by C. L. Brees
“This is the way they went. Now, when we find them, if you do anything to tip them off, you’re dead; I’ll shoot you right there in front of them. I need you to lure them out of wherever they are hiding so I can get them back.”
“I doubt we’ll find them. They have at least a good half hour start ahead of us. You do realize that this is a suicide mission for us, right? Traipsing out into the wilderness during what appears to be becoming a blizzard?”
Tapping him in the back once again with her weapons she replied, “I know this area, and there isn’t anyone or anything around for miles. They’ll die out here before they reach any kind of help. Now move, or I shoot you right here and there goes your magical reunion with Alex to say good-bye.”
Reluctantly, he did as he was ordered. Situated ahead of him was the tree-lined wilderness that was covered in snow and dense fog. The ambiance only added to the mystery of what lay ahead of him. And that terrified him because he had no idea of what he was getting himself into. It was at that moment that the fear burrowed deeper into his thoughts.
Sergeant Reed sat at the table inside the trailer. He sat there with both of his hands clasped over his face, slowly massaging his temples. His anxiety was starting to catch up with him. All of a sudden, he stopped rubbing and looked up. He was perplexed by how much time had passed since the late update on the situation. The grimness of his officer’s fate was seeping into his brain. In the ten-years he had on the force, he had never lost a fellow officer. He couldn’t take the intense feeling of doom any longer, and he jumped to his feet, catching the eye of Agent Tanner who was engrossed in the paperwork he was skimming over.
“Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine, Agent Tanner.”
“Not to pry, but you definitely don’t look fine to me. I know you’re probably getting anxious about not knowing what’s going on out there. I’m sure sitting here idle doesn’t help you any. You just sit there with all of these morbid thoughts racing through your mind about what is going on. It’s overwhelming—I know first-hand.”
“I don’t understand why no one has given me an update in the last forty minutes.”
“Just have a seat, and I’ll go see what I can find out.”
Sergeant Reed interjected as Agent Tanner began walking toward the door, “I just really need someone to reassure me that everything is going to be alright. Please ask if anyone has received an update on their location.”
“I’ll do that. Just take a deep breath and I’ll be right back.”
Huffing, Reed sarcastically said, “I need another coffee if I’m going to survive this night.”
Agent Tanner stepped outside and took a deep breath. As he exhaled, his breath turned to mist. He turned around and walked back inside the trailer. He looked at the two coffee mugs sitting on the table and noticed they were almost empty. He grabbed them off of the table and walked casually toward the coffeemaker on the other side of the trailer. Tanner himself was worried that they were losing valuable minutes waiting for word on an updated location. He lifted the carafe from the base and refilled the cups. The silence in the room was deafening, but it was short lived as Reed’s cell phone began ringing loudly. In the distance, he watched as Reed picked up the phone and answered it.
“Reed here. Tell me that you have good news for me.”
“Mr. Reed, my name is Jennifer Green and I’m an employee with OnStar. The reason for my call this evening is to inform you of an accident that took place approximately twenty minutes ago.”
“What accident?”
“I understand from the Denver Police that you are searching for a Dr. Carol Jones—is this correct?”
“Yes, I am. What information do you have for me?” he asked as he perked up in his chair.
“I personally received an alert that she was involved in a head-on collision. Both the driver and passenger side airbags were deployed in the accident. I attempted to make contact with her but was unsuccessful in doing so.”
“Do you have a location of the accident?” “I do, sir. They are on Pine Mountain Road which is approximately one-mile north of Lake Granby in Grand County.”
Standing to his feet and lifting the heavy parka from the back of the chair he shouted, “Thank you—thank you so much! This is the break that I was looking for.”
“You’re very welcome. I am glad that I have been able to be of some help in this situation. I hope everything turns out positive.”
“You and I both. Thank you again.”
Reed looked over at Agent Tanner with a huge grin upon his face. Tanner knew that they needed to move quickly. He grabbed his wool trench coat that was flung over the back of the chair and the two sprinted towards the door. As they exited, the lightweight door flew open; they couldn’t get to the black SUV parked only a few meters away fast enough. They jumped in at the same time, flipped the lights and sirens on, backed out, and screeched the tires as they swung a U-turn. Within minutes the vehicle had disappeared into the darkness of the countryside.
Reed grabbed for his cell phone and reached out to his Lieutenant to inform him that they were driving to Grand Lake and would bring everyone back safely.
“Boss, we found them. Call ahead to the Grand County sheriff’s department and give them a head’s up that we’re on our way and should be there in about an hour or so.”
“Excellent news. I’ll let them know—however, I must warn you that they are a small department and they may not have the manpower to reach them in time. I don’t want you to get your hopes up too high, Reed.”
“I’ll take my chances. Just make sure they know that we’re coming—that’s me and Agent Tanner from the U.S. Marshal’s.”
