pulled from the plane, whipped out of sight into the darkness with a high pitched shriek.2

Derek vomited. He couldn't stand the memories. And yet, they continued to plague him.3

The agony, as if his heart was being ripped from his chest, as Beth was torn from his grasp by unseen hands. The tears blinding him. Someone putting a chute on his back. The feeling of weightlessness as he fell down, down through the cool, empty air to the thick, dark trees below4

Then black.5

Derek's chest heaved again, but his stomach was empty. He spat out the bile that had risen to his mouth, and reached down with his good arm, picking up the GP-100 revolver his uncle had given him on his twenty-first birthday, glad now he had taken it on the trip.6

Then, a distant wolf pierced the silence with a long howl that sent a shiver up Derek's spine. He looked up. His heart sank. A full, orange moon lit the open patch of woods, and a silhouette of a wolf clear against the grey sky, head raised and teeth bared.7

"Shit..." he breathed, checking his weapon. Four bullets. He looked around in the dark for a way out of his predicament. He noticed a thinner group of trees, which seemed to lead through to a lighter part of the forest.8

Derek ran, left hand in his jacket pocket gripping the revolver, his mutilated right arm dangling useless by his side. His panting, infrequent breaths obvious in the cold air. 9

"I hope Beth survived," he thought as he ran, head lowered to shield his eyes from the freezing wind. Derek now cursed the idea he had agreed upon with Jake and suggested to Beth: To go on their honeymoon with a tourist group to Italy. 10

The pilot had been hesitant to fly because of bad weather, but after an extra tip from the each of the four passengers, his reluctance had faded, and he’d agreed. How foolish it all seemed now. 11

Derek stumbled at a prickling pain in his arm, mosquitoes were feeding on his wounds. Fresh blood seeped from the grazes, and he cringed, running again, as he remembered how Jake had invited him over for lunch to talk over the plan for the trip.12

Jake had cut his finger while slicing steak. He didn't react at first beside dropping the knife and clutching his injured hand with the other. Then his eyes became thin slits, like that of a feral animal’s, and he licked his lips, long nose twitching as he watched the thin stream of bright, crimson blood trickle from his forefinger. He fingered the golden crucifix he always wore around his neck and without looking up, snapped out of it, eyes still fixed on the finger. 13

"Ah. Grab me a band aid from the kitchen cupboard will you?" 14

Derek shivered at the memory, but had passed it off as a mere oddity.15

Tiring as he reached a hill, Derek slowed, breaths rasping in his dry throat. Peering around, he thought he saw a shadowy figure disappear into the thicket. He squinted hard into the empty dark. Nothing.16

"I must be hallucinating..." 17

The wind picked up, and snow began to fall. Another howl drifted through the strong breeze and Derek panicked, remembering where he was. 18

His mind starting to cloud, Derek sought protection from his predators, real and imagined, in a cavern to his left. As he felt the warmth of the cave envelop him, his thoughts turned to Beth, his wife.19

He remembered how they had met two years earlier: In a casino one Saturday night, Derek had been gambling. Halfway through the game, a beautiful young woman with short, black hair had asked to join the game. Laughing, the players had agreed, glad to have another unknowing victim to grind into dust.20

Derek remembered getting cocky, and intending to show off, had placed a large bet on the next deal. Beth somehow had won the hand, and all of his money.21

After the game, she’d approached him at the bar, and he started a conversation with the new champion. They ended up together for the rest of the night. She moved in with Derek and one year later, he’d proposed. He would never forget the look on her face as she agreed to marry him.22

Her beautiful face...tears of joy falling from her hazel eyes as they embraced. "Yes, yes, yes!" she repeated, her gentle lips pressing against his. 23

All of a sudden, a deep, guttural growl shattered his memories, sounding throughout the cave, as if from all around. A shiver shot up Derek's spine, turning his bones to ice, freezing his blood.24

He sensed someone's presence and whipped his gun from his pocket and turned, trembling arm raised. A dim shaft of light made the space visible. Derek froze.25

The mauled body lying before him was that of Beth's, her perfect features torn in a bloody mess. His eyes smarted as tears sprang to them. "Beth..." 26

Derek yelled disbelievingly, throwing the weapon to the ground, unable to accept her death. He picked her frail body up with his one arm, tears streaming his face, though his sobs were silent. He kissed her blood smeared lips. They were cold. Hearing something, he lay her body carefully down on a flat section of rock. He picked up his revolver and cocked it.27

He turned, coming face to face with a huge, drooling wolf standing on it’s back legs, nose twitching as it’s squinted eyes fixed on Derek’s mangled arm. Eyes shifting to Derek’s face, it raised a thick, hairy limb, and struck him across the face and right arm in one swift motion. "AH!" He felt his face flood with throbbing pain and his arm burn as warm blood spurted from the gashes. The animal seemed to laugh mockingly as it evaded Derek's efforts to strike back, his arms flailing around, swinging his gun, maddened with fury.28

He fell back; giddy with pain, landing on his bad arm, the burning intensifying. his face was covered in dark blood that flowed into his eyes, partially blinding him. He caught a glimpse of a gold cross around the beast’s neck. The wolf stood over him, paw raising off the ground slowly, preparing to slit Derek's throat.29

Derek quickly brought the revolver level with the hulk, closing his eyes, finger tensing on the trigger.30

BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots fired in quick succession punched into flesh with rapid thuds, and Derek opened his eyes to see Jake in the wolf’s place, holding a long, glinting knife in his left hand, three glistening bullet wounds in his chest.31

Jake fell to the ground with a dull thud accompanied by a sharp crack.32

Derek remained stiff, shaking. One bullet left. He held the warm, smoking firearm to his temple, barely breathing, eyes wide.33

He pulled the trigger.