The Shuddering

by Ania Ahlborn

The drips of blood that trailed him like scarlet breadcrumbs assured him that this wasn’t a dream.

The monsters of his youth were chasing him. They were hungry. They were real.

They only come when it snows, his dad had told him, repeating the stories his own father had whispered into his ear in the dead of winter. As a kid, Don assumed it was why he and his family packed up their stuff and left the cabin when the weather got bad. But as he grew older, he reasoned the stories away. Myth. Legend. Whatever he called them in the past made no difference.

Maybe they come out every so many years of he’d never seen them and he’s been there for 30 years. So much so he thought his dad was just telling him scary stories

That man, just like her father had been, lacking foresight but quick to learn.

“If it wasn’t for that stupid earflap hat,” Sawyer continued, “I’d run my fingers through your locks right now.” “Tonight,” Ryan promised. “After the girls have gone to bed.” “By the fire?” “With Jane’s chocolate cake between us. I’ll whip us up a bearskin rug.” Sawyer let his head loll back, the steam of his breath rising from his throat as he laughed. “Perfect,” he said. “Just don’t complain if I smoke afterward. That, my friend, I cannot help.”

Hold on?? What’s happening here

relationships were complicated, volatile things. They were riddled with lies, with hidden secrets, ones you only found out about when it was too late.

A future was just that: the rest of your life. A relationship could crumble at any opportunity.

Without warning, Sawyer pushed away from the counter and breached the distance between them. He reached out, took Jane’s head in his hands, his palms pressing against her cheeks. Her heart stopped as she felt his breath drift across the curve of her bottom lip. She let her eyes flutter shut, not wanting to see what was coming. When he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, a tiny voice inside her head cried out, screaming that he wasn’t fooling anyone, that they both knew what they wanted. Maybe if they just gave in…

Shit I’m super confused now!!

“It’s okay,” he said softly, hiding behind his glasses. He was trying to be understanding, but she could tell he was upset. “The rental line is probably massive anyway.”

Ewww wtf she’s annoying AF

She pictured herself getting up, bolting down the lodge steps and across the snow. She was sure she could make it before they got on the lift again, and when she’d reach them, she’d shove Jane hard enough to make her hit the ground. Chewing on a nail, she hunched her shoulders and glared at Sawyer’s back. A pair of neon-clad skiers sat at the table next

What is she in high school?!

Ever since she was a kid, she’d cry when she was scared or angry, as though processing an excess of emotion at once was too much for her to handle.

April leaned forward and grabbed it, frowning. “Water?” “There was only diet soda left. Figured you’d want water instead.” She grimaced and

Alll this chick does is complain!! DAMN!!!

“I have my radar set to batshit. I can smell a psycho from a mile away.”

LMAO!

“Thanks so much for having us,” April said, her tone painfully insincere. “We had a blast.” Jane’s expression wavered. He watched her indecision flicker across her face like bad reception, challenging her soft-spoken nature as she tried to smile in return. “We’ll see you again,” April told her. “At the wedding, for sure.”

She’s such a fucking bitch

Passive-aggressiveness had slithered into his bloodstream, infecting him like a disease.

That’s the worst time for that shit. Petty AF.

“Here,” April said, her voice quavering with emotion. Sawyer let his hands drop to his lap and blinked at a ring attached to a silver chain in the palm of her hand.

OMG she’s so dramatic!

She wondered whether this was how it felt to be lost, alone, spiraling toward some inevitable fate. The endless expanse of white, the silence, the solitude were overwhelming.

No shit dumbass UGH!! Insufferable woman

should have tried harder, should have thrown himself in front of that creature to buy Lauren some more time. She had been incredible, the girl he had been waiting for, for so long, the girl he was convinced didn’t exist at all, and he had let her die—no, he had let her be torn apart.

Ehhhh I feel like that’s a reach he just met her and cause she’s dead now she’s the girl he’s been waiting for his whole life?! Grief is a MF

“New owner?” Jane asked, the bloodied ax in her hands. She was trying to chop a chair into pieces, but there was no power behind her swing. Sawyer forced himself away from the window and took the hatchet from her, splitting one of the chair legs in half with a single swing. “What do you mean ‘new owner’?” she asked. “This place is still for sale.” She blinked at Ryan when he failed to respond. “Right?” Ryan cleared his throat and continued to kick at the table leg. Jane looked up at the ceiling, as though suddenly overwhelmed by her brother’s lack of response. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said.

Why TF is this important!

The monster froze in place at the blast, startled by the noise. But Ryan had missed. His hand was shaking so badly he could hardly aim at all.

OMG!!

The snow hadn’t just gotten the back of his neck. It had gotten his torch as well.

FUCK!!!

She was sitting in the last slice of sunlight as if to warm herself—the wedge of sun not more than a few feet wide.

If this is a twist and this chick is April I'm gonna lose my shit!!

Suddenly the girl began to panic. She pulled at the door handle, as if ready to jump out of the car, but it remained shut, keeping her locked inside. She slammed her hands against the window, leaving bloody handprints against the glass as Allison and Carla gasped.

Oh this is like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre