The moon hung like a frozen disc above Ice Rock Mountain, its pallid light casting long, jagged shadows across the pristine snow. The temperature had dropped well below freezing, turning each breath into a ghostly apparition that dissipated in the still night air. Jessica's boots crunched against the frozen ground as she led her group toward the ski department's service entrance, each step deliberate and measured. Her heart hammered against her ribs, each beat a reminder of what was at stake. The metallic taste of fear lingered on her tongue, mixing with the crisp mountain air that burned her lungs.

  "Are you sure about this?" Salina whispered, her breath forming dense clouds in the frigid air. She hugged herself tightly, her dark hair whipping across her face in the intermittent gusts of wind. The service entrance loomed before them, a steel door set into the concrete facade of the building, its surface dulled by years of winter storms.

  Jessica tested the door handle, the cold metal biting into her fingers. Locked, as expected. "We need weapons. Anything we can use." Her voice was steady despite the tremor in her hands as she pulled out a bobby pin from her pocket. The thin piece of metal felt fragile against her fingertips as she worked it into the lock while Frankie kept watch, her athletic frame tense and ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

  Dee Dee huddled closer to Ted, who swayed slightly on his feet, his eyes glazed with the effects of whatever he'd been drinking at the lodge. His usually sharp features were slack, a dopey grin plastered across his face. "Ted, you okay?" she asked, concern etched in the furrow of her brow. The wind whistled through the gaps in the building's exterior, creating an eerie melody that made her skin crawl.

  "Never better," he slurred, giggling. His breath reeked of cheap beer and the peppermint schnapps they'd found in the mini-bar. "This is like, the best horror movie ever. Babes vs Snowman." He stumbled slightly, catching himself against the wall with a muffled thump that made Jessica wince.

  Dee Dee glared at him, her patience wearing thin. "You're not a babe, dude." Her fingerless gloves did little to ward off the biting cold, and she flexed her fingers to keep the blood flowing.

  Ted chuckled, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet night. "I know, right?" He slumped further against the wall, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of their situation.

  The lock finally clicked, a sound that sent relief flooding through Jessica's body. She eased the door open with agonizing slowness, wincing at its slight creak that seemed to echo across the empty slopes. They slipped inside, the darkness of the equipment room enveloping them like a shroud. The beam from Jessica's flashlight cut through the gloom, revealing racks of skis and snowboards that cast strange, elongated shadows on the walls. They moved quickly, grabbing whatever looked useful–ski poles with their sharp metal tips, emergency flares that felt reassuringly solid, and a few maintenance tools that could serve as makeshift weapons.

  "This'll have to do," Frankie said, testing the weight of a ski pole in her hands. The aluminum shaft gleamed dully in the flashlight beam as she made a few experimental jabs at the air. Her volleyball-toned muscles flexed beneath her winter jacket, ready for action.

  Once outside, Jessica inhaled deeply, her enhanced senses filtering through the crisp mountain air. Years of competitive skiing had honed her awareness of the mountain's moods, but tonight was different. A familiar, musky odor tickled her nostrils, something wild and wrong that made her hackles rise. "This way," she pointed toward the dense forest that bordered the resort, where the shadows seemed to writhe between the trees.

  They found the tracks quickly–massive impressions in the snow that made their own footprints look childlike in comparison. Each print was easily twice the size of a human foot, with distinct claw marks at the tips that sent chills down Jessica's spine. Her throat tightened at the sight, memories of their earlier encounter flashing through her mind. The prints led deeper into the woods, toward the looming bulk of the Evergreen hotel, its windows glowing like distant stars.

  A shriek pierced the night air, slicing through the silence like a knife.

  "Someone's in trouble!" Salina grabbed Jessica's arm, her fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. The fear in her voice was palpable, matching the racing of Jessica's heart.

