Return to Dyatlov Pass Page 8

  Nat followed her guide to the others, mind racing. Already the fire had been replenished enough to revive her, thawing her cheeks with its warmth. She was filled with gratitude as she removed her skis, laying the poles beside them. If she never skied again in her lifetime, that would be fine with her.

  Lowering herself to the makeshift log bench where Andrew and Lana huddled together, she took her friend’s hand and squeezed it. “How are you feeling?”

  “Exhausted, but Lana doesn’t want me to sleep yet. Just in case.”

  Nat studied him with what she hoped was a critical eye, wishing she’d found the time to take more than a basic first aid class. His color was good, his breathing steady, but his eyelids were at half-mast. He clearly needed to rest.

  “Are you nauseous?” She ran over the symptoms of altitude sickness in her mind. “Do you feel disoriented in any way?”

  “No, only tired. Really, really tired.”

  “Lana, is it okay if Andrew lies down for a bit? He needs to rest.”

  The Olympian’s eyes were glazed and dull. “Not yet. Someone needs to monitor his breathing.”

  Feeling helpless, Nat rubbed her friend’s hands to get the blood flowing. What a mess. What a colossal mess. Andrew was ill, Lana was in questionable shape, and the guide Nat had hired to protect them was ranting about snowmen. The trappers were missing, presumably along with most of the group’s food supplies. The situation couldn’t possibly be any worse.

  “And then we need to build a sled,” Lana said, startling her.

  “A sled? Why?”

  “We need a way to get him out of here as soon as possible. We can’t stay in this camp tonight. It’s too dangerous.”

  She wondered if Vasily had told Lana about the snowmen. “It’s going to be dark soon. We have no choice; we have to stay the night. But maybe we can leave first thing tomorrow, if Andrew feels strong enough.”

  If he were suffering from altitude sickness, decreasing their altitude should help. A sled was a good idea, though. Nat couldn’t imagine him getting back to the village under his own power. Not that soon.

  Steven dropped another load of branches on the pile. “What about the podcast?”

  “At this point, the cast is the least of my worries. I think we should chalk this up as a failed experiment and get everyone home safe. But we can’t leave without Joe and Anubha. We have to find them first.”

  The mountaineer nodded, but he didn’t look happy. From the beginning, his enthusiasm for the investigation had outweighed Nat’s own, and yet the man wasn’t the type to go nuts over conspiracy theories. He was much too pragmatic. So what was in it for him? Perhaps she’d get the opportunity to ask him that night.

  “Lana, you said you saw blood? Whereabouts?” Steven asked.

  She lifted a quivering hand long enough to point at the woods on the opposite side of the pass.

  “I’m going to check it out. Hopefully I’ll be back before too long.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Nat pushed herself to her feet before she had the chance to change her mind.

  “Are you sure? Whatever we find might not be pretty.”

  “I’m sure. Besides, we shouldn’t separate. No one should wander off unaccompanied, especially with two people missing.”

  “I could get Igor to go with me. Or Vasily.”

  “No, we need them to gather more wood and take care of the others. I’ll be fine. I don’t scare easily. Let’s go.”

  When they told the others their plan, Nat braced herself for more resistance. But Andrew and Lana were too depleted to argue, and the Russian only told them to be careful. The Mansi said nothing.

  Once they’d left the relative safety of the campsite for the forest, Nat regretted her insistence. Though the woods sheltered her from the bitter wind, which should have been comforting, she felt anything but comforted. Her scalp prickled, and she quickened her step, closing the distance between her and Steven.

  “Do you feel that?” She was close enough to whisper in his ear.

  “What?” The mountaineer spoke in a similar hushed tone, giving her the courage to express what she felt, no matter how paranoid it sounded.

  “It feels like someone is watching us.” Nat was tempted to whirl around, but at the same time, she had a suspicion it was better not to know.

  “Probably your Canadian friends. Who else would be lurking in here? How well did you know those two, anyway?”

  She bristled at the veiled accusation. “About as well as I knew any of you. But their character references and reputations were impeccable.”

  “Which could be easily faked.”

