The walk to the forest took half an hour. The sun had set long before they reached the tree line and the snow reflected the glare of their flashlights like a ghostly beacon. Dev tried to ignore the shadows it cast on the trees, but it proved difficult. Her brain seemed set on scaring the life out of her before it could be taken by some old bum hiding out in the abandoned house they were about to explore.

She focused on the path of footprints ahead of her. They formed an errant line in the snow, twisting between trees and curving over hills. Dev squinted in an attempt to make out the formless shapes hovering over the horizon, but didn't let herself imagine what they were.

"You scared?" She spun around to see Ryan smiling at her, glasses pressing grooves into the tops of his cheeks.

"Not really."

"Pfft, she's lying." Interjected Casey as he passed them by. "She's probably scared out of her mind right now."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe you are. I just don't want to get caught."

"None of us do." Ryan said. "Especially not Lukas."

She saw him pause for a moment, steps halting in the snow. Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued on. Dev gave her brother a confused look.

"His dad's a cop." He whispered, leaning closer to her. "He'd kill him if he found out."

"So why's he taking the risk?"

"Because I can't just sit in my house in this small town and do nothing." He said, voice reverberating off the trees. "I'd rather see the world through my own eyes instead of through a window."

"Do you guys do this kind of stuff on the daily?" 

Lukas shrugged, eyes meeting hers for an instant from over his shoulder as he walked. "A few times a week, maybe."

She raised her eyebrows, glancing around at her surroundings. "Do you guys know where we're going?"

"Yes," said Ryan, sounding far too sure of himself.

"Fine. How much further?"

"Uhhh, Lukas, how much further?" Ryan looked up to the hazel-eyed boy.

"Half a mile."

"Half a mile." He repeated to her. "See, we know."

Dev shook her head and stared at the snow. Large paw prints dotted the ground. "Do you think there are bears out here? Maybe we should have driven . . . "

"Try not to worry about it. We'll be fine," Lukas replied, voice nonchalant, though she thought she could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

"Try not to—ugh!" She flopped her arms by her side hopelessly. "'Never mind. I give up."

"Good choice."

The rest of the journey was quiet, save for the occasional dirty joke or curse if someone slipped on ice. It took them another fifteen minutes to reach the house, but when they did, she was already prepared to turn back and go home.

The house was a tall, two-story structure that loomed higher than the trees. The wood was rotting and the roof looked as though it would cave in at any second. An ominous fog floated inches above the ground, and the moon shone brightly on the snow. It was like something out of a horror movie.

Dev could see the boys growing uneasy. Casey and Ryan shuffled uncomfortably. The only person unaffected by the eerie atmosphere seemed to be Lukas.

"Come on, guys," said Lukas, looking between all of them. Everyone else seemed uneasy, even Casey, who was shifting on his feet in the snow. "Now's not the time to decide to be wusses."

"Speak for yourself," Ryan snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to warm himself.

She and Casey exchanged reluctant looks but continued ahead. The porch groaned beneath their feet. I really hope this house doesn't collapse in on us, she thought as she peeked her head inside. Birds fluttered in the rafters and the wind howled through cracks and openings in the walls. Dev tried not to think of what might lie below the house.

"Woah." She heard her brother breathe. "This is—this is—"

"—creepy," interjected Lukas. "This is creepy."

"You can say that again," Ryan replied. His voice sounded distant. "Look at this." The beam of his flashlight fell upon a rusted door handle. He twisted it, and it squeaked open with ease, greeting the group with the odor of stale air. "Who's going in first?"

There was a series of "not it"s. Everyone turned to Ryan. "You're up, man." Lukas gave him a hard pat on the shoulder and shoved him forward.

The color drained from his already pale face, but nonetheless, he took a step forward, aiming his flashlight like a weapon in front of him. He took slow, cautious steps down what appeared to be a hall. When he reached the end, he stopped completely in his tracks. "There's another door." Then after a few moments, "Not it," he added.

"I'll open it." Casey made his way to where Ryan was standing.

Dev's heart was pounding frantically in her chest, hands suddenly clammy despite the cold. Her mouth was dryer than sand. "Casey."

He turned to her. 

"Be careful."

Eyes locked on hers, he nodded, clearly taking notice of the worry in her eyes, and slowly put his hand on the knob, twisting. It didn't open. He tried pushing all of his weight against it, but it didn't budge. His confused expression morphed into one of fear. Though he tried to mask it, she could tell he was scared. He jogged back to them, every few seconds glancing over his shoulder. Ryan followed close behind him.

"I think we should leave," Lukas whispered. His carefree tone had changed to something more foreboding.

"Ooh, are you scared?" Teased Gordy.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here." For the first time that night, Lukas looked scared. His eyebrows were knitted together, and his eyes kept flitting to the side as if he expected something to jump out at him. It seemed as though he couldn't stand still. He started toward the door, and she gladly followed him, Casey and Ryan riding her heels. They had made it halfway down the porch stairs when a loud thud sounded from the front room.

With one knowing glance at each other, they took off through the forest, feet pounding hard on the frozen ground. It took all of her strength to pull her feet from the snow and push against the wind. Her legs were fatiguing quickly, aching from the effort. The trees flew past her in a blur, all black and gray and green. With every breath she took it felt as though Dev's lungs would burst, burning from the effort. Finally, she stopped.

They were in an unfamiliar clearing.

"Where are we?" Casey asked. There was the sound of shuffling feet, but no response.

She examined her surroundings, looking for any marker that might tell them how to get home. Everything looked the same, the only footprints the ones that led back to the abandoned house.

And then she saw it. A tree, bare from winter, its branches sinking to the ground under the weight of some unknown object. She drew closer to the dark mass. It was silhouetted by the moon.

"What is it?" Gordy's voice was shaky, unsure.

Dev swallowed the bile rising in her throat, suppressing the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. The human instinct to run made her stomach ache, but she pushed it down.

"Well?"

"It's a—um—a—" She suppressed a gag and turned away. Her head began to spin. "It's a dead body."