Something appeared in her peripheral vision and Elias was racing beside her. They slipped, jumped, ran so hard one false step could break a limb. It was too treacherous to look anywhere but right in front of her feet. She reached to the side—blind, hopeful, trusting. And he was there. Their hands met, grappled, and finally held on, their fingers entwined like rope.
Nothing existed beyond the two of them, attached like a ship to its moorings, and the ice—the most dangerous moving target she’d ever encountered. She’d seen this lake from the air; she knew its surroundings, its shape and surface. But here, in the midst of breakup, they might as well be in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but each other to count on.
Something marred the surface ahead. A dark, jagged line that reached from one bank to the other. A crack. Was it widening?
Elias’s grip tightened. She replied with a squeeze of her own and put on more power, heaved air into her lungs at an unsustainable rate, moved her limbs until every muscle burned.
She blinked in time to see the dog leap over the rip in the ice and land, her feet skidding dangerously on the other side.
The gap grew larger, darker, the noise massive, apocalyptic—the earth ripping open.
Suddenly, they were close enough to see what looked like two tectonic plates, scraping together…apart…together again.
She glanced right, met Elias’s eyes, in that split second taking in the world around them—trees and mountains and rain-drenched sky, so close and yet outside this hellish bubble. “On three!” he yelled.
She nodded.
“One!” Her feet pounded the ice. The mist swallowed her every gasp.
“Two!” She could do this. She could do this.
“Three!”Theycould do this.
They tightened their hold, squeezed hard enough to break bones. As one, she and Elias jumped.
For a few freeze-frame seconds, they flew through thin, humid air, hands linked, bodies bracing. Above them, a bird cawed, as if life could just go on at this moment.
They landed with a bone-jarring thump, hard enough to knock the air from Leo’s lungs and the thoughts from her head. She saw stars and wondered if it was night or day or heaven or hell.
She blinked the falling rain from her eyes, pulled at her hand to wipe it, but couldn’t. It was still in his. Or his in hers. Whatever. Still holding on for dear life.
Ears ringing, she concentrated on the first thing she saw—ice. Or snow. Or water.Focus.
White, crusted with gray, transparent in places. This close, bubbles were apparent, trapped in the water, swirling. Pretty.
Deadly.Ice scraped behind them. She turned to stare at the opposite bank. It was moving.Theywere moving.
“Elias. Come on. Let’s go.” Time to get up, away from the edge, off this ice, to solid earth. Bo snuffled at something beside her. Good. The dog had made it.
Head spinning, she strained her eyes in search of the shore. There, straight ahead, were trees, the mountains looming in the distance. Surely that must be less than a mile away? They could do it. No problem.
It took effort to let go of his hand and get herself up on all fours, then finally plant one foot on the treacherous ice. But she could do it.They’ddo it, together. She and the yeti could do anything.
“Elias.” She reached for his hand, ready to help him up to standing, maybe lean on him a little in the process. She was almost smiling when she looked his way. “We’re close. We can do this.” She grabbed his hand. It was heavy in hers. She squeezed. No response. “Elias.” Nothing. His arm was a dead weight, his body unmoving. “Wake up, dammit. Elias, wake up!”
***
Something slapped his face, jarring Elias awake.
He moved his mouth, tested his jaw, opened his eyes and then immediately shut them. He turned his head and tried again. After a second, things came into focus—water, ice, a dull black that gradually turned to trees as his eyes adjusted to the distance. Everything was gray and brown and black—smears of color slowly taking shape.
“Elias.”
He squinted at the silhouette above him and blinked until the face separated itself from the rest of the world.
“Elias. What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Fine.” He shut his eyes.