  Right. The guy was an asshole. How could she have forgotten so soon? “I do have some experience, you know. I can sift through the bullshit.”

  “I’m sure you can. But, whatever their reasons were, it was wrong of them to take off and leave the rest of us without a word about where they were going. And since Joe has most of our food, it’s downright irresponsible.”

  “Maybe the food is in their tent. Did anyone search it?” She was willing to give the trappers the benefit of the doubt. They’d been hired for their hunting ability. After Vasily gave them grief about trying to do their job, it made sense they would have slipped away when he wasn’t paying attention. There probably hadn’t been an opportunity to let the others know. At least, that was what Nat hoped. There had to be a rational explanation.

  “Not as far as I know, unless Lana did. We were too concerned with finding them. And after Joe nearly took my head off the other night, I certainly wasn’t going anywhere near their tent.”

  “Understandable.”

  Steven whistled under his breath. “Hey, check that out.”

  Nat leaned forward, steadying herself on his arm to get a closer look. Snowshoe tracks. They were on the right path.

  “And see the ski trail cutting across? That must be Lana’s. I can’t see her wandering off too far on her own. We should be close.”

  That’s what she was afraid of. The skin on the back of her neck tightened, intense enough to make her shudder. “What do you think about what Lana said? About the blood? Do you think—”

  “No. I’m thinking they killed something. It’s what they do, correct?”

  Praying he was right, Nat followed Steven farther into the forest, focusing on the snowshoe tracks. They were fresh, proving that Joe and Anubha had been fine not long ago.

  The trees thinned, and the forest ended abruptly. Directly ahead, Nat could see the remains of a small fire under a towering cedar. Two familiar figures huddled around it, their backs to Nat and Steven.

  Relief giving her renewed energy, Nat hurried forward, her mouth open to call out when Steven threw out his arm, holding her in place. He held a finger to his lips. “Don’t move. Something’s not right.”

  Then Nat saw the blood. It dotted the ground in ominous polka dots around the fire, circling to the cedar tree. Under the tree was a large, dark puddle, a stain on the snow that stretched nearly as long as the cedar’s shadow.

  “We have to go to them, Steven.”

  “I’ll go. You stay here.”

  “What? I’m not staying here.”

  Steven rested his hands on her shoulders, staring at her with those unnerving eyes of his. “They’re dead, Nat. Do you really want to see them like that? The only reason to go over there is to check for supplies we can use. They’re gone.”

  “They’re not dead.” Nat tried to laugh, to show how ludicrous the very idea was, but it emerged as a strangled choke. “That’s crazy. They’re sitting right there.”

  “Can’t you smell it?”

  She hadn’t, until Steven pointed it out. Death. The sweet, iron tang of blood. “It could be an animal, like you said.”

  “I don’t think so. Wait here. If I’m wrong, you’ll know in less than a minute.”

  Heart in her throat, Nat hugged herself as Steven crept into the clearing, studying his surroundings like a rabbit watching for a hawk. Wh
en he reached the fire, he knelt in front of the trappers. She didn’t need to see the grimace on his face to know the truth. Anubha and Joe didn’t move. They didn’t say anything, or turn to wave at her. Either they were asleep, or…

  Steven gently removed a strap from Anubha’s shoulder. Nat recognized it immediately. It was Joe’s backpack, the one they’d carried the food and cooking supplies in. Its existence, its very presence in that terrible place, confirmed their identities more than their clothing had. She wanted to wail as she remembered Anubha’s smile, Joe’s quiet confidence. How could they be gone? This had to be a nightmare, a horrible nightmare she’d soon awake from.

  In spite of Steven’s caution, the movement was enough to disturb Anubha’s body. The woman fell backward, exposing a swollen face that was purple with bruises. Where her nose and eyes should have been were torn, bloody holes.

  Nat screamed.

  ~ Chapter Ten ~

  Nat trembled so violently she could barely push away the plate of spaghetti Steven offered her. Feeling her gorge rise, she covered her nose.

  “No thanks. I don’t want any.”

