Deep Freeze

by Kristin F. Johnson

  Inside the cave, Zach gathered up the load of firewood and dragged the pile near his dad. They could burn the thick sticks Zach had made the sled out of, but that would be a last resort. They might need the sled if Zach had to transport his dad back out of here tomorrow.

  Zach set up the fire near the cave entrance for ventilation. He put the long piece of wood in place first: the base. Then he angled the smaller branches against the base so they met in the middle, the way he would have made a bonfire back home. He took the matches out of his pocket. The first two wouldn’t light. “Come on. Come on!”

  He struck the third match and it fizzled out too. Was the whole pack worthless? There were seven matches left. Zach tore off another one and set it between the matchbook covers and pulled. Fsssst!

  The satisfying igniting sound came.

  Zach held the match against the twigs, as close to the base as possible. It lit the small twigs but then smoked and died out right away. “Dang it!” He glanced at his dad lying there helpless and Skye sitting right by his side, shivering. Zach had to make this work.

  He remembered the map. They didn’t need it now. No one would be driving anywhere. Zach ripped the map into pieces and crumpled them into balls. He placed three wads of paper among the twigs and along the base log. Then he struck another match and lit the map pieces. They caught fire right away and soon the twigs beside them were starting to burn too. After a bit, the log lit up. Zach rubbed his hands together and then held them over the fire. It was warming up their small area of the cave. The relief swept over Zach with the warmth of the fire. He looked around at his dad and Skye. They too looked a little better. Skye had stopped shivering and some of the color was coming back into his dad’s face. It was almost as if the three of them were sitting around the fire on a normal trip to the cabin.

  Zach removed his hiking boots and set them near the fire to dry off.

  He picked up a long, straight stick and started peeling off the tiny branches and leaves. This would make a good walking stick. His stomach growled. Or marshmallow roaster. That was one of the first things he would do when he got home—make s’mores. He flicked open the pocket knife and whittled away at the stick. The wood shavings came off easily. Pretty soon a small pile of shavings grew on the ground. His dad was nodding off while Zach worked.

  “Dad! Dad, we have to stay awake. You probably have a concussion and hypothermia. If you fall asleep now you might not wake up.”

  His dad stirred and opened his eyes.

  It was midnight.

  Once the sun came up, Zach would go back to the road and flag down help.

  Skye barked.

  “Hush, Skye.”

  But she wouldn’t stop barking. Zach immediately tensed up.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Something was out there.

  Skye bared her teeth. Her barking echoed off the cave walls.

  “Hello? Who’s there? Is someone there?” Zach grabbed the partially whittled stick and held it over his head, ready to strike. The hair on the back of his neck tingled. His heart hammered in his chest.

  He heard a low growl coming from the mouth of the cave.

  11

  Skye kept barking. She was crouched down and ready to pounce on whatever was coming their way. At the sound of the growl she rushed forward, placing herself between Zach and the opening to the cave. Zach reached down to grab Skye’s collar but she barked and jumped out of reach.

  The fire crackled. Light from the flames cast a dancing shadow on the cave wall.

  The shadowy figure at the cave’s entrance grew larger, flickering ominously in the firelight. Zach stepped backward and tripped over his hiking boots, falling to the ground next to his dad.

  “What is it?” Zach’s dad groaned, barely conscious.

  “I’m not sure. An animal . . . ”

  Simultaneously, they both saw the shadowy claw in the air. A big, black bear claw.

  “It’s a bear! Get some fire!” Zach’s dad yelled. “The flames will scare it.”

  Zach jumped up and grabbed one of the branches from the fire. He waved it in the air and held it out as far as his arm would reach. His hand shook, casting a wavering light along the cave wall. Skye edged toward the cave opening.

  A bear, almost bigger than the cave entrance itself, blocked their only way out. It growled, baring its teeth, then reared up on its hind legs when it saw them. Zach reached his fiery torch toward the bear.

  The bear growled and swatted at the branch.

  “Get out!” Zach yelled. He waved the branch just out of reach of the bear’s paw. The claws, illuminated by the flames, looked like knives.

  The bear was a lot scarier up close. Rising on its hind legs, it was about a foot taller than Zach. Why had the bear come into the cave? Had they stumbled on the bear’s home? Weren’t bears supposed to be hibernating this time of year?

  Zach’s hand shook. He held the torch as steadily as he could. His legs wobbled. He stared at the bear’s sharp teeth.

  The bear roared again and threw its head back. Skye lunged toward the bear, growling and snarling. It swatted at Skye’s nose. She reared up just like the bear, but the bear towered over the dog.

  “Skye, no! Skye!”

  Skye stayed between Zach and the bear, continuing to growl and snarl. And Zach stayed between Skye and his dad, yelling and waving the flame.

  Skye kept rotating with the bear as if they were prize fighters in a ring, her barks echoing off the cave walls.

  When the bear got close to Zach, he swatted the torch in the bear’s face and it growled. Zach stood his ground, keeping in front of his dad and held the torch firmly up to the bear. Zach waved his arms and yelled. The bear reared up one more time. Skye lunged and bit its leg. The bear yelped. It dropped down on its paws and lumbered out of the cave.

