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“What the fuck are you doing out in that shit?” Pyro asked, adding another log to the fire. “The weather service upgraded the storm hours ago to a blizzard warning. The town is on high alert. Sent out the warning to all the residents two hours ago.”
“N-n-n-o ser-r-r-vice.”
“Well, you’re safe now.” Priest sighed, taking another blanket from Skylar who looked worried.
“Hen-n-ly.”
“What about her?”
“In m-m-y tr-u-u-ck.”
My brothers stared at me in shock, as Priest carefully said, “What do you mean, she’s in your truck?”
Taking another drink of Frank’s awful coffee, I tried to calm my shaking body. “She’s in m-m-y truck. To-ok the logging roa-d.”
“Shit,” Pyro cursed, crossing his chest. “Priest, let’s gear up. Looks like we get to play in the snow after all.”
Moving to follow Priest, Frank and Pyro stepped in my path.
“Just where in the hell do you think you’re going?” Pyro asked.
“With Priest.”
“Not a chance in hell, brother,” Pyro said, shaking his head. “Know you want to help, but you are in no condition. You’d only be a hindrance.”
“He’s right, Scribe. You need to stay here and let your body warm up.” Frank nodded. “I’d go with him, but I can’t. I’m grounded. That just leaves Pyro and Priest.”
“I’m not staying here while they go out in that shit. My woman is out there, alone and cold. I can help. They don’t even know where to look,” I said, looking at the big guy, but he was unmovable.
“Sorry, brother, just gonna have to sit this one out.”
“Scribe,” Skylar said softly, walking over to me. “Let them go. They will get Henley and bring her back here. I know they will.”
Rounding on the sweet woman, I shook my head. “It’s not right. I left her out there. I told her I would come back for her. I have to go, Sky. She’s expecting me.”
“Brother.” Priest sighed. “The longer we argue, the longer it’s going to take to get her back here.”
“You don’t understand. She had LASIK surgery. She can’t see. She’s out there blind. She’s in the dark, cold and scared because I chose to head back up the mountain. If we’d just stayed at the tattoo shop, we’d have been fine. It’s my fault she’s stuck out there. I have to go, and nothing any of you say is going to stop me. I’m going and that’s final.”
Twenty minutes later, all three of us left the cabin and ventured out into the blizzard. Dressed in cold weather gear, we trudged over to Pyro’s barn, each getting on a snowmobile.
Starting mine up, I said, “We’re heading for the old logging trail. We just made the turnoff from the main road when my truck hit a boulder. Truck’s toast.”
“That’s over two miles.” Pyro sighed. “You fucking walked two miles in a damn blizzard? Shit, brother, you shouldn’t be going with us. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Revving the engine, I stepped on the gas, my snowmobile racing off into the darkness. I didn’t care if I froze to death. I wasn’t coming back without Henley. She was all I could think about. She needed me and I wasn’t stopping until I got to her.
The trek back to my truck was long and arduous. The snow had really picked up and it was damn near whiteout conditions. I could barely see my hands. The temperature was dropping fast and the longer it took to get back to my truck, the more I worried.
I cursed myself for leaving Henley in this mess.
Seeing Pyro slow his snowmobile, I pulled up beside him and yelled, “What’s wrong?”
“Look!” he shouted back.
Trying to see through the thick snow, I could scarcely make out my truck up ahead. Jumping off the snowmobile, I ran towards my truck, only to come to a stop when I saw the passenger side door open.
Reaching for the open door, I looked inside the cab to find it empty.
