Chapter 2

The morning sun had risen when Al pulled himself out of bed.  He’d tossed and turned the night before, not finding a way to get comfortable with the cast.  He headed into the condominium’s small kitchenette.  When he walked by the dining table, he wasn’t surprised to find Sam there reading a book and drinking tea.  “Morning, Sam.”

Sam flicked his eyes up from the book as Al walked by.  “Good morning.”

Al hobbled over to the cabinets and pulled out the coffee and filters to make his morning brew.  He pulled a filter off and put it in the basket.  He was measuring out the coffee when the crutch slipped and the can fell from his hands spreading coffee grounds around the small room.  “Great!” Al grumbled.

Sam jumped up from where he was sitting and rushed over to Al.  He stooped down and picked up the fallen crutch and handed it to Al.  “Here, I’ll clean it up.”  He bent down, picked up the can, and looked inside it.  “I’ll make coffee for you too.  It looks like there’s enough still in here for a couple of cups.”

Al nodded.  “Thanks.”  He took the proffered crutch and hobbled over to the table.  Once he sat down, he spoke up as Sam worked.  “Would you mind if we checked out today, Sam and headed back home early?  I know I said I wanted to spend Christmas here but I think I want my own bed.  I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“No, I have no problem with that,” Sam replied as he swept up the ground coffee on the floor.  He knew that Al hadn’t slept well since he hadn’t slept well either.  He’d heard the man tossing and turning a lot.  More often than not, he’d had to restrain himself from going down to see how Al was doing.

That had been the first problem they’d faced when they got back to the unit they were staying in.  It had one bedroom on the main floor and the other was a loft bedroom.  Al had originally taken the loft but as soon as they walked in Sam realized that that wasn’t going to work and had switched with Al.

Ok.  Thanks.”  Al said the last word around a yawn.  “I’ll call down and see what we need to do.  I guess you’ll need to do all the driving though.”  He pointed to the cast.  “I figure I’m not going to be able to drive for awhile.”

“You’ve got that right,” Sam firmly stated whirling around to face Al.  “You are not driving with a broken leg.”

“I know.”  Al sighed.  “Where did we put the painkillers, it’s hurting like a son-of-a bitch this morning.”

“Hang on, I’ll get them.”  Sam quickly went into the bedroom Al was using and retrieved the bottle of Percoset from the table by the bed and brought them back.  He detoured to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water and gave them both to Al.  “What do you want me to make for breakfast?” he asked once Al had swallowed one of the pills.

Al looked over to Sam and sighed.  “Whatever, as long as you don’t make too much of a mess.  We’ll probably lose some of the rental for the condo.  I don’t want to lose the cleaning deposit as well.”

Sam sighed the sigh of the put upon.  “I’m not that bad, Al.  You make it sound like I destroy any place I cook in.”  He pulled open the refrigerator and scanned the contents.  “How about bacon and eggs?  We should probably use up whatever perishables we can.  I’m not sure they’d make the trip back to New Mexico.”

“Fine.  Just use the lid when you cook the bacon.  It’ll reduce the splatter and the bacon will cook faster.”

“I can handle making bacon and eggs,” Sam replied.  “Geez, you’d think I’d never cooked anything.”  As he turned back to where he left the bacon and eggs he said, low enough so that Al couldn’t hear him, “Never thought of using the cover to reduce the splatter.”

Al pulled himself up again and hobbled to the sitting area, flopping down onto the sofa next to the phone.  He dialed down to the front desk.

As he cooked, Sam was only able to hear part of Al’s side of the conversation

“Hello.  This is Admiral Calavicci.  I’m staying in Condo number 6.…….Yes.  Thank you.  I’m sure it will take time to heal.  That’s actually what I’m calling about.……..No, everything is fine.  It’s just that we want to check out early.  Since I won’t be able to ski and I won’t be able to accompany my friend on the slopes, there’s not really a reason to stay.…….Yes.  I understand this was a holiday rental.  That’s not a problem, but we will be checking out today.…….That will be fine.  Do you have a weather report for the 24 south catching 285 to New Mexico?.…….Blizzard?  Damn.…….What? .…….24 to Colorado Springs should be clear?.…….Oh, the blizzard is tracking south.……..Fine.  Thank you.”

He replaced the phone in its cradle.  “We’ll have to go east before we go south, Sam.

Sam, who’d only been listening with half an ear to Al’s part of the conversation turned around, a quizzical look on his face.  “What’s wrong?  Why can’t we go south?”

