"AHH!!! Run!" Jossen screamed, running as fast as he could through the snow. His Kau friend certainly didn't need his advice, as she was nearly keeping pace with him! Glancing over a shoulder, he saw that the Snowager was still raging towards them.

"Who knew he'd be so threatened by a torch? That cave is really dark at night!" Kalori huffed, desperately trying to keep up with the Lupe. The two friends continued to run through the snow, kicking it up behind them as they raced for their lives. The Snowager, however, was quickly gaining on them. "There! That building over there... let's hide in it!"

Jossen gasped for breath, nodding his head. "I... didn't know... the Snowager... ever came out of the Ice Caves!" he managed to blurt out.

"I hope he melts!" squealed Kalori, but it was doubtful. The top of Terror Mountain didn't seem any warmer than the Ice Caves themselves.

They finally neared the large, rather ominous looking building. By that point, their fear of the Snowager overcame any derelict building. Bursting through the large, wooden doors, the Neopets swung the latch closed to lock it, then quickly pushed a few large pieces of furniture to brace the door.

"Do you think that will hold?" Kalori asked nervously. Moments later, the door trembled as the Snowager struck it in all its rage. Again and again the door shook, but finally the assault ended. They could still hear the ice beast lurking just outside of the door, though.

"Let's hope so," Jossen said. "Where are we, anyway?"

The Kau turned around to study their surroundings, then gasped. "We're... we're in the SKI LODGE!"...

"W-what d-do we d-do now, J-Jossen? We're trapped!" the Kau wailed.

The Lupe put his paw to his mouth and thought. The Ski Lodge killer had been caught ages ago, so obviously nothing was going to kill them, and eventually the Snowager would go away! He told all he had thought to Kalori, who gave a short Kau moo of relief.

"So... should we check out the kitchens?"

Five minutes later, the Neopets were stuffing their faces with food from the kitchen fridge.

"Mumphleh, mumoss, kyold?" spat Kalori.

She swallowed her food and tried again.

"Won't all this food be really old Jossen?"

"Well it tastes fresh enough... maybe a janitor or someone came and restocked it recently. Terror Mountain is getting more popular, y'know, with it being Christmas and all."

Kalori gulped down some Neo Cola.

"I suppose. You're probably right. Hey! When we're full, d'you think we should go and see if the Snowager's gone? I know the Ski Lodge is probably safe now, but I'd rather not stay here for long."

Jossen agreed, and after five more minutes of an eating spree, they walked back to the entrance hall.

"I can't hear any disgruntled growling," said Jossen, "So we should be safe. Come on and help me move this stuff."

When the last antique chair was being put back in it's proper place by Jossen, Kalori turned to the door to open it, but stood still.

"Hey Kalori, what are you waiting for?"

Kalori turned to Jossen, her face white.

"Jossen... the door's gone!"...

...Jossen looked up from the chair he was adjusting.

"What do you mean, 'the door is gone'? Don't be ridi..."

Jossen stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open.

"It's gone!" the Kau wailed, and hiding her eyes behind her hooves.

"It's not gone, Kalori," Jossen managed to finally reply. "Doors don't just disappear! It's simply been... misplaced. Misplaced, yes... that must be it."

Kalori wailed again. "I knew this was a bad idea. I told you, didn't I? I said..." Kalori fell silent as she heard a bumping sound from somewhere above them. "Jossen?"

"Hmmm?" he said, still staring at the place where the door had been before it was misplaced.

"Did you hear that?" Kalori said, trying to sound casual, but unable to keep the small tremor out of her voice.

"Hear what?" Jossen replied.

The bumping sound came again, a little louder this time.

"That!" Kalori moaned.

The Lupe shook his head. "Kalori, calm down! It's probably just the house."

"The house?" she asked.

Jossen nodded. "This place is pretty old, you know. When night falls and it becomes colder, old houses tend to... settle in."

"Really?" Kalori said in relief. "They settle in?"

"Sure," Jossen said, feeling better himself. "Now all we've gotta do is..."

He never finished his sentence, because at that moment the lights went out, and...

