Zero Visibility

by Sharon Dunn

  “What’s going to happen to her?” Merci couldn’t hide her anguish.

  “I don’t know. He must have come back for the snowmobile, thinking that would get him and the others off the mountain. They might get a little ways, but even that won’t be good in the deeper snow.”

  “But why would they take Lorelei?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe he thought it would be easier to get away if he had a hostage.”

  Merci nodded. “He did say if I came close, he would hurt Lorelei.”

  “The others must have been waiting for him in the trees. You can’t fit four people on that snowmobile. He might let her go once he thinks he’s gotten far enough away.”

  Her eyes widened with fear. “That would mean she would be wandering out there in the cold.” She brought her fingers up to her mouth and shook her head. “Or he might just kill her when she is not useful to him anymore.”

  Judging from what he had seen so far, that was a possibility. He kept the thought to himself. Merci was worried enough.

  “She went outside in the middle of the night like she was not in her right mind. I remember reading stories in history class about pioneer women who just walked out in the cold and died because the struggle for survival just got to be too much for them.”

  Still feeling a little wobbly, Nathan rose to his feet. “She was kind of falling apart.”

  Merci shuddered, then lifted her chin. A look of resolve came over her face. “We have to rescue her.”

  He didn’t disagree, but they were no match for armed men. If they were to get any distance at all, they needed a break in the storm. “We don’t have any way to defend ourselves.”

  “She saved my life when they attacked us in your truck.” Her eyes pleaded. “We have to do something. Maybe they’ll just let her go in the woods.”

  That would be the best case scenario. “We might be able to bring her back to the cabin, but not if the thieves are close by.”

  Her jerky movement as she ran her fingers through her hair revealed how anxious she was. “Maybe the police will try harder to get up here now that they know what we are dealing with.”

  He hated hitting her with more bad news, but he needed to tell her the truth. “The phone line is not working. I wasn’t able to make that second call.” He braced for her reaction.

  Merci sucked in a sharp breath before responding. “We have no way to contact anyone?”

  “Do you have a cell phone?”

  She shoved her hands in the pocket of her purple coat. “I thought I put it back in my pocket when we were at the car, but maybe I didn’t…or it might have fallen out of my pocket outside.” She rose to her feet and looked up at him. “What are we going to do to help her?”

  His mind reeled, searching for possible solutions. “If they came back for the snowmobile thinking it would help them escape, they’ll get bogged down in the snow eventually.”

  Merci’s eyes brightened. “So they would be on foot. That means we might be able to catch them and get Lorelei back.”

  Nathan nodded. “If we get a break in the storm, we can follow the tracks. I have snowshoes and warm weather gear.”

  She moved away from him and collapsed on the couch. “It’s not a smart plan, is it?”

  “It’s the only viable plan we have.” He paced. “We’ll only go out a short distance. When the snowmobile becomes unviable, they might head back toward the cabin. We’ll have the element of surprise on our side.”

  She laced her fingers together and bent her head. She stared at the floor for a long time as though she were mulling over what they were about to do. “We can’t leave her out there. And we can’t just wait here and hope they come back and that she is with them. You saw what those men were capable of.”

  “There is a lot of ‘ifs’ to this plan.” He shook his head. “Taking her just doesn’t make a lot of sense even if she was some sort of insurance policy to get away. Maybe this isn’t a simple robbery. Is your friend rich?”

  Merci shrugged. “I really don’t know her that well.”

  “But you took a ride with her.” He hadn’t intended to sound accusatory.

  “I was desperate. I had a terrible finals week. Someone stole textbooks out of my dorm room. I failed chemistry. My dad sent me a letter saying he and mom weren’t going to be in the States for the spring break. He thought it would soften the blow if he sent a care package, too. The final insult was that my car broke down two days before I was supposed to leave. All I could think about was how being with Aunt Celeste would make the world seem right again. I was checking the Share a Ride bulletin board when Lorelei came up to me and said she was driving to western Oregon and could drop me off.”

  College students caught rides with fellow students all the time. Still, it seemed a little impulsive on Merci’s part. “So how well did you know her?”

  “We weren’t best friends or anything.” Merci gathered her long hair in her hand and twisted it while she talked. “We’re in the same dorm, and we had a marketing class together last year. We worked on a project together. She’s a serious student.”

  Nathan walked to the window and stared out at the deep snow. The wind wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier and the snowfall was lighter.

  Merci came up behind him. “We have to do this, Nathan. She saved my life. There is no one else to help her. I’m afraid for her.”

  He hated putting Merci in harm’s way. But going alone would be foolhardy, too. His resolve solidified. They had to at least try. “I have an extra pair of snowshoes. I don’t have another coat, so you will have to wear the one you have. Let’s see if we can find all the winter gear we can.”

  In twenty minutes, Nathan gathered together everything he thought they might need and filled their backpacks with food and water. When he looked out the window, the storm seemed to be breaking up. There was less snow and wind.

  Merci followed Nathan out onto the porch. Darkness still covered the sky, but the wind had stopped blowing. He took a moment to show her how to strap the snowshoes on. “Step lightly. Don’t waste energy pulling yourself out of the snow.”

