Heart of the Mountain
Copyright© 2026 by WittyUserName
Chapter 13
Horror Sex Story: Chapter 13 - The awakening of something ancient. Tragedy, horror, and romance mix. Will there be a happy ending?
Caution: This Horror Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Romantic Fiction Horror Paranormal
~Monday 20 July, 2026~
12:38 PM
“This is officially not my worst second date.”
Mike stopped, causing Amber to nearly walk into him.
He turned slowly. “What?”
She adjusted the strap of her backpack. “I said this isn’t my worst second date.”
Mike stared at her.
Behind him, yellow tape stretched between two trees. There was a sign posted as well.
“AREA CLOSED – DO NOT ENTER”
A second sign had been posted beneath it during the last week.
“DANGER – ACTIVE INVESTIGATION”
Amber pointed at the signs. “Although I’ll admit the ambiance is questionable.”
“Amber, we’re sneaking into a closed section of Deer Ridge,” Mike stated flatly. “And we’re doing it to investigate a possible supernatural containment structure above the lair of something that killed eight people.”
She considered that. “Still not the worst.”
“What the hell kind of dates have you been on?”
Amber just smiled and ducked beneath the tape. Letting out a long breath, Mike leveled the shotgun as he followed.
“Don’t stray too far!” he called out.
“Yes, mom,” she yelled back as Mike caught up. “I meant to ask, what’s Harper’s plan?”
“Keep the trails closed. Search teams with heavily armed escort. Nobody goes anywhere alone,” Mike answered slowly. “They flew drones over most of the area yesterday. Regular cameras, thermal. Nothing.”
“What about the cliff?”
“They checked what they could see,” Mike confirmed as dry leaves crunched beneath his boots. “The problem is the canopy, the angles, and about six miles of places for something to hide. If there really is a crevasse partway up that face, you could fly by it all day and still not see it.”
“Couldn’t they flood the area with people carrying automatic weapons or something?” Amber wondered.
“And have fifty people stumbling through the woods shooting at every noise?” he asked with a raised brow.
“When you put it that way...”
“Harper doesn’t have an army anyway. State police and DEC are involved. FBI too, now. But nobody knows what they’re hunting, or exactly where it is, or even what equipment is best. No, sending in hundreds of armed people would just destroy the ecosystem and they probably wouldn’t even find the thing,” Mike glanced toward the trees. “After what happened to Eric’s team, nobody’s sending people wandering around Deer Ridge just to see what happens.”
Mike laughed lightly. “Adirondack Park is over six million acres, and even if you know the general area, you can’t just send in an army and hope for the best. Especially when you aren’t even sure what you’re searching for.”
“So they’re waiting?” Amber questioned.
“Searching carefully. There’s a difference,” he hesitated. “And I think some people are hoping Eric and Maria hurt it badly enough that it crawled off somewhere and died.”
Amber looked into the trees, just like Mike. “No way that thing’s dead.”
“I agree,” Mike said as they walked. “And just so we’re clear, Sheriff Harper never finds out about this.”
“This isn’t my first time breaking the rules,” she laughed lightly. “Try and keep up.”
The weather was warm as they walked deeper into the woods, the canopy keeping most of the direct sunlight off them. Amber had dressed for their trip: hiking boots, lightweight pants, a dark-green t-shirt, hair pulled back into a functional ponytail. Her backpack contained water, measuring tape, notebooks, pencils, gloves, a compass, and her camera. She also brought along enough archaeological enthusiasm to playfully irritate Mike for the rest of their date.
Mike’s backpack made Amber think he was planning on sustaining a small military unit. Amber had watched him load it with water, a first aid kit, flashlights, a radio, an emergency blanket, and rope. He’d also brought food and extra ammunition. She’d noticed the bear spray, her mind going back to Mike telling her the stuff hadn’t saved Jake and Emma.
As they walked, Mike stayed several feet ahead of her. Amber noticed the way he moved, only briefly getting distracted by checking out his butt. She realized how well-trained he was; every few seconds his attention shifted. Mike was able to check the entire area, nothing escaping his notice.
“So,” he began without turning around, “you never answered my question.”
“What question?” Amber asked, looking at him from behind her glasses.
“What kind of second dates have you been on that this isn’t the worst?”
She smiled. “Oh, now you’re interested.”
“More like concerned,” he laughed lightly.
“Same thing,” Amber insisted.
“Nah,” Mike shook his head as he continued walking. “Were they really that bad or does the fact that I’m so good looking help push this date up the rankings?”
“You wish,” she scoffed as she stepped over a root. “Let’s see, there was the escape room.”
“That sounds like a fun date,” he commented. “What was the problem?”
“He brought his mother.”
Mike looked back.
Amber nodded solemnly. “Second date.”
“Why?” he asked.
“He said she was really good at puzzles,” she giggled.
“Was she?”
“She was phenomenal,” Amber declared. “We got out with almost half an hour left.”
