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As they made their way into the store, four trucks pulled up at the same time and everyone piled out, all talking at once. Demi watched as some of the men began organizing to drive their snowmobiles from the trailers most hauled behind.
Ignoring the scene, Demi followed the others inside and caught Norrie’s eye. Moving close to her friend, she watched as the men all congregated in one corner… Glen going with them.
“What’s up, Norrie?”
“One of our vacationers is lost in the bush, gone missing for over four hours. The men are organizing Search and Rescue teams to go out and find him.”
Shivering with worry over the bad news, Demi felt her stomach clench. Her mind went back to what it had been like earlier on the highway, the gray skies and driving snow. “My God. Is he alone?”
“Yes. His wife is the one who sent out the alarm. They have two small boys and were here to visit her parents. Seems her husband decided to go snowshoeing but was only going to be gone for a short while. The guy’s a real greenhorn with no experience being in the bush.” Norrie’s face crumbled with fear. “He’s way overdue, Demi, and everyone is worried sick.”
Before she could answer, Glen approached. “Demi they’re forming more teams to go out in different directions, expand the search as much as possible. They need everyone they can get.” Glen muttered low, “I don’t have to go if you’re scared of driving home alone.”
Demi looked over at the crowd, her fear for the lost man increasing with every word he uttered. Before she could speak, one of the older men approached. “We’re thankful you can lead one of the groups, Glen. No one knows this territory better than you, young fellow.”
Glen’s eyes never left Demi’s face. She knew he watched to see if she could handle being alone should he join the others. “Hey, you need to go. I’ll be fine.”
Seemingly annoyed to be in this position, he anxiously whipped his loose hair back with both hands and she knew by his jerky movements, he was agitated. “Maybe just stay here with Norrie until I come back.”
“Can’t. With this weather, we should use the fireplace in case the generator freezes again. And we have the kitten to feed. She’s growing but still needs her milk every so often. I’ll be fine.” Her words bounced back to her, and she used them to stiffen her backbone. She would be fine. Hadn’t she driven to town and back already? She’d made it easily. No reason she couldn’t return safely to the cabin if she took her time.
After Glen gathered the gear he’d need from the rescue room where they stored supplies, he came and patted her shoulder before heading out with the others. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. Drive slow and steady like I taught you and everything will be fine.” Had his voice trembled?
God, he was worried about her.It made her want to hug him hard and at the same time urge him toward the door. Instead, she smiled with as much confidence as she could gather. “Iwillbe okay. Just find that poor man.”
After they left, silence filled the room. Norrie must have sensed her worry… and her fear. “Demi, I’m sorry. I’m kind of coordinating the search and can’t leave the store. You should stay with me until they return. Really. No sense in driving home in this storm if you don’t need to. What Glen didn’t say but thought, the kitten is old enough now that missing one or two feedings won’t hurt.”
“True. I know. But what if they’re gone longer than a few hours, like maybe all night. Finding that man would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack in this weather. I can’t take the chance. And it’ll only get worse outside. In a few minutes, daylight will be completely gone.”
Norrie glanced out the window. “Okay. Right. Take your time and text me when you get home. Hopefully we’ll still have power, and I’ll get the message.”
Chapter Eight
Driving on the highway had been hellish, but the night hadn’t completely closed in yet, and she had some visibility. They’d plowed recently too, which meant the snow hadn’t had a chance to pile up very high. It was nothing like the road leading to her cabin.
There, the ferocious winds had formed snow drifts which made driving feel more like she was forcing a machine through sticky muck. Inching along, every so often, she felt the truck pulling… the wheel fighting her for control. Talking out loud as if praying, she spoke to herself as if it were Glen sitting next to her.
As the nightmare worsened, Glen somehow magically turned into Whit, and she heard him sending her the commands she needed to hear.“Gear down. It’s okay, just steer Blue out of the spin. You’re still on the road. You’ll be fine, just stay in the middle. No. Don’t slow down too much. Keep a steady speed. That’s right. Good.”
“Oh God.” She looked toward the trees and felt as if they were closing in on her. The pale vista of her headlights gave some relief but the driving flakes against the windshield meant her wipers had to be at full speed which made her range limited.
“No. No… don’t take your eyes off the road. You’re doing swell, Demi girl. You’re almost there now.”
And just as she felt like she would make it after all, the wheel spun from her control. That’s when Blue headed straight for the tree line. And where it’s front wheel became lodged in a deep hole, which made the truck lurch in a most precarious position.
Oh, God. Oh, no, no, no!The worst possible thing had happened. She was stuck. Not willing to turn off the truck, she sat with her hands over her face and breathed deeply to hold off the tears simmering close.What now?Ihave to do something.
Another voice entered her thoughts, again sounding like Whit.Woman, you can’t sit here all night. You could run out of fuel and freeze to death.
She knew instinctively it was the truth. She couldn’t just pretend that it was okay to do nothing. Opening the door meant shoving against the snow that had formed a barrier around the truck. After using her strength, pushing with her shoulder and then her whole side, she finally got the door open enough that she could slide out. When she did, she landed in a heap, her knees unwilling to hold her.
God it was cold.
What the hell should I do?She had to get home and clearly, the truck wasn’t going anywhere.
Should she walk the rest of the way? There was a distinguishable path up the road. All she had to do was get to the rope. Then it would guide her the rest of the way.
Or stay here and pray she didn’t run out of fuel.