  She nodded, her face filled with trust. “Is that it?”

  He picked up a silk balaclava that had been his

  brother’s. “Wear this under your hat. It’ll keep your face warm.” He slipped it over her head.

  “And it makes me look like a ninja.”

  He smiled, grateful for the moment of humorous relief.

  “Stay close. The wind isn’t bad now, but it’s important that we always be able to see each other. I’ll slow down if I need to. Are you sure about this?”

  The trusting green eyes gazed up at him. “I couldn’t live with myself if something bad happened to her, knowing that I didn’t at least try to help her.”

  “Me, either,” He said before taking in a prayer-filled breath. “Let’s do this.”

  Nathan clicked on his flashlight and took the lead. Merci followed in his tracks. Snow swirled out of the sky. When he looked over his shoulder, she was keeping up, but the distance between them had increased.

  The snowmobile tracks were easy enough to follow, making clear grooves as the snow got deeper and deeper. They were only about half a mile from the cabin when they found the abandoned snowmobile stuck in the snow.

  Nathan lifted his head and shone the light. “Footprints lead off this way.”

  Merci came up beside him, breathing heavily. “Do you suppose the other two thieves were waiting for them somewhere?”

  “Maybe.” He studied the two sets of prints partially drifted over from snow. “I can tell you one thing. He’s not taking her back to the cabin.”

  Merci came up beside him and shone her flashlight. “There’s not any blood. No sign of struggle. She must still be okay. Where are they going?”

  “These footprints point toward the camp.” He took off his gloves and tightened the drawstring around his hood. The temperature had to be below zero, but at least the wind wasn’t bl
owing too bad.

  “How would they even know about the camp?”

  Nathan shrugged. “Maybe they saw the signs when they drove in and remembered it.”

  “How far is it to the camp?” She clamped her gloved hand on his forearm.

  He turned and shone his light on the cluster of trees and the trail behind him. “It’s only a little farther to go to the camp than it is to go back to the cabin.” He remembered something that lifted his spirits. “My father used to keep a rifle in the camp office to use in case of bear attacks. Only the stuff that varmints will damage gets taken out of the camp in the off-season. I think the rifle is left there.”

  “If we had a gun, it would be easier to get Lorelei back.” Hope tinged Merci’s voice.

  The decision was not a hard one to make. He knew the layout of the camp like the back of his hand, had keys to all the buildings and a rifle meant they could defend themselves if they had to. The odds had shifted a little. “Let’s keep going.”

  They trudged forward in the dark. The flashlight beam illuminated a small path in front of them. Merci fell a few paces behind him. After about thirty minutes, the wind picked up again. The break in the storm had been short-lived as the snowfall became heavier again.

  He felt a tug on his coat. “It’s getting worse. I think I need to stay closer.”

  Nathan draped an arm over Merci’s shoulder as both of them put their heads down and leaned into the wind. He only hoped they had not made a mistake. They had taken a gamble that the weather would hold. Conditions were hazardous at best. A little more wind, a few degrees’ drop in temperature and they would be fighting for their lives.

  FOUR

  Merci held on tight to Nathan’s gloved hand and trudged forward in the dark. She was grateful they had put on enough cold weather gear to ensure that they weren’t chilled to the bone. Having to lean into the wind and fight the elements with every step meant fatigue was setting in, though. How much farther to the camp?

  She bent forward to shield herself from the wind, which meant her flashlight only illuminated the three or four feet of ground in front of her. The tiredness in her leg muscles made her think that they had been walking for hours. In reality, it had probably only been minutes.

  She put her foot down slightly sideways. The snowshoe came off. Her leg sunk down to the knee in a drift of deep snow, and snow suctioned around her calf. A cry of surprise escaped her throat, and she let go of Nathan’s hand. She tensed the muscles in her upper leg to pull herself free, but her foot didn’t budge. Nathan grabbed her at the elbow before she toppled face-first in the snow.

  “You all right?” Clouds formed when he exhaled.

  Even through the layers of clothing, she could feel the strength of his grip as he held her.

  “I think my foot is stuck.” Snow seeped in through the top of her boot. The biting chill on her calf was instantaneous as it melted down her leg.

  “I’ll pull you out.” He bent forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, while she gained leverage by bracing her hand on his shoulder. “On my count, try to lift your leg. One. Two. Three.”

  She leaned, dug her fingers into his shoulder and put all her weight on the free leg while she pulled the other. “Got it.” Though the thick socks slowed the encroaching cold, the snow had melted down her boot to her foot. “How much farther do we have to go?”

  Nathan turned a half circle. “Not far now. And look.” Moonlight revealed a plume of smoke rising up into the sky.

  She tilted her head. With the wind blowing like it was, she wouldn’t have noticed it if Nathan hadn’t pointed it out.

  “The camp is just beyond these trees,” Nathan said. “And it looks like our friends have built a fire in one of the buildings. They must have found a way to break a lock.”

  The muscles at the back of her neck squeezed into a tight knot as the reality of what they were facing hit her. “So they are there for sure.”

  “It could be someone who got stranded up here, but I doubt it.” He patted her shoulder and put his face close to hers. “The camp isn’t far. It won’t be long now.” His voice held a solemn quality.