“There’s a blizzard that will be hitting southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.  We’ll plan on spending the night in Colorado Springs and then head south on I-25 tomorrow.  We should be home by tomorrow evening.  We’ll probably even have time to get a tree and decorate it.”

Sam blew out a breath.  If they were leaving, he’d rather head in the direction of home but it didn’t sound like there was any choice.  “I guess there’s nothing we can do.”  He pulled two plates from the cupboard above the sink and split the bacon and eggs evenly between the two and brought them over to Al.  “You sure we shouldn’t just stay here?” he asked putting the plates down.  “I know you can’t really do anything here but it might be better than having to do all that extra driving.”

Al shook his head.  “It’s only about three hours to the Springs.  There’s a really great steakhouse there and one of my favorite hotels, the Broadmoor.  We’ll get to bed early and then home is only about 7 hours away.  If you’re up to it, maybe we can stay an extra night in Colorado Springs.  That way we can be sure the roads are clear all the way through.  It means we’d be driving back the day before Christmas but I can’t see where that should be much of a problem.”

“Broadmoor?  That’s where Mom said Dad took her for their honeymoon.  I guess it would be kinda fun to stay there and see what it’s like.”  Sam sat down across from Al but just as quickly got back up as he realized he’d forgotten to put any utensils on the table.  “You want more coffee or something?” he asked from the kitchenette after retrieving the necessary items.  He pulled open the refrigerator, took the carton of orange juice from it, grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and brought them along with forks and knives over to the table.

Al looked at his cup.  “I could use a reheat.”

“I’ll get it for you.”  Sam looked at the carton of juice he still held and mentally calculated how much was in it.  “You want some of this instead so it doesn’t go to waste?”

Al continued to tuck into his breakfast ignoring Sam’s question.  “This is really good, Sam.  You’re getting better.”

Sam bristled as yet again Al insinuated that he didn’t know his way around a kitchen.  “What do you mean getting better?  You’d think I’d never cooked before.  You do realize I live alone?  Who do you think’s been cooking for me?”  He waggled the carton of orange juice.  “So, do you want some of this or not?”

Al smiled.  “Yeah.  Juice sounds good but I want a reheat too.”  He took another bite and swallowed.  “And yes, I know that you probably were forced to get better.  When I first met you, you could hardly boil the water you used to make those obnoxious Raman noodles you were so fond of.  Just take the compliment, Kid.”

Sam went back to the kitchenette and returned with another glass and the pot of coffee.  “I did not just make Raman noodles and I could do more than boil water when we met.”  He started back to return the now empty coffee pot.  “You make it sound like I was helpless back then.  Do you know how long I’d been on my own by then?  Mom did make sure I could do more than boil water.”

“Ok, ok.  So I’m exaggerating a little.  Yes, Sam, you could do more than boil water.  You could also open a can.”  He smiled.  “And you didn’t need to rub two sticks together to make fire.”

“Ha ha.  You’re just not going to let up, are you?” Sam asked good-naturedly taking his place at the table once again.  “Ok, so I made a lot of ready made food.  I was too busy to cook and it was only me so why bother - especially since I was getting most of my meals in the cafeteria at Star Bright.  It’s not like I wasn’t eating.”  He picked up a strip of bacon and started to nibble on it.  “You know, you should let me cook you dinner,” he said using the bacon as a pointer.  “You just might be surprised.”

Al nodded.  “You may have to.  You heard the discharge instructions.  I’m not supposed to be on the leg that much and the doc wants me to keep it elevated when I can.  Besides...” he said, noting the coffee, “...I just proved that trying to do things on crutches can lead to some really lousy results.”

“They really can be just as much hindrance as help,” Sam commented remembering his own time with crutches.  “Trust me, you’ll learn how to do things with them just because you’ve got no choice...and I’ll try to remember not to leave anything in the middle of the floor.”  They ate in silence for a few seconds before Sam continued, “I guess that means I’ll be making Christmas dinner.  Hope you don’t expect too much.  I haven’t done any shopping lately and I doubt anything’s going to be open on Christmas Eve.”

Al thought about it.  “We could always get one of those premade meals at the grocery store.  You know, turkey and all the trimmings.”

“I think you need to order those things in advance.”  Sam thought for a moment mentally inventorying what he had in his kitchen.  “I think I have a couple of steaks in the freezer but the only vegetables I have are frozen or canned...and there are only instant mashed potatoes.”