He started walking again with Amber following.
“His mother liked me,” she continued. “Even texted me after the date.”
“How’d she get your number?” Mike wondered.
“I asked that too,” Amber said. “I never got a satisfactory answer.”
Mike shook his head.
“Next was the guy who never told me he was married,” she told him as they walked. “You’d think this would end with him getting divorced, but no. No, he showed up to our second date with his wife. They wanted a threesome and just assumed I’d go along with it.”
He stopped again and looked over his shoulder at the nerdy brunette. “And did you?”
Amber gasped and stepped forward, shoving Mike in the back. “Of course not! Keep walking, buddy!”
Mike’s laughter echoed through the woods as they continued.
“Careful, or Gerald will hear you,” Amber admonished.
“It’s not called Gerald,” he sighed. “And I suppose you’re right; those were bad second dates.”
“I’m just getting started,” she smiled. “There was also miniature golf?”
“What’s wrong with miniature golf?”
“Nothing! I was excited when he suggested it,” Amber explained.
“Oh, so you were the problem,” Mike nodded in understanding. “You do seem like someone who takes mini golf way too seriously.”
“I do not!” she gasped.
“Do you keep score?”
“That’s the point!” Amber growled.
“Do you argue about penalties?”
“Only when people cheat,” she insisted.
“At mini golf?”
“Rules exist for a reason, Michael,” Amber stated proudly.
“Says the woman who told me she was sneaking onto this closed trail whether I helped her or not,” Mike pointed out.
“Cheap shot,” she grumbled. “Anyway, he got angry because I beat him by seven strokes.”
“What did he do?”
“Demanded a rematch,” Amber told him. “Rather than take a romantic walk with a cute librarian, he drove us half an hour to another course.”
“And?”
“I beat him by nine strokes,” she laughed.
Mike laughed harder.
Amber smiled. “He didn’t ask for a third date. Which was his loss. I let him get a feel of the girls on the first one.”
“I’ve been there,” he smiled at the memory. “They are nice.”
“I know, right?!” she giggled, a wide grin splitting her face.
“Anyway, he was probably trying to save himself some dignity,” he reasoned.
“There wasn’t much left,” she commented with a snort.
They walked a few more yards.
“I’ve got one more,” Amber said.
“Of course you do.”
“Dinner,” she stated.
“Sounds risky,” he winced.
“He spent the entire meal talking about his ex-girlfriend,” Amber ducked beneath a low-hanging branch.
“Bad.”
“Then he cried,” she continued. “A lot.”
“Worse.”
“Then he called her,” Amber sighed.
Mike stopped and turned. “During the date?”
“From the bathroom,” she confirmed.
“How did you know?”
“She came to the restaurant,” Amber answered.
Mike stared at her.
She shrugged helplessly. “They got back together. They were sobbing and hugging. Then they left me with the bill and half a slice of cheesecake.”
He laughed. It was a real laugh. She hadn’t heard too many of those since Eric died. Sure, he’d laughed, but they always sounded humorless; like there was pain he was masking. The genuine sound affected Amber more than she’d expected. She gave him a small smile before he turned around and resumed their march.
“So,” Amber said, “ancient murderous forest creature? Currently fifth place.”
“Comforting.”
“You’re doing fine,” she assured him. “Although bringing a shotgun to a date is usually a red flag.”
“It’s not my fault,” he argued. “You’re the one who insisted on this for the date.”
“If you make it to the fifth date, I’ll tell you about my worst first dates,” Amber laughed. “Now those were terrifying.”
“Why the fifth?”
“I’m just thinking about standard relationship progression,” she reasoned. “Third date is traditionally reserved for intercourse. Then on the fourth we’ll deal with the emotional fallout of our sexual relationship. Date five is the earliest opportunity.”
“You’ve really thought this out,” he observed.
“Michael,” Amber gave him a sympathetic smile, “I’ve thought everything out. Haven’t you learned anything?”
“I guess not,” he laughed.
The banter stopped for a while as they drew closer and closer to the site of the stones. At one point, Mike thought he heard something, causing him to stop and search the area for about twenty minutes. There had been no clicking, and he found no evidence of anything else out of place.
“Stay close,” Mike instructed as they continued.
“I will,” she promised.
“That means five feet, not twenty because you found an interesting rock,” he added.
“I don’t do that.”
He looked over his shoulder.
“I rarely do that.”
“If I say we’re leaving, we’re leaving,” Mike continued. “No arguing, no asking why. No one last measurement or one final picture.”
“And if we hear clicking, we’re gone,” Amber said. “I remember the rules.”
“Good.”
“So bossy,” she teased.
“If I tell you to go, don’t worry about me. Just go,” he instructed.
“Mike.”
“No,” his jaw tightened. “That’s not a rule you get to argue with. I’m the ranger.”
“And I’m the archaeologist,” Amber said. “If we hear clicking, we leave together.”
