My phone was dead, and even if it had any juice left, I knew without a doubt there would be no cell service around here.
There had been no service at the bottom of the mountain. That had been when my phone still had a tiny amount of battery power.
Not that I didn’t have anyone to call. My sister would expect to hear from me, but we weren’t on the best speaking terms. She was pissed that I moved to Breckenridge instead of staying in New York with her.
I couldn’t stay. I had to get as far away from New York and the enemies we’d made.
I glanced behind me at my knapsack. I couldn’t risk reaching for it. Not until I was out of the car.
With slow precision, I unlocked the door and eased the driver’s side open. I made no sudden movements.
While I’d have preferred to stay in the confines of the car that offered shelter, it teetered on the edge of a ravine. I wasn’t ready to meet death.
The car creaked and groaned as I was careful to shift my weight from one foot and then the other out from the vehicle.
The vehicle didn’t launch off the cliff as I had first feared. I shivered and pulled my jacket tight.
I couldn’t easily open the back door from my position. The snow was several inches thick, and I had stuffed my boots in the trunk.
There was no way I could maneuver myself to grab my warm and comfy shoes. My fancy heels would have to suffice because I wasn’t going barefoot. That would be even stupider in this weather.
“Okay, I can do this,” I said to myself.
There wasn’t another soul on the road, and I didn’t even want to consider what wild animals like bears or wolves come out at night. I hadn’t the slightest idea if they were nocturnal. I hoped I didn’t run into any creatures because I had nothing but my hands to protect me, and well, I may as well just lie down and play dead.
Okay, so getting my bag from the backseat wasn’t as easy as I thought. I exhaled a nervous breath, my stomach in knots as I climbed back into the driver’s seat, reached for my knapsack in the back, along with my purse on the passenger seat.
I didn’t make any sudden movements, and I backed away from the car, shut the car door, shoved my purse into the bag, and swung it over my shoulder.
My hands shook from the cold and the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I dug into my pockets, retrieving a pair of leather driving gloves. They would have to suffice.
With daylight nearly gone, I headed for the main road of the mountain.
I kept to the center of the snow-covered path. I’d probably hear something long before I’d see anything, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
The moon offered the faintest bit of light to illuminate the snow-covered road.
I had no flashlight, and the darkness of night seeped in, which reminded me there wasn’t a town for miles because there were no city lights nearby.
I glanced up at the heavens, the frigid night air offering way to a sparkle of stars peppering the night sky. It would be a beautiful sight if it wasn’t so cold and I didn’t worry about freezing to death.
My lungs hurt from the cold. With each breath inward, a thousand knives were stabbing at my lungs.
With my jacket zipped up tight, I leaned my head down toward my coat. I needed to find shelter. With sundown, the night would only grow colder.
My hands trembled even with the warmth of my gloves. The edge of the road was difficult to see with no light. It seemed even more impossible to determine if there was any evidence of shelter.
I kept walking up the mountain. The only way I could tell I was headed in the correct direction was because the wind assaulted my face, and my footprints were evidence of where I’d been.
I could no longer see my car in the distance. The broken windows may have offered little shelter from the wind, but I could have been warmer had I stayed inside the vehicle. I could also have been catapulted down the ravine had I so much as shifted the car’s weight.
There was no use second-guessing my decision. I just hoped that the main road would lead off to a driveway, a house, a cabin, or some sign of civilization.
The chill of the cold brought tears to my eyes, freezing my eyelashes, stinging my cheeks. My hands were numb, and my knapsack offered no clothes. Frozen inside and out.
I stumbled over my feet.
My toes burned from the frigid air that assaulted every inch of my body. The sensation went beyond numb and tingling.
I tripped and braced myself as I hit hard-packed snow on the road, eating a mouthful. I spit out the contents as best I could.
My lips were numb, along with my cheeks.
I shivered and curled up in the fetal position in the middle of the snow-covered road. I buried my face away from the chill.
Shielding my cheeks from the cold, getting an ounce of warmth and a reprieve from the elements. I pulled my bag closer to protect me from the wind. I shut my eyes.
My body trembled, but I wasn’t cold. Not like I had been earlier. Numb. Nothing but emptiness, a cold and lonely existence stabbing at me.