Al nodded.  “We can call today and let them know we’re picking up the meal on the 24th before they close.”

“I guess we can do that,” Sam agreed though without any enthusiasm.  Christmas dinner coming from a grocery store was on that same list of what to do for Christmas as spending it with strangers was.

Al heard the lack of excitement in Sam’s voice at the prospect of the grocery story dinner.  “No.  That’s ok.  I was trying to make it easier on you.  You want to make steaks, we’ll have steaks.”  Since his fourth wife had cut them for him - in public no less - Al hadn’t really appreciated them.  However, if it made his friend happy, he could live through it.

Thanks, Al.  I just...” Sam blew out a breath as he decided whether he wanted to explain his feelings to Al or not.  He decided that the man was his friend - his best friend.  Heck, the man was just as much family to him as his mother and sister were.  He owed it to him to be honest.  “I guess I just have this sort of picture of what Christmas is supposed to be.  You remember everything I did when Mom came to New Mexico a couple of years ago?  It just doesn’t seem right to have a grocery store cook dinner.  I know I’m just being really picky but...well...” he ran out of words to explain how he was feeling.  “Aw, just forget it.  I don’t think I’m making much sense.”

Al well remembered all that Sam had gone through to give his mother that perfect Christmas he remembered from his childhood.  He shook his head.  “Don’t, Sam.  Your feelings are important about this.”  He didn’t know how to tell Sam how much it meant to him that the holiday wasn’t just about fending off the loneliness anymore but, rather, was about family ties.  “We’ll do it your way.”

“Thanks.”  Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  Growing up the holidays always had a special feeling about them.  He knew it had nothing to do with how they were celebrated but, rather, the fact that they were together as a family.  He’d lost that for a time when first Tom and then his father had died.  He’d pulled away from his family then trying to protect himself for the emotional hurts.  When he had, it had always felt like there was a gaping hole left behind that was only filled when he started to go home for the holidays once again.

His mother always strove to provide the same kind of holiday that he and Katie had known when they were growing up.  Consequently, that kind of celebration had become linked in his mind with how the holidays, specifically Christmas, should be celebrated.

Since both his and Al’s plates were empty, he got up from the table and picked them up, carrying them to the kitchenette.  “I’ll clean up from breakfast.  You think you’ll be ok if you start getting our stuff together?”

Al nodded.  “Sure.”  He looked up the stairs.  “I can pack your stuff, but I’m not sure about mine.  I don’t think I can get up the stairs.”

Sam also looked in the direction of the stairs leading up to the loft.  “Don’t worry about that.  I’ll get it when I’m done here.”  He turned to the sink and started to run water into it adding soap.  “Just, if you start feeling uncomfortable or too much pain, stop and I’ll do it.”  He looked back to Al again, “I don’t want you to overdo it.”

“Ok Sam.”  Over the next hour, they pulled everything together.  Sam retrieved a cart and they took all of their belongings down to the car where Sam packed it while Al checked out.  Before they knew it, they were on the road.

As they drove down the road, Al looked up at the skies.  He could see the storm front to the south.  “I’m glad we don’t need to go through that.”

Sam looked at the sky in front of them too.  “Yeah, that looks pretty nasty.  You don’t think it’ll get up here, do you?”  He’d driven in snow before.  Growing up in Indiana and spending time in Massachusetts, he’d had no choice but to drive in it.  Still, it wasn’t something he liked to do and tried to avoid it where possible.

Al shook his head.  “Not according to the weather forecast.  Everything is supposed to be south.”

“Ok.  Let’s hope it got the memo.”  Al indicated that Highway 24 would be turning to the east and Sam easily made the transition.  They got a few more miles up the road before Sam briefly looked over to Al with another question.  “You know how to get to Colorado Springs from here, right?  And did you call ahead and get us reservations at the Broadmoor?  I’d hate to get there only to find out there’s no room at the inn.”  He shot Al a quick grin at his own, rather poor, joke.

Al gave Sam a jaundiced look.  “We stay on Highway 24 the whole way.”  He paused.  “And, yes, I have us booked.  We have one room with two queens.”

About 45 minutes after they’d left Sam glanced in Al’s direction to say something but, instead, what he saw out the passenger window caught his attention and he didn’t like what he saw.  “Uh, I thought you said that storm was going to stay to the south.  It looks like the front is moving north awful fast.  You sure it wouldn’t have been better to just stay put?”

