Frozen Release
A few years ago, I went hiking in northern Oregon with five close friends. Although we had planned the trip for months, we had no control over the weather, which had turned especially snowy and cold upon our arrival. Regardless, we decided to carry on with the hike. We were all quite experienced and well-prepared, so none of us really gave it a second thought.
The wilderness was stunning. The blankets of snow had given the landscape a dreamlike quality; it almost seemed like a crime to disturb the unbroken, white expanse before us with our footprints. As time passed, the sky became noticeably darker, while the temperature dropped even more. At -23°F, you can’t afford to leave any skin exposed for more than a few minutes. It really is amazing how sensitive the body is to extreme cold.
I had the feeling we were being watched. I would catch momentary flashes of movement or a brief glimpse of something pale in the underbrush, but I could never make out the form. It was unsettling, but I tried not to think about it. In any case, it was hard to think about anything besides the temperature, which had fallen to -29°F.
One night, I ventured out of my tent to urinate. As I approached the perimeter of a heavily wooded area, I saw undeniably human eyes staring back at me from the darkness. As soon as I saw them, they retracted back into the shadows. Spurred to action, I drew my hunting knife and ran towards where I saw the eyes. I sprinted through the blackness of the woods, chasing after what seemed to be a naked human form. After following the figure’s winding path, I found myself at a huge, blank clearing that continued to the horizon, where I saw a faint gold glow in the distance. The vacant white field before me seemed haunting, yet inviting. I knew the gold light was civilization. I had no choice but to go there, since there was no chance I could find my way through the woods back to the camp site.
I started walking. The frigid air pierced my layers and made me gasp for breath. The cold around me was almost dense enough to be palpable. Slowly, figures began to take shape around me. They were pallid, naked people that appeared to fade in and out of the air. All of them were staring at me and speaking in hushed, synchronized whispers.
Set yourself free…
I kept my eyes to the ground and kept walking. In my state of mind, I didn’t care about the paranormal phenomenon I was witnessing; I was worried about the cold. My hands and ears had begun to go numb.
Don’t fight the cold. Become one with it…
I blocked out their whispers. They couldn’t possibly be real anyway; I must be hallucinating from hypothermia. Is that possible…?
You’ve reached your limit. Now embrace the cold and be liberated of all limits…
I couldn’t help but smile. I wasn’t planning on dying today. I was close to death, but even closer to salvation. I looked up to see two lines of the naked, ghostly figures on both sides of me, all staring.
Don’t curse the cold. You can’t understand its beauty until you transcend the confines of living…
Ha! Don’t they understand that the confines are what give life value? Of course death sets you free, but that would be meaningless without the vulnerability you face in life! I shivered. At this point, my hands, ears, and nose were completely numb.
A new existence awaits you. One without fear or pain…
A gust of frosty wind stopped me in my tracks. The cold was agonizing, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I was the most tired I had ever been in my life, but I couldn’t lie down. Not yet.
Do you take pride in your weakness? Why do you fear invulnerability?
I don’t fear invulnerability! I would love to be freed from the shackles of mortality; to experience the world in ways I couldn’t in life! My vulnerabilities prevent me from truly living out my dreams…but no, I can’t die now. Suddenly, a white, naked ghost appeared in front of me with a grin on his face.
Then join us.
The wind stopped. Silence filled the air. I looked at the spirits around me. Unburdened. At peace. Free. My whole body was tingling with frost. I took off my jacket, threw off my gloves and hat, and pried off my boots. I shed every piece of clothing I had and I threw myself on my back. I gazed at the stars above me. Even as my vision started to fade, I smiled when I realized I was viewing eternity.
–
Credited to Dan.
this pasta is considerably better from the last couple of helpings….
but its not really scary i mean its just people trying to bring you over to what they think is better i mean they didnt even MAKE him they just kinda gave suggestions lol
…
This one made me really happy- I did something similar the other night (thought minus the whole ghosty bit).
I would have like to know if the glow was really a city or just an illusion kinda trappy thing though.
It doesn’t get that cold up here…
Pasta was kinda lame, too.
