Heart of the Mountain
Copyright© 2026 by WittyUserName
Chapter 9
Horror Sex Story: Chapter 9 - 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
~Friday 10 July, 2026~
8:13 AM
Mike stared at his phone while trying to decide how to word his text. Across the ranger station, Eric was leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee while talking to one of the volunteers about search assignments. Mike barely heard, his attention focused on his text chat with Amber.
“Mike?” Deputy Eric Walsh called out.
“Huh?” Mike lifted his head.
“You okay?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mike nodded.
Eric stared at Mike for another second. “Okay.”
When Eric turned back to the volunteer, Mike dropped his eyes back to his phone. It shouldn’t have been difficult. Mike had spent his week searching the woods for five people who were almost certainly dead. He’d crossed streams in the middle of the night and searched for a dangerous animal.
Yet Mike was struggling to ask a woman to dinner. A woman who had expressed an interest in him; a woman he had already kissed. That should have made it easier. Somehow, it didn’t. He’d never had anxiety when approaching a lady. Maybe it was different because he was so interested in Amber. Finally, he sent a text.
Mike: Dinner Saturday?
His heart raced as he waited on a response.
“You sure everything’s okay?” Eric asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re staring at your phone like it’s about to say you have six months to live,” Eric joked, making one of the volunteers chuckle.
“I’m waiting for a text,” Mike explained moments before the text arrived.
Amber: Is this you asking me on an actual date?
Mike: Apparently.
Amber: I need you to ask properly. I’m a lady!:)
Mike: Amber, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner Saturday evening?
Amber: Bonus points for acknowledging my presence is an honor.
Mike: Thanks!
Amber: See? It wasn’t so hard to ask.
Mike: Yet you still haven’t answered.
Amber: Yes. Obviously.
“Who’s Amber?” Eric suddenly asked.
Mike’s head shot up to find Eric grinning. The volunteers with him were watching with interest.
“You said her name,” Eric continued. “Who’s Amber?”
“I-I did?” Mike winced.
“Nah, not really,” Eric shrugged. “I remembered the cute archaeologist that was checking you out. I guessed who you were talking to; thanks for confirming.”
“Dick move, man,” Mike sighed as the volunteers all snickered.
Mike’s phone vibrated again and he made the mistake of looking at it.
Amber: What time?
Mike: I’ll pick you up at six?
Amber: Perfect! See you then.
Amber: Now I need to decide what to wear.
Mike: I’d stick with the cute librarian look if I were you.;)
Eric laughed from the other side of the room. “Oh, this is fantastic.”
“Don’t you have work to do?” Mike sighed.
“I am working,” Eric argued.
“You’re standing around drinking coffee,” Mike countered.
“It’s called fueling up for the search,” Eric reasoned. “You’re the one smiling at your phone like an excited kid. You’re asking to be made fun of.”
“No one’s making you look at me,” Mike grunted.
Eric laughed again as he walked over to Mike. In response, Mike immediately angled his phone away.
“Oh, relax,” Eric waved him off. “I’m not interested in reading your love letters.” “They’re not love letters,” Mike rolled his eyes.
“Dirty pictures?” Eric waggled his eyebrows.
“No,” Mike scoffed.
“Shame,” a volunteer spoke up, earning him a glare from Mike.
Amber: You think you’re that lucky?:P
Mike: Hey, it’s how you always dress. And those glasses! You’re adorable.
Amber: Smart and sexy. I really am too good for you. Hm, maybe I should reconsider...
Mike: Nice try. You like me.:)
“That stupid smile,” Eric commented.
“Fuck off,” Mike grunted, flipping off the deputy.
Amber: Yes, I do. Now, get to your search. We’ll talk soon!
Mike: Have a good day.
“You like her,” Eric said, looking at Mike with interest.
“I never said I didn’t,” Mike replied.
“Shit, you really like her,” Eric whispered.
Mike put his phone away. “We’re done.”
“No, no, hang on,” Eric replied quickly. “This just got interesting. When did this happen?”
“Nothing happened,” Mike insisted.
“Did you kiss her?” another volunteer asked.
“None of your business,” Mike snapped.
Eric’s mouth fell open. “You did!”
“Can we pretend we’re responsible adults?” Mike requested.
“No,” every other guy in the room answered at once.
Ignoring the guys, Mike let himself enjoy the moment for a few seconds. He had a real date. No missing hikers, no blood samples, no photographs of archaeological sites. Then again, it was Amber. There might be a few books or notes, at least. Either way, it would just be the two of them. Mike was looking forward to some more happiness to help deal with the horror of what was going on in Adirondack Park.
“Okay,” Mike said, looking at the deputies and volunteers, “where are we today?”
Eric stepped up, still grinning. “Harper wants another pass along Deer Ridge.”
Mike’s mood shifted. Five missing people and a dangerous, potentially injured animal. “Let’s get to work.”
1:47 PM
The search team stopped beside a strip of orange flagging for a quick two minute rest. Mike wiped the sweat from his forehead before taking a long sip from his water bottle. Eric caught up with him, and three volunteers followed at varying distances, their bright vests flashing between tree trunks and thick summer foliage.
