Julie Erickson looked out her kitchen window and marveled at the beauty of the Cascade Mountains. After years of saving and careful investing, Julie had finally been able to afford a cabin in the tiny community of Greenwater, Washington state.
It was a long commute to her teaching job in the town of Enumclaw, but she never regretted it. Julie looked up at a sky filled with dark clouds. A bad storm had been forecast. Julie had lived in Washington state her entire life, but the fierce mountain weather could be frightening.
After correcting some papers, Julie settled in front of the fireplace with a good book. The warm fire lulled Julie into a deep sleep until a loud crash woke her several hours later. A terrible windstorm was tearing the branches from trees.
Julie tried to see outside, but the wind and snow made visibility impossible. The power was also out. From past experience, Julie knew that the best thing to do was just relax and wait it out. She had plenty of food and the fireplace kept the cabin warm.
Julie went back to her book. About an hour later, she became aware of a strange shuffling noise outside the cabin. Probably just an Elk she thought. Sometime later, there was a scratching on her door.
Julie got up and went to her landline phone. Cell phones were pretty much useless in the mountains. The phone was dead too. The scratching at the door grew louder. Her nearest neighbor was about a quarter of a mile away, but finding him in this storm would be difficult. A heavy thump on the door convinced Julie to put on her winter coat and boots.
The next blow shook the door. Julie started for the back door as something smashed in her front door. Outside, the snow was so heavy that Julie wasn't sure which direction to go. Behind her,something growled and Julie ran blindly through the storm.
The next morning, the only trace of Julie that could be found was one of her boots lying next to huge bloody footprints that led up into the hills.
It was a long commute to her teaching job in the town of Enumclaw, but she never regretted it. Julie looked up at a sky filled with dark clouds. A bad storm had been forecast. Julie had lived in Washington state her entire life, but the fierce mountain weather could be frightening.
After correcting some papers, Julie settled in front of the fireplace with a good book. The warm fire lulled Julie into a deep sleep until a loud crash woke her several hours later. A terrible windstorm was tearing the branches from trees.
Julie tried to see outside, but the wind and snow made visibility impossible. The power was also out. From past experience, Julie knew that the best thing to do was just relax and wait it out. She had plenty of food and the fireplace kept the cabin warm.
Julie went back to her book. About an hour later, she became aware of a strange shuffling noise outside the cabin. Probably just an Elk she thought. Sometime later, there was a scratching on her door.
Julie got up and went to her landline phone. Cell phones were pretty much useless in the mountains. The phone was dead too. The scratching at the door grew louder. Her nearest neighbor was about a quarter of a mile away, but finding him in this storm would be difficult. A heavy thump on the door convinced Julie to put on her winter coat and boots.
The next blow shook the door. Julie started for the back door as something smashed in her front door. Outside, the snow was so heavy that Julie wasn't sure which direction to go. Behind her,something growled and Julie ran blindly through the storm.
The next morning, the only trace of Julie that could be found was one of her boots lying next to huge bloody footprints that led up into the hills.
