The sound of splashing was muffled by the battle between the bear’s shaking roar, realizing that it lost its prey and the relentless river, rushing to carry away everything that touches its surface. The youngsters managed to stay together in the whirlpool. Detached branches attacked them from every side. Josh, despite his excellent physical shape, had never swum. He struggled with the current, kicking and waving his arms, but the water’s pressure kept drowning him. Carrie, who was the school’s swimming champion, came to the rescue. Tom had already grabbed a log that had been dragged down the river for miles when the red-headed girl reached Josh, who was calling for help. She swum behind him like an expert, caught him like a lifeguard, and pulled his twice-heavier body. She tried to keep his head above water, but this proved to be an impossible task. The fatigue in her legs didn’t allow her to continue the rescue operation. She let go of Josh to save herself. Seconds later, she rushed back to the young black man, who was still struggling to stay above water.

“Just relax and let the current guide you,” the girl cried as she stood beside him.

The drowning man, though in panic, managed to listen to her words. He took a deep breath and relaxed. The water kept pushing him, but it seemed to hold him closer to the surface. Carry’s hand pulled him up, and he managed to catch his breath again.

“Now wave your legs as if you were running fast, but relax your feet,” the girl gave the following instructions. Josh began to rise on his own. Carrie pushed him toward Tom’s trunk, which was about 30 feet behind them. Kicking with his feet didn’t help against the current, but it slowed Josh and Carrie’s momentum, and they made it to the red-haired boy’s life raft.

The current dragged them for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the river reached a relatively slower part, where the current’s strength decreased significantly. The three managed to swim to the riverside and landed on the ground, covered with grass. They were at their limit, and the night was just beginning. Wet, frozen, hungry, and exhausted, they had no chance of surviving in the forest without fire and dry clothes. Moreover, all their belongings were either left in the camp, where the bear was probably tearing them apart, or soaked in water. They had no map, no phone, nothing. The clouds did not allow Josh to see the constellation and decide where to go. They had no idea where they were. The river could have dragged them miles off their route.

“We need to find shelter and start a fire,” Josh said as he was still breathing heavily from fatigue. The siblings didn’t answer. Their breath was deep and tired. Josh realized that their bodies were fading fast, and if they didn’t do something soon, the worst was sure to happen.

“Come on, we have to start a fire,” he continued, this time sounding much more serious and focused. “If we just lie here, we’ll die from the cold. Come on!”

Tom and Carrie stood up with pain in their eyes. Their strength had long since left them. The pain in their legs, from the battle with the water, had multiplied from the cold and the constricted blood vessels.
“I’ll look for flint among the rocks by the water,” Carrie said in a voice hoarse with fatigue and cold.
“I’ll look for shelter in the area,” Tom said, with a voice just as weak.
“Okay, I’ll gather firewood. Don’t be more than 5 minutes away,” said Josh. He spared them that there was a high probability of predators lurking around. Still, he warned his friend not to enter any caves alone.

When Josh returned with some small branches and one more massive log Carrie was already sitting trying to make a spark with the wet flint she had found along the riverside. After rescuing Josh, her hands burned with pain, and the strikes she did between the stones were weak and elusive. The accumulated moss was also slightly damp, which complicated the task even more.

Josh sat down next to the girl and picked up the stones. Carrie snuggled into him, trying to find some warmth. Frozen and exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open. Josh hugged her, took off his wet jacket and blouse, and wrapped them around her. Remaining only with a T-shirt, he started vigorously to try and create a spark. After a minute of unsuccessful attempts, a sound came from the bushes. Josh and Carrie jumped to their feet and grabbed a tree. They no longer had the strength to flee and were ready to fight with any beast that appeared behind the bushes.

The creature approached, and a bush in front of them shook. Tom’s redhead came out of it, and Carrie’s legs twitched with calm. She fell to the ground and started weeping.

“Come on. I saw a cabin nearby. It seemed empty,” said Tom with a flicker of enthusiasm in his voice. They were saved.

The cabin was no more than 15 minutes of walking. It was gloomy looking made entirely of wood. The three kids looked through the window but didn’t saw anyone. They tried the door, and it opened. Maybe it’s a hunting lodge or a shelter for stranded tourists, Josh thought. It didn’t matter. They were too tired to think about the consequences. In the worst case, the owners would call the police and take them to town. Their survival was the primary concern at the time.

The youngsters scanned the drawers and found clothes from a bygone era. Apparently, they hadn’t been worn in a long time. The teenagers took off their wet clothes and stretched them to dry. The kids considered for a second starting a fire, but that meant checking the chimney for blockage and ventilation. They had no strength for that. The three huddled on a large bed, wrapped themselves in four blankets, and fell asleep the moment their heads touched the pillow.

