Amelia Renard
"The bulk of the blizzard is cutting across Quebec now - expect subzero temperatures in northern regions..."
The newscaster's voice faded into static, the howling wind and unrelenting storm outside probably interfering with the signal. Flakes of frozen snow battered against the windows, piling up against the doors outside. Even past the storm's cry, the bustle of the air strip could be heard as hunters, pilots, or anyone else with bushplane business chattered, or yelled into now-useless phones. It was a bit like chaos. Every aircraft was grounded, and most people wouldn't go on the road at this hour, especially with these conditions, and it was nigh impossible to contact anyone.
It had been a couple hours since the storm popped up. It was supposed to be nothing more than a mild flurry that was predicted, but what they got was the second coming of the ice age. Even inside the office building on the strip, Amelia felt a little bit nippy.
Unlike most, Amelia didn't really have anyone to call. She was sometimes gone for up to a week, and the only person who'd notice is her roommate. Her parents weren't talking to her anymore because of some petty argument, and her sisters were all the way in Germany.
So, she was calm. It was kind of like therapy for her, like sitting in the eye of a wild, humanistic storm, watching rich men and women in suits get in a huff over a little snow. Amelia figured they might as well make themselves comfortable, like she had.
A cheap dollar cup of watery cocoa, warm clothes, and one of her jackets as a makeshift blanket. It didn't get better than this. She listened to the report for a few more seconds, then huddled into her portion of wall, pulling the jacket tighter over her. The blizzard wouldn't end any time soon... she might as well get some sleep. It'll all smooth over once she wakes.
At first, it just seemed like a nightmare. A very vivid one. Everything was dark, but her senses were sharp. This was unlike any dream she'd had before. There was a cold feeling - one that seemed to nip at her bones, but without freezing her skin. It wasn't a pleasant chill, not like the ones Amelia enjoyed in the fall. This... felt sinister, almost. Unnatural.
She took a step. Part of her wanted to see more. Part of her wanted to leave.
But then she fell. It felt as if it lasted forever - and she didn't know which way was up or down, left or right. Like she was suspended in space. And then, just as suddenly, she hit the ground feet first, landing with a loud smack!
She crumpled, falling to her side with an agonized yelp, her injured leg sending a spike of pain through her spine. It would have probably hurt worse if the ground wasn't so spongy. It was almost like peat, hell, she could sleep on this if you gave her a pillow and blanket. Well, she would, if it wasn't so dirty. Her sweater seemed to be a bit stained from the fall, and half of her pants were nearly sunk into the stuff.
There was a second muffled collision as her jacket fell atop of her, obscuring her view for a brief moment. She threw it off, propping her body up to get a look around, her leg still throbbing.
It was a graveyard. She had landed in the middle of a graveyard. And as before... everything was so vivid. In a dream, some things would be dull, blurry... you couldn't hear or feel as well. But here, she could feel the exact texture of the ground, the unyielding, rough stone headstones nearby, and the distant splashing of waves. It was incredibly eerie... but for Amelia, it was fascinating, in a morbid sort of way.
Beyond a line of old, wrought-iron fencing, there were some trees, and beyond them - nothing but darkness. It looked like the beginning to either a really bad, or a really good horror flick. However, it definitely seemed like the start of a frightening nightmare.
And in the distance, she could see a lone man, facing a tree. His features seemed distinctly Asian, and he was wearing - !
"Oh my god, is that a dress?" She blurted out, having to stifle a bout of giggling. He seemed amusingly out of place, a lone, dress-wearing man in the middle of an evil, eerie, and murderous graveyard. She eventually held up a hand, finally composing herself enough to continue, "Sorry - sorry, ha! But, this doesn't seem like much of a nightmare! Where's the monster, or Jason, or a killer clown?"
Of course, she didn't yet suspect the true gravity of her situation. To her... this was just an odd, incredibly vivid dream. And she'd inevitably wake up, safe and sound in that airport soon enough.