by Skye Knizley
Dustin entered with another tray and kicked the door shut behind him. “Jody, you love my canned soup!”
Jody smiled. “At least it’s better than your canned Italian. What’s for dinner?”
Richard and Dustin placed the trays on the table.
“Fried chicken and waffles,” they said in unison.
Rylee looked at River. “This is your fault, you know.”
The meal passed in a flurry of conversation and good-natured teasing about the frozen chicken and waffles that the brothers had microwaved. When it was over, Dustin insisted that everyone get dressed in something warm and meet him at the shed, where he’d gassed up the snowmobiles. Three of the sleds were two-person models while the other three were sleek high-performance models that looked more like attack sleds from a science-fiction movie.
Though two could ride on the high-performance sleds, they were designed far more for the comfort of a single rider. Dustin and Jody shared one of the two-person sleds while River and Rylee shared another. Richard led the way from the back of one of the sportier sleds, his stocking cap perched at a jaunty angle above his glasses. River followed his sled through deep snow and forest before climbing a steep ridge that seemed to go on forever. Richard stopped in the lee of the cliffs and pointed into the distance. To the east, the storm still raged above the Atlantic Ocean, sending snow and wind to embrace the ocean surface. Distant waves rolled lazily toward a hidden beach and lightning crackled in the foreground. It was a surreal view that many artists would have given their left ear to paint.
River was almost speechless, but managed to squeak out, “Wow!”
Richard smiled. “See? That alone has to be worth the cost of admission, right?”
Rylee pulled her phone from her pocket and took a series of photographs of the scene. When she was through, she shook the phone and frowned.
“There’s no service up here,” she said.
Dustin’s brows knit and he pulled out his own phone. “That’s weird. We usually get cell service all over the island.”
He shook his phone and held it up as if that would magically help it reach a tower.
“Maybe it’s the same thing that has been effecting the radios,” River said.
Dustin shrugged and put his phone back in his pocket. “Whatever. I’m not going to let it spoil the trip, if we need a phone we can go to town and find a land line.”
Richard slid back into the saddle of his sled. “Come on, let’s go check out the trails. I had the caretaker make sure they were clear.”
Rylee settled her hat down over her ears. “Sounds like fun!”
River looked at her. “Really?”
Rylee’s grin was wider than the Cheshire cat’s. “Um, yeah. Extended snowmobile ride pressed into you, with free gropes you can’t do anything about? It’s like riding a V-twin vibe with you beside me, what’s not to like?”
River laughed and climbed onto the sled. Rylee settled into the seat behind her and River felt her press close. She reached back and caressed Rylee’s leg then started the sled and followed Richard and Dustin up the valley to a series of trails marked with colored plastic ribbon. True to Richard’s word, the trails had been recently cleared. What the caretaker hadn’t done, the heavy snow had, leaving the trailhead covered in fresh powder that shimmered in the moonlight. Richard took a trail with an orange sash and disappeared with Dustin and Jody close behind. River gunned her sled’s engine and followed, grinning at the flying snow that blew past the windshield. Rylee squealed in delight and wriggled closer to River. River could feel Rylee’s arms around her waist and, for the first time in days, felt happy.
The next hours were spent racing through the forest, daring each other to go faster or take riskier jumps, all resulting in howls of laughter and good-natured ribbing. The forest was beautiful in its fresh blanket of snow and evening stillness, a tranquility broken only by their antics and the roar of engines.
As the moon rose higher, River parked her sled in a clearing and turned in her seat to share a thermos of warm cocoa they’d brought from the cabin with Rylee. It wasn’t the hottest beverage she’d ever had, but the chocolate washed the dryness from her lips and brought color back to cheeks she hadn’t realized were frozen.
Rylee finished her cocoa and turned so she could lean back against River.
“Having fun?” River asked.
Rylee snuggled under her chin. “Yup. I’ve never been on a snowmobile before, it makes snow and frozen toes almost tolerable.”
River held her and stared out into the night. “I’m glad. I know it wasn’t really what we had in mind for honeymoon, but we needed this. To just get away from everything.”
Rylee nodded. “We did, I missed you when you were deployed. When do you have to go back?”
“I don’t.”
Rylee shifted, a confused look on her face. “What do you mean? Won’t you get in trouble?”
River shook her head. “I filed my discharge papers and they came through. I’m done, free and clear.”
Rylee smiled, but River could see uncertainty in her eyes. “I thought you wanted to stay in and make a career of it.”
River took Rylee’s hand. “I did. But losing my fireteam in that pesthole changed that. Marrying you made the change final. A friend put me in contact with a private security company in Washington, I can start whenever I want. From now on, I come home to you every night.”
Rylee poked her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to surprise you at the right time. Out here seemed like that time,” River said.
Rylee hugged her. “Thank you, baby. You being home with me means a lot.”
River hugged her back. “It means a lot to me, too.”
They sat together, just enjoying the forest and each other. River buried her face in Rylee’s shoulder and let her eyes unfocus. She thought she was staring at nothing, but after a moment she realized she was staring at a small red light a short distance off the trail.