Al looked to the right and saw the approaching storm.  “Too late now, Kid.  The jet stream must have shifted.  I guess we might get some weather.  We only have about two hours to drive, though.  It shouldn’t be bad.”

Sam again looked briefly to the approaching storm.  “I hope you’re right.”  Al had insisted that they take his car.  It had been fine for the drive up but now Sam wasn’t so sure about it.  Aside from the fact that he wasn’t entirely comfortable driving the sporty car, it wasn’t designed for driving through snowy conditions.  “How long do you think before it hits us?”  The closer they were to Colorado Springs when the storm caught up to them, the better he thought.

Al took a deep breath.  He hoped he was right too.  His car was great on the open highway, not so great on snow.  “I’m not sure, Sam.  Maybe 20 - 30 minutes?”

“Great,” Sam mumbled.  That would mean nearly two hours driving in it.  Since that would mean reducing his speed, it would be more like 4 hours.  He was sorely tempted to turn around and head back to the lodge.  “You think if we went back they’d still have our unit available,” he asked.

Al looked behind them.  “I don’t think it’s an option.”  The storm had moved further north up behind them than in front of them.  “Maybe we can find something up ahead.’

“Great, just great.”  Sam stepped a little harder on the gas.  The chances of outrunning the fast approaching storm were somewhere between slim and none.  Still, the further along they could get the better.  “This is turning into one hell of a vacation,” he pointed out.  “I’m almost afraid of what will happen if we do go trout fishing.”

“Oh come on, Sam.  You’re the one that’s an expert on probability and statistics.  You know events like this aren’t connected.”

“I’m beginning to wonder, I really am.”  Sam let out a slow breath and took a tighter hold on the steering wheel.  “I guess all we can do now is just drive.  I can’t believe I used to look forward to snowstorms when I was a kid.  What the hell was I thinking?”  He couldn’t stop himself from taking another quick look at the approaching storm.  It may have been just his mind playing tricks but it looked like it had picked up even more speed.

“You weren’t a driver then and you got to take off school.  What kid didn’t want snowstorms?”

“I liked school when I was kid.  I liked playing in the snow, too.  I guess you’re right but I still think I was nuts liking it as a kid.”  Sam wanted to look over and check to see the progress of the storm again but stopped himself from doing so.  It didn’t matter how many times he looked.  If it was coming, it was going to come and not watching the road could end up being more of a danger than the approaching storm.

They continued driving east towards Wilkerson Pass.  As they rounded the bend in the road, they found themselves going through Hartsel.  “Hey Sam, maybe you could stop at that gas station.”  Al pointed it out.  However, as they got closer, they saw it was closed.  “Oh well, something else is sure to be coming up.”

As they exited the town, the first snowflakes started falling.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of something coming up,” Sam pointed out needlessly, “but what’s going to come down.”

It didn’t take long before the light snow that started quickly gave way to a heavier snowfall and it began to accumulate on the road.  Sam switched the windshield wipers to their fastest setting but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with the snowfall.

As they continued driving, it became harder and harder to see the road ahead of them.  Al looked to the right as a sign came into view.  “We’re on top of Wilkerson Pass now, Sam.”

This time Sam didn’t spare Al even a cursory glance.  All his concentration was going into staying on the road.  “And what does that get us?” he asked in a clipped tone.  As he did, he felt the car slide through the accumulating snow.  When his felt the car slipping, he downshifted and brought the vehicle back under control.  It was the second time it had happened.  He further reduced his speed in an effort to try to prevent a third time.

He squinted at the windshield leaning forward hoping he’d be able to see better.  It didn’t help.  His vision just couldn’t penetrate through the snow that was building up on the windshield.  “I need to find somewhere pull over and get the snow off the window.  I can barely see the road right now.”

Al nodded.  They were almost in full whiteout now.  Sam was barely able to travel more than ten miles per hour.

Sam eased the car to the side of the road.  He just sat for a minute trying to collect himself before pushing the door open.  “You stay put and I’ll take care of this.”  He pulled the hood on his coat up over his head and started to get out of the car.  Before he did, he looked in the backseat hoping he’d see a snowbrush there waiting for him.  Unfortunately, there was nothing.  He’d have to make due brushing the snow off the windshield with his gloved hands.

As soon as he stepped out of the car, Sam was buffeted by the wind.  He’d been fighting it driving but now, standing out in it, it felt ten times as strong...and that was to say nothing about how cold it was.

