“It looks amazing,” Zoe’s voice sounded harsh to Tyler. The last few miles of the ride they had been in near silence. The beauty of the snow covering the barren trees and ground as if painted by some great artist, enough to captivate both of their attentions.
“It really is,” he replied pulling their packs from the hatch of the SUV, “but not as beautiful as you”. …show more content…
Tyler could not have asked for a more perfect scene. The snow looked like icing, hand crafted for the top of each piece of large gravel. The forest was picturesque. The grey trunks of trees jutting from a sea of white powder, leaves long lost to the cold winter wind. The occasional pine still showed a hint of green beneath its blanket of snow. The crunching sound of their footsteps the only noise in this peaceful dream.
The gravel road lasted for around a mile before it ended at a line of trees. A small brown sign protruding from the ground marked the small footpath they would have to take to their destination.
“This is where it gets tougher. The path is thin and will be slick because of the snow.” Her warning serious as she looked up at him. Then he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.
“Don’t be so serious. This isn’t my first time,” his voice trailed off as he kissed her gently, her cold lips meeting his.
The steam of their mingled breath obscured her pale face as she said, “Just be careful, what would your friends think if I had to carry you out of here?” Her giggle only had a moment to escape before Tyler leaned down and kissed her once more before setting her …show more content…
Ten feet in front of Zoe was a black mass, blotted against the pure white snow. The bear was walking toward her. Five feet away it reared up on its hind legs and let out a terrifying roar. The tree tops swayed as birds shot from them, filling the forest with the sounds of squawking and beating wings.
Tyler’s heart beat as if it were trying to escape his chest. His thoughts swirling between outright terror and trying to decide what to do. The bear was closing now, his paw raised ready to attack. A deep breath and his mind was made up. Reaching in his pocket he retrieved a small knife. Flipping the blade open he jumped for the bears back. Though the fall was short, he had enough time to see the bear’s claws tear into Zoe’s arm as she tried to protect herself. The sight of her bright red blood spurting into the air was the last thing he saw as he landed, plunging the small knife into the bear’s