A Lonesome Town
“You ready for this?”
He peered over the wind-whipped lip and down the steep descent.
“Yeah,” He nodded his head.
John pulled his mirrored goggles down over his eyes, saying, “Hell yeah. See you at the bottom.”
John dropped into the snow bowl.
He pulled his goggles over his eyes, adjusted his binding, and pointed the nose of his snowboard over the lip, and dropped in, following his best friend down the mountain.
The wind whistled past his ears as he slashed through the untouched snow, feeling weightless as he flew down the mountain face. He jumped off a small wind lip and landed into a deep pocket of icy snow, coating his facial hair in powder. He laughed as he sped away, feeling a joy he hadn’t in a long time.
He spotted John at the tree line, at the bottom of the powder bowl. He made his way over with no words to describe what he felt.
“Dude.”
“I know,” John said nodding with a smile that spread from ear to ear.
“That was the best run I’ve ever had.”
John laughed then punched his arm, saying, “See. I told you.”
He grinned and looked back at the powder bowl they had ripped down, then at the lone mountain peak. “Too bad we can’t do it again.”
“I know, right?” John removed his glove and withdrew his phone. “Maybe we get down the mountain and climb it again?”
“No way we do that again. I almost froze to death last night.”
“Oh, come on? A little frostbite won’t kill you.” John punched his arm again.
“Yeah, but it might take a toe or two.”
“A toe or two? Who needs them?” John laughed and held his phone up into the air. “Come on man, let's get a pic real quick.”
John reversed the camera so he could see the two of them smiling and put up a hang lose. John snapped a few pics then showed him the results.
“Damn, dude, you’re looking good with that powder stache.”
He laughed and licked the snow stuck to his lip. “There’s nothing better.”
“I agree with that,” John replied, putting away his phone.
“Send that to me when we get service.”
“Of course. I’ll probably post it later if that's okay?”
“That’s fine.”
“Cool. Well.” John turned to the trees while pulling back on his glove. “I guess we’ve got some more shredding to do.”
“Hell, yeah we do.”
John smiled and pointed into the trees, “If I remember right from maps, the trees are pretty dense, and I think I saw a few cliffs mixed in there.”
“You gonna to hit em?”
“Um, maybe. Powder’s pretty deep, so we should be okay. It’d suck, though, if one of us got hurt.”
“The closest town is what, fifty miles away? Well, I guess it's kilometers here, so what is that?”
“I think around eighty kilometers.”
“Right eighty, so we’ll be good.”
“Oh, look at you. It only took everything I had to drag you out of your house and put up with your whining on a thirteen-hour flight to get you back to your normal self.”
“The powder was that good.”
John laughed and punched his arm. “If it was that easy, I would have done it a month ago.”
He looked away, noticing how good it felt to be smiling again.
“Well, unfortunately, we need to get going.” John looked up at the sun. “We’ll be hiking in the dark again if we hang out any longer.”
“Aw.”
“Yeah, I know. If only we had more time.” John turned down from the sun towards the trees. “I guess follow me, and we’ll work our way down and out of the canyon. Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Still got all your gear? Snowshoes? Tent?”
“Yep.” He reached around and touched the metal frame of the snowshoes strapped to his pack. “All good.”
“Sick.” John held up his fist, and he bumped it.
John turned his board and passed underneath the shadow of the trees.
He followed and took one last look at the lone mountain peak before getting a strange feeling that this would be the last time, he saw the sun.
***
He just managed to duck a branch before swerving around a tree trunk to keep up with John.
“This is thicker than I thought it would be!”
“No shit!” John yelled back.
“How long was it until the bottom?”
“I think-like – Oh shit watch out!”
John took a sharp turn around a tree and skidded the edge of a drop. He saw it and tried to do the same, but the tail of his board caught the top of a shrub sticking out of the snow, causing him to lose balance. He corrected himself but had no time to slow down and flew off the drop. His stomach lifted as he floated through the air and smacked hard into a tree, and crashed into a bed of powder. His feet were up in the air, and his shoulder exploded in pain.
“Oh my god! Hey, you good?”
He tried responding to John, but snow poured into his mouth.
“Oh shit! Hold on! I’ll be down in a sec!”
He tried to move, but his arm was unresponsive, and he didn’t have the strength to dig himself out with his other arm.
“Woah, don’t move,” John said, removing his bindings.
He tried speaking again, but John shut him up, saying, “Hold on,” and began brushing the snow away until he could see the branches again, then asked, “Did you hit your head?”
“No,” He replied. “It’s my left arm.”
“Oh, thank God. Does that mean your neck’s fine?”
“Yeah. Get me out of here.”
“Okay, let me find your right hand.” John reached into the snow and grabbed his hand. “Got it! Now hold on.” He gripped as John yanked him out of the snow.
John set him upright on a tree and began attending to his arm.
“Can you move it?”
“A little. I think it’s my AC joint.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah, I tore it once in football; it feels exactly the same.”