The thumps began once again, but louder and increasing swiftly in speed. The Kau and Lupe were overcome by a sudden horrific realization, that the source of the noise had been moving across the upstairs landing, heading straight towards them!

"Jossen!" Kalori squealed. "It's the Ski Lodge Killer... run!"

She tugged at Jossen, trying to run for the door. Kalori turned and started to scramble wildly across the hallway, blindly searching the walls for a doorknob, or some other way to escape. With no light, though, her search was in vain. Jossen jumped as Kalori screamed, and he began racing about the hall.

A terrific roar suddenly met their ears. It filled the cavernous hallway, and resonated about the walls. The sound was deep, but seemed to carry the desperate wail of a thousand voices in its echoes. The Neopets paused in terror and respect, wincing at the saddening sound. The thumping become louder and louder as it came closer to the pair. It now came down the stairs.

A powerful snarling was heard, as if from the form of a massive beast. Kalori panicked as she continued to search the walls. A squeak of delight was heard amidst the chaos, as the Kau had obviously found something interesting. She grappled with something for a moment, and light suddenly sprang back into the room. The creature was a few feet away. Jossen squinted as his pupils were stunned by the sudden appearance of bright light. All he managed to see was a dark form, leaping out at him.

"Look out!" Kalori screamed. The monster also screamed in pain, and...

...Kalori sprinted towards her friend. The monster, a horrible shrieking wail emitting from its foul throat, dropped to the worn wood in mid-jump. Tearing down the hallway, with fangs glistening and its cries echoing through the mysterious lodge, the creature smashed through the door, then ravaged its way into the dark, damp cellar.

Kalori, trembling violently, went to her friend's side. Jossen's eyes had brightened in discovery.

"Kalori!" he declared, exhaling. "Did you see how that monster stopped attacking when the lights were on?"

"Who cares?" Kalori wailed. "We've got to get out of here!"

"I know!" Jossen said. "Now know his weakness, though! I think I saw a torch in the kitchen... let's go!"

After the two Neopets retrieved the torch from the kitchen and had it going brightly, they edged towards the cellar door, which had been smashed, leaving splints of wood debris littering the floor.

"Do you think it will stay down there?" Kalori asked. She was now sniffling steadily, and her eyes were shining with tears as hysteria descended upon her.

"I hope so!" Jossen replied. "Come on, let's find away out of here. Torches don't burn forever, you know."

Kalori nodded, following Jossen as they continued to explore the lodge, hoping to find a way of escaping...

"Let's take a rest," Jossen said in the the middle of a particularly long and spooky corridor. Shivering, Kalori nodded. The two friends, huddling together, took a breather as they sat in front of a painting of a pretty woman, who was wearing a white dress.

Kalori suddenly heard that familiar thumping noise... this time it was very loud and close. "Jossen, it's back!" she whispered. A cold breeze blew through the hallway, and Kalori shivered. "We have to run!"

Kalori looked around. "Jossen?" she asked, unable to see her friend! "Jossen!" she said frantically. Looking at the picture of the lady in white--wait! There was no more lady in white! The painting had been replaced by another portrait... this one of a blonde man with glasses.

"Huh?" Kalori asked, touching the painting. Silently a piece of the wall turned around, like a wheel, and she suddenly found herself in a dark and musty corridor. "Huh? Jossen?" Kalori asked.

At that moment, a familiar cold shivered through her body...

"...not Josssssssen," a gruff whisper answered her call.

"Uh oh," Kalori quavered. She began to scramble frantically for a torch, flashlight, or panel switch... whatever she could find.

"You can't essssscape from me," the voice whispered.

Kalori gulped loudly, then with the great force of an iron will, calmed herself. "Well, if I can't escape from you, then will you at least tell me who you are before you eat me?" she asked bravely. "My name's Kalori... who are you?"

"Hehehehehe," the creature's laugh startled Kalori. "Who sssayssss I want to eat you? My name'ssssssss Argusssss."

"Well," Kalori asked, "if you don't want to eat us, then why are you chasing us?" As she spoke, the Kau slowly and quietly edged away from the voice and, she hoped, in the direction of the painting on the wall.

