The air was getting staler.
Charlie could feel it. Each breath was a little harder. The oxygen in their small pocket was depleting despite the canister. Carbon dioxide was building up.
How long has it been? Twenty minutes? Thirty?
Charlie’s thoughts were getting fuzzy and she wasn’t sure if she hadn’t drifted off. The cold seeped deeper.
My body’s starting to shut down, she thought without emotion. Then,When was the last time I heard the O2 hiss?
“Viv?” Charlie whispered. “You still with me?”
“Mmm.” Viv's voice was faint. Slurred. “Getting... sleepy...”
“No. Stay awake. Stay with me.” Charlie tried to move, to jostle Viv awake, but she couldn't move enough. “Viv.Viv. Hit the button, Viv.”
“Tired, Charlie...”
“I know. Me too. But we have to stay awake.” Charlie's own voice was fading.
The canister hissed but it sounded weaker.
We're running out of time.
Charlie's training told her what was happening. Hypoxia. Carbon dioxide poisoning. Hypothermia. The deadly combination that killed avalanche victims even when they had air pockets.
Ben. Please. Please find us.
“Charlie?” Viv's voice was dreamy now. Distant. “If this is it... if we don't make it... I need to tell you something.”
“Save your breath?—”
“No. Listen.” Viv took a shallow breath. The oxygen hissed weakly. “You saved my life. At the joust. And just now. You threw yourself over me. You could have run. Could have saved yourself.”
“That's my job?—”
“It's more than a job.” Viv's voice cracked. “You're... you're family, Charlie. You know that, right?”
Charlie's eyes burned. “Yeah. I know.”
“And Ben loves you so much. The way he looks at you... that's real. That's forever.”
“Viv—”
“If I don't make it, tell Rowan I love him. Tell him... tell him I'm sorry we didn't have more time.”
“You're going to tell him yourself,” Charlie said fiercely. “We're both getting out of here.”
But she could feel herself fading too. The cold. The lack of oxygen. Her body shutting down.
This is what dying feels like.
The hiss of oxygen was getting fainter.
“Charlie?” Viv's voice was barely audible. “I think... I think it's almost empty.”
Charlie's heart sank. They'd stretched it as long as they could. Thirty minutes, maybe more. But now?—
“I pressed it, Charlie, but it didn’t make any noise that time.”