Poor story in the wrong website. This is http://www.creepypasta.com. It’s about scary stories, goddammit.
Then, “Don’t fight the cold. Become one with it…” The story became completely predictable after that line. It also needs a sequel so it could make sense. Overall, OK written.
Not creepy.
Not enough buildup, but hot damn this is some delicious pasta.
Meh.
A rather nice read.
This is not going to change the fact that I fucking hate winter, and I fucking hate the cold.
A good short…in a metaphysical sort of way…Not scary though.
Not scary at all which instantly put me off. I don’t come here to read bits of short fiction about cold and ghosts.
emu pasta is emu, this is all about releasing from life an like death is da best thang evar. shit sucked
The ending was way too predictable.
Well written but not good. There’s a difference.
Wait…I thought a “Frozen Release” was when you fapped in the freezer.
these stories need to be scary or creepy or both… but beyond that, it’s not really well written, and it’s pretty boring… there’s nothing really exciting about popsicle ghost people who ask you to do things nicely
1) Not scary
2) Only passably written
3) Rather dull
combine to make a story that’s not really worth the time it takes to read it. It’s lengthier for a pasta and it doesn’t really make any point (and takes a while to not get there).
Much better than the last few, but not creepy.
Very nice. An awesome and creepy take on hypothermia.
So this is kinda what happens to people undergoing hypothermia? Interesting, very interesting. A good read, but not creepy. When I read the whole ‘omg something watching us lol’ I expected it to be pretty damn scary, lol.
nice, but not creepy enough
im so sick of reading these crap stories, seriously, you realize you’re on creepypasta right?
My question is, how did he get lost in the first place? Couldn’t he have found his way back to the camp by simply following his footprints? Just sayin’…
This made me happy in a way.
Huzzah for the mention of beautiful Oregon!
I liked this.
This is my favorite story here I’ve read yet, but the “effect” requires a little insight on hypothermia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothermia#Paradoxical_undressing
I liked it, but something about the way it was written irked me. And it’s been done before. “Join us~” “Don’t wanna” “C’mon~” “Nah” “Please?” “… Alright. -suicides-” Seen it a few times, really. And I don’t particularly care if you stole the idea or not, thing is, it’s not the first time I’ve read it so I really didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have.
8/10
Camping in retardedly cold weather.
Go outside to pee.
Notice someone watching you pee.
DRAW HUNTING KNIFE AND CHASE THE FUCKER FOR NO APPARENT REASON, EVEN THOUGH YOU’LL DIE IN THE COLD AFTER 20 MINUTES.
Realise you are lost.
FUCK IT, TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES AND DIE.
Cool story bro.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen the protagonist make it out alive.
The title made me lol.
I thought he was going to start jerking off at the end.
I… don’t get it. That might just be me, though.
I liked that last line a lot. The rest was so-so.
This made me happy. Really, really happy.
We have -23°F all the winter in Finland, it really is not THAT cold. You can leave your skin exposed without worries. -30°F is cold, but -23°F is nothing.
THEN WHO WAS URINE?
It doesn’t get that cold in Oregon. Even on the mountains.
I agree with the idea that it has something to do with paradoxical undressing, but more abstract I suppose. That’s what I thought of while reading this, It wasn’t too scary though.
but who was phone?
ive never seen it that cold here, but if it does get that cold, im not going into the woods hah
Delurking to say what’s already been said: as someone who lives in northern Oregon, reading this made me lol because it’s definitely NOT that cold up here. It’s rare for it to get down to 23 degrees, nonetheless -23.
yeah, definite weather fail. Try central oregon.
It just rains in Northern oregon, I live in it.
It’s true. It just doesn’t get that cold in Oregon.
THEN WHO WAS NAKED SNOW GHOST?
I FEEL EVERYTHING, I KNOW EVERYTHING, I AM EVERYTHING!!
Am I the only one who thinks that this sounds a little bit like the legend of the wendigo?
sounds like normal hypothermia at the end. enough exposure to cold makes you want to take your clothes off, because it messes with your mind and makes you think it\’s hot.