But so will I.
As we climb higher, the snow gets deeper. It tumbles in our boots and soaks our socks. My toes begin to lose feeling. The tumbling rocks to the left of us have my heart beating with fear. One wrong move and down we go. The ledge is deeper than Ithought it would be climbing the edge of this mountain to make it to the other one. We must be careful not to slip down the steep, deadly mountainside to our left, so we continue to hold on to each other's backpacks. We take turns breaking the trail as we jump over frozen logs, the effort making us feel as if we are sweating despite the cold. But we don’t stop, not even for a moment. Our goal is in sight, and nothing will deter us. I need to know the truth of where Tilly went.
Something inside me fears my father won’t make it if she is dead.
The snow becomes heavier the higher we go, my eyes squinting to find the pathway around this cliffside. Everything is blurring together, and my boots slip on the unexpectedly narrow path.
“We need to hurry!” I shout over to Alice, who covers her face with her other arm, shivering uncontrollably.
We speed up, our boots pushing through the snow until we reach the side where it widens. But as soon as my leg moves to make the final step, a sudden rumble fills the air as multiple rocks begin to tumble down the steep ledge by our feet. The deafening clatter of boulders hitting and scraping against each other echoes across the wind, drowning out all other sounds. I suck in a deep breath, my throat feeling as if glass is slicing against it. My fingers stretch outward as my body begins to teeter. My heart races as I instinctively reach out for Alice's backpack. My fingers grasp at the straps while my boot slips precariously on the edge of the mountain.
I am dangling off the edge of the cliff, holding on for dear life to the material that is stitched into Alice’s backpack.
Damn it. This is how I die.
My heart races, my muscles straining to keep me steady.
Alice's eyes widen in fear as her knees hit the ground, snow rising around her. Her chest smacks into the snow, but she keeps a firm hold on her backpack.
“Hold on tight!” she yells, though I can hardly hear her over the roaring of the falling rocks. “Don’t look down!”
I tighten my grip on the backpack. Alice grabs onto my arm, her nails digging into my skin.
“If I fall, you have to keep looking for her!” I yell at her. Everything below my chest hangs over this cliff, and any second, my life could be over. Just like that.
My eyes widen; memories race through my mind of the life I had. The life I might be leaving behind.
I never really thought of death before now. Before Tilly vanished.
“Stop talking like that!” she snaps, her fingers curling tightly around my arms as she tries to yank me upward. Her grunts are muted by the howling wind, but I know she is struggling to keep me up. I stumble, my feet scraping against the rough rocks of the mountain path. “I am not doing this alone!” She sniffles between each tug. The sounds of her raspy voice crack through the deep tunnels beneath us.
Her fingers are slipping. I am slipping.
With a loud huff, she pulls back one last time, her muscles straining against the weight of my body. My boots dig into the side of the mountain, small pieces of rock crumbling under my feet, but I push with all my might to help her. However, the wind blows harder around us as the falling snow thickens, threatening to knock us both off this cliff.
“Pull harder!” I yell once more, our eyes glued to each other. I cannot tell if she’s crying or if the cold is getting to her. “On the count of three, I need you to pull as hard as you can!”
Alice shakes. Her hands are starting to tremble, and I can feel my body dropping. I am about to fall to my death.
“Alice, focus!” I holler at her. “Look at me, not what is below me!”
My eyebrows deepen as I search for any sort of emotion that might be running through her mind. But she finally nods. The hair that has fallen out of our loose ponytails slaps our faces, making it hard for us to see anything through the messy strands.
I swallow. The knot slowly going down.
I grip tighter. So does she.
“Are you ready?!”
Alice closes her eyes tightly. Tears start to stream down her face before they freeze along her red cheeks.
“One. Two…” I begin to count. My boots have found a spot, a ledge on the side of the mountain to dig into. It feels like a hidden ledge, and once I say three, I begin to push upward and throw my body towards Alice. “Three!”
She grunts loudly. Her whole body shakes as her fingers slide against my skin, almost losing grip.But I make it.
I fall on top of her. Her heart beats against my chest.
“This is a suicide mission.” Alice catches her breath. “Why the hell would she come here?!”