  “You have to eat something. I’m afraid you’re going into shock. How about a little coffee spiked with Igor’s finest?”

  “I thought you didn’t approve of drinking.”

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures, and these are definitely desperate times.”

  Nat wondered how he could be so chipper. Every time she pictured Anubha’s mutilated face, she nearly lost it again. Who could have done that to her and Joe? They were such good people.

  She’d wanted their bodies brought back to camp, but Steven had convinced her otherwise, fearing the smell might attract wild animals. Still, it bothered her to think of them out there alone, huddled around their dead fire. She’d make sure they got a decent burial if it was the last thing she did.

  Vasily sat across from her, quietly eating his spaghetti and meatballs—the first time he’d shared a meal with the rest of the group. Maybe this tragedy would finally bring them together as a team, or perhaps the guide had just exhausted his supply of dried meat.

  Nat never wanted to eat something from Joe’s backpack again, no matter how hungry she was. It felt like stealing.

  “I think you’d better tell us about these snowmen.” Nat addressed the Mansi, careful to speak quietly, but she wasn’t quiet enough.

  “What are you talking about?” Steven asked. “What snowmen?”

  “The ones who rule this mountain. Vasily told me about them when we first arrived at camp, and if they’re the ones who murdered Joe and Anubha, they have a lot to answer for.”

  Lana whimpered. Thankfully, she hadn’t ventured any closer to the trappers’ bodies once she’d noticed the blood. She’d been spared seeing the ruin that was Anubha’s face.

  “Are they another tribe, Vasily?”

  For a moment, Nat thought the Mansi was going to ignore Steven’s question. Then he shook his head. “No, no other tribe. Not human.”

  “What do you mean, not human?” Cold fingers crept up Nat’s spine. “No animal is capable of that. Whoever murdered them staged their bodies. They wanted us to find them that way.”

  “Sitting around a fire under that cedar tree. Just like Doroshenko and Krivonischenko,” Steven said.

  “Who are Doroshenko and Krivonischenko?” Lana asked.

  “Two of the Dyatlov victims. The first two bodies the searchers found were sitting around a fire under that same tree, if I’m not mistaken. And they were both badly beaten.”

  “It has to be a coincidence. Doesn’t it?” The Olympian’s voice took on a pleading tone, and Nat hoped Steven would be gentle. However, hoping for Steven to be anything other than direct was futile.

  “I don’t think so. The placement of their bodies was too deliberate.”

  “What does that mean?” Her voice rose, and Nat could see Lana was on the verge of tears. “Are these snowmen going to pick us off one by one? And if they’re not human, what are they?”

  “They’re abominable snowmen. Right, Vasily? You’re talking about yetis,” Steven said.

  “That’s crazy. You’ve both gone mad. Yetis don’t exist. They’re a children’s story,” Lana said.

  Before Steven could open his mouth, Vasily slapped his hide-clad leg, as if to get their attention. “Yes, they do exist. I have seen them.”

  “Where, Vasily?” Igor asked. The Russian wasn’t laughing. Somehow, talk of yetis seemed a little less ridiculous in the Ural Mountains, a short trek away from their colleagues’ mutilated bodies. “You have seen them here?”

  The Mansi poked at the fire with a stick. “No, in my village. When the winter is very, very difficult, they come to feed. Generations ago, they terrorized us. Murdered our children and destroyed our livestock. But now, we are prepared. We leave sacrifices for them. We respect them and they respect us.”

  “Sacrifices? Not people?” Lana cried.

  Vasily frowned, looking at her as though she were insane. “No, not people. We are not monsters. We leave fresh meat for them. Usually yak.” He paused, drawing a shaky breath. “Many yak. It is very difficult for my village to sacrifice so much, but it is better than letting them take what they want. We have an uneasy peace.”

  “And when Anubha and Joe set traps here, they broke that peace?” Steven asked.

  “Yes. I tried very much to warn them, but they would not listen to me. I only hope their actions will not hurt my people.”

  Nat swallowed hard. She’d heard a lot of bizarre stories through her work on Nat’s Mysterious World, and had always tried to keep an open mind. But yetis? Perhaps there was another, more human explanation.

