Episode NotesAfter a terrible accident a man is left alone to freeze on the side of a snowy road... Only, he's not alone at all...Biting Cold by Jeff CarpenterMusic by Ray Mattishttp://raymattispresents.bandcamp.comProduced by Daniel WilderGet Cool Merchandise http://store.weeklyspookySupport us on Patreon http://patreon.com/IncrediblyHandsomeContact Us/Submit a Storytwitter.com/WeeklySpookyfacebook.com/WeeklySpookyWeeklySpooky@gmail.comThis episode sponsored by HenFlix.comFor everything else visit WeeklySpooky.comTranscript:Pain hit him like a spear in the gut.He was hungry, but he knew that thing out there was too. And he knew itskind never left wounded prey until they could pick the bones clean.He was sheltered, safe for now (or so he hoped), dug into his snow cave. Heshifted his body, bumping up against the cold walls. He couldn't see his rightarm. And maybe that was for the best.The solidity of the snow walls comforted him, but it was a frozen comfort. Achilled comfort for his cold, tired bones.A sound carried over the crisp air. His ears pricked up. Chattering. Anincessant clacking that assaulted his ears.It was his own noise. With every intake of breath he could feel the sharpcold shoot through his teeth. His teeth chattered but he could not feelthem.He longed for another familiar sound. A sound that would take him home.In his breast pocket was a cell phone with very low battery charge. He wasfar out of range of any known cell tower, but he still had some voicemessages saved that he had listened to before the blizzard hit.One from his father at the hunting lodge. Christmas was approaching andhis father had exhorted him to check the traplines one more time before thebig snow hit hard and stranded them.He was sure his father had attempted a search for him, but the guests hadgone home for the holidays and the wheelchair would have been uselessmuch beyond the packed down paths around the cabin in this snow.Another message from his little girl back in the city, complaining about hernew braces and how they hurt her teeth and made her lips bleed when shepracticed her carols for the choir.She would be carolling out there tonight. Braving the cold and her soregums to spread her joy to the world around her.She had left him one last message, but he would leave that one unhearduntil he really needed to hear it.He would survive. For her.He exhaled and felt the steamy breath in front of his face. He tried tobreathe warmth into his fingers on his left hand, but they were well pastnumb now.Out there was the only hope for life, but death lurked there in the shadows.If he did nothing, if he curled up in his icy tomb and let sleep overtake him,the beast would have him still. It would dig in and dig him out. Scavenge hiscold tired bones like a grave robber. The beast's teeth would crunch andcrush the bones and frozen flesh of his frozen, rigid corpse, just as easily asif he had offered himself to it. It would swallow him in huge choking gulpsand then he would be gone and it would be night forever.He closed his eyes, tight enough to shut out the images in his brain-- thecreature invading the hole with its snout, slavering to get at the bloodysweating slab of meat still living inside. If only he could last through thenight then maybe...One more night... it was just last night that it all had happened... Theavalanche had thrown a tree on top of him... brought a whole damn treedown on top of him...It must have been the rifle shot that set it off... must have been. Frombehind him, the rumble came out of nowhere... The tree had torn his armfrom his shoulder and left it gashed and bleeding. When he came to, with aviolent tug on his arm socket. The beast's beady red eyes dared him towrench his arm back into place.He let the animal take his prize. It was no good to him anymore anyway.But now the beast knew he was weakened and had limited mobility. Hadlimited range. Had tasted mortality and was handicapped.It would come again and again to test its p