Chapter 20

~Friday 31 July, 2026~

5:42 PM

After all the craziness, Mike was excited for an ordinary evening. No emergency calls, no missing hikers, no mysterious deaths. And definitely no enormous, antlered monsters trying to tear him apart. Just a quiet Friday with a pretty girl. And, if everything went according to plan, eighteen holes of miniature golf.

Mike chose jeans and a navy polo shirt for the evening, not wanting anything fancy for miniature golf. He climbed out of his truck and made his way to the door to Amber’s apartment. Smiling and flattening his hair, Mike raised his fist and knocked on the door.

“Coming!” Amber’s voice called out.

Through the door, Mike could hear her once again scrambling to do some last minute cleaning. There was a clatter from the inside, followed by the familiar sounds of Amber cursing. Mike couldn’t help but laugh lightly, grateful for the knowledge that she would never change.

“Hang on!” she yelled through the door. “Where did I put- oh! There it is!”

The door opened a few moments later, revealing a grinning Amber. She wore a pair of light blue jeans and white sneakers. Her chestnut-brown hair was in a ponytail, and those adorable thin-frame glasses sat slightly crooked on her nose. Across the front of her bright red t-shirt, in enormous white letters, were six words.

“I SURVIVED THE DEER RIDGE MONSTER.”

Mike just stared.

Amber’s grin widened. “Well?”

He looked at her face, then at her shirt, then back to her face. “You didn’t.”

“I did!” she giggled.

“Amber.”

“Michael.”

“You actually bought that?” Mike asked with a sigh.

She glanced down at the lettering as though seeing it for the first time. “Oh, this old thing?”

Mike burst out laughing.

Amber spread her arms, proudly displaying the shirt. “What do you think?”

“Completely ridiculous.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you paid money for that.”

“Free shipping,” she reasoned with a shrug. “I ordered it Tuesday.”

“Amber,” Mike began, “on Tuesday we were still trying to figure out what happened to the creature’s body.”

“And I was multitasking,” Amber giggled, stepping back into the apartment. “Come in for a second, I just need my purse.”

The apartment looked the same as it always did, although the dining table was slightly less cluttered. The maps, notebooks, and photographs that had dominated the space during her investigation had been stacked neatly against one wall. A small vase of flowers sat in the middle of the table.

“Doctor Stein called from the forensic laboratory,” Mike said while Amber grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter.

“Oh?” Amber slung the purse over her shoulder.

“The blood is gone,” he stated plainly. “The doctor can’t explain it. It’s like the blood evaporated.”

“Just like the body,” she whispered, approaching Mike and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Hi.”

Mike slipped his hands around her waist. “Hi.”

She kissed him sweetly.

“Gerald’s entire body evaporated,” Amber said.

“All that’s left is that red rock.”

“It’s a garnet, Mike,” she giggled, kissing him again. “Thanks for letting me keep it.”

“I still find it creepy that you wanted one of its teeth,” Mike laughed. “You kind of scare me.”

“Good,” she pecked his lips. “Mm, it’s nice doing this without worrying something horrible will happen.”

“With our luck, a miniature-golf windmill will probably come to life and try to eat us,” he deadpanned.

“It’s a date,” Amber smirked.

Mike held her close as Amber rested her cheek against his chest. She sighed happily as he rubbed her back affectionately. Then he kissed the top of her head, glad to have her in his life. Amber squeezed him in response before looking up at him and kissing him again.

“You ready to lose your mini-golf throne?” Mike asked.

“Oh, you’re on, buddy,” she grinned. “I survived a monster. A little windmill isn’t going to intimidate me.”

Several minutes later, they were driving through town with the windows of Mike’s truck lowered. It was a warm evening, and a pleasant breeze filled the truck. Amber was playing with the garnet. The stone was the size of the last joint of her thumb, and it was all that remained of The Thing in the Mountain. As she fidgeted with the stone, Amber told Mike about a conversation she’d had with her advisor earlier that afternoon.

“You should have seen the excitement, Mike,” Amber grinned. “My advisor said it could be one of the most significant discoveries in recent years.”

“The stones or the crevasse?”

“The stones,” she answered. “All the bodies and bones were removed. We searched the entire area and got a few artifacts as well. My advisor is thrilled.”

“That’s great, Amber,” Mike smiled, reaching over to squeeze her thigh.

“The stone circle could be the basis for my thesis. Possibly more than that, depending on what the preliminary research turns up,” Amber continued, practically bouncing in her seat. “Obviously, there’s a lot to do. Proper documentation, consultation with the appropriate tribal representatives, permits, a more comprehensive survey.”

“Just make sure you don’t move the keystone,” he winced.

“I won’t,” she promised. “But it doesn’t matter; Gerald is dead.”

“I’d rather not take any chances,” Mike chuckled. “You’re not going back into the cave, are you?”

“Nah, there’s no reason to,” Amber shook her head. “Everything’s gone. There’s no writing on the walls or anything. My professor just sees it as the nest of a dangerous animal.”

“The funerals are being held soon,” he sighed, his grin fading. “I had a few phone calls with hysterical parents. They were grateful we found the bodies.”

Amber placed her hand on his. “That thing won’t hurt anyone ever again. Thanks to you.”

“And you.”

“My boyfriend’s a hero,” Amber whispered.

Mike smiled again. “Boyfriend?”

Amber froze. “Oh. Um, well, I just meant, you know what? Fuck it. Yeah, you’re my boyfriend. Deal with it.”

“I’m good with it.”

“Smart man,” she said. “Did you bring what I asked for?”

“In my pocket,” Mike confirmed.

“Excellent,” Amber grinned. “Have you heard from Harper?”

“Talked to him this afternoon,” Mike answered.

“How’s he doing?”

“Better, but still sore,” Mike said. “He needed some stitches, but he’s gonna be just fine.”

“What about the trails?” Amber asked.

“Still not open,” Mike confirmed. “But they’ll probably reopen soon. People think it’s weird, but no one is questioning Harper.”

“And I have the only copy of those pictures and videos?” she wondered.

“Yes.”

“Those poor people.” Amber shook her head. “We can’t bring them back, but we can be glad it’s over. And tonight, we’re allowed to be happy about being alive.”

“Yeah.”

Amber squeezed his hand. “Besides, we have a very important competition ahead of us.”

“That’s true.”

She put the small garnet back into her purse. “Eighteen holes. No mercy.”