During a road trip through Tibet, my brother and sister-in-law egged my nephew on to feed spicy beef jerky to a Tibetan Blue Bear. Seeing the bear panting and making goofy faces from the spice, the three of them laughed hysterically, filmed it, and uploaded it online. Who knew? The video went viral overnight, racking up over a million views. Desperate to become influencers and cash in, they spent the next day specifically hunting for bears to feed. That’s when I noticed something terrifying. The bear currently performing tricks for my brother’s camera... was the exact same bear we fed yesterday. 1. I peered through the half-open car window. The bear was chomping down on the food, drool stringing from its jaws to the ground. It looked goofier than your average predator. That was exactly why my brother, Brad, and his wife, Karen, couldn't tear themselves away. The bear, having just swallowed a stick of spicy jerky, was waving its paws and sticking its tongue out in a way that looked almost human. It was "cute." My family was losing their minds laughing. Brad, holding the phone, shifted angles. "Danny, get closer! Yeah, right there. Smile big for the camera!" Karen was directing from the side. "Danny, give him another piece! I think he wants more. We need different angles for the compilation video later." We had stopped a few times to feed bears without incident, but sitting in the backseat, I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. Something was wrong. I pulled out my phone and pulled up the video they posted last night. This bear was too unique. Not just its mannerisms, but that specific patch of grey-white fur on its neck. It was identical to the one in the video. This was the same bear. Yesterday, it had stared at them, eating everything Danny threw at it, drooling everywhere. The comments section was blowing up: "OMG, never seen a bear that greedy!" "It’s a foodie bear! So cute!" Maybe I was staring too hard. The bear, having just finished a handful of cookies, swivelled its black, beady eyes and locked onto me. It sent a chill down my spine. I immediately rolled up the window, locked the door, and pressed my back against the seat, taking a deep breath. This bear wasn't right. It was too harmless. It acted like a circus animal, knowing exactly what moves would make the tourists happy. I turned to our local guide. "Dorje, how far to the next campsite?" "Not far," Dorje said. "Maybe thirty miles." "That close? Won't these bears follow us?" Dorje laughed at my paranoia. "No way. Tibetan Blue Bears only chase prey for a hundred yards or so. They give up quick." Seeing my pale face, he added, "Relax. The spot is safe. I take tourists there all the time. Never had an accident." I quickly Googled it. He was right. Bears usually don't stalk prey over long distances unless they are starving. But what if this bear was different? We had seen plenty of wildlife. These bears weren't starving. So why would it follow us for a whole day just for some snacks? No. It wasn't the snacks. Sure, human food is tasty, but for a massive predator, a few sticks of jerky isn't even a snack. It’s a crumb. Plenty of tourists feed bears on this highway. There was no reason to target us specifically. Unless the food wasn't the jerky. Unless the food... was us. 2. It took ages to drag them back into the car. My nephew, Danny, kicked my shin the moment he got in. "Why are you rushing us? I wasn't done feeding the bear!" Karen rolled her eyes. "What? Are you jealous because we went viral?" She turned to Brad, using her whiny voice. "Babe, you know what kind of people act like this? It's always family. They just can't stand seeing you do better than them." I opened my mouth to explain, but Brad cut me off. "Summer, can you stop being such a hater? Have you forgotten who beat up the neighborhood bully for you when we were kids?" I hadn't forgotten. I also hadn't forgotten that the bully only hit me because Brad stole his Gameboy. But now wasn't the time for history lessons. I showed them the comparison photos. "Look at the fur pattern. It's the same bear. It followed us." They brushed it off. "You're seeing things." Dorje looked at the photos. "Huh. They do look alike. But bears look similar out here." Seeing nobody believed me, I put my foot down. "For safety, I think we should cancel the 'Starry Night Camping' plan. There's a town with a hotel another 150 miles up the road." Karen shrieked. "No way! The camping is the highlight of the trip! We aren't canceling!" Brad frowned. "Stop being