“Do you see that?”
Rylee looked where she was pointing. “What? The light?”
River nodded. “Yeah. What is that?”
Rylee slid off the snowmobile and peered into the darkness. “It isn’t the town or the cabins?”
River stood beside her. “No, it’s the wrong direction. Come on, let’s check it out.”
Rylee stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Why? It’s probably another cabin or something, we don’t need to crash their party.”
“Out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Hunters are weird, maybe someone wanted seclusion to arm bears or something,” Rylee said.
River made a face. “And then put a little red light on the roof. Come on, Rye.”
Rylee pulled her mittens back on. “You and your curiosity. This is always how the cute funny one gets killed in horror movies. Fine, let’s go.”
River picked her way through the trees toward the light. As she got closer she could see it was a small building. It was painted in a sort of winter camouflage pattern and had a single window in the side. A red light hung inside a security cage and flashed intermittently.
Beside it, the tree line opened up and the star-filled sky was visible overhead. A wide swath of forest had been cleared, cutting an almost perfect line from the southwest to the north east. Rylee stepped into the clearing and almost immediately stumbled over something covered by the snow at her feet.
“Dammit!” she yelled.
She kicked at the object, which made a dull sound, like leather on metal. River squatted and brushed the snow away until she could see the long piece of steel concealed beneath the snow.
“It’s an old train track,” she said.
Rylee brushed snow off her legs. “Great. We’re in the middle of nowhere and I manage to trip over the only train track on an island in northe
rn Maine.”
River helped her up then turned to the small building. The window faced the train track, which made her think it was some sort of switching or maintenance station. A light glowed inside and she moved around to the door, which was ajar. The inside was cramped, big enough for two people if they were close. A small built in desk was big enough for a laptop, and indeed all the connections for a computer were present save for the laptop itself. A single chair was pushed back against the wall blocking a refrigerator barely big enough for a pint of ice-cream and a microwave so old it had a dial-timer.
Rylee knelt beside River and dipped her pinky in a sticky red pool on the floor. She looked at it with a professional eye and frowned. “Blood. The cold has kept it liquid, I’d say it has been here a few hours.”
“I doubt the guy who was here cut himself shaving,” River said.
She stepped back into the cold and pulled out her phone. She pressed a button and used its powerful flashlight to search the area around the small building. In the glow of the powerful beam she could see where the snow had filled in a trail of footprints. She raised the light high and followed the trail until it vanished near the train tracks at a spot where the snow was tinted pink. She stirred the bloody snow with her boot, but there was nothing beneath and no sign of where the person went.
“Maybe he got on the train,” Rylee said.
River wasn’t convinced, the tracks didn’t look recently used and they were miles away from the mainland, but there was no other explanation. People didn’t just vanish into thin air, especially people bleeding everywhere. She touched the blood again as if it would make the feeling growing between her shoulder blades go away.
Rylee touched her arm. “Come on, honey, whatever this is, it isn’t your fight. I’m sure this guy is okay. If he’s not, there’s nothing we can do, he’s gone. We’ll call the cops later.”
River let Rylee pull her back to the sled, where she brought the engine to life. Minutes later they caught up with Dustin and Jody, who were making out on the back of their own sled. Rylee scooped up a handful of snow as they passed and flung it over the others.
“Get a room you two!”
Jody stuck her tongue out at them and snuggled Dustin tighter. “That sounds a wonderful idea.”
Dustin kissed the top of her head. “It does indeed.”
He looked at River. “Race you back? Loser pours the champagne?”
“You’re on!” River replied with a grin.
“Wait! Where’s Richie?” Rylee asked.
Dustin turned in the saddle to face forward and waved a hand vaguely up the mountain. “He was exploring a new trail. Someone must have blazed it this season, it wasn’t there two years ago. He’ll catch us up.”
He started his sled and pulled Jody’s arms around his waist before leaning low over the handlebars. “Ready?”
River bent over her own controls. “Ready!”
The sled took off with so much force that Rylee screamed in surprise. Her scream rapidly became giggles of excitement as River guided the snowmobile down the trail with expert skill. Dustin knew the trail and the sleds better than River, but she was the better driver. She edged him out on the first turn and took a safe lead that trapped him behind.
Almost neck and neck they barreled down the mountain, voices raised almost as high as the revving engines. When they skidded to a halt outside the shed behind the cabins, River was in the lead.
When Dustin stopped beside them, Rylee leered at him. “Guess you’re pouring, big guy! Crack open the Dom!”
Jody climbed down from the snowmobile. “Next time. I have plans for my man and that ride was better than a chocolate aphrodisiac. We’ll see you girls in the morning.”
She took Dustin by the hand and pulled him away.
He grinned back at them. “A mountain man’s work is never done.”
Rylee snorted. “You’re an accountant with a flannel fetish.”
“Close enough for tonight,” Jody called over her shoulder.
