The Snow and The Darkness

by Matthew Warren Wilson

tinge to it? Was it just a little more intense? Jason thought it was. And really, how could it not be? If there was anything left in Valerie at all, if she was anything more than a potato shaped like a person, it was impossible the scene that had just played out before her eyes had no effect. And Jason had to believe there was still something there. If he was the only one left, then he would just give up. He didn’t care about his own life, not anymore. But if he could still do something to save Valerie, if there was anything at all that might help her, he would do it. She was the only hope he had left. She was his motivation to keep hoping.

  At the far end of the barn, the waddling, knotty, white creature reemerged. And beside it, a second one. They moved through the barn together, side by side. Jason could see now that one was smaller than the other. The one he thought was Colonel Cuddles was the taller of the two, but only by a few inches. The other one’s flesh was a slightly darker shade, too. It was only noticeable when they were seen together, but Jason could see it now. Colonel Cuddles was snow white; the other creature was the color of milk. Both, of course, had the same circular maw of teeth, jutting out like a snout; both had the same bony, knobby arms, set at the compass points, so they could reach in all directions at once; both had the same black orbs perched atop their heads, soulless eyes that didn’t reflect the light but seemed to absorb it. As they approached, they looked to Jason like the stuff of nightmares come to life.

  And yet, Jason was conflicted. From all he’d seen of these creatures, they were more helpless than they seemed. Less the stuff of nightmares and more the product of some abused child’s daydream.

  They approached the bodies on the ground tentatively at first, sniffing at them like dogs. The smaller creature moved toward the arm it had been gnawing on when Lucy first arrived. It picked it up, charred on one end, bloody on the other, and its teeth began to spin.

  Jason screamed. “No! Stop it!”

  The creature paused, its teeth slowing down, making a soft whirring noise. It looked at Jason.

  “No!” Jason shouted again. “Not that! Put it down!”

  The monster seemed to understand what he was saying. It lowered Frank’s arm but did not drop it. It looked toward Colonel Cuddles as if for confirmation. “Food?” it said.

  Cuddles stood motionless for a moment. Jason had no idea if it was looking at him or the other beast. Finally it shook its head, almost imperceptibly, and the other creature dropped Frank’s arm to the barn floor.

  Cuddles moved next to Lucy’s exposed body, stopped, and looked at Jason. “Food?” he asked.

  This time Jason was sure the creature was looking at him. “No,” he said, “she’s not food either.”

  “Kiff,” the creature mewled.

  “Fuck Cliff!” Jason roared. “That’s my brother and his girlfriend, you sick bastards. They are not food.”

  Colonel Cuddles took a step away from Lucy’s body. He pointed at what was left of Rodney’s. “Food?”

  Jason stood silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “Yes, eat that if you have to.”

  Cuddles gave the other creature another sign of some sort and the two of them began to push pieces of Rodney into their churning mouths. Jason stared in horrified amazement.

  As he watched them eat, he wondered what was going on inside their ugly, twisted heads. Were they really just trying to survive? They had clearly listened when he’d spoken to them. Even if they weren’t capable of speaking more than a syllable or two, they were intelligent enough to understand full sentences in English. And they were obedient, even though they didn’t know Jason. Was it something else convincing them to do as he asked? Was it sympathy? Empathy?

  Over the next fifteen or twenty minutes, the monsters devoured most of Rodney’s torso and both of his legs. They left nothing to waste, including bones. They showed no exertion or discomfort as everything was reduced to dust inside their mouths. Again Jason thought of circular saws.

  When they’d finished eating, both creatures began to gather up the remaining pieces of Rodney. They loaded their four arms full of bloody flesh and carried it slowly to the stall at the back of the barn. A few seconds later, they both returned. Cuddles reached down for Lucy’s body with three hands; his fourth waved comically behind him as if it wanted to help but couldn’t reach.

  Jason found no humor in the sight. “Leave it alone!” he shouted.

  Cuddles looked at him, paused, then continued what he was doing. He clutched Lucy under the arms with two of his hands, using the third to steady her head, and began dragging her toward the back of the barn. “Kiff,” he said as he worked, his tone more reserved than before.

