Days 0-2 can be read here.

Days 3-5 can be read here.

Days 6-8 can be read here.

Days 9-11 can be read here.

Days 12-14 can be read here.

Day Fifteen

I woke up, still dressed in case the police would call. It was nine and there’d been nothing. There couldn’t have been much to delay them, there weren’t any messages on my phone which I’d left by the window in case there was better reception there.

I opened the curtains and through the snow I could tell the body was gone. I put the kettle on and went outside, looking for any signs the police had been by to collect it.

There weren’t any tracks in the road, the gritting had worn off on the roads, covering it in snow. Maybe the police had arrived in the middle of the night and didn’t want to disturb me. I checked the front door in case anything had been stuck to it by them, then the letterbox. Nothing. 

The bench felt oddly empty without the body there. I sat there for a moment, not really dressed in clothes that should be snowed on for long. When I put my hand on the bench to get up, I felt a deep cut in the wood. It was a letter. I brushed the snow off it and saw words cut into the bench “WITH US NOW”.

Day Sixteen

I’ve been trying to keep calm. The police drove by yesterday afternoon and asked questions about the body. I told them what happened and they seemed dubious. They didn’t even check out the bench where the body was found. 

I’d seen a death and some grisly animal corpses. While the dead person was someone I’d felt threatened by, I decided I needed to stock up and go a bit survivalist. I’d probably have felt safer if Casey was still around. I’d have been talked out of acting a bit crazy. I made sure I knew where the food was and stashed some of the knives from the kitchen in places around the lounge. I brought the skull back out from its hiding place, put it on the table and told it to keep an eye out for anything weird.

When you’re stuck in a cabin alone with no telly, almost no reception and a bunch of shit books, the boredom can get a bit much. I decided I’d have a bit of a walk to get my head straight. It’s not like there was a murderer, just the cold. 

I dressed up warm with a couple of jumpers, a thick coat and my best walking boots. The previous day’s snow was high enough I’d have to wade through it, especially with the snowfall adding to it. Still, it’d help keep my mind off of the strange goings on. I walked out and realised I wouldn’t be able to see any dead animals even if there were any. Hopefully I wouldn’t tread in one.

The clearing was tempting to go into, but a bit too hidden away. I walked across the field and down to the lake. I figured if the weather got worse, there was the cave. Making my way down the slope was trickier than I thought, I slipped and skidded onto what I thought was the path.

When I got up, I realised I’d gone too far, off the path and onto the lake. I could hear the cracking underfoot. I’m not a big guy, but that didn’t matter, the ice wasn’t that thick. Looking at it, there were lines moving quicker than I could comprehend. I dived for the ground which was a worse idea, my left foot went through the ice and shattered. I went into the water, grasping for anything I could gain purchase on.

It’s the shock, I remembered people saying. A drop into a cold lake. I grabbed for some reeds and tried to control my breathing. If I got out, running would hopefully keep me warm enough until I reached the cabin.

I must have done it. I don’t remember how I got back to the cabin. It felt like everything went black, the air was taken out of my lungs, replaced with ice. When I came to, I was at the front door, curled up. The snow was still raging around me, I moved my fingers, hearing the crack of ice covering the gloves. I opened the door, ran inside and turned the heater on. I made sure not to dive into a hot bath for a little bit, but it was too tempting.

Day Seventeen

I’m falling in the ice again, and there are eyes on me. Watching me. 

The dark of the lake goes deeper than I expected and I’m pulled further, further down. I don’t know if it’s warmer than I thought or my body’s acclimatised to it. Either way, I don’t feel the cold anymore.

The light through the ice was getting further and further away. I saw forms walking on it and I knew they were watching me. Their eyes were as bright and cold as the lake’s ice. 

I stopped falling when I hit a wooden floor. It was the cabin. I woke up, having tumbled out of bed and missed the rug. I was still freezing cold, even after the hot bath and wrapping myself in as many clothes as I could when I went to bed.

Day Eighteen

Sam called in a brief moment of reception. It was difficult to hear her sometimes. I pretty much pressed myself up against the window. The cold of it didn’t feel too bad, not after my fall in the lake. 

She wanted to see how I was, given everything. I didn’t mention most of what I’d experienced. I told her the lake was nice, but I’d taken a tumble into it. She offered to send up more clothes and blankets as she might be able to get it here before Christmas. I said I was fine, I’d picked up some bits from the village shop and there was a washing machine so I was able to get everything less muddy and cold. 

Before she cut out, Sam said that Lou passed on her love and had seen Casey. Apparently they were down with a cold, but otherwise there wasn’t much to report. I was pleased they weren’t immediately involved with someone else. I guess they just didn’t like me for me. I imagined them alone in their flat while I was alone here. Was it better this way? I didn’t know, but it was nice to hear from someone back home, even if they were fuzzy and barely able to be heard. The skull-stone was far less of a conversationalist. 

Day Nineteen

The snow had stopped after several days. It took a little time to open the door, even with the overhang shielding it from most of the snow. I decided to have breakfast first to fortify myself before going on a walk. I wasn’t going to be ambitious this time, especially with the thick snow underfoot.

The woods were easier to travel than trying to walk waist-deep across the field to the lake. I also had a bit of a grudge with it from the tumble I took. The ground was free from the worst of it, but the natural paths had changed. I wasn’t as sure of where I was going at first, but it didn’t really matter. I had enough of my bearings to know where the cabin was, as long as I went back that way then I’d be fine when I was done with my walk.

I found the dew pond, but it was nowhere near where I thought it was. It was frozen over, like a tiny version of the lake. Even with the grey sky, the opening in the trees felt like a spotlight on the centre. There was something on the lake, the light bouncing off it. I walked closer and saw what it was. A deer, made out of ice. Someone must have carved it and brought it there. I was surprised it didn’t put too much pressure on the dew pond. Maybe it was frozen solid.

I looked around and was alone. Whoever left it there would have left a while ago, given how quiet and untouched the woods seemed. Getting closer, I could see its eyes. Four of them, all carved beautifully. For a second, I thought one set of them blinked. It couldn’t have, though. Not really.

When I left, I kept an eye on the deer, just in case it moved again.

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Advent of Abomination is by Black Armada and available here.