“Stone, the vibrations are increasing. The sound you hearisn’tfrom the helicopter. It’s the entire side of the fucking mountain getting ready to break off. YouHAVEto get out of thereNOW!”
“But we’re not even in the?—”
“Do you think the mountain gives a shit about the fall line and avi territory?This is the Wild-fucking-West, and this mountain enjoys the kill.Sound familiar?” he asks, spitting my own words at me.
“How much time?” I ask.
“Not enough. You need to take cover. A boulder, an overhang, the trees, anything you can reach,” he instructs.
“You heard him,” I tell my team. “Take a direct route south.”
“But that will—” Layla starts.
“You heard him. We’re out of time, and this mountain doesn’t give a shit about boundaries. Heading west doesn’t make us safe. Getting into the trees at the bottom will. Nowgo.” After ordering the directive, I point my machine down the mountain and ride as fast as I dare behind my team. My teammates are already out of sight. All bets are off, and this just became every man for himself. The snow in front of me is fractured, forcing me to slow down. This is still the backcountry, and crevasses and other unseen dangers lurk in the dark. “Han? Are you there?”
“He, uh, he’s on the phone with S&R, arguing with their pilot about landing above your team,” Logan says over the comms channel. “He’s trying to warn them, but you know those guys…they don’t listen to shit.”
“Get him back,” I plead.
A second later, Hanlon’s voice is in my helmet. Of course, he’s in everyone else’s helmet, too, but I’ll take what I can get.
“Stone, how you doing?”
“Fine. Trying to dodge obstacles I can’t even see. I’m bringing up the rear, so everyone else is farther down, thankfully. Can we get Team Two prepared for rescue? Track Deacon. The others will follow him.”
“Stone, the wind is shifting,” Hanlon says.
“Let me guess, it’s turning south,” I say, an odd calm washing over me in the face of certain death.
“Southwest, to be exact. Looks like Mother Nature wants to give you a run for your money today. How long before you’re in the trees?”
The second he finishes the sentence, IfeelthewhompI heard earlier.
“Too long. I love you, Skittles.”
When I issue the statement, knowing everyone can hear it, Hanlon must either understand that I don’t expect to make it, or whatever data he’s monitoring is telling him of the nightmare I’m about to experience, because he gives me one final order.
“Fightback, dammit.”
The whole mountain shakes as she releases her fury upon us. I deploy my airbag and ditch my snowmobile. I can’t outrun the tsunami of snow coming for me, and being thrown around while trying to stay on the machine will only get me killed faster.
Stuck high enough to not be able to reach the trees, and low enough for the slab to gain full speed, I prepare to get swept away.
It’sso fucking loud.
I turn to look behind me and have two seconds to absorb the power, the terror, and the beauty barreling toward me in the darkness.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” I tell Hanlon right before this mountain,mymountain, delivers a death blow and pulls me under. I have the sensation of being tossed around in a washing machine for about four seconds before my world goes black and stays that way.
Chapter 38
Hanlon
“STONE! STOOOOONNNNE!” I scream so loud that everyone around me is ripping their headsets off, but I don’t care.
Stone’s boss, Rick, is on the phone with Search & Rescue, and I rip the phone out of his hand, ruining all chances of a job offer in one fell swoop.
“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLES! YOU SET OFF THE AVALANCHE WITH YOUR GODDAMN HELICOPTER YOU IDIOTIC MOTHERFUCKERS!I swear to God, if he’s dead, I will find every single fucking one of you and bury you on this mountain my-goddamn-self.”