“Oh, shit, does that mean you can’t walk?”
“It’s my shoulder, John. I can walk.”
“Jesus, man, I’m not a doctor.”
He started to chuckle, but the laughter rustled his arm, causing him pain, so he stopped and said, “It’s not too bad, but I need to keep it from moving.”
“I’ve got an extra shirt we can use as a sling.”
“Perfect. That should be enough to get us down.”
“Okay, let me see what I can do.”
“Here, use my knife.” He pulled out his knife from his pocket and handed it to John.
After a few moments, John had an extra t-shirt cut up and tied around his neck. They gingerly placed his arm into the sling, supporting it, bringing a minor amount of relief.
“Good?” John asked.
“Yeah,” He replied.
“Here’s this back,” John handed him his knife.
“Thanks.”
“Can you ride?”
“Of course.”
John helped him up onto his feet then bent down to rebind his board to his boots, saying, “It’s getting dark, so I’ll take it slow.”
“I'll be okay. It looks like the trees are clearing up ahead and-“ He stopped and squinted his eyes.
“What?” John asked.
“Do you see that?” He asked, pointing his finger. “Are those lights up ahead?”
John looked where he was pointing and exclaimed, “I think those are.”
“Are they moving?”
“No, they’re stationary. They look like house lights.”
“A cabin, maybe?”
“Maybe… Or multiple cabins? I just saw more lights turn on.”
“We might of lucked out here.”
“Yeah, we really might have. Well, let's hope they speak English.”
***
They were slowly working their way through the trees, towards the lights. His shoulder was aching so bad now he was becoming nauseous, but he didn’t want to say anything to worry John. It was worse than he had made it out to be, and it was most likely a broken collar bone. He was glad to see more and more lights the closer they got, and soon they were on the precipice of a small town rested along a riverbed.
“What the hell is this place?” He asked John.
“I don’t know,” John replied. “I don’t remember seeing it anywhere on maps.”
“That’s strange… I mean, it’s a small town, but how could maps miss this?”
John shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think I can see a clinic down there. See.” John pointed, and he saw the sign of a red cross.
“Oh my god, I don’t believe it.”
“Well, you should.” John punched his good arm.
He grinned but felt an eerie anxiety as they unclipped their bindings.
The sun was falling in the west and was nearing its setting when they made it into town. The streets were empty, but all the lights in the small shops were on.
“A little quiet….” He mumbled.
“Yeah, maybe it’s a retirement town?”
“It could be… A rich retirement town, that is.” He pointed to some of the luxury SUVs parked along the street.
“Well, let's hope so. A rich town's clinic will be far better than a poor town's clinic.”
“That’s true.”
He looked down the street to the town's center and standing tall was a black monolith tower. John paid it no attention, but something about it gave him the creeps.
They were just outside the clinic's front doors, and before they entered, he turned around and noticed a pair of eyes peering at them from behind the blinds of a window.
“You coming?” John asked, standing in the doorway.
“Yeah.” He turned away from the eyes and entered the clinic.
The lobby was empty, except for an extraordinarily beautiful woman sitting behind the receptionist's desk.
The woman looked surprised and asked, “Kann ich Ihnen helfen?”
“Um, shoot,” John replied. “I don’t speak Swiss too well- “
“I speak English.” The woman replied in a near perfect American accent.
“Oh, thank god.” John put his hands on the counter, saying, “My friend here had an accident skiing and needs medical attention.”
The woman curiously looked at the two of them then asked, “Skiing? What happened?”
“Well, we were doing some backcountry skiing up on the mountain face, and my friend hit a tree.”
“You two are Americans? Yes?”
“Yeah, we’re here until Sunday, so we have a flight to catch in a couple of days.”
“Oh, that is nice. Did you plan on coming here?”
“No, actually, we didn’t even know this place existed until we saw lights in the distance.”
“Oh, the lights brought you here? Hmmm, well, we can help you. Let me tell the doctor and get you in at once.”
The woman stood up, and they watched her leave into the back.
When she was gone, John turned to him with a big grin. “Did you see that?”
“I did…”
“Damn, was she hot? What is going on in this town to be attracting girls like that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, maybe I should hit her up, you know? Use some of that American charm on her, huh?”
He rolled his eyes but grinned.
The woman returned, saying, “The Doctor will see you now.”
“Great,” he replied, walking towards the open door.
“I’m sorry.” The woman put out her hand, stopping John.
“What? I can’t go with him?”
The woman shook her head. “It’s policy you stay in the lobby with me.”
John raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
He rolled his eyes again, saying, “See you in a few.”
John smiled, punched his good arm, saying, “Good luck in there, champ.”
He turned away and followed the woman into an examination room.
“The doctor will see you shortly,” she said.
He smiled at the woman, saying, “Thank you.”
She surprised him by winking, then closed the door behind her.
