The Winter People by Bret Tallent Read Free Book Online

barely stirred.  She too was used to
late phone calls and ignored them most of the time.  Besides, she had always
been a much heavier sleeper than Hayden.  He didn't bother turning on the
light, he just glanced at the LED readout of his alarm clock.  The green glow
indicated that it was 12:30 in the morning.  He had only been asleep for about
two hours.  He cleared his throat and answered.
    "Hello?"
His voice was soft and deep.  Though barely above a whisper, it commanded
authority and didn't sound the least bit groggy.
    "Hayden? 
This is Johnny."  Hayden recognized his voice immediately.  Although he
sounded more like a teenager whose voice hadn't quite finished changing yet,
Johnny Kaostiwa was nearly forty-seven.  He'd been a Park Ranger here for over
fifteen years, and fishing buddies with Hayden for the last ten.
    Johnny was a
likeable enough man who didn't talk very much about himself.  Hayden knew that
he was half Ute Indian and lived with his grandfather, his only living
relative.  His round, flat face had a long scar that started over the right
eyebrow.  It clipped the far right corner of his lid, and then continued down
his cheek to finish up in the center of his lower jaw bone.  This, along with
his not too debilitating limp, he had received in the first gulf war.  All
compliments of an RPG thank you very much.  Hayden also knew that he wouldn't
have bothered him unless it was important.
    "Yeah Johnny,
what is it?"
    "Didn't mean
to wake you Hayden, but I think we got a problem out here on Route 14, About
four miles south of us out here at the Station."  Johnny paused and Hayden
could hear some voices in the background.  He noticed some excitement in all of
them, including Johnny's.  His years of experience had taught him to hear the
whole story and then ask questions.  He kept silent and let Johnny continue.
    "It seems
some kids are stayin' out at Bud's place for a couple of weeks on a ski trip. 
Anyway, two of 'em fell behind comin' home from Steamboat tonight.  When. .
." he paused and there were more voices in the background, "Nick
Boscoe and Mike Gallegos, their friends, returned to look for them.  They found
the other guy's Jeep turned over on the road and there wasn't anyone
around."  Johnny paused expecting Hayden to ask him something.  When there
was no reply, he continued.
    "The
windshield had been broken out and there was blood out into the road." 
Johnny paused and there were more background voices.  He was obviously getting
his facts straight from this Nick and Mike as he relayed it.
    "Just
great," Hayden thought, "skiers.  They don't know the roads and they come
up here and flip a Jeep…Probably drunk too."
    "Hayden? 
Hayden?"
    "Yeah Johnny,
I'm here.  Go ahead."
    "Anyway, we
checked the hospital over in Steamboat, and even called all the doctors
around.  Nobody's seen 'em."
    This time Hayden
couldn't wait, "What do you mean nobody's seen them?"
    “Just that
Hayden.  It hasn't been reported to anyone around here except me, and now you. 
I checked the authorities in Steamboat, Craig, and Hayden.  I even woke up ol'
Doc Willis.  They're just gone!  And if they tried to walk anywhere, well, it's
damn near fifty below out there as it is, and with the wind chill. . ." 
Johnny waited for what he had said to sink in.  He wanted to make sure that
Hayden was ready before he told him the last of it.
    There was a long
pause on the other end and Hayden was about to ask Johnny a few things but he
got this feeling in his gut that there was more.  He kept his composure and
prompted Johnny to continue, "Go on."
    "Nick said
that it looked to him like someone pulled them out of the Jeep.  The driver
side door had been ripped off and was no where around.  There was a tuft of
hair stuck in the window frame and a trail of blood went out from there into
the middle of the road then just stopped."  Johnny was very somber as he
relayed this last item; he obviously felt that it was