  Were they walking to their deaths even if they did find the rifle? Would they even be able to help Lorelei? They trudged onward. Her leg grew colder.

  They stepped out into an open area away from the forest. Without the shelter of the trees, the accumulated snow had grown deeper. Walking became harder even with the snowshoes. They sank down repeatedly.

  They made their way up a steep hill. Her leg muscles burned from the exertion.

  “Stay here for a moment.” Nathan walked back toward the trees that lined one side of the road. He disappeared into the forest and returned a moment later holding a large stick. He handed it to her. “Use that. It’ll help you walk faster. We’re really close, but the last bit is kind of hard going.”

  “I’m not sure if I needed to hear that.” She’d tried to sound lighthearted, but the only thing weighing heavier on her than the walk was what they faced at the end of their journey.

  “Just focus on how close we are. Look up ahead,” Nathan said.

  She followed the direction of his point. A flagpole without a flag was visible in the moonlight despite the blowing snow.

  Their snowshoes slapped on top of the snow with each tedious step. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. She aimed her flashlight up the trail as snow danced and swirled in the beam of illumination. Her spirits lifted. “I see the sign for the camp.”

  “Yup, that’s it.” Nathan’s voice still had lots of pep to it. The hike hadn’t worn him out.

  As they neared, she raised her light again. Now she could make out the yellow letters against the brown background of the sign. “Why is the camp called Daniel’s Hope?”

  “It’s named after my brother. He survived cancer when he was a kid. My parents developed the land shortly after he went into remission. They wanted to memorialize all the blessings that had taken place while he was getting better.”

  So the camp was named after the brother he didn’t want to talk about. “That’s a really neat story.”

  “It was a long time ago.” His voice held a note of sadness.

  She saw the two sets of footprints in the snow. They followed the tracks past the sign and down a hill. The two sets of tracks were joined by another set of prints.

  When they entered the camp, the buildings were but shadows in the darkness. The smell of chimney smoke grew stronger.

  “Hard to say where they are, but I’m thinking they are in one of the dorms,” Nathan said. “Those would be the easiest to break in to. Each one has a fireplace.”

  Merci leaned on the walking stick Nathan had given her. “I need to rest and get this wet sock off my foot.”

  “The cafeteria is a bit of a hike across the camp, that’s where the office and the rifle will be. You have to cook your food away from where people sleep, to prevent bear attacks. The main meeting hall is close. We can go there,” Nathan said.

  He pulled on the sleeve of her wool coat and led her through the camp. She had the impression that they were on a trail, though she could not be sure in the dark. From what she could discern, the camp was built in a bowl and surrounded by trees that must have served as a barrier to keep too much snow from drifting through.

  She could make out the dark silhouette of a building. As they drew closer, the distinctive lines of a cabin came into view. “How are we going to get in?”

  “I have keys, remember?” he said.

  He let go of her hand and pulled his backpack off. “Can you hold the light for me?”

  Merci angled the light at the door where a chain and padlock was drawn across. Hardly high tech. She heard keys jingling. Nathan brought his hand into the beam of light as he sorted through the keys and then unlocked the door.

  The door swung open, revealing a large room shrouded in darkness. They slipped inside. The flashlight allowed her to only see portions of the room, benches and tabl
es, a stage with a podium and a microphone laid on its side.

  “We can’t build a fire. That would alert them to our being here, and we should probably keep the flashlight use to a minimum.” Nathan must have picked up on her anxiety because he added, “We have a lot to our advantage. We have the element of surprise on our side, and I know this camp like the back of my hand.”

  “Getting the rifle will help, too.” Merci struggled to sound calm. Everything Nathan pointed out did nothing to alleviate the tightness in her stomach. Maybe they would get lucky and find Lorelei tied up in a room alone.

  Nathan had slipped off the snowshoes. His boots pounded on the wood floor as he walked around. “It seems like we kept some basics supplies in the storage room in here. Why don’t you sit down and rest? I’ll see if I can find a replacement sock for you.”

  Merci swung the light around until a bench came into view. She plunked down, turned off the flashlight and pulled off her snowshoes, boot and wet sock. She hung the sock over the back of a chair. The cabin wasn’t much warmer than outside. She crossed her arms over her body and sat in the dark.

  She could hear Nathan’s footsteps. A door screeched open. Judging from the distant sound of the footsteps, this place was pretty big. Their voices had seemed to almost echo when they had stepped inside.

  The noise of him moving around stopped. She sat in the darkness enveloped by the silence. What had become of Nathan?

  Moonlight provided only a little illumination. She could see the outline of the door where Nathan had gone. With one boot on and one boot off, she listed slightly to one side. Her steps had a clomp, pad, clomp rhythm to them. She twisted the knob, and the door eased open with a screech. “Hello, Nathan,” she whispered.

  No answer.

  A thudding above her caused her to jump. Her heart revved up to rapid-fire speed. Scraping and squeaking sounds filled the room. A door above her opened up.

  She heard Nathan’s voice before she could discern his face above her. “Looks like they have been storing a bunch of stuff in the loft.”

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Her heart was still racing.