MtBlackwood

Mt. Blackwood

#MtBlackwood

Genre: survival, horror, thriller.

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The setting of the plot is loosely based on Sony/Supermassive Games' video game UNTIL DAWN.

This is in no way officially affiliated with Sony or Supermassive Games.

It is the first snowfall of the season and the air is foggy with a descending wintery chill. The winds pick up, smattering your windows with tufts of fresh snow. It's a hassle to even get out of bed in this early morning. But as the daylight rises, so must you. A single step on the tile floor is enough to send shivers up your spine. As usual you first put on a kettle to heat, and then stumble your way to the bathroom with eyes half-closed. You pass the front door.

Crinkle. What was that?

With a tired yawn, you look down at the flat envelope crushed under the weight of your bare foot. You don't remember it falling there yesterday when you checked the mail. Maybe you dropped it without realizing? Curiously, you pick it up. The envelope is white, sealed, completely unmarked on either side. Immediately you wonder: how did it get to my address, then? Someone must have slipped it under your door at some point during the night.

Too curious to toss the envelope in the trash, you backtrack into the kitchen and slink into a chair at your table. This better not be some cleverly-disguised utility bill...

The envelope opens to a folded letter. Once again, there is no return address or name on it. The only heading to the words on the page is the imprint of a grey-blue butterfly insignia. Ominous. It reads:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Congratulations! Courtesy of The Washington Estate, you are invited to vacation with us this winter. We offer you an all-expenses paid trip for the duration of the season: from the first snowfall, to the date of March 1.

Blackwood Pines is a luxurious five-star resort located in the Blackwood Mountains of Alberta, Canada. It boasts ample space for skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and breathtaking views one can only experience from the summit of the mountain. The main attraction is the Washington Lodge, a massive building nestled mid-mountain. It houses guest rooms in a cosy contemporary feel, and offers many amenities such as: a large den and fireplace; a built-in movie theatre; a heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, and sauna; a library and study; a kitchen and grand dining room; and many verandas to appreciate the surroundings. There are also fully-equipped, individual guest cabins available on the property, for optional extra privacy during your retreat.

We have taken the liberty of providing you with transportation tickets to and from Blackwood Mountain, included with this letter. The Washington Estate sincerely hopes you will find the time to join us this season for well-deserved relaxation.

Three days later, you arrive at the base of the mountain. The snow has begun to come down in earnest, and whites out even the thickness of trees along the rugged surface. It's already a spooky feeling, with the late afternoon beginning to settle into evening, the whistling wind blowing past, and the entire place quiet and deserted. Surely there has to be more people here for the resort?

There's a cable car waiting inside of a heated lift platform. Careful not to slip and fall and eat your teeth, you balance your luggage and trudge on over. The warm air is welcome against your frozen nose and cheeks. But again the platform is empty, not another person in sight. There is a metal sign that reads "CLOSE CABIN DOOR SECURELY AND SET LEVER TO UPRIGHT POSITION." Guess that means you're taking the cable car all alone...right? But first you take a moment to pause and think things through, a churning feeling of unease in your gut.

An unmarked letter, a free vacation, free transportation, empty mountain and creaky cable car...too weird. There has to be some creepy serial killer waiting at the top, for sure. Yet, you shake your head and think you might just be overreacting. After all, on the internet, the Washington Estate is a very well-to-do family, associated with your school or place of employment, prominent benefactors in your community. It would definitely be a stain on their name if a mass murder on a snowy mountain went down. Or so you think. Besides, you're already here. Might as well go on up and see. If you're still weirded out, you can take the next car right back down again. No harm done.

. . . . . . . . . .

At the top of the lift, you emerge again into snow, this time more cold and with the sky darker as daylight fades. Just ahead, tucked behind fresh snow drifts, sparse trees, and stone bordering, is the Washington Lodge. It's a modern type of chalet building, looming and large as the letter had promised. In the backdrop of the setting sun, it looks majestic, lights in the windows warm against this frigid backdrop. If you squint, you can even see other people inside, trotting around and enjoying the place. Too welcoming to turn back now.

Yeah, you definitely overreacted, you think. And then, you lug your bags and go on up to the lodge, to enjoy your luxurious, snowy getaway.

Of course, in your eagerness to get inside, you don't take the time to turn around back to the cable cars. Otherwise, you might have noticed that the station has fallen into nonoperational darkness, and the lift will no longer move.

How long will it take you and the other guests to realize that there's no resort staff in sight? That things go bump in the night? That the monsters in the forests, and in your minds, are hungry? That there is no cell phone service or active satellite connection? That the cable cars are no longer operational? That food and resources are dwindling while panic and fear, and the harsh snowstorms, continue to build?

How long will it take you and the other guests to realize that the mountain is not the haven it seems to be?

How many of you will make it off the mountain alive?

Good luck.