When Satya sneaks into the Khumbu Valley of Nepal, famous for the trekking route to Mount Everest, he expects solitude. The entire valley has been evacuated and closed due to rinderpest, a cattle disease, but rumors about disappearances and murder run to the contrary. As a graduate student obsessed with folklore, Satya couldn't ask for more. By exploring the valley, he expects to craft the thesis project of a lifetime. What he doesn’t expect (or particularly want) is company.

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Nicki and Jared are trouble from day one with their strained relationship. As two trekkers intent on reaching Everest Base Camp, their route overlaps with Satya's, creating an uneasy alliance that shifts from temporary to permanent when the group is waylaid in Namche Bazaar. It is the one place they shouldn't linger, and as each attempt to leave circles back in misfortune, tensions and self-interest escalate, crippling the very trust on which survival hinges. If folklore has taught Satya anything, it's this: the three of them are not alone.

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*Note: This novel has not been published. Only the excerpt is publicly available.