Snowblind (22 page)

Kris awoke to the sound of a breathing wolf. She could feel it moving around her, growling through its teeth. A strong gust of wind blew a harsh spray of snow. The willows were gone. She was lying in the open.

Frozen in fear, Kris tried to move. Her body flooded with pain — withered shoulder, torn thigh, fractured rib. The cold wind washed across her chest. Her coat was open. Her blouse was ripped. Her breasts were bared.

A cold finger traced the wound across her bloody throat.

Kris swallowed. Her pulse quickened. A tiny cry rose from her throat.

She reached up tremulously, touched the killer's huge hand. Stubby, swollen fingers; scabrous skin as cold as ice.

He grasped her trembling hand, lowered it to the snow, held it to the ground. He took her other hand, his massive body moving over hers, and pressed it into the snow.

His breath warmed her cheek as he whispered in her ear.
"In your flesh I shall see God..."

Kris shuddered, turned away. His hovering face moved down her chest, his breath across her skin. She felt his mouth fall on her breast. His teeth like icy shards of steel.

The air flowed from her lungs. "No..." she whimpered.

His teeth tightened.

Kris screamed—

Josh came howling out of the whiteness, bloody wrench in one hand, blazing flare in the other.

Frosty raised his head in horror, the gaping orbs of his white eyes set aflame with light. He rose to his feet with a roar, covered his face with his massive arms. Josh swung the steel wrench, whacking the giant across the ribs. Frosty fell back, wailing in pain, blinded by the sparking light. The huge, gray lead wolf whined in confusion; Kris crawled away through the snow. Josh swung the wrench again — it glanced off Frosty's arm. The killer staggered back, howling. The gray wolf leapt at Josh's arm, knocking free the torch.

Kris heard the sizzling stick fall into the snow.

The wolf gripped Josh's bloody ankle in its fangs. Josh screamed, whacked the beast across the snout, freeing his leg.

He whirled toward Frosty, raising his wrench. The giant loomed up before him, swiped Josh across the face, throwing him back into the snow. Blood trickled from his nose. The huge gray wolf pounced on him, tearing at his leg. Josh beat him back with the wrench, rose dizzily to his feet, blood streaming from his nose. Frosty roared, lumbering toward him, his burned, hideous face twisted in rage. Josh swung the wrench wildly. The wolf growled, advancing with its master.

Kris stood up behind Josh, held out blindly the burning torch. The madman staggered, blinded by the light.

Josh saw an open shot at the killer's head. He swung the wrench with all his might, smashing the steel club clean into Frosty's face. It struck his right eye, shattering through the skull. The killer's hands covered his face, blood spilling out of his fingers. Josh stood back as the giant tottered forward, reeling on his feet, until finally he collapsed to the ground in a thunderous crash.

     Josh stared down breathlessly at the fallen giant, lying face down, blood flowing into the white snow. The gray wolf sniffed the blood, licked the snow. It raised its massive head, its ice-blue eyes flared. The predator growled fiercely at Josh.

Josh backed away, then turned, hurried to Kris. She had fallen in the snow, the dead torch lying in her open palm.

He gently held her head. "Kris, are you all right?"

She opened her eyes a moment, then fainted away. Josh closed up her coat and lifted her from the ground.

The wolf growled behind him. He glanced back at the huge corpse in the freezing pool of blood. The seething wolf stood guard like a sentry at the body of its fallen leader.

The snow was blowing hard, the wind howled across the frozen stream. With Kris draped across his arms, Josh hurried back toward Lorraine and the waiting chopper.

The blizzard had descended on Caribou Mountain. Stiff winds and swirling snow blasted the tight canyon at the base of the western slope. Carrying Kris, limp in his arms, Josh trudged on through the blinding storm, hoping against hope they could fly the JetRanger out against the battering winds. If they couldn't get out now, they might be stuck in the canyon for days, eventually freezing to death as the fuel ran out. They had to get Kris to a hospital. Suffering from hypothermia and the loss of blood, drifting in and out of consciousness, she would not last more than a few hours without serious medical attention. Josh knew their only chance was to fly the bird out of the canyon, to get out ahead of the brunt of the storm as quickly as possible.