He tilted his head in curiosity but didn’t dwell on it any longer, for the blinding pain came back, fogging his mind. He leaned back, resting his head on the wall, and from there, he could hear the mumblings of voices in the lobby.
“You do you, John” he said out loud.
Shortly later, a knock came from the door, and in came The Doctor.
He was immediately stunned by the beauty of the man. The Doctor was tall and handsome beyond belief, with dark eyes that seemed to stare right through his soul.
“Hello,” said the Doctor as he entered. “You’re the skier, I presume?”
“Yes,” he replied. “That would be me.”
“Good, I don’t like getting my patients mixed up.” The Doctor sat down on a stool and rolled over to him, asking, “Now, what seems to be the problem?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s my AC Joint and maybe my clavicle.”
“Now, what makes you say that?”
“Torn my AC joint playing football once. It feels exactly like that.”
“Oh yes, you Americans and your football. So dangerous. May I look?”
“Yes.”
The Doctor helped him out of the sling and his coat. Next, he had his shirt off, and The Doctor was examining his shoulder, and clear as day, his shoulder bone was out of place.
“It does seem to be your AC joint,” The Doctor said.
“Yeah, like I-“ He stopped mid-sentence at the sound of something crashing in the lobby and muffled voices speaking. “Hey, what was-“
“Such a beautiful body.”
He turned back to The Doctor who was closely examining his body.
“What was that?” He asked, feeling concern growing inside.
“Your body, it’s beautiful. Why would you be so careless with it playing football and skiing?”
“I don’t know if I’m following you?”
The Doctor glanced up to him, saying, “You could have been perfect... But, you see, it hasn’t fed since fall, so you will have to do.”
“Um,” He glanced to the door, then back to The Doctor. “I don’t know what you're talking about, but I need to check on my friend.”
The Doctor turned up to him, and his eyes were wide with delight. “It was such a fortunate coincidence for you to stumble upon this town. We’ve been so desperate since tourist season to find someone like you who will appease it. Oh, how fortunate we are.”
He heard footsteps coming down the hallway and soon came a knock from the door.
“Come in,” said The Doctor.
The door opened, and in walked a large man, followed by the woman from the lobby.
“The congregation is set and calling it,” said the woman.
“Is the other being placed?” The Doctor asked
The woman smiled. “He is about to be.”
“Good.” The Doctor turned back to him, smiling, “It’s time, friend.”
“Time for what?” He asked.
“To make you better, of course. Restrain him, please.”
The large man moved towards him and grabbed his throat. He was caught off guard and tried processing what was happening, but the oxygen running to his brain was depleting so fast he didn’t have time to think. Instinct kicked in, and his hand moved to his knife and, in one quick movement, pulled it out and dug it into the man’s side. The man’s eyes widened as black blood gushed from the wound. The man let go, and he took a deep breath, clearing his mind, then kicked the stool and sent The Doctor crashing into The woman, giving him just enough time to slip out of the room and dash down the hall.
“John!” He yelled when he entered the lobby.
He didn’t see his friend but found signs of a fight and drag marks out the clinic's front door. From behind him, he heard footsteps chasing after him.
He ran out onto the street, and his attention was immediately grabbed by the town center. The sky was dark, and the monolith was lit up in blood-red flames that spiraled around the base towards the top, where a dark shadow rested. A congregation of people surrounded the monolith, all chanting in a language he had never heard before. He would have stood and stared in a stupor if it was not for the clear screams for help from his friend.
“John!” He yelled in return, sprinting towards the town center.
He was about to reach the congregation when someone from behind tackled him to the ground. He cried in pain as his shoulder slammed onto the street and tried fighting off the person, but The woman from the Lobby whispered into his ear, saying, “Watch, and behold it.”
“Get off me, you crazy-“ He stopped mid-sentence when he saw it. From the shadow, a single long arm with three nailed fingers reached down for John, being held down on a black altar.
John fought with all his might as the hand wrapped around him and lifted him into the shadow, screaming in utter fear.
“JOHN!” He yelled, but his voice was drowned out by the chanting of the congregation.
John disappeared into the shadow, and his voice was silenced.
He blinked several times, trying to process what he had just witnessed. None of it was registering, and it wasn’t until he realized he was being placed upon the altar himself did he come back to reality.
“Wait! NO!” He tried fighting back the arms that held him.
The face of the woman leaned over him; her eyes were blood red, reflecting the flames swirling the monolith.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You’ll be fine in the darkness.”
“What? You crazy- God damn it, let me go! I’ll-I’ll-“
The woman smiled, winked, then backed up, leaving him to stare up into the shadow.
At first, there was nothing but darkness, but then two blood-red eyes opened, and then a long-shadowed hand came reaching down for him. He tried to fight but found he had no strength left, and the hand grasped him.
It was strange being in its hand; it felt like he was floating, like when he was snowboarding through powder. A mouth opened in the shadow, and all he could remember after that was feeling every emotion of in-existence, then, nothing.