Once he started brushing the snow off, it didn’t take him long to realize that he was fighting a losing battle.  He stamped the snow off his feet as best he could and got back in the car.

Al looked over to Sam and saw the tenseness with which he was holding himself.  “I’m sorry, Sam.  I never thought we’d be facing this.  Maybe there will be someplace to stop a little up the road.”

A sharp nod was all the answer Sam gave as he pulled off his gloves and held his hands in front of the car’s heating vents and tried to work some heat back in them.  When he did, he pushed the coat’s hood from head heedless of the fact that there was still snow on it.  “Not your fault,” he finally said.  “You didn’t know this was going to happen.  I just want to find someplace we can pull over and wait this out.”  Carefully he pulled the car back on to the road - or what he thought was the road - and began their slow crawl yet again.  It seemed that they were the only car on the road, which was probably true.  Everyone else was probably smart enough not to try to drive in this.

They continued along and about thirty minute’s later the car slid into a snowdrift.  From the downward movement of the car, Al assumed they had just driven off the road.  Considering one couldn’t see the road that was a logical assumption.  The engine sputtered to a stop as they found themselves buried in the snow up to the windows.  It was a little better on Sam’s side but Al realized that there was no way he was going to be able to open his door.

“Damn it,” Sam exclaimed.  He tried turning the key but the engine just wouldn’t turn over.  Looking out the window, he realized that it wouldn’t matter.  They were stuck and they wouldn’t be moving from where they were without some kind of help.

“I don’t think we’ll be moving again any time soon, Sam.”

“Gee?  Really?”  Sam asked sarcastically before laying his head on the steering wheel for a moment trying to gather his thoughts.  They were in a tough situation and taking it out on Al was not going to improve it.  “Any ideas?” he asked when he picked his head up.  “We can’t stay here, that’s for sure.  If I can’t get the engine to start, that means no heat and that means we’ll freeze if we stay here.”

Al knew they were in deep.  He winced as Sam answered his statement of the obvious with sarcasm but figured that the kid had a right.  He’d been the one to suggest they stay at the lodge this morning and Al had convinced him to go.  “Maybe there’s some shelter close by?”  He explained further at Sam’s look of incredulity.  “I saw a sign just a little ways back.  It was for some cabins.”

Rubbing his hands across his face, Sam tried to steel himself for what was ahead.  “Ok,” he began locating where he’d put his gloves and putting them back on.  “I’m going to go out and scout around and see if I can find anything.  With any luck that sign wasn’t wrong and there’s something close by.”

Al nodded.  “I’ll see what I can do to get things pulled together in the car.”

“Fine, just stay put.  Last thing we need is for you to slip out there and break your other leg.”  Again pulling the hood up over his head, Sam put his hand on the door release and pushed the door open.  He had to put some muscle behind it.  Although the snow wasn’t drifted as high up on his side of the car, it was still high enough to make it hard to open the door.  Before he started on his trek, he poked his head back into the car.  “I don’t suppose you know if those cabins were on the left or right side of the road...not that I’m really sure where that is.”

Al shook his head.  “Sorry, Kid.”

“‘S’ok.”  Closing the car door securely, Sam set out in the direction he thought they should have been driving in.  It was hard to tell if he was on the road or not.  The drifted snow was sometimes coming up nearly as high as his knees.  He’d only been hiking through it for a few minutes when he saw the outline of buildings through the blinding white of the snow.  He went a little further and saw the cabins the sign must have been referring to.  “Thank you,” he whispered looking up to the sky.

Looking back, he realized he could barely see where the car was through the driving snow.  Worried that he might not be able to find the area where the cabins were, he pulled the scarf from around his neck and tied it to a nearby tree.  It was bright red and he was hoping it would act as a marker in the blowing snow...that was if the wind didn’t blow it away instead.  That done, he started back for the car.

Al had watched Sam disappear into the white, losing sight of him almost immediately.  He’d definitely put them in a bad situation.  Still, you were only beaten if you believed you had no options.  He couldn’t see one yet but he wasn’t giving up either.  The minutes ticked by and he wondered if Sam was lost.

Walking back to the car, Sam found it harder to fight against the wind.  He didn’t think it had picked up but guessed it was because he was walking more directly into it than he had been before.  He had to walk with his chin tucked down against his chest to lessen how badly his face was being buffeted by the wind and stinging snow.  He’d look up every few steps to be sure he was still walking in the direction of the car and that he hadn’t veered left or right.  He had to correct himself once when he looked up and realize that he’d moved off to the right of where the car was.