As he limped toward the roar of the rotor, the great black aircraft slowly appeared through billowing clouds of storm-blown snow. Josh squinted into the pelting wind, his arms aching under their burden, his ankle numb from the unbearable pain. Stirred by the roar of the whirling blades, Kris emerged from her delirium, groping suddenly as if fighting a nightmare. Josh calmed her, holding her to him.

"It's all right," he told her, shouting over the rotor noise. "It's me, Josh. I'm taking you home."

Kris held him tightly, her pale gray eyes brimming with tears. Josh crouched, carried her beneath the swirling rotor, the blades fanning the snow at his feet. He set her gently down against the landing struts, then moved to the rear door and banged on the frosted glass with his gloved fist.

"Lorraine!"

He waited. The door remained shut. Had she fallen asleep? Had she passed out?

Josh pounded hard against the door. "Lorraine — open up!"

Then he heard a scream.

Not from Lorraine — from Kris. He turned.

The huge gray wolf leapt at his throat, knocking Josh back against the fuselage, tumbling him to the ground. Josh rolled through the snow, the wolf's snarling jaws snapping at his legs. He pulled the wrench from his belt, but the animal fastened its teeth on his forearm — the wrench dropped from his hand. Josh kicked at the beast, ripped his arm free. He scrambled for the wrench, tried to get to his feet, but the animal locked its jaws on his bloody ankle. Josh screamed in agony. He fell back into the snow, dizzy with pain. His vision blurred in a teeming suffusion of prickly white light.

He passed out.

Beneath the roar of the rotor, Kris could hear the animal's growl, its teeth locked on Josh's leg.

"Josh... Josh!"

She crawled toward him, dragging her leg. The wind from the rotor lashed her with snow. "Josh—"

Frosty grabbed her arm.

Kris gasped. He flung her on her back. She screamed. His hands wrapped around her throat.

Josh woke at the sound of her scream. He looked up, saw Frosty crouched over Kris, throttling her neck, his bludgeoned, bleeding face filled with ghastly rage. Josh cried out, crawled toward them, but the wolf had his ankle in its teeth.

Lorraine opened the door to the chopper, called out groggily for Josh. She started climbing out into the snow.

"Lorraine!" Josh cried. "Stay back!" He tried to crawl toward Kris, dragging the wolf. The wolf tightened its grip, snarling viciously. "Kris!"

Frosty held her neck to the ground, raised his head and wailed — his bellowing, maniacal, half-human howl.

Josh, shrieking, ripped his leg loose. He grabbed the wrench, slammed it through the skull of the wolf, bashing it to bloody death.

He turned toward the wailing killer.

Kris pulled the flare pistol out of her pocket, jammed it into Frosty's gaping mouth, and fired.

The flare lodged in the monster's teeth, sparks spraying out in a torrent of brilliant light.

Horrified, the giant staggered to his feet—

—into the whirling chopper blades!

Josh watched in awe as the head sailed like a spinning comet out over the frozen river, raining down a dazzling shower of fiery white light.

Frosty's massive body toppled headless to the ground.

Josh crawled to Kris's side. She grabbed his arm, trembling, holding on tight.

Lorraine called out to Josh from the chopper door.

"We're all right," he told her. "Frosty's dead."

The Bell JetRanger rose slowly from the powder-blown surface of the frozen river, the powerful rotor slicing through thick swirls of blusterous snow. Josh pulled back gently on the collective, holding firm against the buffeting winds. The helicopter ascended, lurching unsteadily, its wavering tail shimmying in the gusts.

He peered down briefly at the headless corpse, swiftly fading in the snow-filled wind. Like a dream, he thought, like a horrible dream.

The chopper dropped suddenly, jouncing in the wind. Josh held steady, pulled hard on the stick. The aircraft swung up through the windflaw, continuing its rise.

Not a dream at all, he said to himself.

He glanced behind him. "You okay back there?"

Lorraine was holding Kris, who lay across the back seat. They were both strapped in with seatbelts. "Yeah," shouted Lorraine. "Just keep your eye on the road."

Tears were streaming down Kris's cheeks. Lorraine wiped them away with the palm of her hand. "You're gonna be all right, baby," she told her. "We're going home now."

Then Lorraine started crying, too.

*  *  *

Chief David Adashek stood on the roof of the County Hospital, squinting up into the white sky. A brisk wind blew from the North, filling his silver hair with bright flakes of snow. The second storm front was moving in fast.

