10
“Now would be a good time to pray,” she said aloud, and then did just that. Jessica wasn’t overly religious. She did attend church, although not as often as she should, she thought. Jessica kept her eyes open and fixed on where Matt had disappeared into the storm, praying aloud to get him back to her safely. They just had to make it out of this alive and unscathed.
It seemed like an hour passed, maybe two, and Jessica began to worry. Her stomach twisted and flopped around while fear sliced through her. What if he doesn’t make it? What if I never see him again? What if…..? As her last ‘what if’ darted through her mind, the driver’s door whipped open, and Matt climbed into the truck.
“Oh, God!” Tears flooded Jessica’s eyes, she threw herself against him, hugging him tight.
“You were gone so long,” she buried her face against his heavy coat that was now icy cold and covered with snow. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I wasn’t gone very long,” he said gently, “I’m sure it felt longer under the circumstances.”
“I was so worried,” Jessica breathed into him while he continued to hold her tightly.
“I have good news,” he said and she could almost hear a smile in his voice. “The cabin is empty and habitable, so we can stay there overnight, or at least until this storm blows over.”
Jessica pulled back, but Matt’s arms were still around her, “Is it far?” she asked tentatively.
Matt shook his head, “Not at all, but it is an uphill hike, and in this cold, we need to get you prepared for it. And you won’t make it far in those.” He nodded to her fancy boots. “You’d get frostbite before we reached the front door.”
He reached behind him and rummaged around. “I’ve got a spare pair of boots in my rucksack. They’ll be yards too big for you, but I’ve got a bunch of spare socks, and you can keep putting them on till you fill out the boot.”
Matt didn’t give her a chance to respond. He opened the door of his truck, letting in a blast of snow and freezing air before he jumped into the snowdrift and slammed it shut again.
Jessica began to pull off her boots while keeping an eye on Matt through the back window. He grabbed his rucksack, threw open the door, tossed the ruck into the truck, and then slipped in beside it, slamming the door again.
Matt yanked open the rucksack zipper and grabbed his combat boots. “Here,” he nudged them over to her, and she set them on the floorboard after she tossed her designer boots over the seat behind her.
“Socks, three pairs. Put on all three.”
He handed her the heavy socks and she asked, “But what about you?”
“I’m fine, just put them on quickly, because we need to get going. Is there anything in your suitcase you absolutely need?”
She pulled on a pair of socks and shrugged, “Toothbrush, I guess. Underwear,” she added, feeling her cheeks get warm.
Matt was in survival mode, “Take only what you absolutely need and can easily carry, and we’ll leave the rest. I’m taking the rucksack and my gun.”
She gave him a startled glance. “Gun?”
“Just in case.” He looked at her sternly, and she saw the man who’d been in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan. This man had been taught how to survive all kinds of extreme circumstances, even torture.
“Also, here’s a ski mask. You’ll need it to keep your face from freezing.” He handed her a black ski mask and pulled a spare one over his head.
“Ready?” he asked, zipping up his coat, his voice muffled.
She nodded, and reached for her door handle. “No,” he said, “it’s going to be too much weight with the wind and the snow. Trust me, the door won’t budge. I want you to slide over to my side and jump out?”
Jessica only nodded, her stomach twisting. She felt safe with Matt, but she knew there were things even he couldn’t control.
Matt opened his door, yanked out his rucksack, and beckoned Jessica to slide over. She slid out quickly and gasped behind her ski mask. It was colder than she’d expected, much colder. Even her heavy gloves and the three pairs of socks weren’t keeping out the cold.
When she was out of the truck, he pointed ahead of them. “That’s where we’re going!”
She could see something ahead, vaguely, through the storm.
“Hold my hand!” he yelled over the wind, and she gripped his hand, probably tighter than she needed to. He pulled her with him while they trudged through the howling blizzard. After ten minutes of walking, the cabin seemed just as far away as it was when they parked the truck, and her legs were burning from the cold.
“Are you okay?” Matt yelled and she nodded, desperate to keep up with him. Her lungs were burning from the cold, and her free hand so cold she could barely move her fingers. Jessica stumbled and Matt turned to her:
“Jessica, talk to me…” he yelled while the wind tried to snatch away his voice.
“I-I don’t think I can. Can’t we just go back to the truck?” But when she looked back, the truck seemed too far away. She let out a desperate sob.
“Jessica, you’re going to be fine. Can you keep walking?”
Jessica nodded, but when she took a step, she nearly fell over.
“Matt, I-I’m sorry about this. It’s all my fault if we die…”
“We aren’t dying, do you hear me? I will not let you die!” He wrapped an arm around her. “I’m going to pick you up,” he said, and lifted her into his arms. “I need you to stay awake.”
“Jessica?” he shook her, and her eyes fluttered open.
“I’m okay, I can walk.” her voice shook.
“Keep talking to me, Jessica.” He didn’t set her down, but he kept talking to her while he plowed ahead through the knee-deep snow and the near-whiteout conditions.