  Jason understood. These animals might have compassion, enough compassion not to eat Jason’s friends if he told them not to, but they were afraid of Cliff. Cliff had told them to clean up the mess, and that’s what they were doing. The other creature picked up Frank’s severed arms and followed Cuddles.

  Jason watched silently as they stored these things in the stall with the rest of Rodney. It was the most monstrous pantry he’d ever imagined.

  When they returned again and moved toward Frank’s limp body, hanging in its yoke, Jason called out. “Cuddles.”

  Both creatures stopped and turned toward him.

  “Cuddles, right? Is that really your name?”

  “Cuddas,” the beast replied. He was looking at Jason warily.

  “Listen to me, Cuddles. I need help. I think you understand me, and I think you might even feel sorry for me, and if you do, please, I need your help. Get me out of this.” Jason shook his arms and rattled his neck back and forth inside the yoke. “You can cut these binds,” he said. “I know you can.”

  Cuddles stood motionless for a few seconds. “Kiff,” he finally said, as if that was explanation enough. “Kiff.”

  “I know you’re scared of him,” Jason said, “but if you help me, I’ll help you. I won’t let him hurt you. He won’t have a chance.” He paused. “I’ll kill the motherfucker,” he added, grinding his teeth. He was surprised to realize that he meant it. If he was released from this bondage, he would kill Cliff or die trying.

  Cuddles turned to the other creature and began to make sounds—squeals, mewls, clicks—and the other creature responded in kind. They were obviously having a conversation, but Jason couldn’t tell if it was in his favor or not. Cuddles became animated, moving his arms and hands as he spoke. It was eerily humanistic, despite his four arms. The other creature listened for a moment, then squealed one long, high-pitched cry, and threw all its arms in the air, spinning in a circle in front of Cuddles. “Kiff,” it said.

  “Fuck Cliff,” Jason said quietly.

  Cuddles looked at him, then turned back to the other creature. “Fu-Kiff,” he said.

  Silence seemed to drag on forever. The only sound in the barn was Valerie’s humming. Jason could feel beads of sweat rolling down his body in every possible place. He wanted to scream again, wanted to yell at these stupid animals to hurry up and cut him loose, but he knew that wouldn’t help things. He knew they needed to work this out on their own.

  Finally, the second monster slowly nodded. Cuddles made a few more noises, then they both faced Jason.

  Jason almost cried out in relief. He knew they’d decided to free him, to rebel against Cliff. Now he just needed them to hurry. He had no idea when Cliff might return.

  “Please,” he said, “cut me loose. Hurry.” But his pleas did nothing to speed Cuddles up as he moved toward Jason. The other creature stayed where it was, watching, as Cuddles waddled out of Jason’s sight.

  And then, sooner than he’d expected, his right hand was free. It seemed like it had been effortless. One second his wrist was tightly tied, the next it wasn’t. Jason squirmed in the yoke. Now that one hand was free he was better able to move, and he twisted his torso enough that he could look down at his left hand. He could see one of Cuddles’ arms reach up, see the extended claw, impossibly sharp, glinting in the harsh light of the barn, see that claw slice
through the heavy twine binding his wrist as if it were nothing more than whipped cream. And now both hands were free.

  Jason reached up and felt the buckles of the yoke that held him. They were simple, unsophisticated. He unlatched them easily and squatted, pulling his head through the hole, and he was finally, finally, free. Full mobility.

  He stepped down from the pedestal and froze for a few seconds as the situation clarified itself in his head. His next step was to dispatch Cliff. But how, exactly, he didn’t know. The axe still lay on the blood-soaked ground, and he assumed it was the best option he had, although he had his doubts about wielding it against Cliff. The man was obviously much stronger than Jason, and much more accustomed to violence.

  What Jason needed was the element of surprise.

  He didn’t think Cliff would suspect his own beastly creatures had set their dinner free, so Jason had that on his side. But the instant Cliff set foot in the barn he would see the empty pedestal and all surprise would be gone. The only thing to do, it seemed, was to go on the offensive and attack Cliff before he returned. Jason assumed there was a house somewhere nearby. Cliff and Rodney had lived here, so Cliff was probably in that house right now, tending to the wound Lucy had inflicted with the axe, maybe seething with anger, maybe weeping with sorrow over his dead brother. Jason would have to find him and kill him.

  As much as