The helmet I wore made the gusts of wind with pancake-sized snowflakes almost disappear. Gabe’s tall frame was rigid as he sat on the snowmobile, his powerful arms gripping the handlebars, the roar of the engine vibrating through the snow. I bit my lip to stifle my laughter as a large man slid wildly back and forth in the car due to Gabe’s reckless driving. Behind us, another snowmobile trailed, carrying two more, and together, the three machines formed Jude’s lab-finding team.
Gabe pointed to our left, his finger sharp and precise, and the vehicles smoothly veered in the correct direction. How long were we going to be out here? Did Gabe know where he was going? I looked toward the sky, and the muted sun, a hazy orange orb, dropped lower. Night would be coming soon, and we needed to find a hidden spot to set up camp, especially if we were getting closer to the lair.
Ahead of us, large snow-topped mountains loomed, their peaks piercing the gray sky, as our snowmobiles entered the pristine, untouched terrain. A path opened at the bottom of the hill, and Gabe’s vehicle came to a gentle halt, signaling us to follow. With a collective groan, we pushed ourselves up from the uncomfortable seats, kicking out our legs to ease the stiffness.I wasn’t even sure if my legs would work; I couldn’t feel them. I was shocked when my body lifted from the hard seat, but I soon fell sideways, feeling a void in mobility stemming from my buttocks. As my body crashed to the ground, my face slammed into the snow, the sharp icy crystals digging into my skin with the force of a thousand tiny glass shards.
Of course I’d make an ass of myself.
Jude and Gabe ran to me, one on each side, and hoisted me up with a surprising ease. Their words melded in my mind, their inaudible concern muffled in my ears. Extending my arms, I pushed both of them away. “Both of you! Get the hell off me!”
Gabe hooked a finger under the chin strap of his helmet and swiftly pulled it off. The helmet hit the ground with a dull thud, sending a small cloud of fluffy snow into the air. His brows were narrow, and his pupils completely took over his eyes. “Why are you touching my man?” With one palm, he pushed Jude’s shoulder. “He said to get the fuck off of him.”
“I was just helping him,” Jude snarled. “Back off, bro.”
Gabe’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “Back off? You’re telling me to back off? Who the fuck are you,bro?” He pushed Jude once again, who stumbled backward.
“What’s your issue?”
“What’smyissue?” Gabe spat back. “What’syourissue?” With that, he lunged at Jude, the force of the impact sending a spray of powdery snow above as they tumbled together.
I watched in horror as both of their bodies entwined. Fists blew through the air as they tumbled through the snow. The other two guards sprinted toward them, weapons drawn. I ran in front of them. “Stop! You can’t hurt either of them.” I turned my head to the two men punching each other on the ground. “Can you two STOP?”
Gabe’s knuckles connected with Jude’s face, a sickening crunch accompanying the whoosh of air leaving Jude’s lungs. The next thing I heard was Jude mutter something under his breath, followed closely by a grunt from Gabe. If I allowed this to continue, they’d kill each other.
Maybe it’s for the best.
“Both of you. STOP!” I screamed so loud, it’s a wonder how all the snow didn’t avalanche from the mountains. Blood stained the pure white snow in beautiful splatters that could rival any painting. I thought about intervening, but the sheer intensity of their anger made me back down; their rage was too powerful.
Out of nowhere, the twin blasts of gunfire echoed. A sharp crack echoed as the blow landed squarely on Jude and Gabe’s necks, sending them to the ground. Fresh red liquid splattered on top of the old, bloodstained snow. The two men froze in their spots, and two more gunshots sounded through the air, hitting them squarely in the chest. Both of them fell to the ground, and their fighting ended.
My eyes widened as I saw both of them lying on the ground with red gunshot wounds, covered their chests. “Gabe! Jude!” My initial reaction was to rush to them to make sure they were okay, but I needed to know where the shots had come from. Otherwise, I’d be next. The two soldiers behind me raised their guns and scanned the landscape, their faces grim as they tried to pinpoint the source of the gunfire.
Despite my heart rhythmically thumping against my chest, it felt like it was slowly breaking as I scanned the craggy mountains. I just got Gabe back. I wanted to explore my relationship with Jude further. And now both of them were gone. I was all alone in the world. Once again. A hollowness cascaded over my body—whoever did this was going to pay.
“Holy fuck! What was that?”
Jude. That was Jude’s voice. But he was shot once in the neck and again in the chest. There’s no way he’d still be alive. I scanned the mountains, thinking I saw movement, but it was just the tendrils of snow floating in the wind.
“That got da both o’ yer to stop, di’nt it?”
A shadowy figure slid down the steep, snow-covered slope, his feet kicking up a small cloud of powdery snow. I raised my arm at the two people behind me and quietly whispered, “Don’t shoot.” I wanted to see who this was. With a groan, Jude and Gabe pushed themselves up from the snow, the cold seeping into their numb arms. How were they alive?
The man walked closer, and I squinted, trying to make out his features in the dim light. The stout man wore faded blue overalls, their denim worn soft from years of labor, and his sturdy build filled them out. A scraggly white beard, coarse and thick, cascaded from his chin, reaching his torso. His bushy white eyebrows, thick as caterpillars, were perched so high on his forehead they almost appeared to be part of the brown hat atop his head. In his hands, he held a strange-looking gun.
“I don’ mean no trouble.” The man’s accent was unidentifiable and seemed to be a mesh of many. His gravelly voice occasionally lightened with surprising inflections on key words. “If yeh want ter still be alive after tonight, yeh might want ter come with me.”
“Come with you?” I yelled, crossing my arms. “We don’t even know you.”
“What is this?” Gabe wiped the red liquid on his neck.
“Paint.” The man held his weapon in the air. “I use my pain’ball gun ta blind those goddamn Dogs.”
“How do we know we can trust you?” Jude stood and brushed the snow from his pants.
The man shrugged. “I guess yeh don’t. But yeh can either trust me or trust da Dogs. I’ll let yeh in on a secret: yeh havea better chance o’ survival wit me.” He turned and threw the paintball gun over his shoulder. “Don’t see many folks up here, so I figured I’d help ya out.”
It was getting dark, and we all knew the Dogs would spot us as soon as the first touch of night came. Right now, the light and the snow shielded us from being seen. We needed to find shelter. Fast.
“Hide yer vehicles, but bring da batteries. Yeh can charge ‘em at my house.” With that, the man began walking up the trail into the mountains, leaving us behind.
