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I sip the hot coffee, not caring that it’s scalding my tongue. The liquid heat feels so good.
“Can we get a ride into town?” I ask.
“Of course,” the man nods.
The woman returns with hand warmers. She slaps them against her thigh a few times and hands one to Mia and one to me. The heat hurts my frozen hands, but I squeeze the pack between them, putting it against my face. Mia does the same.
“I’m Don, and this is my wife, Tracy,” the man says. “Can you drive?”
I nod. “I can.”
“I think it’ll be a better weight balance to pair couples.”
I nod again, hoping I can hold onto the handles.
“I’ll pack up,” Tracy says.
I pull Mia into my arms, hugging her close and rubbing my hand up and down her back to try and warm her.
“Thank you so much,” I managed to get out, my throat feeling raw from the cold.
“We’re glad to help, son,” Don replies, patting me on the shoulder. “Let’s get you two bundled up and on those snowmobiles.”
We climb onto the snowmobile. Mia settles in behind me, her arms going around my waist. Her shivering subsides a little. I feel a wave of relief washing over me. We’re safe. We’re so close to getting out of this nightmare. Now that the end is close, I can feel my body trying to shut down.
Not yet.
The ride is a blur of cold wind and snow. It takes every ounce of strength to hold on to the machine, my hands not wanting to cooperate.
Our rescuers lead the way to the town hall, which is the hub of this remote and isolated town. We climb off the snowmobile, and neither of us moves very quickly.
“Thank you,” I say and shake Don’s hand. “You guys are lifesavers in every meaning of the word. We really appreciate it.”
“You two take care,” Tracy smiles. “The lodge will have a nice warm bed and a hot meal for the two of you.”
“Thank you,” Mia smiles.
They take off, and Mia and I go inside. “Ready for this?” I ask her.
“What are we going to do?”
“I have the number for the agent I was working with. I’m going to call him and let him know what’s going on.”
“Is that safe?” she asks. “They said they had someone on the inside.”
“I have to hope he isn’t going to screw us over,” I shrug. “I don’t know what else to do. We’re stuck here. I don’t have my wallet. To get out of here, it takes someone like me to fly us out, except I don’t have a plane.”
“Okay,” she sighs. “I wonder if they smashed my camera.”
“I’m sorry. I know how important that is to you.”
She shrugs. “It is, but I guess it doesn’t do me much good if I’m dead.”
I smile, brushing the pad of my thumb across a cheek. “Good point.”
After speaking with a couple of the staff, Mia is given a warm blanket and more hot coffee while I’m shown to the phone. It rings twice before a familiar voice answers.
“Agent Fields,” he says, his voice brisk and professional.