It ended up taking longer to get back to the car than it had to walk to the cabins.  Gratefully, he reached it and pulled the door open glad for the shelter, even if temporary, it would provide.  “I saw some cabins a little ways up,” he told Al once he’d finally caught his breath.  “It shouldn’t take us long to get there and then I’ll come back and get any supplies we can use.”  He again pulled off his gloves, blowing on his hands to warm them up.  “Just give me a minute.  It’s really bad out there.”

Al nodded.  “Take your time and catch your breath.”  He again eyed the snow built up against the passenger door.  “I’ll have to climb over the stick and get out your side and I’ll need some help walking.  I doubt if the crutches will be much help.”

“Better off just leaving them here and not even trying it.  Let me just see if I can find something to wrap around the cast.  You don’t need to get it wet.”  Sam first looked in the backseat but, seeing nothing, again got out of the car to check the trunk.  He found a couple of plastic grocery bags and brought them back in the car.  “These ought to work,” he said as he showed Al what he’d found.

“Hand them over.  I’ll tie them on.”  A moment later, they were secured. He waited until Sam got out and then maneuvered himself over to the other seat.  Once there he allowed Sam to help him out of the vehicle.  “Where to now?” he asked, finding he had to shout above the wind.

“That way,” Sam answered pointing in the direction they had to go in.  “I tied my scarf to a tree near where I found the cabins.  I’m hoping it’ll still be there and we can find them easier.”

It was harder going this time as Sam had to work to not only keep his own balance in the unsure footing but also support Al as well.  It seemed they walked further and longer than he initially had and he was beginning to think he’d overshot the cabins.  Just when he was ready to suggest turning back, he saw a glint of red off to the right.  “There,” he shouted pointing at the red.  “There’s the marker I left.”

Al nodded.  He didn’t say anything but trudging through the snow was taking a lot of effort, especially since he needed to sort of hop his way along.  He was thankful when Sam indicated he saw his marker.  “That was good thinking to leave it there,” he yelled above the wind.

Sam didn’t bother to reply.  It would have taken too much energy and right now, he was using all he had to get them to shelter.  He suspected that as hard as the going had been thus far, it would probably be even harder to get from the road - or what he thought was the road - over to the nearest cabin.  Knowing he couldn’t delay the inevitable, he set off in that direction supporting Al.

Al noted the direction of Sam’s gaze and braced himself for discomfort.  He knew that it was their only option now and he kept up with the younger man as he tried to hop with his strides.

When they finally reached the first building, they were both winded.  Sam leaned Al against the wall and tried the door.  “It’s locked,” he needlessly stated.  He looked over to the other four buildings.  “I’m gonna go try one of the others, you wait here.”  Sam took off in the direction of the next closest cabin.  That door was locked as well as the doors on the other three.  “They’re all locked,” he told Al when he rejoined the man where he’d left him.

Al nodded.  “I guess I should have mentioned, that sign for the cabins was a for sale sign.”  He shivered a little in the wind.  The coat was usually warm enough but the wind was making even it feel thin.

“Great.  This just keeps getting better and better,” Sam said, his voice barely heard above the wind.  “We can’t stay out here,” he said louder.  “I guess we’re going to have to break in.”  He looked around where they were hoping to spy something he could use to jimmy the lock on the door.  It didn’t look very sturdy and he didn’t think it would take much to pop it.  Unfortunately, the only thing he saw was the endless white snow.

Al saw Sam look at the lock and around him and ascertained that the kid might be thinking of breaking in.  He couldn’t agree more.  “I think there’s a crowbar in the trunk.  If not, maybe you could use part of the jack?”

“I guess so,” Sam agreed with a nod.  “I just don’t like the idea of leaving you here.  “This storm’s pretty bad.”  He again tried the door, this time pushing into it his with his shoulder but it still stayed stubbornly locked.  “I guess there’s no choice.”  He looked back in the direction the road was.  The red of the scarf was still visible through the blowing snow.  “I’ll try to be as fast as I can, just do me a favor, stay put.”

Al looked around.  “Where would I go?” he asked rhetorically.  Seeing the look on Sam’s face, he added, “Go on, Kid, I’ll be ok. It’s really the only option at this point.”