“10-4, I’ll let them know. Be safe,” he warned just as Reed hung up the phone.
Agent Tanner looked over at Sergeant Reed who was just now buckling his seat belt and exclaimed, “You’d better hold on tight—this shit is about to get real.”
13
“We have to stop for a minute—I don’t know how much further I can go,” Amy shrieked.
“There’s no way in hell we can stop. For all we know, those guys could be right behind us,” he hollered as he ran back to her side. “I don’t want to die out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“Please—I only need a minute to catch my breath,” she exclaimed.
“Alright we can stop, but only for a minute,” he said, as they both made their way towards a fallen pine tree that lay along the side of the snow covered trail.
Alex wiped his hand across the top of the fallen tree to brush off the snow that had accumulated on top. They collapsed onto the tree as Amy bent forward in pure exhaustion. Alex wrapped his arm around her back as he tried to catch his breath. Once she calmed down, she looked over towards Alex who restlessly sat next to her, bouncing his leg up and down.
“How far do you think we’ve run?” she inquired.
“I’d say it’s been at least two miles. My adrenaline has been pumping non-stop since we escaped.”
“Mine too. We’re going to have to find shelter soon. We both know that neither of us are experienced enough to survive this storm if we keep running.”
Nodding his head in agreement, Alex scanned the dense forest, “I think we can sit here for another minute while I think of something.”
They sat there, shivering as the snowflakes increased in size. His brain wasn’t able to process any alternatives quick enough; all he could think to do was keep running. They weren’t quite prepared for the harsh conditions they were facing; tennis shoes and the light jackets that they arrived in were all that they had. Not really the type of heavy duty snow gear that one would need to survive during a snowstorm in the mountains. More than a minute had elapsed, and the wind was beginning to howl through the treetops above them. He sheltered his face with his hands from the piercing stream of ice crystals and snowflakes that bombarded him. They turned their heads in the opposing direction of the wind as Amy let out an agonizing groa
n.
Out of nowhere, the wind and snow decreased in intensity long enough for Alex to capture a glimpse of a small cabin in the distance. They each looked at each other, ecstatic, but hesitant on their next move.
“Did we just run in a circle?” he worried aloud.
“I don’t think so. We’ve been running straight on and haven’t taken any turns. You know there’s only one way to find out.”
“Anything is better than being out here in the freezing cold,” he said as they stood to their feet.
Alex grabbed Amy by the hand and guided her towards the cabin. He wanted to move quickly before the snow and wind picked back up again and caused them to lose their bearings. The closer he got to the cabin, the more certain he was that it wasn’t the same one that they had escaped from. The cabin before them sat darkened; it was like it hadn’t seen any inhabitants for many years. The dilapidated structure had surely seen better days.
The wind and snow began picking up once again, just as the front door of the cabin was within reach. He approached the front door prudently, and once he arrived he peeked inside the six-pane window within the door. At first glance he saw a one-room building with a card table, two chairs, and a stack of camping supplies in the corner of the large room. He knocked loudly—he didn’t want to just break in if someone was actually living in this dump. Someone living in here was highly unlikely, but then again this was the mountains and people in these parts belong to the “shoot first and ask questions later” crowd. He waited around thirty seconds and when no one came to the door, he jiggled the door handle—locked.
“I need you to step back,” he advised as he suddenly thrust his shoulder towards the glass, breaking it inward.
“Are you crazy? We’re going to get arrested for this,” she yelled as he rolled his eyes at her.
“Arrest us? We’re the victims here, running away from two kidnappers in a blizzard to survive. No judge in their right mind would ever put us in jail for trying to save our lives,” he chuckled for the first time all evening.
“You do make a good point. What are we waiting for? Let’s get in there and see if there is anything we can requisition to get us the hell back to civilization.”
Stacked neatly in the corner near the fireplace were two large backpacks. Amy hustled towards the corner and knelt down, unzipping the first backpack. What she found inside was a small blanket, first aid supplies, water, and a few snacks. Alex knelt down beside her and grabbed for the second pack—the contents were identical. It was like winning the lottery for them. They quickly zipped the bags closed again and each slung one onto their backs. In the opposite corner of the large room was a small kitchenette with a sink, stove, small refrigerator, and three cabinets. He made a beeline towards the cabinets when out of the corner of his eye he spotted an old rotary dial landline mounted to the wall.
“Oh shit, look over there—a telephone,” he gleefully announced.
“What? Really? Maybe we can actually call for help and get out of this hellhole,” she wishfully said.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it actually works. I mean look at this place, chances are the phone is not working and no one actually lives here full-time.”
He lifted the receiver to his ear—no dial tone. Alex clicked the hook switch repeatedly, but it was a futile task. Disappointed, he set the receiver back on the hook.
“No luck, Amy,” he announced as he shook his head in disappointment.
“Well, it definitely was worth a try.”
