by K. C. Crowne
I looked back to the lift. Maybe we should start toward it?
“What about calling 911?” Marcy asked, wide-eyed.
“That’s a good idea,” I told her, thinking of calling Brad. “Maybe one of the Hunters can come up here with a snowmobile?” I thought out loud.
I got out my cell phone from my zipper pocket and first tired to dial Dax’s number. I wasn’t sure if he had his phone or not, but I needed to know that he was okay.
Quickly, I realized that I had zero service.
“Shit!” I yelled out.
“What?” all three of them asked in unison.
Realizing that I’d sworn in front of the children, I cringed. “I don’t have any service,” I informed them, frowning.
I looked to Mrs. Baker. “Do you have a cell phone?”
“Yes,” she replied, digging it out of her pocket. “No service either,” she said, holding the phone up in the air.
I sighed.
I looked over at the lifts again. We’d been up there for a while now and I hadn't heard any more crackling or swooshing sounds of moving snow. It might be worth it to try to get to the lifts. It was time for me to make an executive decision.
Just as I was about to move my group, I heard a voice faintly calling my name. I looked behind me.
Dax!
He was a sight for sore eyes and relief flodded through em. As soon as I saw him, everything seemed to be alright again.
“Oakley,” Dax yelled out as he maneuvered the loose, rough snow. He was coming slowly but steadily.
When he reached us, breathing heavily, I could see the look of concern in his eyes. I wanted to throw myself into his arms but refrained from doing so because of the guests.
“Oakley, Mrs. Baker, I’m glad to see you guys are okay,” he said looking from me to the family.
“We’re glad to see you too,” remarked Adam. He had a huge grin on his face. Like Dax was Superman coming to save the day. That made me smile, too.
“We’re okay,” I told Dax. “What happened to your guests?” I asked him.
“That side of the mountain didn’t get covered with the snow. I was able to take them halfway down and then work my way back up to get to you,” he answered.
Dax’s look of concern for me was refreshing.
“I knew you would come and save us,” I acknowledged, blushing.
The thought of him risking himself to come back up for me made my insides warm. In that minute I told myself that I’d been a damn fool to ever push this man away, and that if he gave me the chance, I’d hold onto him as long as I could.
But now wasn’t the time for romantic declarations. We had to get ourselves and these guests safely off the mountain.
“What now?” I asked, getting serious again.
Dax looked around us. “We can't go back the way that I came. Not with the kids. It’s too risky,” he said.
“The lifts?” I asked.
“That might be our best bet,” Dax agreed, looking over to the lifts which were about twenty-five yeards from us.
“Let’s go,” he was saying. “Slow and steady.”
A loud whooshing sound rang out and I froze.
“What was that?” I asked, looking at the snow under my feet.
“Stop!” Dax shouted.
We all froze in our tracks. Next thing I knew, there was an even louder noise and I knew we were in trouble.
The ice was shifting under the snow that we were standing on.
I looked at Dax. His eyes were wide as he watched the ground move underneath us.
“Dax?” I asked, trying not to panic.
Dax
I couldn’t believe what was happening. In the thirty-two years that I’d lived on the mountain, nothing like it had ever occurred.
Not only did we have a loose snow drift evolve into an avalanche, now the ice under the snow was cracking and shifting as well.
Right under our feet.
Even though we’d never had an avalanche on the mountain, we’d had to take training to get insured and to get our business license from the state. You could never have enough safety certifications in a business like this in my book. I tried to calmly, yet quickly, remember my training.
I knew that if we didn’t move, the ice was going to break up under our feet, resulting in an even bigger catastrophe. The ice tumbling down the mountainside would be more deadly than the loose snow of the last avalanche.
The ice would kill us.
“Move slowly.Step lightly,” I whispered. I didn’t yell or panic. I didn’t want to scare anyone. But we needed to move away from this cracking ice. “Toward the lifts. Start skiing,” I calmly told the group.
As we were slowly moving, there was another sound. This time, directly in front of us, on the downward side. I’d never heard a sound like that oneAt the same time, a huge slab of ice under the ground scoured over another slab of ice.
The grinding of the two slabs was like metal grinding over metal. It was ear-piercing.
I could see a fissure begin to form, nd the loose snow was being pulled into the ever-widening crack the sliding ice slabs were creating.
Fuck.
The ice under our feet began to shift toward the fissure. I felt it rumbling as it slowly moved.
“The ground is moving!” shrieked Adam.
Marcy burst out into tears. Mrs.Baker reached for her children but the slab split into two. The newly formed slab that she was standing on shifted her in the opposite direction than her kids.
I watched in shock as Mrs. Baker drifted away as she reached her arms out to her children. The children were crying and screaming for their mom. Oakley rushed toward Mrs. Baker and grabbed onto her.
The next thing I knew the ice under our feet shifted hard. I watched in horror as the ground lifted and then rushed down the hill, being sucked into the huge fissure before us.
And we were going with it.
As my feet lost purchase, I was able to reach out and grab the two kids who were sliding in my direction. Oakley grabbed onto Mrs. Baker and held her tightly to her body.
