EXT. SNOWFIELD - DAY
A white void. The WIND is a physical weight, a deafening, continuous ROAR. Visibility is zero.
PENNY (30s, face a mask of frozen tears) trudges forward, thigh-deep in the drifts. She moves like a machine running on fumes.
Beside her, TOM (30s, a bulky shadow in a parka) stumbles. He grabs Penny’s arm, yanking her sideways just as she nearly trips.
Eyes up! Can't have you taking a nap just yet. The accommodations are terrible.
Penny’s jaw is stiff, her lips blue.
Service is worse.
Tom grunts. He points a heavy mitten into the swirling gray.
Look.
A shape resolves in the mist. Angular. Dark. A roofline listing to one side.
EXT. CABIN - CONTINUOUS
Penny and Tom collapse against the lee side of the wood structure. The ROAR muffles to a dull moan.
Tom claws at the door. Frozen shut. He throws his shoulder against it. The wood GROANS.
He hits it again. A sharp CRACK echoes like a gunshot. The door shudders inward.
INT. CABIN - CONTINUOUS
Darkness. Absolute silence. The wind is instantly cut off.
The sound of RAGGED BREATHING fills the room.
A Zippo CLICKS. A tiny flame blooms, illuminating Tom’s chapped, terrified face.
The room is small. A stone hearth. A rickety table coated in thick dust. Cobwebs hang like shrouds.
Home sweet home. Lacks that certain... je ne sais quoi.
Penny shivers violently, her teeth CHATTERING.
Central heating. And a distinct absence of ghost vibes.
Tom moves to the hearth. He peers up the chimney.
Should draw.
Penny shuffles to a corner. She finds a stack of books, covers warped and peeling.
Tom pries loose floorboards near the wall. He arranges the wood and the moldy books in the grate.
The Zippo STRUCK again. A page catches. Orange light flickers, then grows, casting long, dancing shadows.
INT. CABIN - LATER
The fire crackles steadily. Steam rises from their drying clothes.
Penny and Tom sit on the floor, sharing a broken energy bar.
Remember that time we tried to go camping in the Poconos? The 'glamping' trip?
Penny manages a stiff smile.
The tent took three hours to assemble.
And then it rained. We spent the night in the car listening to a podcast about cement.
I learned a lot about aggregate.
They laugh. A genuine, warm sound.
The fire SPUTTERS violently. It shrinks back into the logs.
A visible puff of CONDENSATION leaves Penny's mouth. The smile vanishes from her face.
Tom stops chewing. He looks around the room.
Did you feel that?
Penny rubs her arms. Her eyes are wide, searching the corners.
The Poconos. It's not funny anymore.
What?
I can remember it. The rain. The car. But I can't feel it. It's just... data.
Tom stares into the fire. His expression goes slack.
My grandmother's cookies. I can remember the recipe. But I can't remember the taste.
He looks at Penny. Terror dawns in his eyes.
It's gone.
It feeds on warmth. Not just fire. Us.
Penny pulls her knees to her chest.
If we talk, if we feel... we feed it.
INT. CABIN - LATER
Silence. Heavy and oppressive.
Penny stares at the dust on the floorboards. She blinks slowly.
A soft look crosses her face. Her shoulders relax. She is remembering something good.
INSTANTLY the room plunges into a deep freeze. The fire turns a sickly, ANEMIC BLUE.
Frost BLOOMS across the windowpane in a spiderweb pattern.
Penny gasps, clutching her chest. She arches her back, her face contorted in silent agony.
The blue light fades. The fire returns to a grudging orange. The room is darker than before.
Penny slumps. Tears freeze on her cheeks.
Penny...
Don't. Don't say anything.
She wipes her face. Her expression hardens. A desperate resolve settles in her eyes.
Tom. Get ready.
For what?
To run. When I tell you to.
Penny closes her eyes. She clenches her fists until the knuckles turn white.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath. A tear tracks through the soot on her cheek.
A smile touches her lips. It is radiant and heartbreaking.
The cabin REACTS. The shadows lengthen unnaturally. The temperature drops like a stone.
The fire DIES with a sharp HISS. Darkness swallows the room.
A phosphorescent BLUE GLOW emanates from the corners, coalescing around Penny.
Penny’s head falls back. She SCREAMS—a raw, guttural sound of loss.
The blue light intensifies, swirling into a vortex centered on her chest.
Penny’s eyes snap open. They are empty. Vacant.
Now! Run!
Tom lunges. He grabs her arm and hauls her up.
She is dead weight. He drags her toward the sliver of gray light at the door.
EXT. CABIN - CONTINUOUS
The door bursts open. Tom and Penny tumble out into the snow.
Tom slams the door shut against the frame.
The WIND howls, but the supernatural silence is gone.
Penny lies in the snow. She stares up at the gray sky, shivering uncontrollably.
Tom kneels beside her, shaking her shoulders.
Penny?
She looks at him. Her eyes are clear, but the light behind them is dim.
I survived.
She touches her wet face, confused by her own tears.
I don't know why I'm crying.