“I’d rather have a nice warm werewolf if something was going to show up. Or an abominable snowperson. Those can be sexy. I’m sure somewhere out there is a ripped snowperson, waiting to find true love.”

Talking to oneself wasn’t a bad sign. River had told herself that every conversation she’d had since her team had disappeared out of sight.

Being alone on the mountain was…surreal. Even though it was technically day, the wind picked up, like Easton had predicted. As she stayed in camp, super-duper alone, River tried to decide what was scarier: being in the wilderness and not knowing what was out there or being in the wilderness and knowing nothing was out there.

Nothing at all.

“Maybe one vampire would be okay,” she murmured to herself.

Zipping up the opening in the tent, River bundled up as best she could, keeping the radio tucked close to her. Taking out the handheld camera, she settled into as comfortable a position as she could find.

“This is River. I’m on my handheld because, well, things didn’t go as planned up here. A small accident happened.”

River made a face into the camera. “Small is a relative term, because it scared the crap out of all of us. Even Easton looked strained around the eyes. Bree and Jessie were filming outside camp, and she got hurt. I really love Bree. We’re friends, you know? We’ve worked on three movies together, and when you spend that much time with someone…”

River drifted off, gathering her thoughts. “Anyway, I’m really glad Easton and Ben were here. I can’t imagine being up here with anyone else. Except, well, I’m not up here with Easton anymore. I’m by myself. Bree and I decided that I should summit and finish the film. Easton needed to help Ben get everyone back down, so we agreed I’d stay here. It’s quiet. It’s so quiet.”

Holding the camera steady was difficult, especially when her hands shook from the cold. So River set it between her knees, pointing at her face. The angle was terrible, but she didn’t care.

“You know what I keep thinking up here? I don’t miss back home in LA. I miss my home back in Wyoming. I miss the sound of my father’s voice. I miss my mother’s arms hugging me. I miss the smell of the ranch in the mornings, the dew on the grass, and the breeze coming across the pastures. I miss my grandmother’s hands. I even miss my sisters.”

River made a face at the camera. “I bet my sisters never thought I’d say that, but I do. I miss you. I miss having people who matter within arm’s reach. It used to be suffocating, but now…now I just want to be suffocated.”

Closing her eyes, River tried to gather herself.