River watched them head off to their cabin then took Rylee’s hand and led her to their own. She closed the door behind them and kissed River softly. Rylee returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around River’s waist.
“I want you,” she whispered.
That was all the coaxing she needed. She picked Rylee up and carried her to their bedroom where they undressed each other. Unlike the night before, where there lovemaking had bordered on frantic, they were slow and gentle, taking the time to explore, kiss and caress. Before long, they were in bed, legs entwined, soft lips joined in a kiss that only true lovers can share. It was first of many they would share all over each other’s bodies.
Later, they lay in each other’s arms watching a slow snowfall outside the picture window. Vanilla-scented candles provided the only light and they sipped champagne from crystal glasses that glittered in the soft glow.
“This is perfect,” Rylee whispered.
River snuggled her closer. “It is. I think I said this earlier, but we really have to plan to be nice to the guys sometime soon.”
Rylee set her champagne glass aside and rolled over. “They have more money than God, what are we going to do, get them Busch Gardens tickets?”
River shrugged. “I have some friends who owe me favors, I might be able to swing a ride in a tank or something. That should appeal to their inner thirteen-year-old.”
“Just don’t let them blow anything up,” Rylee said.
She lowered her head and licked River’s collarbone, making her shiver.
“Keep that up and we won’t be getting much more rest.”
Rylee’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Who needs sleep? We’re on our honeymoon, let’s share some honey and make some memories, babe.”
River’s reply was interrupted by a knock at the door. She looked at Rylee, who shrugged, then back at the door.
“Yes?”
“Riv? It’s Dustin. Have you heard from Rich?”
River slid out of bed, pulled her tee over her head and padded to the door. Rylee joined her dressed in a matching tee, though hers hung past her knees.
River opened the door to see a concerned-looking Dustin framed in the light from the great-room.
“Isn’t he back yet?” River asked.
“No,” Dustin said. “He isn’t in the cabin and his sled is missing. I tried the phones, but there is still no service. He only had enough gas for another hour and that was a couple hours ago, I’m worried something happened to him.”
River began sorting through the clothes spread all over the floor. “We should go look for him, do you know which way he went?”
“Yes, I’ll tell Jody and meet you out back.”
Dustin hurried off while River finished getting dressed. She noticed that Rylee was also getting bundled up and frowned.
“You’re not going.”
Rylee glared at her. “He’s my friend too, River. And if he is hurt, I can help.”
River stood and pulled on her coat. “You can help by staying here and keeping Jody company. Dustin and I will move faster if it is just the two of us. And you being here will mean I don’t have to worry about losing you out there.”
Rylee buttoned her jeans and stood. “Fine. But you bring that big idiot back, I need to give him hell for getting lost.”
“We’ll be back soon,” River said.
She kissed Rylee once more than hurried out into the cold. On her way to the shed she stopped at her truck and sorted through her gear. She wasn’t sure what she might need, but her day pack held a variety of items that might be useful in rescuing someone, including a first aid kit and good old-fashioned paracord. It also held her Beretta M9 and holster, which she clipped to her belt. It was unlikely she would need a weapon, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She shouldered the pack and caught up with Dust
in, who was fueling the snowmobiles from a barrel in the corner of the shed.
“We’ll take a double and a single, that way we can bring him back,” he said.
River nodded in agreement. “He probably just broke down or ran out of gas.”
Dustin didn’t look confident. “I hope so.”
He climbed on the sportier sled while River took the one she was already used to. They drove up the trail at a running pace, lights on full beam and eyes trained on the wilderness around them. River was trained in tracking, but it was hard to tell who had gone where in the snow, the treads were very similar and she didn’t have much experience telling them apart. At the trailhead, Dustin swerved onto a trail marked with a bright yellow ribbon. The trail climbed steeply into the hills, making both sleds growl with effort. At the end they reached a clearing of almost pristine white snow broken by a single snowmobile track that vanished down the other side. Dustin slowed to a stop and River stopped beside him.
“This has to be him,” Dustin said. “He was exploring that new trail so he had to have come this way.”
“Then let’s go,” River said.
Dustin held up his hand. “Wait, Riv. That side of the mountain is rougher and more dangerous than this side. I can go alone if you aren’t comfortable on your sled.”
River rolled her eyes. “I’m here and we’re wasting time. I’ll lead, if you want.”
Dustin shrugged and started down the other side at a walking pace. River saw what he’d meant as soon as they crested the hill. The trail dropped downward at an angle that made the snowmobile try to slide sideways off the cliff. The sheer rock wall was close to her left side while the right side dropped into stygian depths far below. River’s heart skipped a beat when she felt her ride slither on the ice and snow, but she kept it under control, hoping to God that Richie hadn’t gone off the side. If had, he was dead.
Inch by inch, foot by foot they crawled down the trail. River estimated they’d descended more than a hundred feet before the trail leveled out and entered a rocky expanse that continued down the mountain and into the woods. In the middle of the expanse was a snowmobile lying on its side. Fuel, red in the lights of the snowmobiles, dripped from the damaged tank. There was no sign of Richard.