  They raced down the stone steps that connected the upper lodge to the hotel grounds, nearly slipping on treacherous patches of black ice. The sounds grew louder–high-pitched squeals and splashing water echoing off the hotel's walls. Jessica held up her hand, signaling the others to stop. They crouched behind a row of decorative bushes, their needles crackling with frost.

  The source of the commotion became clear, and Jessica's adrenaline-fueled tension deflated slightly. In the outdoor jacuzzi, four girls lounged in barely there bikinis, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold thanks to the bubbling water around them. Steam rose in thick clouds, creating a dreamy haze that was broken by their occasional squeals and giggles. Tiffany, the self-proclaimed queen bee of the resort's social scene, tossed her wet hair dramatically while Mia, Amber, and Camella clustered around her like satellites, hanging on her every word.

  "You've got to be kidding me," Frankie muttered, her voice thick with disgust. The ski pole in her hands twitched as if she was considering alternative uses for it.

  Before anyone could stop him, Ted stumbled to his feet, branches snapping beneath his clumsy movements. "Party time!" he shouted, already pulling his shirt over his head with uncoordinated movements. The cold air didn't seem to register with his alcohol-addled brain.

  "Ted, no!" Jessica lunged for him, her fingers grazing his sleeve, but it was too late.

  Ted stripped down to his boxers, decorated with cartoon characters that would have been embarrassing in any other situation, and cannon balled into the jacuzzi. Water exploded everywhere as the girls screamed–real screams this time, sharp and startled. Tiffany shot up, mascara running down her face in black rivulets, her perfect makeup dissolving in the splash zone.

  "What the hell!" she shrieked, her voice hitting a pitch that made Jessica wince. The other girls scrambled to cover themselves, their previous confidence shattered by the intrusion.

  Jessica and Salina rushed forward while Frankie, and Dee Dee struggled to fish Ted out of the water. He was laughing hysterically, trying to splash everyone within reach, completely blind to the danger they were all in. His skin was already turning pink from the temperature shock.

  "Get this pervert away from us!" Mia scrambled out of the jacuzzi, wrapping herself in a plush hotel towel. Her teeth were already chattering as the wind hit her wet skin.

  "We're sorry," Jessica said, helping Frankie drag Ted onto the deck. His wet body was surprisingly heavy, and he wasn't helping matters by continuing to giggle and squirm. "We thought someone was in trouble. We're tracking something dangerous—"

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  Tiffany cut her off with a harsh laugh that held no humor. "The only dangerous thing here is your freaks! Security!" Her voice echoed across the hotel grounds, bouncing off the snow-covered landscapes.

  "Listen, redhead," Frankie stepped forward, fists clenched at her sides. Her patience, already worn thin by the night's events, was reaching its breaking point. "There's a monster out here that—"

  "A monster?" Camella sneered, wringing water from her long hair. "What are you, twelve? This isn't some summer camp ghost story."

  "Shut up!" Frankie's voice rose, cracking with frustration. "You stuck-up—"

  A deep, guttural roar silenced everything. The sound seemed to vibrate through the ground, through their bones, making the water in the jacuzzi ripple. Jessica watched in horror as a massive shadow rose behind the hotel, blocking out the stars one by one. The temperature seemed to drop even further, and the steam from the jacuzzi curled away as if in fear.

  "Run," she whispered, then louder as the shadow moved: "RUN!"

  Tiffany's smug expression shattered like thin ice, replaced by raw terror. Everyone moved at once–grabbing towels, scrambling for the stairs, feet slipping on the wet deck. Ted, suddenly sobered by fear, struggled into his pants while hopping backward, nearly falling twice in his panic.

  The creature roared again, closer this time, the sound filling the night with primordial fury. Jessica could smell it now, that same musky scent but stronger, overwhelming, like wet fur and ancient ice. As they fled toward the hotel's entrance, she glimpsed white fur and gleaming eyes in the darkness, a flash of movement too large and too fast to be natural.

  The hunt had turned. Now they were the ones being hunted, and the night was far from over.