“I’ll be right back,” Sam said in promise before turning around and starting for the road.  Once he found it, he had to orient himself and find the car again.  It was starting to get more and more snow covered and harder to see.  Once he was sure of the direction he needed to go in, he started out.  Again, it seemed harder going back to the car with the wind blowing at him.  The snow buffeting his face felt like grains of sand.  More than once, he had to re-orient himself to the road as he drifted off it.  As bad as conditions were, if he did that the chances were he’d never find his way back.  The chances of him surviving the storm wandering lost outside were nil.

By the time he reached the vehicle, he was winded and his face had numbed with the effect of the wind and cold.  The only upside to that was that he could no longer feel the burning sting from the blowing snow.  Gratefully he pulled the drivers side door open seeking the shelter of the interior of the car if only for a few moments.

Once he’d caught his breath, he again stepped out of the car.  He wanted to get back to Al as quickly as he could and sitting in the car wouldn’t accomplish that.  Opening the trunk, he found the crowbar Al had mentioned and pulled it out.  He was ready to close the trunk when it occurred to him that it would be a good idea to start moving their provisions to the cabin.  He grabbed one of the bags of food without bothering to check what was in it and headed back to the cabin.  Knowing that was all he could carry, he headed back to the cabin.  When he arrived at what was to be their shelter, he was thankful to see his friend had stayed put but his thankfulness quickly turned to worry

Al had huddled down; keeping a low profile and was holding his body heat in as best he could.  There had been many forms of survival training in the service and right at the moment, he was glad he’d listened even though he couldn’t imagine anytime he’d need the cold weather training.

He had been counting the minutes since Sam had left simply to give him something to do.  At ten minutes he’d become concerned.  Now at twenty he was glad to see the younger man trudging back to the cabin with multiple items in hand.

“Oh God, Al!” Sam exclaimed when he saw his friend huddled in front of the cabin door.  He dropped the bag of food and crowbar where he was and ran stumbling through the snow to Al, dropping to his knees when he got there.  “What’s wrong?  Are you ok?  What happened?”  He frantically started running his hands over the man’s body looking for some new hurt.

Al realized that Sam seemed to believe he’d fallen and he gave him a sheepish smile.  “I’m fine Sam.  Just trying to stay warm.  I sure am glad to see you.  I don’t know how you’re finding your bearings in this white out, but I’ve never been so glad you have that skill.”

“You’re ok?!” Sam half questioned half stated in relief.  He repeated it again as he flopped down to sit in the snow and started laughing.  It started out as a chuckle but grew into an outright laugh as he kept repeating that Al was ok.  Stress was taking its toll on him and his body was taking whatever outlet it could.

Al looked at Sam seemingly falling apart in front of his eyes.  “Yeah...I’m ok, how about you?”

“Me?  Yeah, I’m ok.”  Sam wiped tears from his eyes and tried to stop laughing but a few chuckles kept escaping.

“Yeah, you’re just peachy, Kid.”  Al looked at the Sam’s now empty hands.  “Um...did you bring something to open the door?”

“The door?  Yeah, the door.”  Sam slowly composed himself and went to retrieve the crowbar from where he’d dropped it and brought it back to the cabin.  “The lock doesn’t look very strong,” he observed.  “I should be able to pop it pretty easily.”

Al nodded and moved away from the door giving Sam room to work.  It took a few tries but eventually the lock broke with a loud snap.  A few moments later, they were both tumbling into the dry room.

Al looked around the cabin.  “Well this is comfy.”

The first two things that Sam saw once they were in the room was the fireplace and the wood stacked next to it.  There really had to be someone looking out for the two of them.  He headed over to the fireplace and started stacking wood in it.  “Good thing there’s something to burn in here.  I’ll get a fire going so this place will warm up and then go back to the car and get the rest of the stuff we’re going to need.”

Once the wood was stacked, Sam looked around for something to light it with but found nothing.  “Do you have your lighter with you or matches?” he asked Al.

All reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter.  “Here.”  He knew better than to argue with Sam about waiting before going back out.  He was too used to the stubborn set of the younger man’s jaw and knew he wouldn’t be able to change his mind.

“Thanks,” Sam said taking the lighter.  After a few tries and a little patience, he got a fire going.  He slowly fed more of the wood into it until he had a good fire going.  “That ought to start warming this place up,” he said getting up.  He grabbed his gloves from the table he’d put them on and pulled them back onto his hands.  “I’m going to head back to car and get the rest of the stuff we’re going to need.  You should be ok here.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Al replied distractedly.  He was looking carefully at Sam who seemed about done in.  He wasn’t so sure how wise it was for the younger man to go back out into the driving snow and wind.  “You want to wait a little, though?  You’ve been going for almost an hour and a half now,” he advised.  “You’re not Superman, you know.”