  Zach shook violently. He’d never been so scared in his life. They had made it through two car accidents and a snowstorm only to face down a bear. He didn’t know how much more he could take. He threw the burning torch back into the fire and sunk down to the ground.

  Skye ambled toward Zach. She dropped at Zach’s feet, exhausted.

  “You did it, Skye. You scared him off. Good dog.”

  Zach rubbed Skye’s neck, but he felt something wet. Blood.

  “Skye, you’re hurt.” Zach suddenly remembered his phone had a flashlight. The cell didn’t have service, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t use the flashlight feature. He shined the light over Skye’s neck. “Where is it, Skye? Where does it hurt?” Zach ran his fingers through Skye’s thick fur. Where was the blood coming from?

  Then he found the source: cuts from the bear’s claws swiping Skye’s face and back. Skye had stopped the bear from killing them, but at what cost?

  12

  Zach woke with a start when he felt his dad shiver. Zach was confused, but one quick glance around the cave reminded him of the night’s terrors and he turned to his dad.

  “I’m here,” Zach said.

  “I’m so cold,” his dad said. He was shaking the way people who are cold do, but he was sweating too. Morning light was streaming through the cave’s entrance and Zach shifted out of the way so that he could use the sunlight to look into his dad’s face, then on his leg. He pulled the cloth bandage back to see the wound. It was red. Zach touched the warm skin around the break.

  “Ah!” his dad breathed fast through clenched teeth.

  Zach had never felt so helpless in his life. He glanced at his watch. 8:23 a.m. They had spent the whole night in the cave. Skye lay at his feet, keeping them warm, but Zach knew they needed help soon. His whole body was stiff and cold.

  At some point during the night the fire had gone out and the charred remains sat cold by the cave entrance.

  “Your leg might be infected,” Zach said. “We need to get you to a doctor in case you need antibiotics. I need to go for help.”

  Zach looked over himself. The cut on his hand had stopped bleeding, but both hands felt fros
tbitten and numb in places. He also needed a doctor.

  He checked his hiking boots. The fire had dried them earlier, but Zach’s feet had already suffered damage from the cold and ice inside his boots. He didn’t know how far he could make it on his sore and frozen feet.

  But if they stayed in the cave, no one would find them. No one would even know they were missing until it was too late.

  Skye limped over and licked Zach’s hand. Zach rubbed Skye’s head.

  “Skye, you need to stay here and stick with Dad in case that bear comes back. You stay.”

  Skye cocked her head to the side and whined.

  “Sit, Skye.”

  Skye sat down. The slash mark from the bear had dried blood on it.

  “Good girl.” Zach patted Skye’s head. “You stay with Dad. Skye, stay.” Zach pulled on his hiking boots. They were cold but at least they were dry.

  “Dad, I’m going to get help. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Here’s something to eat in case you get hungry.” Zach tucked the candy bar into his dad’s hand.

  Zach stepped out of the cave. He could feel the chill of the air outside the cave hit him, but the snow had stopped falling. Zach looked around, trying to remember landmarks from the night before, but he couldn’t remember much of anything besides the blinding snow. He had no idea what way he needed to go to find his way back to the road, but he had to at least try to get there. His dad needed help, and soon.

  13

  Zach checked his phone again for a signal. The screen was black. He pressed the power button and nothing happened. The phone had shut down. He stuffed it into his jacket pocket. He wouldn’t be able to use it to reach anyone—9-1-1, his mom, any of the local stores. He would have to get by without it.

  Zach shuffled along through the fresh powder, trying not to get snow inside his boots. Going through the snow was definitely easier without the heavy sled behind him but his legs still ached from yesterday’s work and felt numb from the cold. He couldn’t believe they had ended up in this situation: no working cars, Skye limping and hurt from fighting off a bear, his dad shivering in a cave with life-threatening injuries. Zach had a sick feeling in his stomach.

  Snow had blown over the trail they had carved on their way to the cave. He brushed off the snow to see if he could retrace their steps from the previous day and found the remains of a faint path where he had pulled the heavy sled. At least it was something to start with.

  A hawk circled overhead. A squirrel ran up a tree. It looked like he carried a nut in his mouth. If Zach ran into that bear again, he didn’t have anything to protect himself with this time. Zach picked up his pace.

  It was getting harder and harder to see their tracks from the night before. Which way should he go? He stopped at a fork in the path. Both the left and right routes had what looked like a track carved into the snow. One side had a few broken branches on a birch tree. It could have been from another animal, maybe even the bear, but Zach thought it was more likely that the broken branches were from when he had pushed through the trees to get to the cave. Zach stared at the two options. He had no idea what to do.

  Well I have to do something, I don’t think Dad has time to wait while I decide, Zach thought. But another nagging voice in his head reminded him that his dad also didn’t have time to wait if Zach chose the wrong path. Zach chose the path with the broken branches. He hoped he wasn’t following the broken branches straight to a bear. He didn’t think he’d get off so easy if he met the bear again. Now he wished he had brought that bear spray with him. It was probably useless, but it was better than nothing.

