Up North

By James Tetrud

In 1959, a college student, Matt, is contacted by his cousin who was presumed killed during the Korean War. His cousin invites him to spend the winter break at his parents’ remote lodge in northern Minnesota. Matt persuades two friends to join him and together, they drive to the lodge in a blinding blizzard. On arrival they are shocked to find a horror scene at the lodge. Matt’s two friends and the owner of the lodge disappear after a confrontation with Matt’s cousin, but Matt escapes. Matt is subsequently arrested and accused of murdering the occupants of the lodge including his two friends, his aunt and uncle. No evidence is found to convict Matt; however, he remains a person of interest and is restricted by the court to reside in a small town nearby.

Years later, the lodge is acquired by a computer programmer and his friend, but on their initial visit to the property, they encounter several strange and frightening incidents that prompt them to investigate the history of the lodge. They find an article that details Matt’s account of the 1959 incident and set out to locate him in the small local town. After they locate Matt and compare notes, they discover that Matt’s cousin disappeared in northern Alaska. They then set out to locate the site of his cousin’s disappearance. After an arduous trip into the Brooks Range Mountains of northern Alaska, they are captured and find themselves in a large subterranean city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781728344416

James Tetrud

James Tetrud is a retired professor of neurology at Stanford University Medical Center. This novel was inspired by a bedtime story told to his three children. They suggested he write the story in book form.

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© 2020 James Tetrud. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/23/2020

ISBN: 978-1-7283-4442-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-4440-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-4441-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020901288

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Dedicated to Julia, Billy, Brian, and Karen

CONTENTS

Prelude: 2020

Chapter 1     Winter Vacation

Chapter 2     Highway 61

Chapter 3     Gunflint Trail

Chapter 4     The Lodge

Chapter 5     Shock

Chapter 6     Survival

Chapter 7     Daryl’s Story

Chapter 8     Escape

Chapter 9     Rescue

Chapter 10   Disbelief

Chapter 11   Judgment

Chapter 12   Tower

Chapter 13   Submerged

Chapter 14   Retrieval

Chapter 15   Archives

Chapter 16   Mr. K.

Chapter 17   Adventure

Chapter 18   Kaktovik

Chapter 19   The Search

Chapter 20   Contact

Chapter 21   Capture

About The Author

PRELUDE: 2020

O n a beautiful spring day, two couples in their late twenties relaxed on a remote lake just off the Gunflint Trail in northern Minnesota. It was early June, and the weather was comfortably warm, with the refreshing scent of pine and blooming wildflowers permeating the air. The lake was calm and placid, producing a glassy surface mirroring the sky, clouds, and trees along the shore.

Brad Sutherland, a tall, athletic man with a captivating smile and bushy mustache, was a devoted outdoorsman who had dreamed of owning a lakeside cabin up north for as long as he could remember. He finally realized his dream when an acquaintance working for the state government informed him of a lakeshore property close to the Canadian border. The state had held the property on Alpine Lake as unclaimed for several decades, and recently the Commerce Department had placed it on auction. Reluctant to commit to the property on his own, Brad had decided to ask his colleague Jake if he might join in placing the bid. He valued Jake’s judgment and knew he shared a fondness for the north country.

Brad and Jake worked for Advanced Computer Systems, an artificial intelligence company in Minneapolis, and over several years they had discussed owning a remote cabin, where they could escape the rigors of technical work and enjoy the beauty of the North Woods. Jake was a computer whiz kid and a genuine computer nerd; however, like Brad, he valued the joys of backpacking, fishing, and cross-country skiing.

After learning the property was to be placed on auction, Brad shared the description with Jake, who suggested a low-ball bid. They both reviewed the description of the property presented by the Commerce Department: two acres with a two-hundred-foot shoreline, a small wooden dock, and a dilapidated building on site. They were amazed when they discovered there were only a few bidders and delighted when they received a letter informing them of their winning bid. They signed the bill of sale sight unseen.

Neither Brad nor Jake had imagined they’d own a cabin in the woods at this point in their lives, and being able to purchase this property at such a low price seemed too good to be true. It appeared to be the perfect spot to fish, canoe, and just plain relax. They decided to take time off the following month to check out the property firsthand. They planned a road trip to inspect the property and asked their girlfriends to come along for the maiden voyage.

Kate Sullivan, a court reporter in St. Paul, had met Brad through a dating service. They immediately clicked and, in short order, moved in together. Kate then introduced Jake to Joan Morgan, a paralegal for a Minneapolis law firm. Both couples enjoyed a very compatible relationship, since Kate and Joan enjoyed outdoor activities. They were delighted when Brad suggested they come along on the trip.

The drive to Lake Alpine took seven hours, passing through Duluth to Grand Marais, along the shore of Lake Superior, and then west on the scenic Gunflint Trail. On arrival, they were weary but delighted to find such a beautiful and remote setting.

Joan was awestruck by the beauty but was concerned about the bugs. I’m a magnet for mosquitoes, and I forgot to bring any bug spray.