He watched the medical team assemble with gurneys and wheelchairs near the edge of the helipad — a doctor, two nurses, two orderlies — hospital white spilling out under their parkas.

"Here they come," someone shouted at the sky.

Adashek couldn't see the JetRanger yet, but he could hear its muffled roar.

Linda Carlson stood anxiously beside him, her long black hair blowing wildly in the wind. She scanned the ragged ceiling of low-rolling clouds, until at last the black helicopter appeared, floating like a raven through the falling snow.

"Oh, thank goodness," she said in relief. Adashek looked at her as she stared up into the wind, her soft amber eyes glimmering with tears. Let her cry, he thought. Four years ago the woman had lost her husband and her son. Until this moment, she had been afraid of losing the only other person in the world she truly loved.

The Chief put his arm around her shoulder, and gave her a hug. "Your daughter's gonna be all right," he said.

Linda smiled uncertainly, then looked back up at the bird. "Do you have children, Mr. Adashek?"

"I have a son. He's all grown up now. Moved down to California two years after his mother died."

"You keep in touch with him, don't you?"

"You bet I do."

She smiled at him again. "I'm glad," she said. "We all need... someone... you know?" She stared up at him, a look of pain and hope in her eyes.

Adashek nodded to her. "Yes," he said. "We sure do."

They watched in silence as the chopper descended.

*  *  *

Lorraine was the first to come out. Josh helped her through the rear passenger door, into the arms of the orderlies. She was in pain but had a smile on her face. She was glad to be back on the ground.

"Fuck the Air Force," she said as they helped her into a wheelchair.

They brought Kris out strapped to a stretcher. They loaded her onto a gurney, the doctor and the nurses hurriedly checking her vital signs. Linda Carlson fell into tears at the sight of her daughter's bloodied face and clothes. She took her hand.

"Kris, can you hear me?"

"...Mom?" Her voice was weak. She pulled her mother toward her. "I love you, Mom."

Linda pressed her teary cheek to Kris's face. "Oh Kris, I love you, too, sweetheart." She held her daughter for a long moment.

"Okay folks, let’s get her inside," the doctor said. As they pushed away the gurney, he looked to Linda. "Her vitals are good, Mrs. Carlson. Looks like your daughter's going to be okay."

Linda smiled with relief, the tears still streaming.

Josh came limping up to the group. The doctor eyed his ankle. "Get this young man in a wheelchair," he told a nurse.

Adashek appeared behind them, pushing an empty wheelchair. "I'll take him up," he said.

Josh grinned. "You're not going to arrest me, are you, Chief?"

"We oughtta give you a damn medal," he said with a smile. "You done good, kid. You done real good."

Mrs. Carlson gave Josh a warm hug. "Thank you, Josh," she said to him quietly. "Thank you."

Josh looked a little embarrassed by all the attention. He saw Lorraine being rolled off down the ramp. "Never would've made it without a copilot," he shouted to her.

Lorraine shouted back. "Sure you would've, Josh. You gotta
bad
crush on that girl."

That summer was hotter than any Josh could remember. He flew up to Fairbanks for the Fourth of July weekend, and on a steamy Saturday morning, drove his VW down along the splashing Nenana River to visit Kris Carlson in Healy. Mrs. Carlson probably passed him heading in the opposite direction; she was going up to her office in Fairbanks. And that evening, she had a date for dinner at the Saddle Peak Inn — with none other than Chief David Adashek of the Fairbanks Police Department.

By the time Josh arrived at the clapboard house, the sun was high, the temperature nearing ninety in the shade. Kris came to the screen door barefoot, wearing shorts and a light sleeveless cotton blouse. Josh's heart soared at the sight of her. It had been two weeks since he'd seen her last — at a Blind Center picnic up in Fairbanks. Today she looked stronger and prettier than ever. She said she had some good news to tell him, and asked him to take her up into Denali National Park, to a place where her family used to camp when she was a child.

They drove up into the mountains with the radio playing and the windows wide open, the fast breeze blowing crazily through the car. A few miles west of Rainbow Pass, they took a winding fire road off from the main highway, climbed up through a deep forest of towering spruce and tamarack. Josh's old Bug almost didn't make it up the rambling, rutted dirt road — it stalled out twice — but finally they arrived at the head of a trail in a grove of tall white aspen.

Climbing out of the car, Kris wondered aloud if she should wear her headpiece going up the trail.