  *****

  The hotel lounge was a scene of picture-perfect holiday cheer–a massive Douglas fir towered fifteen feet high in the corner, its branches laden with hand-blown glass ornaments and twinkling with thousands of white LED lights that cast dancing shadows on the vaulted ceiling. Well-heeled guests in designer evening wear mingled around crystal punch bowls and silver trays of carefully arranged hors d'oeuvres, their quiet laughter mixing with the gentle strains of classical music. The scent of mulled wine and pine needles filled the air, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, fat snowflakes drifted down against the darkening sky.

  The peaceful atmosphere shattered like thin ice as Jessica and her group burst through the heavy mahogany double doors, their bare feet squeaking on the polished marble floor, leaving wet trails behind them. Their faces were flushed from running, eyes wide with genuine terror.

  "Monster!" Mia shrieked, her voice cracking as she clutched her powder-blue towel closer around her dripping bikini. Her long dark hair hung in wet ropes around her shoulders, leaving small puddles wherever she stepped. "There's a monster out there!"

  Tiffany, usually the picture of composure, tried desperately to maintain her dignity while crouching behind an enormous potted palm, her Versace cover-up clinging damply to her designer swimsuit. Water dripped from her perfectly highlighted hair onto the expensive silk. "You totally heard her! There's a monster here!" Her manicured hands trembled as she gripped the plant's ceramic container.

  The party guests froze mid-conversation, crystal glasses hovering halfway to lips, canapés suspended in mid-bite. The string quartet in the corner, positioned beneath an elaborate ice sculpture of a leaping reindeer, stopped playing abruptly. The last melancholic note of "Silent Night" hung awkwardly in the air, wavering like smoke before dying away. In the sudden silence, the crack of logs in the massive stone fireplace seemed impossibly loud.

  Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway, but these were unmistakably human–the measured, purposeful stride of someone used to commanding respect. Dong, the resort manager, emerged from the corridor leading to his office, his long black hair tied back in a neat braid that hung to his shoulder blades. His weathered face, lined by years of mountain winds and responsibility, was creased with genuine concern. The turquoise and silver jewelry he always wore–pieces passed down through generations of his family–caught the warm light from the chandeliers as he approached the group.

  "What is the meaning of this disruption?" His voice carried the quiet authority of someone who had spent decades running Ice Rock Mountain Resort, dealing with everything from entitled celebrities to dangerous avalanche conditions. His dark eyes swept over the dripping teenagers, taking in their terror-stricken faces.

  Jessica stepped forward, water streaming from her clothes onto the imported carpet. Unlike her friends, she showed no embarrassment at her state of undress, only determination. "Sir, there's an Abominable Snowman outside. We saw it at the hot springs—"

  "It's true!" Dee Dee interrupted, her usual valley girl accent thickened by fear. Her teeth chattered, though whether from cold or terror was unclear. "It's huge and white and—"

  A deep, resonant growl cut through her words like a knife through silk. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, a primordial rumble that spoke to something ancient in their DNA, triggering fight-or-flight responses in every person present. The massive window behind the Christmas tree exploded inward with the force of a bomb, showering the room with thousands of razor-sharp fragments that glittered like deadly diamonds in the holiday lights. Through the jagged opening, carried on a blast of arctic air that extinguished half the candles in the room, a creature straight out of nightmare appeared.

  It stood nine feet tall at the shoulder, its white fur matted with ice and crusted snow, giving it the appearance of a moving glacier. Muscles rippled beneath its thick hide as it ducked through the window frame, making the reinforced steel bend like aluminum foil. Its face was a terrible parody of something apelike–the proportions all wrong, with teeth too sharp for an herbivore and eyes too intelligent for a mere beast. Those eyes swept the room methodically, glowing with an unnatural blue light that seemed to possess its own internal energy source.

  Someone screamed–a high, thin sound of pure terror. The quartet's first violinist dropped her priceless instrument, which hit the marble floor with a discordant crack that seemed to snap everyone out of their stunned paralysis.