Pacing around the room he said, “We need either flashlights or matches, or both even. If you come across those items, grab as much as they have in stock here.”
“You do know that this would go faster if you helped me out instead of barking orders?”
“Oh right—I had a space cadet moment there. You know how my mind shuts down in stressful situations.”
“I know all too well, unfortunately. Get over here and help me out.”
They explored through the cabinets, scattering items out onto the floor. Seconds were becoming more valuable at this point, but finding the necessary items was also important. If they were going to have a fighting chance at survival out in the desolate forest, they were going to need supplies. After several minutes of tossing items from the cabinets, they came up empty.
“No luck with searching here. We can’t stay here much longer. My intuition is telling me they are getting closer to us,” he said as he plopped down on the floor in defeat. “If we stay here, they will surely catch up with us, and once that happens, it’s game over.”
“Wait a second—I still have my lighter in my pocket. We can manage with just that, can’t we?” she asked.
“Oh, you’re a life saver. Yes, I think we can gather some wood and start a fire with the lighter,” he said, as he pulled her up from the ground.
“Let’s check the closet before we go. If this is our lucky night, whoever this place belongs to has left some snow boots or heavy jackets in there,” she said.
“Good idea. We will freeze to death if we continue on wearing this,” he said as he modeled his outfit.
They walked back across the room to the lone closet in the building next to the wood burning fireplace. The door creaked as he twisted the door handle and opened it. Inside there was one black hooded snow parka hanging from a lone hanger. Alex reached lifted the hanger from the rod and flipped it around to show her.
“That’s all that’s in there?” she asked, annoyed.
“Unfortunately, yes—this is it. Here I want you to take it. I can just wrap a blanket around me before we leave. It looked warm enough, and that’s all I’ll need to keep me warm.”
He tossed it towards her and she caught it, “No way—you take it. You do know that you’re the brains of this operation. I need you to stay sharp enough to get us home. Nope, take it back. Besides, I’m a big girl; no cold is going to freeze me to death.” “Listen, stubborn ass. I won’t hear any more about this. You’re taking the jacket and that’s final,” he commanded as the jacket once again was tossed back across the room.
“You call me a stubborn ass—you need some Windex to clean that dusty mirror you look in every day. I will never win an argument with you,” she conceded as she put her left arm into the sleeve.
“You’ve known me long enough by now that you should already know that you will never—and I mean ever—win an argument with me, especially when it comes to your overall well-being,” he said as he flung the large, black backpack onto the floor and dug out the blanket from inside.
“Are we ready to venture back out into the winter wonderland?” she asked.
“I suppose now is as good a time as any.”
As they emerged from the cabin, the wind and snow were more treacherous than when they entered. They continued on the same path they had been following, completely unsure of what they would encounter as they ventured deeper into the forest.
Twenty minutes had passed since they left the decrepit cabin. The snow was more deep-seated the further along they trekked down the trail. The snow reached up past Amy’s knees, and this was taxing her strength to continue. She was not a petite woman; however, she wasn’t obese either—right in between. Although she carried her weight extremely well and was an attractive girl when it came to strenuous activities, it was very clear that frequent breaks were needed.
Glancing behind him he bellowed to her, “Come on—we aren’t making as much progress anymore, but I’ll be damned if we are stopping again. We can’t take the risk anymore.”
“I can’t do it anymore. We’ve been out here for almost an hour now. Surely we have a huge head start on them,” she huffed as she fell to her knees into the snow.
“Get up. We have to keep going until we find some shelter out of view,” his commanding voice stated as he grabbed both of her forearms and lifted her up.
“We better find it soon, then. If we don’t, you’ll just have to go on without me.”
“Did you bump you
r head somewhere? I’d never leave you behind. Reach down deep inside of yourself, and find the will to live,” he exclaimed as a hollowed out cave came into his view. “Hey, look over there. Do you think you can make it just another twenty feet?”
“Twenty feet and that’s all,” she said as she stomped through the snow.
They slowly made their way towards the enclave, hopping over downed trees and trudging through deep powdery snow. It was anyone’s guess at when the snow would end. They arrived at the cave. It wasn’t much, but at least it could provide them with a temporary shelter from the wind.
Alex mumbled aloud to himself, “This should be perfect to take an extended break in.”
Amy overheard Alex speaking to himself and half smiled as she looked over at him. It was so typical of him to do silly things like that all the time. Grunting, she dropped her backpack onto the ground. It made a soft thud as it hit the dirt. She quickly foraged through the backpack, yanking out the blanket that was rolled up towards the top. She unfolded it, shook it out, and threw it to the ground. Just as quickly as she sprawled the blanket out, she was sitting, crossed-legged, digging through the pockets of her jeans for something.
Perplexed, Alex asked, “What are you looking for?”
Snapping back at him she said, “I know I have cigarettes in my pocket. I need a cigarette! I’m under a great deal of stress here, you know.”