

Ice Cold - Part One: The Dark Zone
A cryptic wilderness holds dark secrets, its name whispered in hushed tones: The Dark Zone. For twenty years, no one has returned from its depths. Now, a desperate group of survivors, plagued by unseen enemies and led by the enigmatic Morenno brothers, struggles to endure. Meanwhile, far from the whispers of the mountains, a young man haunted by his past and a mysterious relic is drawn inevitably towards the very heart of this forbidden territory. Two worlds on a collision course, bound by ancient powers and a looming vengeance. Will you uncover the truth before the Dark Zone consumes you too?Summer, 2008. The Adirondacks, New York. The 'Dark Zone'.
The glow of a single propane lantern barely cut through the oppressive darkness of the woods. A small group of men, bruised and weary, lumbered through the dense treeline, their senses on edge. The man holding the lantern, his face marked by a dark bruise, scanned the shadows. Only five of them remained, a grim reduction from the original twelve. One, wounded and moaning, was slumped over a comrade's shoulders.
"Go check it out," the lantern holder, Morales, whispered, pointing ahead. A young tyro cautiously vanished into the inky blackness.
Morales’ mind drifted, trying to reconcile their current misery with the inexplicable changes of the last few years. Why were they even here, hunting for signs of people they weren't sure still existed? A sudden, anguished groan brought him back. The injured man writhed on the ground, his veins bulging.
“Would you shut him up?” Morales growled.
“What the hell do you want me to do, knock him out?” the carrier shot back.
The rear guard stomped his foot on the wounded man’s head. “Keep quiet! They’re still out there. Watching us. Waiting.” His voice was a panicked whisper. He clutched his stone blade, eyes darting into the unseen canopy.
Morales flicked his hand. “Calm down already! If they wanted to kill us, they would have done it by now.”
The paranoid guard huffed, lifting his foot. “I’m tired of putting my life in the hands of that bastard child and his brother!” he seethed. “I’m sick of sleeping out here, just waiting to be killed!”
“What do you mean, everything you have?” another scoffed. “What do you think you have waiting for you in the real world?”
Before a brawl could erupt, Morales thrust his own blade between them. “Stop it! Any more infighting and we'll just be doing those animals out there a favor.”