Kate reassured Joan, saying, I brought a can of bug spray, Joan. Why don’t you spray my legs and back, and I will do the same for you? Actually, I might take a dip in the lake first. How about you?

Is this beautiful or what? said Brad, spreading his arms as he glanced at Joan, who rolled her eyes.

Sure is, replied Jake. Just wish I could say the same for that old building.

All four gazed at the broken-down building on the property that was once a tourist lodge.

I’ve seen better shelter in a junkyard, said Jake. We’re definitely gonna need to demolish that thing and start from scratch.

The lodge was a mess and looked about ready to collapse. Shingles were popping out of place, and a few were lying on the grass in front of the house. The main section of the house was sagging heavily, the chimney was bent, there were holes in the roof, no windows were left, and doors were hanging by a single hinge.

Don’t worry, Jake. We can build a comfy log cabin in its place, said Brad.

After setting up their tents and camping gear, Brad said, Hey, Jake, let’s canoe out to the lake and catch a walleye for dinner.

Well, good luck, guys, said Kate. Joan and I will relax on the dock and cool off in the water.

They unloaded the canoe from Brad’s car and carried it down to the shore, where they tied it to the dock and stocked it with paddles, fishing poles, bait, snorkel gear, and a six-pack of beer. Climbing in, they waved goodbye to Kate and Joan and paddled off to find a convenient fishing spot.

As Brad and Jake pulled away, Kate and Joan changed into their swimsuits and headed down to the dock for a dip in the lake. They sat on the edge of the dock and slowly inched in, finding the water refreshing but cold, as the winter snow had lingered longer than usual.

Nonetheless, they decided to jump in together. But as soon as their bodies hit the water, they screamed from the sudden shock of the cold water and quickly climbed back onto the dock. After warming up, they laid down on the dock over their towels and closed their eyes. It was stone quiet except for the chirp of a few birds and rustling trees nearby. Just as they were about to doze off, they were alerted by a strange hissing sound. The sound was so unusual that they sat up startled and looked at each other.

What was that? Joan whispered.

I think it came from the old lodge, said Kate. Do you think there are animals living in there? It sure sounded weird and … freaky!

Joan turned to Kate with an anxious look on her face and said, I hope the boys come back soon!

Meanwhile, Brad and Jake had located a good spot to fish. After canoeing out to the center of the lake, they lowered their lines in the water, opened a can of beer each, and sat back to wait for a bite. Both were half asleep from the effect of the warm sun and beer, when suddenly they were jolted awake by something tugging on Brad’s line. As his fishing pole began to bend, Brad raised his eyebrows at Jake and shouted, This must be one monster of a fish!

With great effort, Brad began to crank the reel, but the force was too much for him; he was concerned the line would break or the canoe would tip over. Excitedly he said, Hey, fetch the fishing net, Jake. I think this might be a huge walleyed pike. However, he was unable to crank the reel any farther; the line or hook seemed to be stuck on something. Gazing at Jake with a disappointed look, he said, Oh, man. I probably hooked an old tire.

Try as he might, Brad could not free the line and finally gave up. However, he remembered that, along with the fishing gear, he had brought his snorkel and diving mask.

Turning to Jake, Brad said, I’m going to dive in and take a look at what this line is hooked on.

Donning the snorkel and mask, Brad slid into the cold water carefully, so as not to tip the canoe. He swam down and searched for where his line was stuck, and as he looked around, he noticed that it was attached to an object lying on the lake floor.

The object had an odd shape that was completely unfamiliar to him. Taking a closer look, he noticed a bluish glow emanating from a small porthole on the object. Before he could inspect it further, he needed to resurface for more air.

Jake was steadying the canoe when Brad came up for air.

Hey, Jake, there’s something strange in the water. I’m going to dive deeper to get a closer look. He took a deep breath and dove down again, swimming closer to the object to investigate.

Jake was peering over the side of the canoe, wondering what all the excitement was about, when Brad suddenly resurfaced with a terrified look on his face and screamed, Holy shit, Jake! There’s a body down there!

PART 1

December 1959

CHAPTER

1

Winter Vacation

W inter was descending over the campus of the University of Minnesota, and a bone-chilling wind gusted from the north along the Mississippi River. Matt Kowalski hastened across the Cedar Avenue Bridge to meet two friends at the Ten O’Clock Scholar, a coffeehouse in Dinkytown, a small strip of restaurants and stores adjacent to the campus.

He walked the narrow bridge with his muscular six-foot frame hunched over, buffering himself against the wind and sleet while brushing icicles off his mustache. The sleet was quickly turning to snow, which covered the bridge walkway and stuck to the balusters like white spray paint. Matt was deep in thought, reflecting on a phone call he had just received from his cousin, Daryl, who he thought had been killed in action while serving in the air force. Although Matt was shocked by the call, he was ecstatic that Daryl was alive and well. Stunned and nearly unable to speak, he had listened to the voice of his long-lost cousin.

Matt, please forgive me for not contacting you over the past few years, Daryl said.

And while Matt listened, transfixed, Daryl explained. "I was assigned to a