dramatic. The guide says it's fine. Do you know more than the local expert now?" Danny went feral. He reached over the seat and yanked my hair. "We are camping! You bitch! You stole my money and now you ruin my fun! Die!" The brat had a grip like a vice. I screamed in pain and pinched his arm as hard as I could until he let go. Seeing my red eyes and Danny's tears, Karen pulled her son into a hug. "He's just a child! You're a grown woman hurting a nine-year-old? Are you human?" She started fake crying. "I never even spank him, and you pinch him until he bleeds? Brad, look!" Brad glared at me from the passenger seat. If Dorje hadn't been driving, he probably would have hit me. "Summer, if there is a mark on him, you're paying for it." I had organized this trip to fix my relationship with my brother's family. Clearly, that was a mistake. I decided to respect their fate. "If you guys are camping, I'm staying in the hotel." "No," Brad said. "One car. We stick together." "Dorje can drop you guys off, take me to the hotel, and come back." "Absolutely not!" Karen snapped. "The hotel is the opposite direction of tomorrow's sights. Why should we waste time on you?" She sneered. "You picked a hotel so far away... what if the car doesn't come back? You want us stranded in the wild? I knew you were up to no good. Inviting us on a trip... probably hoping we'd disappear so you get Mom and Dad's inheritance." I couldn't win. I was forced to go to the campsite. But I refused to leave the vehicle. I locked myself in the driver's seat with my backpack. 3. The Tibetan night sky was indeed beautiful. Brad and Karen’s livestream was popping off again. Danny’s bear-feeding photos were trending. They were bragging to their fans, encouraging them to come out. "Guys, get here ASAP! The bear cubs are so cute!" I tried commenting, warning people that bears are omnivores and dangerous, but my comments were drowned out by fans mocking me for being a buzzkill. Exhausted from the excitement, the three of them fell asleep in their tent. Silence enveloped the plateau. I started dozing off, watching the stars through the sunroof. Suddenly, the car lights flashed twice. Someone had hit the lock button on the remote. I sat up straight. There were only two keys. Brad had one. Dorje had the other. Brad and Dorje wouldn't prank me. That left Danny. I looked at the tent near the dying campfire. It was silent. If Danny was messing around, he wouldn't be this quiet. Click. Someone pulled the door handle behind me. It was locked. A bad feeling washed over me. I held down the internal lock button with one hand and slid down in the seat. Click. Another sound. My heart hammered. I pressed the lock again. Because someone had unlocked it with the remote, the interior lights had turned on. Someone tried the door again. Suddenly, a massive, furry face pressed against the driver’s side window. Beady black eyes scanned the interior. I curled into a ball under the steering wheel, covering myself with my backpack, praying it didn't see me. 4. Thanks to the window tint and my hiding spot, the bear didn't spot me. It circled the car once and seemed to wander off. I grabbed my phone to text Brad, but hesitated, afraid the light would give me away. THUMP. The car shook violently. Something heavy had climbed onto the roof. I remembered reading that bears are incredibly smart and vengeful. When released into the wild, other animals run; bears come back to the driver's side to settle the score. They even check under the car. That bear had memorized our faces. It knew exactly how many of us there were. It was hunting us. I covered my phone with my jacket sleeve to block the light and sent texts to Brad and Dorje. [Danger. Bear outside the tent!] Ding! Ding-dong! Crisp notification sounds rang out in the silent night. One was Brad's, coming from the tent. The other was Dorje's. It came from just outside the car—but nowhere near the tent. My blood ran cold. I had heard strange unlocking sounds earlier. I suspected Dorje was already dead. He was the most experienced, the first threat to neutralize. I had hoped he just dropped his keys. But now, with the bear lying on the hood of the car, blocking the windshield with its massive bulk, I knew. Dorje was gone. The bear was staring through the glass, looking for me. Suddenly, voices came from the tent. Brad and Karen had woken up. They saw the bear outside their tent. But unlike me, they weren't screaming in terror. They were screaming in delight.
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