Page 5 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
“We’re not gonna make it back down tonight,” Tanner says. “We’re gonna have to stay at the lodge.”
“I hate to say it, but Tanner’s right,” Ben says. “Even if we did make it up to the lodge, trying to drive back down in this weather would be suicide.”
Jace nods, his face lit up by the glow of his phone screen. “We’ve got the whole place booked out for the wedding. There’s more than enough room for all of us. We can crash there tonight, wait for the storm to pass, and you guys can head back in the morning.”
“Axel, you hearing this?” Jace asks, glancing up from his phone.
“Yeah, I’m hearing you,” I reply, still focused on the road ahead. “I just don’t like the idea of being trapped up there if this storm doesn’t let up. But…” I trail off, knowing that I’m outnumbered here. “It’s the smart call. Better to be safe than sorry.”
“Exactly,” Ben says, ever the practical one. “Besides, it’s not like we’re roughing it in the wilderness. Mt. Snowlodge’s supposed to be a nice place, right? We’ll get a warm bed, some hot food, maybe even a drink or two. Could be worse.”
“Yeah,” Tanner adds, grinning despite the tension in the truck. “And who knows? Maybe there’ll be some bridesmaids who could use a little company tonight.”
Jace rolls his eyes. “Someone’s got their priorities straight.”
“Hey, we’re just making the best of the situation,” Tanner says with a shrug. “We’re firefighters, right? We adapt.”
“And hey, we’re almost there,” Jace says, relief seeping into his voice as he looks up from the GPS. “Just a little further, and we’ll be at the lodge.”
I nod, feeling the same sense of relief as the snow begins to let up, the storm easing just enough to give us a clear view of the road ahead. We’re nearing the turnoff for Mt. Snowlodge, the last bend before we can finally park this truck and get out of the damn storm.
But then, without warning, Raffle bolts upright between Jace and Tanner, his ears perked and his body tense. He lets out a loud, sharp bark, startling everyone in the truck.
“What the hell?” Jace says, turning to look at Raffle. The dog’s never been this agitated before, not even during the worst of our missions. Raffle’s barking grows more frantic, and he starts pawing at the window, desperate to get out.
“Raffle, what’s wrong, boy?” I ask, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. But Raffle doesn’t calm down; he only gets more worked up, clawing at the window like he’s trying to escape. It’s like he senses something we don’t, something out there in the storm.
“What’s gotten into him?” Jace asks, worry creeping into his voice as he tries to calm the dog down. “He’s never acted like this before.”
“I don’t know,” I say, my grip tightening on the steering wheel as we take the last turn. “But something’s spooked him.”
Raffle continues to whine and bark, his tail stiff as a board, his eyes fixed on something outside the truck. He leaps over Jace, pressing his nose against the glass, pawing at the door like he’s trying to warn us about something.
“We’re almost there,” I mutter, my eyes narrowing as I focus on the road. The lodge is just up ahead, a shadowy silhouette against the snow-covered landscape.
“Should we stop? Something’s really freaking him out, Axel.”
I hesitate, my instincts as a firefighter battling with the logic that tells me we’re almost safe. But there’s something about Raffle’s behavior that I can’t ignore, something that gnaws at my gut.
“I’m gonna park the truck,” I say, my voice steady despite the tension coiling in my chest. “And I want you to let Raffle out.”
Jace’s eyes widen, and he turns to me, incredulous. “Are you crazy? In this weather? We don’t even know what’s out there!”
“Trust me,” I reply, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Raffle’s trying to tell us something, and I’m not about to ignore it. We need to know what’s got him so worked up.”
Jace looks at me for a long moment, then nods reluctantly. “Alright.”
I leap out of the truck, the cold wind cutting through my jacket as I follow Raffle. The dog’s barking is frantic, likehe’s found something urgent, something we need to see. Jace, Tanner, and Ben are right behind me, their boots crunching in the snow as we make our way toward the turnoff.
“Raffle, what is it, boy?” I call out, my flashlight beam slicing through the dark, snowy night. Raffle’s already ahead of us, his nose to the ground, barking and growling as he leads us toward the edge of the road.
“Axel, you see anything?” Tanner asks, his breath coming out in visible puffs of steam.
“Not yet,” I reply, but my gut tells me something’s wrong. Raffle wouldn’t be this worked up otherwise.
As we reach the turnoff, Tanner suddenly stops dead in his tracks, his eyes wide. “Holy shit, there’s a car down there!”
I swing my flashlight in the direction he’s looking, and sure enough, there’s a car halfway down the slope, its headlights barely visible through the thick curtain of snow. It’s stuck against a tree, the front end crumpled from the impact, and its position is dangerously precarious, teetering on the edge of a steep drop.
