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The chirping birds that were faint in the background have gone quiet. I stop walking, ignoring the sound of Patrick’s boots crunching against the snow and fallen branches.
“The birds are quiet.” I hurry to catch up with Patrick, my strides long until I’m standing at his side. “The storm is going to get worse. The birds have gone completely silent. Are we close to the caves now?”
“Fairly close. It should only be a few more minutes of walking and then we’ll get there.” Patrick walks faster, moving quickly through the trees.
Even if he doesn’t say it, I can tell that he’s worried. I am too. I don’t want to get to the caves and find the hikers in a bad state. Although, given how long they’ve been out here and how unexpectedly cold it got, I’m not holding my breath.
We’ll find them, and we’ll do whatever we can to make sure they’re alright.
Except, the longer we walk, the less I start to believe that. The wind is getting colder and louder as it howls between the barren trees and the pines. My entire body feels like there will never be enough heat to warm me back up.
Being cold is a good thing. If I’m cold, I’m still regulating my heat. Everything is going to be okay.
We’re going to find the hikers, and the worst that we’re going to have to deal with is hypothermia.
That’s what I keep telling myself as the snowy terrain seems to stretch endlessly.
Until it doesn’t.
The caves come into view through the haze of snow falling down. Wind slaps against my coat, driving itself through the warm layers and straight to my skin.
As we get closer to the caves, a figure appears. At first, it just looks like a bright orange blob in the middle of a white mess. The orange figure gets bigger, taking shape into a person with a sled attached to them.
If they still have the sled, does that mean that they don’t have the hikers?
My heart plummets to my feet just thinking about it. If there are no hikers to help, are we going to be able to find them before the snow gets too dense?
“There you are.” Fletcher comes into focus with a rescue sled trailing behind him. His bright orange coat stands out in the dreary winter woods. “I got here a few minutes ago. Was about to head back out after leaving the sled with the hikers. We’re going to need help to get them down the mountain.”
“They’re here?” Hope fills my voice as the three of us move faster, leaving the line of trees and coming to the mouth of one of the caves.
“Yes.” Fletcher leads the way inside, his headlamp lighting the way.
The light gleams off the walls of the cave, illuminating the snow-dusted rocks just inside the entrance. It’s only as we move deeper into the cave that I hear the soft sounds of people whispering to each other.
The cave opens up into a wide cavern. Three people sit huddled around a small fire. They’re shivering and barely moving as one of the other volunteers drapes thermal blankets over them.
“Everything is going to be okay.” Fletcher unhooks his sled and cracks it open. “Nathan has been here watching over them. They’re in the beginning stages of hypothermia.”
I pull my neck warmer down and push my goggles up. “Hey everybody, I’m Dr. McAllister but you can call me Brookes.”
The hikers look up at me, but their eyes are barely open. They all look exhausted as they move closer together. Nathan works on taking their temperatures and pulses while Fletcher takes down the details.
“We’re going to make sure everybody gets warmed up. You’re shivering, which means that your body is still regulating heat. That’s a good sign.”
Smiling, I crouch down in front of them. Their teeth chatter and the color is drained from their faces. Large pupils look back at me as I take in the blue tinge to their lips and tips of their ears.
“You had a friend with you.” I turn to one of the women. She looks a little more alert than the others and there’s no blue tinge to her skin. “Where’s the fourth hiker?”
“Dustin went out to look for help.” Her words slur together, her gaze distant. She might be more alert than the others, but not fully. “He was going to a clearing we passed on the way here. Said he was going to go that way to get to the wilderness center.”
Patrick looks at me, his eyebrows rising. The tracks in the mud were leading back toward the clearing.
“How long ago did Dustin leave?” I move closer to the woman, keeping my voice soft and low.
She sways as she sits, her shaking hands clutching the thermal blanket tight. A little bit of color is returning to her cheeks as the fire starts to warm the cave.
“Miss, when did Dustin go for help?” I drop to my knees and position myself in front of her, making sure that I’m the only thing she can focus on. “I really need to know. It helps us establish a search area. I know this is hard, and you’re worried right now, but any information you can give me will be a big help.”
