“What do I do?” I ask out loud. I look up at the sky and feel the freezing flakes hit my skin. I reach down and try and pick him up, but I don’t have the strength. I’m freezing and tired too. All I want to do is lie down next to him and go to sleep. The cold has long ago given away to numbness and I realize that the sleepiness I feel is my body shutting down.
Graham doesn’t weigh as much as I do, that’s why his body shut down first. I look around again and try and figure out our surroundings. At this point, I’m not even confident I know where we are or if we’re even close to Aunt Ava’s house.
Are we a mile away? Two?
Tears stream down my face as I look at my little brother.
“I love you, Graham,” I say, kneeling next to him.
“I love you, too, Jake. You’ve been a good brother. You can leave me.”
“I’m not leaving you, Graham,” I say and lie down next to him, covering his body with my own. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Ava
“It’s really coming down out there now,” I set the sliced London broil on the table as my oldest daughter brings the hashbrown casserole and sets it next to the salad bowl. I already know my youngest will ask if we have enough ranch dressing, which we do. I made it fresh this afternoon. They’re sixteen and fourteen and thankfully not whiners.
My oldest, Alexis wants to be a doctor when she grows up. I don’t know where she gets it from, since both Caleb and I barely made it out of science with a C. Ever since she was little, she’s wanted us to read her stories about bones, and nerves. She’s always been fascinated about the human body and what it can do.
She announced last summer she was thinking about going vegan, stating that being vegan was better for her health and the environment. Thankfully that only lasted about a month before she changed her mind.
I don’t know how people can live without ever eating meat again.
“I’m starving,” I say as I smell the delicious scents coming from the table. We usually eat at six o’clock, but I was so busy walking around out in the blizzard making sure everything was taken care of, we were late getting supper this evening. “Alexis you want to say grace?”
“Yes ma’am,” she answers and takes my and Anna’s hands. She keeps it short and sweet.
I watch as Anna loads her plate with the meat and potatoes, just like her father would do if he were here. I miss Caleb when he’s gone.
“How about you, Alexis. Would you like some of this delicious London Broil?”
She takes the platter from my hands and takes a few slices. True to her nature, the plate is filled with a small portion of meat and potato casserole and a huge helping of salad.
“It’s really good, Mama,” she smiles, taking another fork full of salad.
“Thank you.”
I load up my plate with the meat and potatoes before adding the same portion size of salad. “I should have made some biscuits tonight.”
“I think this is perfect,” Anna sighs, sopping her ranch dressing with the meat.
“I agree,” Alexis chimes in. “Besides, you made a cheesecake.”
“That I did,” I smile. “What topping do you want? Strawberry? Blueberry?”
“Strawberry!” Anna shouts.
“My favorite!” I say, almost forgetting the raging storm outside.
“Are you sure our generators are going to make it through this storm?” Alexis asks, looking out toward the snow pouring down. “Before it started, they said we could get five feet in a twenty-four hour period if it snows as much as they’re predicting. That’s scary!”
“It is scary,” I agree. “But we’ve got a winter’s worth of firewood stored in the adjacent barn and our house isn’t so big that we can’t heat it up with this huge fireplace if need be. I can even cook over the fire if I have to.”
“I bet Aunt Faith, Jake, Kara and Graham are enjoying the Florida beaches right about now,” Alexis sighs.
“You wish we’d gone with them like they asked, don’t you?”
She shrugs her shoulders.
“I’ve never been to Florida,” was the most she would admit to.
“Maybe we can head down there for vacation in the spring with your Daddy.”
“Really?”
“I think after this winter, we’ll deserve a nice family vacation. Maybe Uncle Matt and Aunt Faith will want to join us with the boys and Kara, that way you’re all not stuck with the adults all the time.”
“That would be fun!” Anna says excitedly as she grabs another piece of meat to sop up her remaining ranch dressing. I think half the jar is on her plate.
“Maybe Graham’s best friend will come too! Anna’s got a crush on Graham’s best friend, Chris.”
“Do not!”
“Do too!”
“Do not!”
“Methinks though doth protest too much,” Alexis digs into her potatoes, smiling because she’s been able to get the best of her sister who’s now sulking and giving her the evil eye from across the table.
“That’s enough, Alexis. This is going to be a long stretch if you two are already fighting with one another.”
“Sorry mama,” she says, taking a bite of potatoes.
“Yes ma’am,” Anna agrees. “I’m sorry too.”
Alexis rolls her eyes.
I was just about to take another bite of meat, when all four dogs start barking like there’s no tomorrow.
“What do you think it is?” Alexis stands up and goes to the window. “A bear?”
“I don’t know,” I say, and walk over to grab my gun. “Bears are hibernating. It’s not a bear.” I check it to make sure it’s loaded and then open the drawer to get more ammunition before opening the door. I unlock the latch and ease it open to look outside. My visibility is zero because it’s pitch black and the swirling snow and high winds make it almost impossible to see anything.
“What is it?” Alexis comes to my side, wrapping a blanket around herself against the freezing temperatures. “I don’t know. Probably just a wild animal looking for food or shelter against the storm.”
I turn to close the door, only when I do, both of my brothers’ dogs rush past me and head out into the storm, barking their heads off.
“Baxter! Audi!” I call after them, but it’s useless. They’ve headed out into the blizzard and I can’t see them. I can tell by the way my daughters are looking at me they expect me to go out and bring the dogs back. I sigh.
“Let me get my heavy coat on,” I say, resigned to the fact I’m going to be out in this misery for a while longer. “But if I can’t bring them back in the next ten minutes, I’m coming back to the house. I’m not risking my life for two dogs.”
Alexis smiles at me and gives me a kiss. “I love you, Mama,” she says, handing me my thicker coat, balaclava and gloves. I grab our industrial strength flashlight and start down the stairs of our porch only to find Bandit standing in the yard whining and barking.
“Come, Bandit!” Anna calls from inside the house, but the dog ignores her. I can hear the other dog, Audi, barking in the distance.
“Something’s wrong. Alexis, give me the shotgun and you grab the pistol out of the hallway closet on the top shelf just in case.”
I take the shotgun from her and head out.
“Be careful!” Alexis calls after me. “Don’t take any chances.”
I want to tell them I’m taking chances just by going out in this storm in the dark of night, but I raise my hand in acknowledgement and head out.
Bandit takes off immediately, turning every so often to make sure I’m following him.