“What the hell are you doing here” were the words that woke the youngsters.

In front of Tom’s face stood an elderly woman of about 65, with tousled salt-and-pepper hair and deep wrinkles on her face. She held a sharp knife millimeters away from Tom’s throat. “Who are you?” The woman asked with a hysterical voice. “You want to rob me, don’t you?”

“Ma’am, please wait,” Carrie replied with a trembling voice. “We are tourists, we were attacked by a bear, and had to jump into the river. It brought us not far from here, and we needed shelter,” she explained. “When we get home, we’ll pay you for everything we’ve used.”

“We’re really sorry,” Josh added. Tom stood absolutely still but nodded slightly to agree with his companions.

Granny pulled back the blade and smiled.

“Poor children! I’m sorry I startled you. I thought someone came in to steal. I’m Matilda, but you can call me Granny,” the woman said, turning to check their clothes. “You must have been frozen last night. Your clothes are still soaked. See in the wardrobe if you’ll find anything that fits you,” Matilda said with a warm, worried voice.

“Where are we?” Josh asked.
“In the vast forests of the Three Sisters,” the elderly lady replied with pathos.
“Where’s the nearest town?” Josh continued.
“Foley Springs is about 30 miles from here. I think it’s the nearest town. There’s a road about 3 miles from the house that will take you right there. But I think you need to rest before you go on. What’s more, you don’t have provisions for such a long journey.”

Matilda added that her husband would come at any moment with their two sons. They would take the teenagers back to town with their horses later in the afternoon and help them contact their parents.

“I’ll boil соме tea and make you breakfast. You need to warm up and regain your strength,” Granny said as she left the room.

Half an hour later, the youngsters were having breakfast. Granny had cluttered the table with all sorts of yummy snacks and, of course, tea. She asked the teenagers all kinds of questions and talked about her youth.

“The tea is great. What is it made of?” Carrie asked, more out of courtesy than curiosity.
“From local herbs, child. I collect them myself while the boys are hunting,” the grandmother explained with a wide smile.
At that moment, a large man with white hair, about 60 years old, entered with a crash. He was clean-shaven and cut extremely short, like a soldier, and looked like a mountain of muscles—a true colossus.
“Who the hell are these kids, and where did they come from?” the man asked with visible irritation.
“They are tourists, dear. They were attacked by a bear and had to hide somewhere from the cold. They got lost and sought a way home. I promised you would take them to the town later,” Matilda replied.
The old man snorted and spat into the sink without saying anything else.
“Ignore him. He’s like that,” the old lady said with an undying smile and turned back to her husband.
“Where are the boys?”
“They’re unloading the catch in the basement,” the man said with a distrustful tone as if worried about the guests not asking for a piece of the meat. Then he left.

Less than five minutes later, Carrie suddenly stood up. “I’m not feeling very well. I’m going to lie down for a while.” She got up and walked to the bedroom. As soon as she entered and closed the door, the girl fell loudly on the floor. Josh immediately ran to see what’s going on. Carrie had fainted.

“Tom, come help me get her to the bed,” he shouted, but there was no response. The boy looked into the living room, where they were eating breakfast, and saw Tom had bowed his head into his plate. Granny stood beside him with a warm smile and stroked his hair.

“I underestimated your weight, and obviously, the sleeping pills won’t work as fast as they did on your friends. Don’t worry, Josh, you’ll fall asleep soon enough,” the elderly lady said without a flinch in her voice.

Josh was shocked. He had no idea what was going on. Why was this lovely woman trying to put them to sleep? Subconsciously, he felt that something was wrong, and to help his friends later, he would have to leave them now. The young man ran through the door, beginning to feel the effect of the sleeping potion. Slowly, he began to feel dizzy and his eyelids heavy.

He saw a carriage that filled the surrounding area with a heavy foul smell in front of the door. He unveiled the canvas that wrapped the load and stepped back in horror. The whole cart was full of bodies of killed hikers. Matilda and her family were cannibals.

In his panic, Josh ran without a destination. His only mission is to get as far away from this place as possible. Seconds later, his instinct for self-preservation helped him clear his mind.

“I’m going to faint any moment now. The sleeping pill is strong, and I can’t fight it. I have to hide so they won’t find me, and when I wake up, I’ll go back to help Tom and Carrie,” Josh thought as he ran, stumbling and swaying every few steps. Finally, he threw himself into a bush and covered himself with dried leaves and twigs.

“Where did that damn special meat go,” was the last thing he heard before his brain switched off.

End of chapter two

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