No One Survives the Butterflies

    Allie wasn't sure how she got there, but she knew she didn't want to stay. This small mountain cabin was a bone biting cold even with a fire going. The wind outside had been wailing since she arrived. The snow came up to her knees, making gathering wood for the meager fire difficult.

    Most of all, she didn't want to stay because these people she woke up next to were all crazy.

    The two men said they'd been there for years, but she wasn't sure she believed that. According to them, the snow never melted and the wind never let up. That didn't seem possible. Spring had to come eventually. Sure, they must have been there a long time, but not years. Allie refused to believe that.

    Then there was the ranting about giant insects. Butterflies were brought up a lot. The two told horror stories about the butterflies. They were out of their minds. It was the only sane conclusion.

    After three days, how she got there was becoming less and less important. Now it was time to escape. There was almost no food. The weather was not improving. Staying was looking more and more like a death sentence.

    While the two men slept, Allie gathered up all the blankets and furs she could in the cabin and bundled them up together. She would find a way out of here, she mentally vowed.

    Stepping outside, Allie was greeted by a burst of color from the northern lights. She had to be close to the arctic circle. Both men spoke English, so it seemed most likely she was in Alaska or somewhere in northern Canada. If she just walked far enough south, she would find people.

    One arm wrapped tight around the cluster of blankets. She would need them to stay warm as she descended the mountain. They would keep her alive.

    The wind blew up small flurries of snow. There was no visible path or roadway to the cabin nor any signs a car had come or gone recently. Whatever maniac brought them there made sure they couldn’t find their way out easily. That wasn’t about to stop Allie.

    Trekking through the snow wasn’t easy. She’d only done it twice since arriving, and both times were not this far. She had only gone far enough to collect some fallen branches to burn. Looking back, she couldn’t see the cabin anymore. It was obscured behind the tall, spindly trees coated in snow. Only a faint light let her know it was still there.

    A shiver raked through her. Leaving at night wasn’t a good idea, but they wouldn’t let her leave during the day. She tried. They kept going on and on about giant bugs.

    A strong blast of wind made her huddle over and wrap her arms around her body. It wasn’t too late. She could still go back. The cabin wasn’t warm, but it was warmer than this.

    Allie shook her head. No, she had to get out of here. This cold was only temporary. She would warm up if she just kept moving.

    She wasn’t sure how long she walked, but it felt like twenty minutes. Even the light from the cabin couldn’t be seen. The ground had a downhill slope to it and the wind was dying down. Allie smiled to herself. Sure, she was cold and miserable, but if the wind was dying down, she had to be getting lower in elevation. She had to be on the right track.

    Fwump.

    The wind stopped. The temperature dropped several more degrees. Allie’s breaths had been coming out as puffs of vapor. Now it felt frozen in her nose and she could barely breath. All the hair on her body stood up.

    Eyes. She could feel them on her. Something was out there, watching her. Hunting her.

    Fwump. Fwump.

    Turning slowly, Allie saw something land on a spindly branch. It was large, bigger than her head and completely white. It’s darker, gray body was long. Two giant black bug eyes sat on either side of its head. A long tongue curled under it’s chin.

    Fwump.

    On it’s back, a giant pair of wings flapped.

    It was a butterfly. A giant butterfly, just like the two men told her.

    It flapped it’s wings, lifting into the air. For a moment, it seemed to dance in the air. She couldn’t look away. Couldn’t move.

    It was so beautiful.

    In the cabin on the mountain, both men jolted awake. Half their stuff was gone. The new girl was gone. The door was unlocked. The wind was picking up again. The men exchanged a knowing glance. The butterflies’ hunt was over. They’d fed tonight. Another person had come and gone.

    Again.

    One got up and locked the door.

    The other shook his head. “No one survives the butterflies. No one.”