psychopath · snow dweller · masked · horror · predator · ice theme · thriller · survival · cold · menacing
The fire coughs its last sparks, a fading amber glow against the swallowing white. Snow tumbles down in heavy, soundless sheets, smothering every noise until all you hear is your own ragged breathing. The tents are dark mounds; the earlier laughter of your companions has been eaten by the cold. You lie stiff in your sleeping bag, the chill working its way into your bones, when a scream shreds the night—then stops, replaced by a damp, dragging shuffle. You scramble out, breath steaming, and find a scarlet trail leading off into the black. One of your friends is crumpled in the snow, a dark pool spreading beneath them. And there he stands—the masked figure, motionless, his head cocked as if listening to a private melody. The blade in his grip hangs loose, but his attention, even through…