"You don't really need to," Josh told her. "I can keep us on the path." He reached out and took her hand.

They walked up together through the shimmering poplars, the silver leaves spinning like coins in the cool mountain air. The trail ran up a gentle slope alongside a tumbling brook, fed by the melting snows of the high peaks. The brook gurgled softly beside them as they meandered up the twisting trail through the dappled light. They spoke little, Josh taking in the beauty of the trail for the first time, Kris listening to the sounds — the songbirds, the water, the wind in the trees — sounds that brought back peaceful memories of her childhood summers.

At a clearing in the forest, the stream opened out into a small glassy pond, set like a jewel in the side of the mountain.  This was the camping site. At the upper, narrow end of the pond, a waterfall splashed down over mossy boulders.

"Do you see the log?" Kris asked.

Josh took only a second to find it. "Yes," he said.

Near the bottom of the falls, a huge, barkless tree trunk lay stretched across the pool of water. Josh and Kris pulled off their shoes and socks and slowly crawled out onto the smooth-skinned log, the water cascading noisily over the rocky chute above them. They stopped at the middle and sat facing the lake, dangling their feet in the icy water.

"It's beautiful here," said Josh, putting his hand over Kris's.

She cupped her fingers around his. "I know," she said. "I can still see it all in my mind." She pointed off toward the right. "Over there are the tall rocks. My dad said it looked like Stonehenge, like somebody stacked them there."

Josh looked off where she was pointing. Tall granite outcroppings jutted up from the swaying grasses, a natural monument of standing rock.

"And over there, through the birch trees," she said, nodding across the pond, "you can see the peak of Mt. Silverthrone."

Josh peered through the flickering leaves; he could just make out the pale, sun-soaked mountain with its white-capped pinnacle. "It's still there," he said.

They were silent for a moment, feeling the warmth of the hot sun on their skin. Kris's pretty legs swung below the trunk, her toes caressing the surface of the water. Josh noticed the dark scar on her thigh, the stitch marks nearly faded. The sling she had worn for her broken collarbone had come off months before, and her ribs had also healed nicely. The doctor had told her the thin faint scar along her throat would disappear completely within a year or so. Josh was glad she couldn't see it — she didn't need a reminder of all that had happened; she'd have a hard enough time trying to forget.

He was still holding her hand. She rested it on his thigh. "I was seven years old when I first came here," she told him. "I remember 'cause it's when my mom told me she was pregnant. We were sitting right here. She told me I was gonna have a little brother or sister. I got so excited I fell off into the water!"

Josh laughed. "Could you swim?"

"Yeah..." she said. "Good thing, too — I didn't have you around to rescue me."

Josh laughed again. He squeezed her hand.

"So I told you I have good news," she said. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Uhh... Your mom's pregnant again."

Kris laughed, punched his arm. "No silly! But close."

"
You're
pregnant?"

Kris shrieked with laughter, pushed him. "Oh right!"

"Okay," Josh said finally. "I give up."

"My mom's getting married again."

"You're kidding! To Chief Adashek?"

"Yep. He asked her last weekend."

"Oh wow! What'd she say?"

"She said she had to think about it. She really just wanted to ask me. I said it sounded great. She'll tell him 'yes' tonight."

"He's such a great guy. Your mom will be really happy."

"We'll probably move up to Fairbanks. Which will work out good for me 'cause I start classes at the university in September."

"I know," he said. "And guess what — I got a little news of my own."

"What?"

"I've been offered a full-time job at the Blind Learning Center. We're going to develop and market our own seeing aids for the blind. And I can teach, too."

"Oh Josh, that's great!"

"I'll be moving back to Fairbanks before the end of the year."

"I don't believe it!" Kris reached over to kiss him — and lost her balance. She slipped off the log and fell with a splash into the pond.

She came up laughing. "Even colder than I remember!" she shouted.

Josh jumped in after her, clothes and all. He came up sputtering, pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. "You're right!" he shouted. "It's freezing!"

His toes just touched the gravelly bottom. Kris was treading water, laughing. Josh reached for her, pulled her close, held her in his arms.

Kris stopped laughing. Josh stared into her beautiful, pale blue eyes, her lips trembling with the cold.

"Josh..."

"Kris... I..."

Then he kissed her, a warm, slow kiss that took all the cold away.