Snowed In

Yeah, I supposed I did. Carnally, anyway. But still…

“ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE WAY?”

If Shane heard me, he didn’t answer. He only kept on going, pushing his way through the snow.

I thought it would get easier, honestly. That as we got further down past the avalanche zone, the snow beneath our feet would become less thick. Instead, it seemed to grow even deeper. We were sinking more often, sometimes up to our waists. Sometimes more.

This is crazy! Maybe we should just stay put.

The second guessing part was the worst — knowing that every decision you made from this point forward could be the one that ultimately saved or killed you. The not having a plan part was the worst for me. I liked plans. Plans were my thing. When it came to winging it, or playing things by ear, I just wasn’t your girl.

Maybe we should just—

Silently I pushed all other thoughts away. I had faith in Shane. He’d kept us alive last night, when the temperatures had probably dropped low enough to freeze us solid. Somehow he’d known what to do. Something told me he had experience.

And strength. Don’t forget that.

Minutes turned into hours, but the sky remained the same. There was no visibility, no way for anyone to find us. I had to wonder if anyone was even looking. The entire day, we didn’t see or hear a single soul. No voices on the wind. No shouts, calling out for us.

Exhaustion set in, and the day came to an end. Our only indication was a darkening of the flat grey sky.

“S—SHOULD WE S—STOP AGAIN?” I asked, my teeth chattering.

Snow turned to sleet, which was transforming everything around us to ice. Swimming our way through the existing accumulation was becoming rapidly impossible.

Shane stopped, slapping his arms to his sides in a gesture of futility. He looked utterly exasperated as he stared up at the sky.

“I GUESS SO.”

The idea of staying another night on the mountain was crushing. Then again, dying seemed worse. I wondered if he had it in him to dig another snow shelter. This time, no matter what, I was going to help. I couldn’t feel my fingers anyway.

“WE HAVE TO BE NEAR THE BOTTOM!” he shouted. He slogged forward another few steps. “WE HAVE TO BE CLOSE TO—”

WHOOSH!

There a blur of silvery powder… and suddenly he was gone! One moment he’d been standing right there. The next…

“SHANE!”

I rushed forward frantically. Where Shane had been standing a moment ago, there was now a dark hole in the snow. A big hole. A hole leading down to—

“I’M ALRIGHT!”

I could see him, thankfully not too far down. He’d fallen about eight or ten feet. Landed on something that looked like… wood?

Droppi

ng to my belly, I stuck my head in the hole. Instantly everything quieted down. The wind was all but gone. The air inside was still.

“WHAT HAPPENED?” I shouted, then suddenly realized I was way too loud. “I mean, where are you? What is this?”

Shane was already back on his feet. He was standing on what looked like an upstairs landing, complete with polished floor and a railing. And looking down beyond that, over the railing…

“It’s a house!”

My voice echoed in the inky darkness. With the light spilling in from our hole, I could see a huge, downstairs area. It was vast. Tremendous.

“Not a house,” Shane said, pointing. Up and down each end of the landing he was standing on, I could see doors set into the wall. “It’s— It’s some kind of hotel!”