Fossil Lake: An Anthology of the Aberrant by Ramsey Campbell, Peter Rawlik, Mary Pletsch, Jerrod Balzer, John Goodrich, Scott Colbert, John Claude Smith, Ken Goldman, Doug Blakeslee Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t need to hear that.”
    The quiet returned and stayed, an uneasy stillness not to be trusted. Matthew inspected the terrain, what the high powered lamp could see of it. Nothing stirred, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched. Several times he shook Sharon to keep her from dozing off. The snow had not let up and the cold seemed much worse.
    By 2:00 a.m., he realized they could not remain much longer where they were. If he could climb the slope back to the road, he might get some reception on his cellular. Considering they had little choice before the blowing snow obstructed the vehicle’s doors, the idea seemed worth a shot.
    “Stay here. I’ll see if I can get a signal from the road, maybe find a passing Snowcat.”
    “I’m not staying here alone.”
    “It could be dangerous. Something is out there.”
    “I’m not staying here!”
    That ended the discussion. She managed to get the door opened enough to squeeze through, sinking into snow waist deep. Slipping on his back pack of supplies, Matthew pulled her out. Together, they’d slogged maybe fifty feet when a sloshing sound came from behind, a thick dripping noise like saturated trees following a heavy rain. Matthew aimed his beam back toward the Trail Blazer, the lonely beacon exploring an Arctic world drained of color.
    Something was there, all right. Matthew recognized those dark eyes. Caught in the lamp’s glare, the creature seemed the size of the Trail Blazer itself, as if some mammoth ice sculpture had badly melted. It turned to avoid the harsh wash of light, a sopping glob of frozen liquid that impossibly breathed with life.
    “That thing,” he whispered. “Jesus, it’s . . . it’s ice .”
    “It doesn’t like the light. Let’s go, Matthew. Let’s go right now!”
    Running, even moving at all, seemed impossible. They did not look behind, just kept pushing through the snow as best they could. Twice, Sharon disappeared into drifts. Matthew pulled her out, feeling his lungs might explode. Eventually exhaustion overtook them. Soaked, their breaths heavy, they found no place even to collapse. When Sharon finally managed to speak, her words seemed the ramblings of a fevered mind.
    “Tell me you love me, Matthew. Tell me you love me enough to die for me.”
    “What?”
    “Say it. You never really told me in so many words. I need to hear you say it.”
    “Jesus, Sharon . . .”
    “Please . . . please . . .”
    The thick white pines rustled. Matthew aimed the lamp towards the cluster of trees. Concealed in darkness, lacking even shadows, the creature had overtaken them. Now it stood dripping in ambush only paces away, a monstrous Hollywood special effect chiseled in ice. Close up, its mouth appeared the size of a coffin, revealing misshapen teeth that hung from its maw like thick icicles.
    No, that wasn’t correct . . .
    Its teeth were icicles!
    Matthew pulled at Sharon’s arm but she wouldn’t move. Maybe she couldn’t move. He kept the lamp on the creature’s eyes, hoping to blind it long enough for them to get away.
    “We can’t stay, Sharon. We can’t –”
    She wouldn’t budge. Her lips formed unintelligible gibberish while a whisper escaped her throat. The predator shambled through the drifts toward them, cavernous mouth opening wide, black eyes fixed on its quarry.
    “ . . . love . . . you . . .”
    “Sharon, come on, dammit! We have to - - I can’t . . .”
    She seemed a dead weight immersed in the snow, impossible to extract. Matthew left her there, panicked flight propelling him through the thick snow. Behind him, Sharon shrieked. Slamming fists to his ears did not deafen the sound reverberating inside his head. He turned, aimed the high intensity light.
    The creature must have seen him but selected the easier prey, spilling over Sharon like some cascading polar waterfall. Icy mandibles punctured her throat, reducing her screams to weak gurgles. She was a fighter, Matthew always knew that about her. Her