**********Chapter 1**********

"God-damn it!"

David watched the screen of his GPS flicker and die, and seriously considered throwing the $30 piece of crap out the window. Hastily bought a few hours ago, he never took the time to look at the box, missing the bright yellow "As-Is" sticker on the side. He also had completely missed the large crack running up the side of the device, conveniently exposing it's innards to the elements, which at this moment consisted of a fine spray of rain entering the car through David's currently unrepaired passenger window. David reached out and shook the device in desperation, watching his chances at his dream job fade like the screen. 

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The invitation to the company's end-of-the-fiscal-year's retreat had come at the last possible moment, at 9 p.m. the night before. The newest employee at the sales agency, David was the lowest on the food chain, and therefore would only be invited on the off-chance one of the other employees were unable to make it. Although he didn't have a single ounce of sales experience in his body, David had dreams of being more than the glorified coffeeboy that he was currently at The Lexington Group. He knew this company retreat was his best chance of schmoozing with his superiors, and expressing his interest in job advancement. It was hard enough getting any recognition at work, his virtually invisible five foot stature and common face making him a fairly easy person to forget. Most of the employees at the Group had bachelor's degrees in marketing and communications, while David had been given a 6-month temporary job thanks to his local temp agency. 

His week of desperate, furious praying and wishing was ended by the sudden ringing of the telephone. Mrs. Leighfield, one of the senior salespeople, was calling to ask if he wanted her spot. She had come down with a serious case of the flu, and would be spending her weekend at home. Excitedly, David waited at attention as she looked up the address, and gave it to him. His expression faded to one of bewilderment when he heard the state name. "Wait, just how far away is this retreat?" he asked Mrs. Leighfield."Well everyone's taking the late flight up there, which only takes about two hours, but I guess it's about eight hours by car," she said. David's eyes went wide. "Eight hours? What time does that late flight leave then?" he asked."Around 9:30," she responded. David looked at his clock, which told 9:15, then down at his PJs, and knew his choice was already made. 

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2 A.M. 

Four hours and a quick packing frenzy later, David pulled off to the side of the road, and tried to revive the shoddy GPS. "Come on," he muttered as he mashed the power button. The device clicked pathetically a few times, and went silent. Furiously, David threw the thing on the floor, and sat back in the driver's seat, closing his eyes. He had gotten so far, his poor car, well within the last stages of it's life, not breaking down once, as it so frequently did. The GPS had chosen the right moment to die, barely an hour after he began driving over a long mountain range. His cheap pre-paid phone had no service, of course, so there was no chance of AAA coming to his rescue. David doubted he had enough money for their services anyway. At this time of night, the road was completely deserted, and David did not have a clue as to where he was going, having relied completely on the GPS.  A soft pinging made him open his eyes, and he squinted at his dashboard, wondering if his car was finally giving up the ghost. The fuel light blinked at him, its amber glow lighting his unbelieving expression up in the darkness. 

"Oh no," he whispered, quickly looking up and down the dark road for any headlights, hoping anyone would pass by, preferably someone with gas to spare. It was just his luck to be caught high up in the mountains, with no gas. He quickly put the car in gear and continued driving. He hadn't passed a gas station, or any form of civilization within the past hour or so, and was hoping there would be something farther up the road. 

Five minutes later, David stopped in frustration, swearing. The road had come to a T, and there were no directional signs of any kind. With no GPS, he had no idea where he currently was, much less any idea which way he should go. He scanned the dark countryside in both directions, hoping that he would spot a glimmer of light from a building. Noticing that left turn seemed to slope downwards slightly, David turned, hoping he would at least be able to make it out of the mountain range before his car gave out.

His car barely made it over twenty miles before betraying its owner, and slowly puttering to a stop on the side of the road. 

"Shit," David said, in true fear this time. He had never been a brave person, and he wondered how many wolves, mountain lions and bears were out in the wilderness around him. Even better, the road had turned into a poorly maintenanced one lane strip of asphalt two miles ago, only confirming David's bad choice to turn. Shutting his car off for the last time, he considered his options. Peering into the darkness, he knew it was suicide to keep going forward, and decided he would simply walk back to the intersection, and wait for some good Samaritan to pass by and help him out. 

The dark silence greeting him as he got out of the car was oppressive, and David quickly opened his trunk and found his flashlight, its inclusion in his trip probably the best decision he had ever made in his life. Finding it working, he locked his car, a futile effort this far away from civilization, and began his trip back up the road, using its light to keep him guided. The light rain continued, and he tightened the hood on his jacket, hoping it wouldn't get worse. His attempts at whistling and humming only made him more depressed, and he continued his trek in silence. He began to wish he had spent more time at the gym, as his legs soon began to feel tired after a few miles, the combination of driving and not eating in a while taking its toll. Gritting his teeth, David forced himself not to start swearing again as he felt the weather intensify, the raindrops hitting his jacket with faster frequency. 

As he tried to adjust his jacket to shield him more efficiently, the beam of David's flashlight glinted off of something ahead. His heart leapt, and he quickly sped up, straining his eyes to see what his flashlight had discovered. He uttered a short cry of excitement as he came upon a small white mailbox, hidden behind a large group of bushes. There was a tiny dirt road cutting through the thick trees beside it, barely wide enough for the width of a car, and although the road seemed unused, the mailbox appeared to be in fairly good condition. David saw no sign of a house or lights in the distance, but with fifteen miles left on his trip to the deserted intersection, he knew this was his best chance at getting some help. 

The small road twisted and turned frequently through the dark woods, and David's legs burned as its gradual incline took him higher and higher up the mountain. Twenty minutes into his walk, and right as he was deciding to turn around, he caught a glimmer of light through the trees. Disregarding the pain in his legs, his fast walk turned into a run, and before long the trees began to thin out. 

"What the..." David's words died in his mouth as he rounded the turn and beheld a huge cabin, completely out of place with the surrounding wilderness. It was only two stories tall, yet it seemed to tower higher than the trees around it. He approached cautiously, moving slowly and in the middle of the road, knowing the last thing he needed was some farmer to mistake him for a deer on his property. 

David stopped at the stone steps leading up to the front door, wondering why the construction workers who built the house decided to make the steps so large. Each one almost came up to his kneecaps. The quickening rain pushed the thought from his mind, and he bounded up the stairs. He began to feel worried as he knocked on the door, as he noticed how huge it was, nearly eight feet tall, and three feet wide. 

No sound came from inside, and David knocked again, hoping that someone was home. Still no movement from inside. He banged on the door as hard as he could, desperately hoping someone, anyone was home. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, so close, yet so far from salvation. 

Suddenly, a flickering light appeared in one of the upstairs windows, and David's breath caught in his chest. He heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, unnaturally loud in the silence. Ceasing his knocking, he stepped back, an apologetic look on his face as he prepared to meet the huge house's owner.

 The large door swung open, and in the dark interior, all David could see was a huge human-like form, looming almost as high as the door itself. But what caused his heart to pound in fear was the immense size of the dark shape. In terror, he began to backpedal, his mind convinced he had found a mountain troll or some other ungodly creature. Forgetting about the huge stairs, his foot slipped over the drop, and as he began to tumble backwards, he saw the large mass move forward. Wind rushed past his face as he felt the creature attempt to grab at him, and miss.

"Hey-" went the figure's voice, a loud, deep sound, but unmistakeably feminine. David didn't get much time to think, as he went head over heels down the stairs. Attempting to stop his fall, he put out his right arm, but only succeeded in twisting his arm painfully as his entire body weight fell on it. David cried out as he heard a distinct sharp popping sound, and felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as he hit the ground. 

**********End Chapter 1**********