  “Couldn’t they be another tribe who dresses like snow creatures in order to scare people away? Like Vikings?”

  “They are bigger than any human man. Stronger, too. We have seen them crush cars, pull roofs off houses. Their voices will turn your blood to ice.”

  It sounded like a fairy story, albeit one written by the Brothers Grimm. “But if you knew they were here, Vasily, why did you agree to this trip? Why didn’t you warn us?”

  “It would be the same as the other groups. No one believes until it is too late. Besides, it has never been a problem before. No one else try to hunt here.”

  Steven cleared his throat. “I guess we know what happened to the Dyatlov group now.”

  “You don’t seriously believe this, do you?” Lana asked. “Yetis are a story told to scare children. They don’t actually exist.”

  “Perhaps you should go back to the forest and take a closer look at our friends. Tell me if you think an animal did that to them. Or a person, for that matter.”

  “Let us not be disrespectful to our Mansi friend. He grew up in these mountains. He has told us what he has seen. We would do well to listen to him,” Igor said.

  The Olympian colored. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Vasily. I meant no disrespect. It’s just so hard to believe.”

  Vasily tipped his head. “I understand. The snowmen are our reality, but they have not been yours until now. Suddenly, we have a shared problem.”

  Surprised Andrew had been silent for so long, Nat panicked when she saw her friend slumped over, his chin resting on his chest. Closer inspection showed his breathing was deep and even. He had fallen asleep.

  “Will they let us leave? What if we made them some food?” Steven asked.

  “They usually eat entire yaks. I don’t think a few packets of dehydrated beef stroganoff will appease them.”

  “It may not satisfy them, Lana. But it might act as a peace offering, a show of good faith, especially when they see we’re not hunters. What do you think, Vasily?”

  The Mansi shrugged. “It is worth a try. Perhaps they feel killing the others will be enough retribution.”

  Steven stood up and stretched. “That’s good enough for me. We have to do something, since we’re obviously not going anywhere tonight.”

  “We might no
t be going anywhere tomorrow, either,” Lana reminded him. “It depends on Andrew. He may need more rest.”

  The mountaineer paused from where he was rifling through Joe’s pack. “I assume you’ve heard the phrase, ‘survival of the fittest.’”

  His words hit Nat like a slap across the face. Wrapping an arm around Andrew, she pulled her sleeping friend close. “We are not leaving him here to die.”

  “Would you have all of us die instead? Is that a better solution?”

  “I will carry him down the mountain if I have to. We will leave here together,” Igor said.

  “Thank you.” She gave the Russian a grateful smile. “Happy to see one guy who isn’t a soulless prick.”

  “Hey, I’m not trying to be an asshole here. I’m the one trying to buy us more time. But this has turned into a matter of survival. And since it’s a life-and-death situation, what you’re suggesting doesn’t make sense.” Steven returned to the fire, tossing several packets of beef tips in gravy onto the snow.

  Lana wrinkled her nose. “I’d quit while you’re ahead, Steven. Nat is right. You are sounding like a prick, and that’s a kind way of putting it.”

  “Look, I like Andrew. We all do. But if he can’t leave, and we stay here with him, he’ll still die. And the rest of us will die with him.”

  “You do not know that. We don’t know enough about these creatures,” Igor said. “I will not abandon any one of you. I would rather die with honor than live with that shame.”

  “Then I’ll say the same to you that I said to her.” Steven tipped his chin at Lana. “You need to go have a good look at what’s left of Joe and Anubha.”

  The horrible vision of Anubha’s devastated face invaded Nat’s brain before she could prevent it. She pressed her hands over her ears. “Stop it. Just stop it.”

  “It’s only fair, Nat. If they’re going to volunteer to get us killed, they deserve to see what’s coming. They should have all the information, don’t you think?”

  Her lip curled. “Sometimes I really hate you. I wish you’d never come on this trip.”

  “Someone has to tell the truth, and that role’s fallen to me. I didn’t choose it,” he said, sounding hurt. Good to know he actually had feelings.