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“Yeah, keep that shit to yourself,” I said, grinning.
“Oh, dude.”
“What?” I asked.
“There’s a fucking massive snowstorm headed your way.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“How the hell don’t you? It’s on every fucking news station. Don’t tell me you don’t have a television.”
“I have a radio and I haven’t heard anything about it on there.”
“It sounds like its coming out from nowhere. Get yourself a fucking TV to stay up to date. Even if it’s just a twelve-inch little thing you sit on the counter. You guys are going to get pummeled tomorrow. It’s supposed to snow people in up to three fucking feet.”
Paxton was a good friend. He acted like he didn’t give a shit but he cared more than any man I’d ever met. I pulled up in front of the store. When I saw how many people were rushing around in there, I started to get worried. All I needed was a few gallons of milk but my mind kicked into overdrive. Suddenly, I needed ac
e bandages and peroxide. Band-aids and gauze. I needed to prepare for every fucking thing that could possibly go wrong. I wasn’t sure where the panic was now coming from.
“Canter, you good?” Paxton asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I just pulled up to the store. What exactly is that weather report saying?”
“It says most areas affected are supposed to see two feet of snow, but Gatlinburg is right in its brewing path. They’re predicting anywhere between three and four feet of snow dumped over the course of the next week.”
“The next week?” I asked.
“Yep. The mountains are trapping the storm, according to this weatherman. It’ll brew, stay, hang out, and then dissipate without ever going anywhere. Get the shit you need and stock the fuck up.”
“Thanks, man,” I said. “I’ll call you when I’m back at the cabin.”
“Hey, Canter?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
I walked into the store and grabbed another cart, my panic getting the best of me as everyone rushed around me.
“Take deep breaths,” he said. “You’re in the mountains, not at sea.”
“You know I can rough a snowstorm. Why is there this sense of urgency all of a sudden?”
“Because you’re in a crowded store,” he said. “I can hear the chatter over the phone. Take deep breaths like you always told me. Okay?”
“Call ya when it’s over,” I said.
“Paxton out.”
I white-knuckled the cart while I walked around the store. The first place I went was the milk aisle and I was glad I did. People were snatching up gallon after gallon left and right and all that was left to choose from was whole milk and skim milk. I grabbed four gallons of whole milk and decided I could get powdered milk for the rest of it.
Then, I traveled up and down the aisles. I threw salves, chapsticks, and ace bandages into my cart, along with a rudimentary first aid kit and more free newspapers. I picked up another four gallons of gasoline and threw all the frozen vegetables into my cart that I could stand. I even managed to pick up a couple of bags of frozen chicken wings, just in case I needed more meat for something.
I needed to get out of this fucking store before I lost my damn mind.
I stood in line for almost an hour before I finally got up to Moose. He was all smiles and kind phrases, but I could see the panic in his eyes. I knew enough about Moose to know he’d spent his entire fucking life in Gatlinburg, and if he was worried about the incoming weather, then we all needed to be.
“You got everything you need?” I asked as he rang me up.
Moose nodded. “Wife came in early this morning and told me the news. She took home five carts of stuff.”
