Damned snow. He didn't mind snow, when he could have a spiked cider and a fireplace and watch it from inside. It was certainly pretty enough, when one had someone to clear the walks and chauffeur one around. And even driving in it, with an SUV, wasn't the most terrible thing.
But trudging through it, in the woods? The snow came halfway up his shin, got into his shoes, sent him slip-sliding along the side of the road if he wasn't careful. By the time he made it to the small drive of the house, he was winded, breathing heavily, nose and cheeks red from cold. His heart pounded hard in his chest; Koen was strong, but was not the sort of person one would call "in shape."
The dark, weatherbeaten exterior of the home did not present to him an image of hope, and the businessman's face creased in a frown. He'd thought he'd seen light in it, when driving by...but the house was run-down, ramshackle.
"Oh, no." In his voice was a quiet dismay. He couldn't even remember whether or not there'd been another house for miles...and the storm was getting worse.
He knocked on the door and his knuckles came away dirty; his call of "Hello??" went unanswered. Slowly, he turned the handle, pushed; the door protested, but opened, creaky and dragging its warped wood on the floor.
Quiet. Compared to the outside, it was so quiet. Marginally warmer, because he wasn't being buffeted by wind. Quiet and dark...and clearly empty. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor, on the fixtures he could see; a fireplace, but not much else.
Maybe he could get some wood, build a fire. Oh...but he didn't have a lighter, that was back in his car.
"Damn it...damn." He rarely swore, but this seemed the time for it, a quietly emotional outburst.
Okay. He had to look on the bright side. There were walls. He was largely shielded from the snow. He probably wouldn't freeze to death, in here.
Maybe he could just...spend the night. Wait until morning. Someone had to come out on this road, right? In the daytime, he could more thoroughly examine his surroundings.
Koen pulled out his phone, grateful he'd plugged it into the car charger. It had full battery and a flashlight app. Turning that on, he began slowly scanning the room, bright light illuminating the darkness. God...he hoped there wasn't something in here with him, like a rat or some sort of vermin.
There were markings in the dust on the walls. Stirrings as though something had passed through it, disturbing it. Koen's fingers clenched the phone a little tighter; for a moment, he paused. People didn't die in the horror movies when they didn't follow the tracks, right? Maybe he should just...ignore them. But that would be illogical, because if there was some sort of murderous beast in here, it would just kill him...
The light made a slow sweep of the room. At first, he didn't see her. He skipped over the weathered shape as just an idiosyncrasy of wood. But...no. There shouldn't be an outcropping there, no matter how bizarre the construction--