  The creature roared, the sound so powerful it rattled the crystal chandelier and made wine glasses vibrate on their stems. It swung one massive arm, easily three feet across, sending a solid oak buffet table flying as if it weighed nothing. Shrimp cocktails and champagne glasses exploded across the floor in a shower of seafood and crystal shards. The ice sculpture shattered, sending frozen shrapnel in all directions.

  "Everyone out!" Jessica shouted, her voice carrying over the chaos as she grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from a nearby table. Her grip was sure, her stance ready–she'd been in situations like this before, though never with quite such a formidable opponent. "Frankie, help me!"

  Frankie, showing more courage than sense, snatched up a silver serving tray, banging it like a gong. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" His voice cracked on the last word, but he stood his ground.

  The beast's massive head swiveled toward them with terrible precision. Behind it, party guests scrambled for the exits, some slipping on spilled drinks and broken glass. Women kicked off their heels to run faster, men abandoned their expensive jackets. Tiffany and her friends had vanished, leaving only their wet footprints and the lingering scent of chlorine behind. Dong rushed with the crowd while staring back at the creature in shock.

  Salina raised her hands, her voice steady despite the fear clear in her eyes. "Protego spiritus!" A shimmer of energy spread from her fingertips like heat waves over hot pavement, creating a barrier between the fleeing crowds and the monster. The air crackled with the smell of ozone.

  The Abominable Snowman charged at Jessica and Frankie with shocking speed for something so large. They dove in opposite directions as it crashed into one of the room's support columns, leaving deep claw marks in the centuries-old wood. The whole building seemed to shudder.

  Dong returned from the exit after the lounge cleared. "The fire alarm!" He shouted, pointing to the red box near the bar. Jessica nodded and sprinted toward it, but the creature was faster than anything its size had a right to be. It cut her off with two massive strides, its hot breath fogging in her face. The stench of wet fur and something ancient–like glacial ice and prehistoric caves–filled her nose.

  Frankie hurled a heavy wooden chair at its back. "Leave her alone!" The chair splintered against the creature's massive shoulders, causing no damage at all.

  The monster whirled with devastating speed, giving Jessica the opening she needed. She lunged for the alarm and pulled it hard. Sirens wailed throughout the building, their harsh electronic screech echoing off the walls, and overhead sprinklers burst to life, adding to the chaos. The creature hesitated, shaking water from its fur like a dog after a swim, sending droplets flying in all directions.

  For a moment, it stared directly at Jessica, and time seemed to stop. In those glowing eyes, she saw something impossible–recognition. Intelligence. Purpose. Then it turned and bounded back through the broken window in three massive strides, leaving behind destruction and questions in equal measure.

  Water continued to rain down from the sprinklers, soaking the destroyed lounge. Security guards finally arrived, their uniforms pristine, their faces shocked as they gaped at the devastation. The Christmas tree had toppled, its expensive ornaments crushed beneath massive footprints that had been pressed deep into the carpet. The air smelled of pine needles, broken spirits, and fear.

  Dong surveyed the damage with a grim expression that suggested he'd seen something like this before. "All of you," he pointed to Jessica's group, who had regathered near what remained of the punch bowl. "My office. Now."

  "Are we in trouble?" Dee Dee whispered, wringing water from her hair.

  "No," Dong's face softened slightly, ancient wisdom flickering in his dark eyes. "You owe me an explanation. And if you tell me the truth, I will tell you the truth in return. Truth that has been hidden in these mountains for generations."

  They followed him down the hall, leaving behind the sounds of chaos and sirens. Jessica's clothes dripped steadily on the carpet, but her mind was racing faster than her heart. What truth? And why had the creature looked at her that way, as if it knew her? As if it had been searching for her specifically? Did it somehow sense what she was–that she wasn't entirely human herself? That when the full moon rose, she too transformed into something beyond normal understanding?

  The answers, she suspected, waited behind Dong's office door. She only hoped they were answers she was ready to hear.