“If it comes down to-”
“No,” she cut him off. “Just, no. You don’t get to decide you’re expendable. No!”
Mike just sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” Amber smiled.
“Now that we’ve settled that,” he replied smoothly. “A few more rules.”
“Oh my God!” Amber rolled her eyes.
“No wandering into caves, no touching mysterious substances,” Mike looked back at her with a smirk. “and no licking archaeological artifacts.”
“I’ve never licked an archaeological artifact,” she gave him a look.
“I don’t know what archaeologists do,” he shrugged. “Based on what I’ve seen so far, they lose themselves in their work and forget everything else. Resulting in a messy apartment with no place to sit.”
“I have standards,” Amber grunted. “We make the undergraduates lick any artifact that needs to be licked.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Mike shook his head. “I just know you forget to eat sometimes. Probably forget to shower, too.”
“I never forget to shower,” she insisted. “I even took an everything shower for our date.”
“A what?”
“Men,” Amber scoffed. “It’s where a woman does more than a simple shower; she primps and preens and makes sure every inch is squeaky clean.”
Before Mike could respond, Amber brushed by him, forcing him to rush to catch up. The trail narrowed as they climbed, their conversation disappearing as they finally got fully serious. The farther they went, the more Amber recognized. A granite outcrop, a section of trail she’d walked with Mike before everything had gotten worse.
Amber’s stomach tightened when she realized they were almost there. Leaving the trail, Amber felt a twig snap beneath her boot. Then the clearing opened before them. Seven weathered stones in a perfect circle. Amber stopped at the edge, releasing an audible gasp.
For days she’d examined photographs until she could have drawn the clearing from memory. They hadn’t prepared her for standing at the site again. The stones were more impressive in person; they seemed old and imposing in a way a picture couldn’t capture. Seven weathered stones arranged around an empty patch of earth. Beyond them, the ridge ended in a sheer granite cliff.
Mike adjusted his grip on the shotgun. “Still not your worst second date?”
She adjusted her glasses. “The atmosphere has improved considerably.”
“Seriously?”
“Ancient mystery, secluded mountain, handsome ranger,” she counted on her fingers. “All that’s missing is a dragon.” Amber then gave Mike an appraising look. “It also wouldn’t hurt if you were bare-chested.”
“Eight dead people,” Mike said plainly.
Amber winced. “You really know how to ruin a date.”
When Mike didn’t respond, Amber stepped toward the first stone and leaned forward to examine it closely. She then pulled a measuring tape from her backpack. Gloves and a camera soon followed. Amber walked fully around one of the stones, taking in every groove, every angle, every piece of lichen.
“You’re about to regret bringing an archaeologist,” she said.
“I’m already regretting bringing an archaeologist.”
Amber grinned. “Best second date ever.”
3:16 PM
Amber was sitting cross-legged in the dirt between two of the stones, surrounded by the small archaeological command post she’d set up. Notebook, camera, measuring tape. The smaller rock rested a few feet to her left. Mike had spent the last hour watching the woods. Amber had spent it watching rocks. Somehow, she seemed considerably more tired.
Eventually, the pretty brunette sighed. “Okay.”
“Okay good?” he asked.
Amber pushed her glasses higher on her nose. “No.”
“Okay bad?” Mike winced.
“No.”
“Uh, then what kind of okay?” he wondered.
“The kind of okay where I’m gonna tell you something that would get me laughed out of my department,” she stated plainly.
Mike glanced toward the trees again. Nothing. He should have been reassured, but every movement or gust of wind made him think The Thing in the Mountain was lurking behind every tree. He walked toward Amber, hopeful she had what she needed so they could get out of there.
“Your department isn’t here,” Mike pointed out.
“That’s probably for the best,” Amber looked toward her notes. “Responsible version first?”
“Sure,” he nodded.
“The site is intentional. I’m completely convinced of that now,” she said as she pointed toward the stones. “Seven standing stones, all deliberately positioned and facing inward. The spacing isn’t perfect, but it’s too regular to be accidental. The carvings are intentional and facing inward, but too worn to identify.”
Amber then pointed toward the center of the clearing. “And nothing I’ve found suggests there was ever an eighth stone in the center. Seven is complete.”
“And the little one?”
She sighed heavily. “This is where the responsible version starts getting less responsible.”
“Hey, I’m the guy who told you I saw a monster,” he smiled. “Go for it.”
Amber picked up a printed photograph. “I compared it to the proposal photo.”
Jake and Emma smiled at them from the picture, their joy and love obvious. Mike’s attention lingered on them for a moment, feeling a twinge in his stomach at seeing them alive and happy. Emma’s hand was held toward the camera, ring glittering in the sunlight.
“Here’s the rock,” she said, pointing toward it. “Now, it’s very tough to tell, but the rock is in the same spot in this picture as it is now.”
“It hasn’t been moved,” Mike concluded.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.