“Anything?” Eric asked.
Mike shook his head.
Eric sighed. “Shocking.”
Hours of plants, roots, rocks, and mosquitoes. Fallen branches blocked paths, and there was enough deer shit to confirm that Deer Ridge was an appropriate name. They had found nothing but a couple of random items: an old beer can, a rotting work glove, and a hiking boot. A blue bandanna had briefly generated some excitement until a volunteer remembered seeing it hanging from a branch two days earlier.
Nothing that belonged to Jake or Emma. No sign of Ryan, Olivia, or Mason. No blood, no torn clothing. Nothing that explained how five people could suddenly disappear from one mountain. With how long the search had been going on, people were losing hope. Yet the trails remained closed, causing problems with the locals. Tourists had to cancel their trips.
Mike checked the GPS unit clipped to his vest. “Another hundred fifty yards.”
Eric looked toward the sloop ahead. “Then what?”
“We turn north and meet the other team,” Mike answered.
“And find nothing all the way there,” Eric sighed.
Mike stepped over a rotten log. “Very motivational.”
“Agent Carter?”
Mike turned.
A volunteer stood twenty feet away, pointing toward the ground. Mike and Eric exchanged a look, neither of them saying anything. They both quickly approached the volunteer as the other two converged as well. All of them looked toward where the first volunteer pointed.
A scrap of pale fabric protruded from beneath a plant. Mike crouched, his pulse accelerating. He put on a pair of gloves and carefully moved the plant aside. The fabric was dirty and rotted, half buried beneath old leaves. Moments later he realized how small the shirt was.
“Unless one of our missing people shopped in the toddler section...” Eric trailed off.
“Yeah,” Mike nodded. “Probably a spare shirt lost by a tourist months ago.”
The volunteer gave an embarrassed shrug. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Mike shook his head. “You did exactly what you’re supposed to do.”
Mike took a photograph and marked the location even though he didn’t think it was anything important. Someone else could determine that for sure later on. It had most likely been clothing someone had brought for their child that had fallen out of a diaper bag or something.
They continued.
It wasn’t long before they met up with the other search team. No one had found anything, and the two groups soon went their separate ways to continue. Eric and Mike’s group searched and found nothing, eventually gathering in a small open field for a longer break. Eric passed around bottles of water while the two male volunteers sat on a fallen log. The one female volunteer remained standing, drinking half her bottle without stopping.
Mike pulled the folded search map from his vest pocket. Looking at it had become increasingly depressing. Colored lines and shaded sections covered Deer Ridge. Every one represented searching, calling names, checking depressions, and following streams. Dogs had worked sections of it, and search teams had explored the same areas more than once. Drones had covered what they could from above, although the Adirondack canopy rendered them considerably less useful than people imagined.
Five people remained missing.
Eric approached Mike. “Any ideas?”
Mike glanced at key spots on the map: the swimming hole, the clearing, Jake and Emma’s campsite. “No.”
Neither of them spoke as Mike’s finger brushed against the circle that marked the clearing, and the archaeological site. For some reason, it meant something to the animal. After attacking, it had clearly brought its victims through there. The problem was that it had been searched multiple times. It really was just a clearing with seven stones. On the side of a mountain, the edge of the clearing was a cliff drop of sheer granite.
Mike frowned.
Eric noticed. “What?”
“Is anyone searching the clearing today?” Mike asked. “The one with the stones.”
“No,” Eric shook his head. “They finished another sweep yesterday. Harper moved them farther north.”
“And they found?” Mike questioned.
“You already know,” Eric sighed.
Mike stared at the contour lines as he thought about that clearing. How easy it was to miss, the way the forest ended abruptly. A frown crossed his face as he remembered the helicopter search of the area. He remembered every walk he’d personally done through the clearing. In every direction but one.
“What if we missed something?”
“Mike, we’ve searched this entire goddamn mountain,” Eric let out a humorless laugh.
“No, we haven’t,” Mike shook his head.
“Sure as shit feels like it,” Eric grunted.
“When we found Emma’s engagement ring at the clearing, our theory was the animal had a nest or a lair or something near that spot,” Mike stated calmly.
“Right, but we didn’t find anything,” Eric nodded along.
“Because we only walked along the area and at a higher elevation,” Mike reasoned. “The helicopter could only get so close; what if the animal went down?”
“Impossible,” Eric shook his head. “It’s a sheer cliff. The only way down is with specialized climbing equipment. Last I checked, bears don’t have ropes and harnesses.”
“Except we know it isn’t a bear,” Mike pointed out.
“I know cats can be great climbers, but even a mountain lion can’t dig its claws into granite,” Eric countered. “Maybe it could slide its way down, but not while carrying prey.”
“Just look at this,” Mike pointed to a trail near them and ran his finger along it. “If we take this path, we’ll come out at the bottom of the cliff. That area was never searched because it’s so far off. Far off, unless something took a direct route from the clearing by going straight down the cliff.”
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