All five of us got sucked down into the fast-moving ice and snow. The last thing I saw was Oakley's bright, copper hair swooshing ahead of me and out of sight. I closed my eyes and held on to the two kids for dear life.
Oakley
I held onto Mrs. Baker and we both uncontrollably slipped down the mountainside with the ice and snow. The momentum was fast and all I could do was to hold onto her. I tried to see Dax and the kids, but we got pushed ahead of them.
I closed my eyes and let the rush take us. I remembered from my training that if you got stuck being pushed downhill, you should thrash around as much as possible. This action will help you to not be buried too deeply in the snow.
The problem was that I was holding on to Mrs. Baker and she was shrieking into my ear. Even if I screamed for her to move, she wouldn’t listen to me.
I tried to move my legs and feet around as much as possible, but my arms were wrapped around my companion. We fell for what seemed like an eternity, being tossed about as if we were rag dolls. I heard Mrs. Baker scream out in pain.
At one point, a large iceball hit my head. Even though my eyes were closed, I saw stars. I felt my body becoming weaker and I almost lost consciousness. I fought to hold on to Mrs. Baker. Letting her go would be detrimental to both of us.
Finally, we stopped falling. I felt a warm liquid drip over my eyelid and onto my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw that we were not buried. My thrashing feet had helped us out some after all. The snow around my head was stained a deep red.
My head was spinning. Not only from the wound but from the tumbling down the mountain ass over tea kettle. I released my grip on Mrs. Baker and shook her. She didn’t open her eyes.
“Mrs. Baker,” I yelled into her ear.
“What? She said as her eyes snapped open. “Where are my babies?” she shrieked, trying to get up.
“Take it easy, Mrs. Baker,” I tried t
o warn her.
I could see that she was hurt. But, somehow, she was able to climb up into a standing position.
“Adam. Marcy!” she screamed, panicking.
I pulled myself up to join her. I had to fight off the dizziness and nausea. I looked up the mountainside and then all around us. There was no sign of Dax or the kids. They must have been buried.
Where were they? I almost panicked myself but tried to control the urge to do so.
Dax?” I bellowed at the top of my lungs.
There was no answer. I looked down and saw that I had lost both of my skis. But somehow, Mrs. Baker still had one on. And the other one was in view.
Mrs. Baker was still screeching for her lost children.
“Mrs. Baker, please calm down.” When she ignored me, I yelled. “Mrs. Baker!”
She looked at me startled. I took my opportunity to reason with her.
“Dax had the kids! He’s a big, strong man. I know him. There is absolutely no way he would let go of them,” I tried to reassure her.
Mrs. Baker nodded in reply. Tears fell down her cheeks.
“I need to go up the mountain and look for them. They might beburied but they can survive under the snow for a while. Dax knows what to do.” I told her.
Again, she nodded. She was starting to hyperventilate and I had her sit down and put her head to her knees. I kept talking to her becauseI needed her to stay with me.
“Mrs. Baker. I need to you to put on your other ski and try and make it down the mountain to the resort. You need to get help.”
She stood tall and gave me a shocked look. She shook her head “no.”
“You can do it. Think of your children. I’m going to climb up there and find them. I’ve got a small emergency shovel in my pocket. See, here it is,” I said, pulling it out.
One rule for instructors was to always carry a small, portable shovel in your ski jacket. Just in case. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would ever need it.
But now I found myself thanking God that I had it and had followed protocol. I wondered if Dax had one? He wasn’t technically an instructor so he might not.
I looked back to Mrs. Baker. She was scanning the horizon looking for any sign of her lost children.
“Mrs. Baker,” I tried again. “I’ve got to go up there before it’s too late. I can’t take you up. You should go down and get help sent back up here.” I tried to reason.
Finally, she shook her head in agreement. I helped her put on and adjust her skis. She turned to look at me.
“Find them,” she cried.
“I will do my damnest,” I promised her. “Now go.”
With that, she began to slide down the mountainside. I hoped that she would make it. It was either have her go down on her own or to stay here. There was no way she could climb up the hill with me.
I thought of Dax and those kids trapped in the snow and started to climb my way up to them. I didn’t know how far away they were from me, so I began to yell out Dax’s name.
Please, let him hear me, I prayed.
Dax
I closed my eyes and held on to the kids as we were wrenched down the mountainside. I had one child under each arm. I heard them screaming as we fell, but I held them in a bear hug; my thick arms and hard body protected them as we tumbled down the hillside.
After crashing down the hill for what seemed like an eternity, it all went silent. I laid still for a moment before slowly opening my eyes.
“Are we dead?” Adam whispered.
“No,” I answered him.
“Why can’t I see anything?” Marcy cried.
I opened my eyes and realized that we were totally buried under the snow. Both kids were whimpering and I didn’t want them to panic. I was going to need their help to get out of this mess alive.
“We are under the snow,” I told them calmly. I avoided using the word “buried.”
“Can we get out?” shrieked Marcy.