Sam didn’t want to wait a little; he wanted to wait a lot.  What he really wanted to do was just drop right where he was and not move until spring thaw.  That wasn’t an option.  “I know I’m not Superman but we don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here so we we’re going to need the food and warm clothes.  The car’s starting to be buried.  If I wait too long, I won’t be able to find it or get anything.  I have to go now.”

Al nodded again.  “Yeah.  Damn this leg.  I wish I could help you, buddy.”

“I know you would, Al.  Let’s just call this payback for earlier this year when you had to do everything for me.”  Without waiting for Al’s answer, Sam again pulled up the hood of his coat and put his hand on the doorknob.  Steeling himself for what he knew he was facing outside, he pulled the door open and stepped out making sure the door closed securely behind him.

He didn’t get very far from the door when he saw the bag of food he’d dropped earlier.  Scooping it up, he brought it back to the cabin.  “I forgot I dropped this,” he explained when Al looked at him curiously.

“Oh...let me see what you got.”

Sam brought the bag over to where Al was sitting by the fire.  “I have no idea what’s in here.  I just grabbed it.”  He watched for a few seconds as Al started to go through the contents.  “I better get going.”

Al looked in the bag and started laughing.  “Cheese doodles?  You brought cheese doodles on this trip?”  He knew he hadn’t brought them so he figured it must have been Sam.

“I like them, ok?” Sam defended his hand on the doorknob.  “I’m sorry I didn’t think to lay in a supply of freeze dried food.  I didn’t think we’d be stuck in blizzard.  Right now I’d say they’re better than nothing, don’t you think?  I’ll try to be more selective what I grab on this trip, ok?”

Al stopped laughing immediately, rather surprised at Sam’s response.  He knew the kid was under strain.  Hell, who wouldn’t be?  “I’m sorry, Sam.  They’re fine.  I guess I just thought...”  He stopped, not sure what to say.

Sam leaned his head against the door slowly counting to ten.  Their situation was bad and his nerves were raw right now.  It didn’t mean he had to take it out on Al.  “Don’t worry about it.  I shouldn’t have snapped at you.  I really have to get moving, though or I’m not going to find the car.”  He pulled the door open again stepping out into the storm and making sure the door closed behind him.  It took him a few seconds to orient himself to the road but once he saw the red scarf, he knew which way to go.  Honestly if it wasn’t for that and the fact that Al’s car was the same bright red, he didn’t think he’d be able to navigate through the whiteout conditions.

When he finally made it to the car, again, he wanted to go inside just for a few moments to get out of the wind but this time he didn’t.  The sooner he got what was needed and started on his way, the sooner he’d be back in the cabin.  Opening the trunk he took stock of what was there and what they’d need.  There was only one other bag of food so that was a definite.  There was no way he’d be able to carry that, though, and his bag and Al’s.  He’d have to go through the two and consolidate what they’d need.

He pulled the items in his duffle bag that he didn’t consider essential out and that left room for Al’s clothes.  Popping open the suitcase, he started rifling through what was there.  Unfortunately, Al didn’t tend to pack practical clothing but he remembered seeing some stuff that could be useful when he’d been packing before leaving the lodge.  He pulled out the items - some sweaters, undershirts and socks mostly - that he thought would be the most help and stuffed them into the duffel bag.  He zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder.  He hefted the bag of food and slammed the trunk closed.  As he started to walk away from the car, he caught sight of Al’s crutches inside and made a decision that he could add them to his burden.  Otherwise, the man would be left having to either rely on him for support or hop around the cabin.

Once he’d grabbed them, he closed the car up one last time and started back toward the cabin.  Whether it was the storm growing stronger or fatigue, Sam found it harder going.  Several times he slipped and fell in the snow.  Each time it seemed harder to pull himself up and continue.

He started to question whether or not he’d either veered off the road or just overshot the cabins.  It seemed he was walking further this time.  After what seemed an eternity, he finally saw the red of the scarf but it was much farther to his right than it should have been.  Somehow, he’d veered off more to the left.  If he hadn’t caught sight of the brief glimpse of red, he would have wandered off to who knew what.  Correcting his trajectory, he began to angle toward the cabin.  As he moved toward the cabin, he thought again how fortunate they were to have shelter in this storm.  He didn’t want to think of what things would have been like if they’d had to stay in the car. 
 

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