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As I yank the neck warmer back up, I turn around slowly, listening for the sound of anyone answering me. All I’m met with is the shrieking of the wind.
I walk deeper into the storm, my pulse pounding in my ears. I call his name over and over again, breathless each time the icy air steals the breath from my lungs.
The closer I get to the clearing, the more I’m sure that I’m not going to find Dustin. The blowing snow is so thick that I can no longer see through it. The wind is chilling me to the bone and my feet are starting to go numb.
I have to find him soon or run back to the Barn.
“Dustin!”
Standing still, I listen, waiting for a response. For the first time since I left the cave, there’s a muffled shout. I hurry in the direction of the shout, nearly tripping over my own feet as I slide on ice.
“Dustin!”
“Over here!”
The answering shout is as clear as day. I swipe a hand over my goggles and sink low to the ground. Wherever Dustin is, I doubt he’s standing.
Sure enough, I see a man huddled against a large rock. His face is pale and his lips are blue.
He’s not shivering.
Bile rises in my throat as I try to remain calm. If he isn’t shivering, we’ve got a big problem.
“Brookes!” Clara drops to the ground beside me. “I’m so glad I found you. This storm is something fierce.”
I glance at her, expecting to see Jessie hovering close behind her. Snow surrounds her instead.
“Where the hell is Jessie?” My tone is low and dangerous. Jessie wouldn’t walk off on her own. Not out here, when she’s terrified.
“She got us lost. I thought she would be able to find her way back to the clearing, but then the storm picked up. I went looking for her, but I haven’t been able to find her.”
I grit my teeth together, fighting the urge to curse her out. There isn’t time. Jessie is out there, and she’s scared. She isn’t going to be able to find her way back to the clearing when conditions are like this.
“You’re going to take the sled.” I slide out of the harness and hand it to her. “And you’re going to help Dustin here. Radio to Patrick to let him know that you have Dustin, and then get back to the Barn.”
“And where are you going to go?” Clara hurries into the harness, her hands shaking as she adjusts the buckles. She opens the sled and starts pulling out everything she needs to get Dustin ready for transport. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to find her in this. The snow is too thick.”
“You left her out there to fend for herself. You should be ashamed of yourself, and when I see Patrick again, I will be talking to him.”
I get up and stomp through the snow, heading in the direction of the trail Jessie took. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to find her in this.
Jessie is smart, but if she’s scared, she might not think. She’s likely going to hunker down and try to wait out the storm instead of getting herself more lost.
It would be a good plan, if it wasn’t so damn cold out.
I stuff my hands deep into my pockets, fighting off the chill that runs through my body as I go back the way Clara came.
Just hold on, Jessie. I’m coming for you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.
All I have to do is find her in a whiteout.
My breath hitches as my eyes burn with tears. I try to shove away the thoughts of what she’s going through right now, but they fly at me, one right after the other. I hate the thought of her scared.
She’s going to be replaying her dad’s death over and over again.
She’s going to be out there thinking that she’s going to die.
I have to do everything I can to get to her.