  Soon he started recognizing the path. He had chosen correctly. He hadn’t realized it, but he had been holding his breath, afraid that at every turn he would realize he had been mistaken.

  When Zach reached the road, the first thing he saw was his dad’s car, dipping down into the ditch right where they had left it. The car was covered with more snow, but the road—the road was plowed! He sighed with relief. That meant someone had been through there. Would they be by again? How long ago had that been?

  He looked both directions down the road. Should he wait for a car to pass or make his way to the next town? If he chose wrong, he might never run into anyone and his dad could die. Or he could die right out there on the road. The thought made his heart jump into his throat.

  He slogged down the path toward his dad’s tipped car. That was the direction of the nearest town.

  A buzzing sound, like a chainsaw cutting logs, came from a ways away.

  When Zach looked in the direction of the noise, he was blinded by the sun reflecting off his white surroundings. But the odd chainsaw sound grew louder. Then, out of the white, something moved. Something was coming down along the ditch on the opposite side of the road.

  Zach waved his arms. The snow and the sun made him squint and almost completely close his eyes. The noise grew louder. A snowmobiler!

  14

  “Hey! Over here!” Zach yelled. He waved his arms. “I’m here!”

  It didn’t look like the rider had seen him, and he would never be able to hear Zach yelling over the loud engine.

  Zach ran up out of the ditch and into the middle of the road, waving his arms and continuing to yell.

  Zach’s heart raced. Puffs of white smoke shot out of his mouth. “Wait! Help!”

  The driver skidded to a stop in front of Zach. Snow shot out from beneath the sled skis.

  The driver sat for a moment, staring at Zach. Zach couldn’t even see his eyes behind the tinted helmet glass.

  Zach waved again and took a few steps toward the snowmobiler.

  The rider removed his helmet. Or rather, her helmet. Long brown hair fell over her shoulders. She held the helmet in her arms.

  “Are you alright?” she asked.

  “My dad’s hurt. He’s in a cave. We need to get help!”

  “Wait, slow down. What?”

  “We need help! My cell phone died and my dad—my dad. And my dog. And there was a bear. Please!”

  She whipped out a cell phone and dialed.

  “Hi, my name is Emma Norton. We need an ambulance,” she said into the phone. Then she looked around. “We’re on the main road about five miles north of the junction to Bearclaw Lake.”

  Emma handed Zach her phone. The 9-1-1 operator shot off questions. Zach explained his dad’s injuries and described where their cave shelter was as best as he could. The operator wanted to stay on the line, but Zach couldn’t stand the thought of just waiting around, continuing to talk about how hurt his dad was. Zach let out a long breath and hung up. He thought that getting help would make him feel better but he felt more nervous now. What if they didn’t get to his dad in time?

  Emma’s voice snapped him back to attention. “You’re lucky you made it through that storm alive,” she said. “Do you want me to bring you to your dad? I think I know the cave you were talking about. I used to play there as a kid.”

  Zach just nodded—no words would come out.

  “Hold on,” she said. Zach climbed on the back of the snowmobile and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry I don’t have an extra helmet.” And they were off.

  The cold wind slashed Zach’s face. But he didn’t care. All his attention was focused on making it back to the cave. He squinted his eyes most of the ride to shield them from the biting wind but also to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.

  As they got closer, the red and blue flashing lights were already dancing against the white snow surrounding the cave.

  Zach’s heart pounded. His stomach did a somersault at the sight of the emergency responders. He had a horrible sinking feeling that they were too late.

  15

  As he hurried into the cave, Zach saw Skye lying with her head resting on his dad’s chest, whimpering.

  The paramedics leaned down next to his dad. One of them reached out for his dad’s wrist.

  A moment later, “We’ve got a pulse.” As soon as the paramedics
verified that, they sprang into action, doing a million things a minute. As they lifted his dad onto a stretcher and carried him to the ambulance, Zach followed the group with Emma by his side. He felt a surge of relief. His dad was alive . . . at least for now.

  “I hope your dad’s okay,” Emma said.

  “Me, too,” Zach said. “Thanks for your help and for the ride.”

  “Glad to be of service,” Emma replied, making a dramatic bow. She jumped back on her snowmobile and rode away.

  Zach clambered into the ambulance with Skye at his heels. The paramedics looked at the dog, looked at each other, and shrugged. One of the paramedics lent him a phone so that Zach could call his mom. He knew she wouldn’t pick up a call from a strange number. Still, he left her a message trying, and probably failing, to explain everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  When they reached the hospital, one of the paramedics looked down at Skye again. “I know she rode with us, but you won’t be allowed to take her into the hospital. Let me take her somewhere to get looked at. She seems like she could use some help too.”

  Zach wanted to keep Skye by his side, but he knew the paramedic was right. He nodded and the paramedic stayed outside with Skye as the rest of the group made their way into the hospital.

  Zach followed his dad’s stretcher down the hallway only to be stopped by the other paramedic. “Not so fast. We need to check you out for frostbite and that looks like a bad cut you’ve bandaged up.”

  Zach had no choice but to stay behind as he watched his dog sitting just past the automatic doors outside and his dad being carted away down a wide hallway.