Uncharted Territory

“This must be it,” I say as I pull into a small clearing with four cabins. The largest of these is where Mrs. Brown lives. She rents out the other three to people like us.

I look sideways at my best friend, Laura. She hasn’t had the easiest time. Last year, her sister Christina passed away. They were very close.

And one month ago, her boyfriend of six years broke up with her for an older woman he met at work. I’d never seen her so broken. She was convinced he was the one.

Myself, I’d been an amateur photographer, but I was tired of working at a pet store and doing photography on the side. We were both ready for a change in our lives, so we decided to fulfill my desire to photograph wildlife in Alaska.

Laura has a small smile on her face. “You look relaxed,” I say. She nods and hums.

“Let’s go,” she suggests, so we get our suitcases and head toward the cottage, where Mrs. Brown is waiting for us with the keys.

It’s November, and the temperature is just below freezing. Some light snow begins to fall, and I suddenly feel very happy.

Winter has always been my favorite month. The cold days combined with sun are the best, in my opinion.

After Mrs. Brown lets us in and returns to her cabin, we light the fire, which immediately makes the place nice and cozy.

We open a bottle of wine and toast to our new life, then we spend the evening unpacking and joking around.

After our show, we decide to get ready for bed. We want to get up early since we have a long hike planned.

A loud bang startles us.

As we look at each other with wide eyes, something begins to growl outside.

We sneak up to the window and see a big brown bear going through the bins. Mrs. Brown had advised us not to go out at night, and now we understand why. Alaska is a dangerous place at night.

The next day, we’re on the trail very early.

We both have heavy backpacks with all the necessities for a long hike, including a miniature tent, just in case, and Mrs. Brown sent us with a spray that’s supposed to repel wild animals.

We spot many beautiful birds, a number of reindeer, and even a lynx. The SD card of my camera is full in no time, but luckily, I brought several with me.

We end up in a beautiful forest, where we spot a moose. It’s cold, and the frozen branches and moss make an enchanting picture together with the animals.

Suddenly, I notice that it’s getting darker and darker. It’s much later than I realized, and we’re probably already in trouble because of the dark.

Laura pulls out her phone to find the quickest way back to the cabin, but she has no service. Nervously, I check my phone. Nothing.

Shit. We should have downloaded an off-line map.

We decide to take a path that we think is the right one, but I notice that both of us are getting a little tense.

“And I thought we prepared well,” I mutter as we drag ourselves through the woods.

“I didn’t think we’d really need that tent, but now I’m thinking otherwise. And I bet it’s going to be freezing tonight,” Laura says.

“Stop,” I say, holding my finger to my lips to shush her. Laura moves her mouth in a “what?” motion and looks around.

And then we hear the growl.

Laura looks past me, and her eyes widen. She points her finger behind me and whispers, “Wolf.”

I turn and see a huge gray wolf standing a few hundred yards away.

Shit, this is not good.

We both stand dead still, hoping the wolf turns around and goes away. But then we hear another growl to our right, and we see another wolf standing there.

It’s as if they’re surrounding us.

When I take a closer look, I see that these do not look like normal gray wolves.

They are bigger. Much bigger.

They almost look rabid. Their eyes appear red, and drool drips from their mouths. Both snap their jaws and start trotting toward us.

Laura grabs my hand, and we run off. I pull the animal spray from my jacket pocket and hold it ready. When I look behind me, I see that they’re quickly closing in.

“FASTER! FASTER!” I shout to Laura as we sprint through the woods.

Suddenly there are more wolves in front of us, and we stop so abruptly that we both tumble over each other onto the ground.

Two of the new wolves jump over us and start fighting with the two wolves that were chasing us. The rabid wolves are no match for the new ones, and soon, they lie dead in a bloody heap on the ground.

“Run, Laura! Run!” I say as we scramble to our feet.

Behind me, a wolf tries to grab my ankle. I spray some animal repellent in his face and keep running. I hear whining behind me, but I try to focus on following Laura.

Then I feel something prick my neck. I reach up and pull a small dart from my skin.

“Shit,” I say, and I glance at Laura. She looks at me with big eyes and her hand on her neck.

The sedative works quickly, and I sink to my knees. I try to crawl toward Laura, but my body no longer cooperates. A big hand grabs my neck, and I look into the eyes of…a naked man? What?

“Who are you?” he snarls. Then he sniffs me and says, “You’re human.”

He looks back over his shoulder. That’s the last thing I see before the darkness takes over.