Page 10 of Snowbound
No cell phone. No car. I look down at the boots I slipped on to decorate the tree, but they’re only a cheap fluff-lined pair that are cute but do little to shield me from the cold.
And that’s when it hits me. I could die out here—alone, in the cold, with nothing to protect me from the elements.
But I won’t let that happen.
No.
I did not survive my parents’ heartbreaking divorce, my dad’s death, and my husband cheating on me to die alone in the middle of nowhere when there’s still hope.
“Hello!” I scream into the wind, which quickly swallows me up. “Hello!”
No one answers. The wind kicks up, and I wrap my arms around myself to try to block the cold, but it doesn’t work. I’m still alone, and it’s getting colder.
The wind whips harder, my hair flying around my face and the frigid air cutting straight through my sweater. I try to decide what to do—walk in some direction, hoping to find someone to help me? Huddle here on the porch and try to stay warm, hoping whoever came before returns? Or find another way into the cabin?
I go back to the front door and try every other possible way to get in. The code only worked for me to get in the first time, and then I’m supposed to be using the key. That’s useless, and the door is heavy and immovable. I don’t have anything to pick the lock either.
Great.
“Help!” I scream into the void again, sinking to the floor of the porch. “Someone help me!”
But no one comes.
I blink when a yellow light flashes far in the distance. I blink again. Did I imagine that? No, there it is again.
Decision made, I stand and take in a deep breath. As long as I keep the cabin behind me, where I can see it, I won’t get lost in the storm.
I can do this.
I walk fast toward the beam of light. It has to be a car, or a house, or something that’s worth walking toward; I know it is. With every step, my boots are heavier and wetter, and I don’t seem to be getting any closer.
I can’t feel my toes.
“Help me!” I scream again and wait, only to hear the resounding silence around me. I stop and take in a deep breath, my lungs expanding with the cold air. Snow falls heavier. Flakes cling to my sweater and my lashes.
My feet are numb from the cold. I can’t feel my fingers anymore either. I’m chilled to the bone, and I know that frostbite could happen at any moment, but Ineedto push through. I have to.
I stumble when I can’t feel my feet anymore. I drop to my knees as snow falls in heavy swirls.
“Help!” I yell, softer this time because it’s so cold. My voice sounds smaller to my own ears. I feel so damn helpless.
No.I didn’t go through everything I’ve survived in this life only to cave and let a stupid fucking snowstorm in the middle of nowhere claim me.No.
I push on through the snow, ignoring the freezing cold in my limbs, pushing past the way the wind laces my cheeks like twigs snapping at me in a forest run.
I won’t give up.
I blink into the wind when I realize I can’t see… anything.Anything,but blinding white. I swallow hard and scream with everything I’ve got. “Help! Someone help me!” I scream until I’m hoarse and my throat burns.
The snow feels like it's burying me alive, pressing down on me in soft, suffocating silence. I can see it all flash before my eyes like a slow, flickering reel—memories, regrets, things unsaid. I close my eyes, not because I want to, but because I'm just sotirednow. The cold has settled into my bones like frostbite, creeping in and claiming me.
I finally find a small clearing where I’m nestled behind a broken tree. Thankfully, it’s a break from the biting wind.
I'm going to sleep now, I think. I’m so tired. Why am I so tired?
No.Logic kicks in. I can’t sleep now. This is what happens. I’ll drift off quietly, and slowly, the cold will thicken my blood, turning it to slush, until I freeze to death. Right here. In the middle of nowhere.
Maybe someone will find me when the thaw comes. Maybe not. Maybe they'll never know where I went. But right now, it doesn't matter. I'm alone. So cold. So tired. And I almost don’t even care anymore.
