Evander
Fuck.Fuck.Fuck.
A whole rear corner of the structure has buckled, and I don’t know what triggered it.Yes, there’s an accumulation of snow and ice on the roof.But no more than at any other time since we got here.
I’ve been diligent about it.
Maybe this whole thing was ready to topple before the blizzard.I suppose we were fortunate to get a few days out of it.
I check to make sure a secondary collapse isn’t imminent, then I move as fast as possible in the snowshoes, trudging to the opposite side of the building.That’s when I see that the river rock chimney is compromised.Several stones have been dislodged and more are ready to fall.It was barely safe to begin with, but now it’s unusable.
I’m calling it—we’re going to the cave.
This is going to suck for Phoebe.She’s been a champ through all of it but hunkering down in a snow shelter is roughing it to the extreme.
It will make this pile of sticks look like a five-star luxury resort.
But I’d rather she be miserable than injured.Or dead.Keeping her alive is all I care about.
I hike back to the front door as fast as I can, taking a moment to look up.It feels warmer out here today, which could be a sign that the front is weakening.But the snow and wind are still fierce, and there’s no way Declan should fly in it.
Doesn’t mean he won’t think about it, but I trust his judgment.At least when it comes to being a pilot.Rotors and motors can freeze in severe cold, and snow can cut visibility to nothing.Declan won’t fly if he thinks there’s a chance he’ll kill himself and everyone on board.
He’s a dumbass, but not that much of a dumbass.
It’s probably about noon, which means we’ve got just four hours of weak daylight to do what needs to be done.At least setting up the cave will give Phoebe something to focus on.
I don’t want her to flip out.Not now.
I reach the door only to find that it’s blown wide open.There’s a split second where my heart drops to the pit of my stomach, and I throw open the tarp.Relief floods me when I find her exactly where I left her.She’s counting aloud and stops when she sees me.
“You had fourteen seconds left,” she says from under the parka hood and face mask.Even covered up like this, she’s adorable.
“Thank you for staying put.”
“You’re welcome.”
I glance at the fireplace.I see the first curls of smoke coming into the room.
“We need to go.The chimney’s damaged.”
“We’re going to the igloo?”
I can’t help but laugh.“Yeah.The igloo.Come on.”
I reach down for her gloved hand and pull her to her feet.“Here’s what we’re going to do.You hand me firewood and I’ll throw it outside.Let's move.”
She does what I ask, and within a few seconds, we’re an efficient assembly line.I’ve pulled back a corner of the tarps.She’s picking up several split logs at a time, handing them off to me, and I’m throwing the wood out into the snow as far away as I can get them.
Wet wood is a hell of a lot better than no wood at all.
Within about ten minutes, we’ve cleared out what’s left of the fuel supply, but the smoke is now rolling out from the chimney.The front room is smoky.
“Phoebe, I want you to go to the cave and start digging.I’ll get the supplies.”
“No.We do this together.It’ll go faster.”She’s already running around gathering up the blankets, canned food, and whatever paltry kitchen supplies we have, and throwing everything into the center of the old rug.
“What happened to our chain of command?”
