AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Again, no response. He tried angling his body so he could see in the back of the SUV where she usually slept on a pallet he’d set up for her but there was no sign of the animal.
Slowing carefully to pull over on the shoulder, his mind tumbled over his fears. Christ, when was the last time he’d seenher. Finally, after slipping and sliding on the treacherous snow, he had the car stopped safely. Cussing his dress shoes that gave little traction, he floundered to the back, opened the liftgate, and what awaited made his stomach curdle.
Empty. No sign of the dog. She wasn’t in the big SUV. His fist hit the floor of the vehicle in frustration.I’m such an idiot rushing around like a fool.
What could have happened to her? She had been there when he’d stopped at the garage for gas. She’d peered out at him through the window, making him laugh with her open-mouth grin.
Then he’d gone inside to grab a few snacks and a coffee, and she’d been… oh, no! Had she been inside? Because his heater had warmed the vehicle to where he’d become sleepy, he remembered leaving the door partly open to cool the interior down.
He had no doubt if his dog wanted out, she’d have just pushed through the gap. Yet why hadn’t she followed him? He would have seen her if she had.
Jumping back inside the idling SUV, his brain kicked in, and he began planning just how far he’d come since the turnoff from the Carlton Grove road onto the main highway. Checking the clock, he figured a couple of hours had passed, plus the time it had taken from the convenience store to the highway.
Blasted hell!Hauling his phone closer, he checked the number for the convenience store. Once he got through, he tried to control his worry and make his voice calm. “Sorry to bother you, Barney, it’s Dex. Dexter Hall. I was there a few hours ago, and it seems my Samoyed, Pretty Girl, left the car. I just realized she’s missing and figure she had to have gotten out when I stopped to gas up and buy a coffee. Have you seen her?”
“Hey, Dex, hold on, I’ll check outside.”
“Yeah. She’s here. I just tried calling her to come in but she’s ignoring me. When I went too close, she ran away. It looks like she’s waiting for you. I’ll give her some food and water. How long will it be before you get here?”
“I’m turning around now. Hopefully, just a few hours.”
“Okay, I’ll be here unless this storm picks up. My wife doesn’t like being alone then. So’s you know, it’s snowing harder, and the forecasts say it’s gonna be a blizzard, so be careful.”
“Will do. I’m on my way. Maybe I can beat the bad weather.”
Accepting that he had no choice but to go back in the direction he’d come from, he slowly eased back onto the right lane. Since the I-5 was a split highway, Dex, frustrated as all get-out, understood he’d have to keep going in the same direction until he found a junction where he could make a U-turn.
He drove for another half an hour before finding a safe turnaround, and during that time, the sky darkened, and though thin, the driving snow became like a sheet of fury. Thankfully, road plows had maintained the conditions and so driving was hazardous but doable.
Hunched over the wheel, he drove carefully, watching the miles creep by. To help pass the time, he listened to a podcast called The Climate Question that kept his mind active. Looking out the window reaffirmed their supposition that many of their normal weather conditions had drastically changed, and records were continuously being broken.
All was quiet… until a car came up behind him too fast, swerved to pass, and realized there was a truck ahead. Losing control, it skidded off the inside shoulder, dropping out of sight. The logging truck carrying a huge load, trying to give them room, failed. Instead, it also lost control, twisting across the two lanes, swaying so badly the consignment broke free from its chains. The trailer eventually slid backwards into the ditch, but not before loose logs were rolling in every direction.
Sweat pouring down his forehead, Dex fought the wheel. Worried about the car that had passed him; while trying to pull over safely behind the truck, he stiffened and used every bit of common sense to steer clear of the danger.
By the grace of the good Lord watching over him, he was able to stay on the road, albeit at a crazy angle, and without colliding with any of the runaway logs. Slowly backing away from the danger, he pulled to safety, angled himself on the shoulder, and stopped.
Quickly reaching into the back where he kept a pair of winter boots, he changed his footwear and then forced his way through the wind to where the driver hung halfway out of the large truck, upchucking his last meal.
Crouching back from the partially open door, he called out. “Hey, man, are you okay?” Using his cellphone’s flashlight app, he held it up and could see the other man looked stunned. “You need to get out of there if you can.” First kicking snow over the stinky mess and using brute force, he maneuvered the door to open wider and reached in to help. “Here, take my hand.”
“I’m o-okay. Just bumped my head. Shit, man, see my load? Blasted hell, I knew I shouldn’t have taken this last trip. Started off bad and went downhill from there.”
Dex helped the driver from the truck and bolstered the man when his knees gave way. “Here, take a minute. You’ve had a scare.”
“Is everyone okay? There was a-another car trying to pass me. He started sliding into my lane. I tried to go around. That’s when I hit the icy shoulder.”
“Hang on. I’ll see if they’re okay.” Dex helped the man to balance on the running board.
“Good. I’ll reach out for highway assistance.” The driver had his cellphone out, pressing the numbers.
Dex went down the hill to the other car now deep into the shadows and called out but got no response. Not sure if anyone could hear him over the wind, he went closer to bang on the window, but his feet hit ice and the next thing he knew, he went headfirst into their back bumper. Struggling to his feet, he forced his way to the driver’s door and was thankful when the older woman lowered her window. Peering inside, he saw the senior couple who appeared very shaken. “Everything okay in here?”
“Ye-es. I think so.” The woman looked at her passenger. “Honey, are you alright?”
“Nothing that a change of underwear won’t fix.” He grinned and reached across to his lady. “I’m fine, Dolly. Accidents happen. Don’t worry. We’ll get out of this in one piece, I promise.”
“I was going too fast and the car ahead seemed further away. Oh, I don’t know what the hell I was thinking of trying to pass in these conditions. I’m sorry.” Dolly squinted up at Dex. “I guess we’re okay. But you’re bleeding. Did you hit your head?”