"I wassss chassssing you, becausssse you dared to enter my lair!" the creature hissed. "No one enterssssss my lair without penaltiesssssss!"

You--you're the Snowager!" Kalori exclaimed. "But, how did you get inside? And who, or rather what, is the other creature that's chasing us!?"

"Yesssss, I am the Sssssnowager. I broke through a weak ssspot in the wallssss," the creature hissed. "What isssss thisssss other creature you ssspeak of?"

"Well, I don't know exactly. However, I DO know that it doesn't like light," said Kalori helpfully.

"Doessssn't like light?" Argus asked Kalori, sounding alarmed. "I know of what you ssspeeak, and it isss a terrible creature, indeed. We musssst leave thissss place. Even theivesss do not dessserve that fate."

"Wait!" Kalori cried. "My friend... he's still lost!"

The Snowager turned his head to respond, but at that moment...

Trembling, she whispered, "It's the Snowager, Jossen. It broke through a weak part of the..."

"Snowager? Then RUN for goodness' sake, RUN!!!"

As Jossen turned to flee, Kalori cried out, "WAIT!!!!"

"What? Why are we stopping? I'm confused, Kalori... it's that beast's fault we're here in the first place! I'm missing something here." he said, his mind puzzling over all the sudden events.

Kalori turned to Argus and said, "Do you know of a way out of here? Please, could you help us?" While asking, she hoped with all her might that he did, indeed, know a way out.

The Snowager looked doubtful. "I do not know. It would take a very clever persssson to find their way out of thisss place. All I know isss that we have to, and sssssoon, or our fate will be worssssse than imaginable," he hissed, and again the two Neopet friends shuddered as they felt the coldness swoop around them.

"Hang on, I've got it! Why don't we just go out the way Argus came in? I mean, it can't be that far away and I'm sure you can remember the way. Argus, please... show us!" Jossen said urgently.

"FOOLSSSSSSSS!!!! Of coursssse not! Did you not think that I would have thought of that? You cannot exit thissss place the way you enter! It issss not posssible! It will not let you... you cannot!!!" Argus spat, causing Kalori and Jossen to jump again.

"What will not let you? WHAT? We don't even know what it is! Just tell us, PLEASE!!" cried the young Kau.

"The beast the feeds off souls. It controls this plac--" *BANG!!!* This time the Snowager jumped as well as the Neopets.

Before them, the creature slowly advanced...

...They could smell its foul breath in the air. Kalori and Jossen choked on the stench. After a long fit of coughing, they looked up to see that Argus was slithering down the hall, towards the beast.

"Argu... Ar... Argus!" Kalori called through her hacking. "Argus, come back! You can't go alone!" With this, Kalori began to run after him. Jossen leapt forward to catch Kalori, before she could do anything that would put their lives in further danger.

However, as fast the Lupe was, Kalori was faster. She was already halfway down the corridor. Deciding there was nothing else he could do, Jossen took off after her, hoping that he hadn't made the wrong decision.

Argus leapt forward, straight at the creature. It made no attempt to move back. Kalori and Jossen wondered why. Then, they saw it. A small sliver of light was reflecting off of Argus's body. A sliver of light that came from... a door!

Kalori ran to the light source, knocking the door fully open. The light reflected brilliantly through the icy body of the Snowager, who reared his head back and shot reflective slivers of ice at the monster. The beast screamed in pain and cowered at the end of the hall, away from the horrible light.

Keeping an eye on the beast, the three backed out of the open door, quickly making their way through the lodge.

"Look! That door wasn't there before!" Kalori exclaimed as they passed into a large room. "I thought you couldn't get out of here!"

"Not by the same door you came in," Argus said, winking meaningfully as he led the two Neopets through the door and onto the snowy peak of Terror Mountain. "You're safe now."

"Thank you so much, Argus!" Kalori and Jossen said together. What a story they would have to tell when they got home!

"Now, get out of here." the Snowager said with a grin, then added, "Oh, and next time you come to visit... try not to wake me up."

The End