If it weren’t for the Red Snow, it wouldn’t be that bad.
But it constantly hung over our heads, lingered just behind our shoulders, haunted each of us every Thursday night. I never slept well on Thursdays. Not because I believed I would be next, but because someone would be next. It would happen—and there was nothing we could do about it.
The boss stopped coming to my cabin.
He was either busy…or I’d pissed him off.
Probably pissed him off.
I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted by his offer. I was…deeply. To get out of the cold, to descend into a life of riches and luxury, to have a warm bed made up with satin sheets, have gourmet food whenever I wished… Who wouldn’t want that? When he looked the other way, I could run.
But where would I go?
Even if I never ran, it was better than being here.
But I could never leave my sister behind. I could never enjoy any of the amenities he described when I knew she was stuck out here, her only ally the guard who seemed to care whether she lived or died.
There was nothing I could do for her. I should just take the offer and run.
But I’d rather work my hands bloody every day in the cold and look up to see my sister there.
To see her face.
Another blizzard came into the camp, howling outside the cabin with shrieks that couldn’t be drowned out by the fire. Every day after work, my fireplace was roaring with flames, my dinner was delivered, but it was different from what I used to have.
It was steak, potatoes, corn, asparagus, fresh bread, a glass of wine, and a slice of pie.
I imagined he was eating the same thing—so we were still connected even when he didn’t come to me. He tempted me with breadcrumbs, with fine delicacies the other girls could never have. The guards couldn’t even have them.
I continued to work in the clearing, but I felt like one of the most powerful people in that camp. I was never touched, the guards never looked at me, my cabin was always prepped for my arrival, and he continued to prove that he could give me so much more.
If I said yes.
When the blizzard passed, I was given a shovel and put to work with everyone else. Digging the shovel into the snow and hauling the powder away was much more physically demanding than sitting on the bench and processing the cocaine, so I dreaded doing it. It gave me a workout that I’d never had in my life, leaving me sore for two days afterward.
Hours into the day, Raven found me.
Discreetly, she came closer and closer, moving into earshot. “You okay?”
She always checked on me first. “Yeah, I’m fine. What about you?” I got a pile of snow in my shovel and carried it to the edge, while she did the same.
“I’m going to get us out of here, okay?”
I believed my sister was capable of anything, even the impossible, but I didn’t believe that. I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want to sabotage her hope. It was probably the only reason she was still going, the fantasy of freedom.
“I’ve been gathering supplies. When I’ve got everything, we’ll go.”
I did my best not to have a reaction so the guards wouldn’t realize we were talking. “Raven, what do you mean—”
“We’re going to run for it, okay?”
“Run where?” I dropped my head as I shoved the shovel into the snow, covering my reaction by letting my hood tilt then cover the back of my head. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. We’ll die out there—”
“I heard a bell.”
“A bell?”
“Yes. On the wind. I know it’s there.”
I lifted the shovel out of the snow and stared at my sister, seeing the fearlessness in her eyes. “We’re going to get caught.”
“We’ve got to try, alright? I’d rather try and die than live like this for god knows how long.” She lifted her shovel from the snow and carried it to the clearing. “Where’s your cabin?”
“Raven, I—”
“Melanie, I’m not leaving unless you come with me. Be brave, okay?”
I carried my shovel to the edge of the clearing and tossed the snow onto the pile. I’d done my best to convince the boss to take my sister too, but he wasn’t just stubborn, but uncompromising. If Raven didn’t at least try to escape, she would stay here until her neck was in that noose. “Is your guard helping you?”
“Kinda…in a way. You need to be prepared at a moment’s notice. You need to be prepared to run like our lives depend on it—because they do.”
When I returned to the cabin at sundown, I stepped into the room and immediately shed my coat, because the hard work had actually made me warm, made me sweat throughout the day. The fireplace was burning, and my dinner was on the bed. I pulled off my jacket and tossed it on the floor. Then I reached for my shirt to pull it over my head.