Chapter 3
Night fell fast in the mountains, so dark that one couldn't even see one's hand in front of your face.
The temperature dropped below freezing.
Tyler set up a high-end windproof tent in a sheltered spot, laying down a moisture-proof mat inside.
He only gave Irene a tattered plastic sheet.
"Great-Grandma, you can sleep right here in the wind. It'll toughen you up.
"This is the VIP spot. You've got a clear view of the stars," Tyler said.
He tossed the plastic sheet onto the ground, crawled into the tent, zipped it up, and stuck his head out to start his livestream.
Irene curled up under the plastic sheet, her back against a large boulder.
She didn't sleep.
She picked up some dry branches nearby and got a fire going like a pro.
When Tyler saw it, he immediately crawled out of the tent and scattered the campfire with a kick.
Sparks scattered everywhere.
"Who told you to start a fire?
"What if you cause a wildfire? Do you even know about fire safety?
"Having a fire ruins the whole survival experience. Put it out," Tyler shouted.
He grabbed the half-empty bottle of water and dumped it on the fire.
With a loud sizzle, white smoke rose, and the last bit of warmth vanished.
Irene looked up and fixed Tyler with a steely glare.
It was the first time she'd ever given anyone that look.
She wasn't the meek old woman anymore. She was like a lone wolf defending her turf.
Irene stared him down and said coolly, "Put out the fire, and the wolves will come."
Tyler was startled by her glare, but quickly snapped out of it and got pissed off.
He sneered, "Wolves? Seriously?
"Are you nuts, old lady? There aren't even wolves around anymore.
"And even if there were, you think I can't handle them with this shovel?
He swung his sharp shovel through the air a couple of times, showing off.
"Come on. If a wolf shows up, I'll take it down and have myself a midnight snack," Tyler bragged.
Trying to spice up his livestream, Tyler pulled a Bluetooth speaker from his pocket.
He synced it to his phone and blasted a wolf howl he'd downloaded earlier.
The chilling howl echoed through the empty valley, making the night feel even more haunted.
"Fam, is this intense or what?" Tyler shouted into the camera.
"Let's make things even crazier for Great-Grandma. Maybe we'll scare her so bad she pees her pants."
He hid the speaker in the grass behind Irene and cranked the volume all the way up.
The chat was blowing up with hate, but Tyler couldn't care less.
Irene didn't move, not even turning her head.
She cocked her ear, trying to separate the fake wolf howl from the speaker and another sound mixed in with the wind.
It was heavy, stifled breathing.
And the sharp crack of dry branches snapping underfoot.
Irene crouched down and picked up a rock with a sharp edge from the ground.
It was a hard shard, razor-thin along the edge.
She began grinding it against a nearby boulder.
Tyler kept cracking up at the camera, roasting Irene for messing around with pointless stuff.
He sneered, "Sharpening a rock? What is this, caveman mode now?
"Seriously, Great-Grandma, you think you're gonna fight off a wolf with that sad little rock? You're killing me."
The mic in the livestream was super sensitive.
Suddenly, the chat went dead silent.
Someone typed: [Hey, Tyler, what's behind you? Are those two lights?]
Tyler was momentarily stunned, then instinctively turned around.
Behind the dark bushes, two eerie green eyes were staring right at them.
A gust of stinking wind blew over as those glowing eyes crept closer and closer.
It wasn't a wolf.
Whatever it was, it was way bigger than any wolf.
It was a massive, one-eyed wild boar, easily over 330 pounds.
Its tusks gleamed cold and pale in the moonlight, thick strands of drool dangling from its jaws.
That fake wolf howl had riled it up, making it think someone was picking a fight.
Tyler's laughter cut off instantly, like a chicken getting its neck wrung.
"Is this some kind of CGI or something?" Tyler stammered.
His voice shook as he blurted out the question.
In the blink of an eye, the wild boar unleashed a thunderous roar and came charging right at the camp.
It shot toward them like a freight train, reeking so bad it made you want to gag.
If it slammed into Tylor, he'd be nothing but a pile of broken bones.
Tyler's cocky attitude vanished in a heartbeat.
His legs went weak, and he scrambled back, practically crawling on all fours, his shovel hitting the ground with a loud clang.
"Oh my god. Somebody help me," Tyler screamed.
His phone tumbled into the grass, the camera ending up tilted upward, catching every second of the chaos as it all went down.
The wild boar was charging straight for the speaker, blasting out those wolf howls. Right where Irene was huddled.
But Tyler's panicked screams made it whip around.
The one-eyed beast suddenly veered, its tusks aimed right at Tyler's thigh.
It was less than 15 feet away.
Tyler was completely trapped. His back crashed hard against a tree, panic flooding his mind.
In utter despair, Tyler caught sight of Irene standing close by.
She was just a few steps away, clutching that sharp-edged rock with a steely determination in her eyes.
When push came to shove, Tyler went savage.
He lunged and grabbed Irene by the collar.
"You. Block it for me," Tyler yelled.
He shoved Irene hard, right into the path of the charging wild boar, not a shred of hesitation.