A Deadly Winter Retreat

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WE ALL STOOD in silence, gazing out of the expansive window that overlooked the snow-filled trees and bushes. 

My heart skipped a beat as I watched Dave venture into the cold woods until he became a mere spot, disappearing into the snow. Despite our warning about the impending snowstorm and his unfamiliarity with the area, his persistence and determination were unwavering. In his desperate attempt to find Lena, he disregarded our dire warning.

Our vacation was turning into a nightmare as a suffocating realization settled in – a realization that Lena's chances of emerging from the clutches of the snowstorm were as fragile as frost-kissed petals.

Fear and uncertainty hung in the room like an odorless gas, draining us of clarity as to why our vacation was morphing into an unforeseen nightmare.

Still gazing out the window, snowflakes fell delicately from the obsidian sky as the winter winds danced around them. With hope residing within me, a vision of Lena floated through my mind. She had magically appeared, smiling and telling me she was right. But it was a sudden wish formulated by my conscious mind. I knew I had to face reality and expect the unexpected- whatever that was. However, a flame of hope still burned within me. Deep down, I knew Lena was somewhere, breathing and alive.

A sudden sharp knock at the door sliced through my thoughts, startling me at such a fragile moment I nervously jumped. From the corner of my eye, I saw Troy's rapid stride as he made his way to answer it.

"Probably the cops," Troy announced. He hurriedly reached for the doorknob, twisting it, and swung the door open. The winter's chill crept into the cabin, invading our warmth. The cold nipped at my body, causing me to shiver.

Outside stood a tall, slim cop in a snow-covered black uniform, accompanied by a shorter, stockier cop also covered in snow. As they stood there, I couldn't help but take in the magical scenery that eclipsed them. The snowflakes danced as they gently fell to the ground, huddling with the ones that landed before them. It mesmerized me and took me away from the detrimental moment only briefly. The pull of reality was relentless, yanking me back to the present and rekindling the awareness of why the cops were standing there in the first place.

"Hi, Sir." The tall officer began, "I'm Officer Garcia, and this is Officer Kent." Officer Garcia gestured to Officer Kent. Kent greeted us with an almost hesitant wave of his hand as if he were a timid kid.

"We received a report regarding a twenty-seven-year-old female who has gone missing. Can you confirm if this is the residence in question?" Garcia inquired, his brows arched in a display of earnest concern.

Troy nodded, "Yes, my wife, Trish, she called." I gently pushed Troy out of the way to speak with the officers.

"Yes, I called!" I raised my hand as if I were an anxious kid in a classroom impatiently waiting for the teacher to call on me, "My friend Lena went out for a walk last night, around 7:00 PM, and never came back." I explained concerningly, fear lacing my voice.

Troy interrupted.

"Where are my manners?" Troy rubbed his head, "Please, come inside. I'm sorry, it's been a long morning." He gestured for the officers to come inside.

They both stepped into the cabin. Their gaze wandered around like they had never been inside a cabin.

"This is a spacious cabin. I'd never been up to one of these before." Garcia commented, "My family and I come here yearly to ski, but we always stay at the resort. You know, down at the bottom of the hill? We don't quite like to leave civilization." He laughed as we stood there, unamused. He picked up on the fact that we weren't up for jokes and were genuinely concerned about our missing friend. So, he straightened up promptly, and his smile vanished instantly.

"My friend, Lena," I began again, "She, uh, yesterday evening, we had, uh-" My words stumbling over one another in a rush of nervousness as I struggled to piece together my thoughts. I was determined not to omit any crucial information.

Garcia raised his index finger, signaling for me to pause. "Wait a moment, miss," he interjected. He then retrieved a notepad from his jacket's front pocket and swiftly retrieved a pen from the opposite pocket.

"Would you like coffee, water, or tea?" I asked as I clasped my hands together in front of me.

The officers both shook their heads in unison.

"No, thanks, miss. We can proceed with taking the details now." Garcia informed as he stood there, his pen poised atop the notepad, ready to jot down notes.

Circling back to yesterday's events, I replayed the scenes in my head. And slowly, I recanted every detail that emerged from my memory. Now and then, Troy or Gina would interrupt to clarify or validate the information I gave. We all provided the officers with the most pertinent and valuable information we could recall.

As the officers finished up, they heard shuffling in the kitchen. Garcia raised his brows, "Is someone else here?" He asked concerningly.

I replied, "Our friend, Dale. He's Gina's husband." I gestured toward Gina.

"Why isn't he out here?" Kent asked authoritatively.

"The guys and I were playing dominos last night. He didn't see much of Lena. Maybe in passing, but that's about it." Troy explained.

"That doesn't matter." Garcia said sternly, "Can someone get him out here so we can have a word with him?"

"Sure, he's my husband, so I'll get him." Gina strolled into the kitchen to retrieve Dale.

Dale came walking out with a plate of pancakes in his hands.

"Hi, officers!" Dale enthusiastically said, "I'm just having breakfast right now."

Dale was such a jerk. He didn't seem the least bit concerned about Lena.

"Your friends gave a rundown of what happened yesterday." Kent said, "Now, we need a run down from you."

Dale's brows furrowed in confusion. He gave a generic statement of what he was doing yesterday and the last time he saw Lena. And like the rest of us, the last time he saw her was at 7:05 PM when she walked out of the door, never returning.

The officers thanked us for our time. They left with a mere goodbye and gave us a slice of fragile hope as they promised to get their search team out into the snow-drenched forest early in the morning. I begged them to get the search team out sooner, but they couldn't. Their hands were administratively tied. The law implied that an individual had to go missing for at least 48 hours before law enforcement could intervene. As I watched the officers leave, strolling back to their car, reality hit me like a tornado slamming into a shed. I fell to my knees; a torrent of hopelessness consumed me, and tears streamed down my face.

I gazed out into the swirling abyss as I sobbed, wrestling with a storm of emotions – fear, helplessness, anger. I desperately hoped for Lena's return. Each gust of wind seemed to carry her whispers, hopes, and yearning for safety. I clung to a shred of hope but couldn't help but feel we were already too late.

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