“Kids, listen to me.” Both were still cradled in my arms but I needed to try and move to dig us out. “Don’t be scared. I need you both to be brave and help me to get out of here. Okay?” I asked them.
“Okay,” Adam answered confidently.
I didn’t hear anything from Marcy.
“Marcy?” I asked. “Are you with us?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Okay, good. Do either of you feel as if you are hurt?” I asked them.
“No,” answered Adam.
“I don’t think so,” said Marcy.
“Okay. I’m going to loosen my grip on both of you so I can see where we are,” I told them.
“Okay,” they both agreed.
“When I let go, don’t panic,” I urged them. “Struggling against the snow will make it worse. It’s like quicksand,” I told them. “Do you both understand?”
“Yes,” they agreed.
I was not particularly experienced with kids. The only kids in my life were little Abby and Raini, Brad and Cole’s daughters, and Brad’s twin sons, Reid and Bryce, who were older now.
I was shockingly surprised that these two children were being so brave. I had thought that they’d both be screaming and crying. We were buried in an avalanche for heaven’s sake.
But they both seemed to be okay, so I slowly loosened my grip on them. We were in a tight space, so neither of them slid away from me. I used my arms to make us a larger space so that I could try and see where we were.
I couldn’t tell how far under the snow we were. I could, however, see a slight lightening of the snow above our heads. so I assumed we were not too far underneath. The snow was very compact, however. Getting out would be difficult, if not impossible.
I was going to need the kids’ help.
“Can you two move at all?” I asked them.
A little,” Replied Adam.
“Yeah, a little,” echoed Marcy.
“Okay, can you try to dig upward with your gloves. Don’t let your hands get too cold,” I warned them. “We need to make a space for air to come in. Then we can wait for help,” I informed them.
We all started to dig a small space in front of our faces and then upwards so that we had more air to breathe. After we had a nice space dug out, I dug as hard as I could using the length of my arm to reach the surface. I needed to make us a small tunnel to allow more air to come in.
I realized that I still had my pole with me. It was lodged up against my body somehow. With one hand, I was able to grab a hold of it and I pushed the pole up through the snow, creating a small opening.
I was hoping that someone would see it and be able to dig us out of there.
I didn’t see what had happened to Oakley after she and Mrs. Baker had slid away from us. I hoped that they were not buried like we were. I knew that Oakley was smart and would be able to save herself and the kids’ momr.
But only if they weren’t seriously injured, I reminded myself. If she’s hurt and I’m stuck in this damn hole and couldn’t save her, I’d never forgive myself.
I tried to dig upward, but it was no use. Adam and Marcy’s lives depended on me playing it cool, not panicking and causing a bigger mess. If I dug too much, more snow could fall on top of us and suffocate us.
All I could do was wait for someone to see my pole. I grabbed both kids again and snuggled them into my body, hoping that my body heat would keep them warm enough.
Our combined body heat would help to keep our temperatures up for a short while. Hopefully we’d be found before we started to become hypothermic.I made small talk with the kids to keep them occupied, and waited.
After what seemed like a long while, I heard my name being called. The sound of Oakley’s voice was like music to my ears.
“Oakley!” I yelled out, hoping that she would hear me.
Both of the kids started to yell her name as well, and we heard her voice getting closer and closer.
Seeing my pole, she yelled, “Dax, are you down there?”
“Yes, get
help,” I told her. I didn’t think that she’d be able to dig us out with her hands.
But to my surprise, Oakley started digging us out with something else. I could hear it scraping against the ice and snow. Soon, an orange contraption came into view and I realized that it was a small shovel that she had with her.
Finally, she dug a big enough hole above our heads that I could see her.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” I told her lovingly.
I could see tears falling from her cheeks. Her head had a big purple bump on it and dried blood was smeared down her face.
My Oakley. I wanted out of this hole so that I could hold her in my arms.
“Let me have the shovel,” I told her.
She handed it down to me and I was able to dig a wider space around the Marcy first.
“Pull out Marcy, if you can,” I told Oakley.
Oakley reached down, and God bless her soul, she heaved that child out of the wretched ice prison.
Next was Adam. He slid out a little easier with the wider space now. I could see all of them peering down at me. There was no way that Oakley was going to pull my ass out of here.
I used the shovel to make grooves into my hard surroundings. Finally, I had enough foot and handholds to pull myself up. Oakley and the kids each grabbed an arm and I was able to heave myself out of the hole.
I rolled onto the solid ground and took a deep breath of fresh air.
“Dax, are you alright?” Oakley asked, bent over me.
“I’m okay now, babe,” I told her. I reached up and pulled her head down to my lips. I’d thought that I’d never feel her sweet touch again.
Remembering the kids, I asked where Mrs. Baker was.
“She’s okay. I sent her down the hill to get help. We were further down the mountainside,” she informed us.
Getting up, I noticed both kids smile with happiness when they had heard that their mom was okay.
“You climbed back up this mess to save us?” I half asked, half stated, looking at Oakley.
“Of course, Dax. I couldn’t lose you like this,” she answered, blushing.