and I couldn’t bring myself to check. The last thing I wanted to do was touch him.
I stood over him, unable to accept it.
The plate I was carrying burned my hand, and I dropped it in the snow.
The pain brought me back.
I knelt down then reached out to turn him over. When I did, I noticed the tracks behind him. Not footprints, but two deep grooves leading back into the field, as if he’d dragged himself through the snow.
That wasn’t possible.
I couldn’t imagine him pulling himself out of the ravine, much less dragging himself all the way back to the motel in the middle of a blizzard.
It didn’t make sense.
I got up and walked past him so I could take a closer look at the grooves in the snow. When I did, I saw the footprints staggered along the side.
He hadn’t dragged himself back.
Someone else had.
I went back to Syl and stared at him for a moment longer, then I looked down at the overturned plate and the bright yellow eggs, scattered and steaming in the snow.
I thought about Sara and wondered what I was going to tell her.
She didn’t deserve what was coming.
18
I heard someone behind me, and when I looked back I saw Megan running across the parking lot. She approached slowly, and when she got close, I stepped away from Syl.
“Did you see where he came from?”
I didn’t answer at first, and she asked me again.
This time I shook my head.
My thoughts split and trailed away in several directions. If someone had dragged him back, then someone had seen me carry him out.
It didn’t seem real.
“Hey!”
I looked up at Megan.
“I said help me get him inside.”
“He’s alive?”
“There’s a pulse.”
I knelt down and helped her roll him onto his back. Once we had him turned over, I saw what was left of his face.
I’d heard about what frostbite could do, but I’d never seen it up close. Syl’s face looked like someone had painted him with shoe polish. His nose was shrunken and black. His cheeks were swollen and the color of asphalt. The skin around his eyes looked waxy and there was a forest of white spots that ran down his neck then disappeared under his coat.
“Can you lift him?”
“I think so,” I said. “If we can sit him up.”
Megan grabbed his arms and pulled him into a sitting position. I knelt and started to drape him over my shoulder, then I saw Zack come around the corner. He was carrying his snow shovel and smoking a cigarette.
Megan waved him over.
Zack raised the cigarette to his lips then dropped it in the snow and started toward us. When he got closer and saw what we were doing, he tossed the shovel aside.
“Give me a hand?” My voice shook. “We need to get him inside.”
Zack stopped behind me and stared at Syl.
He didn’t move.
Megan told him we needed to hurry.
Zack muttered something then stepped closer and together we got him standing, each of us under an arm.
Megan ran through the snow toward the office.
We followed.
“Put him over there,” Butch said. “Next to the fireplace. I’ll get some blankets.”
Zack and I eased him down to the floor then Megan moved in and started to unzip his coat.
“What are you doing?” Zack asked.
“His clothes are wet,” Megan said. “We have to get them off and get him dry, or he’ll freeze.”
Caroline and Marcus were up and standing behind me, watching. “Where did he come from?”
I shook my head, didn’t speak.
“Probably got caught in the storm and tried to walk,” Megan said. “I can’t believe he survived.”
“Good Lord,” Caroline said. “The poor man.”
I stood and watched Megan pull Syl’s clothes away from his skin, then I started inching my way toward the office door. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but right then, every instinct I had was screaming at me to get out, to get back to the room and grab Sara and the suitcases and just run.
We could take our chances on the road.
I was still backing away when I looked up and saw Zack standing next to the
I stood over him, unable to accept it.
The plate I was carrying burned my hand, and I dropped it in the snow.
The pain brought me back.
I knelt down then reached out to turn him over. When I did, I noticed the tracks behind him. Not footprints, but two deep grooves leading back into the field, as if he’d dragged himself through the snow.
That wasn’t possible.
I couldn’t imagine him pulling himself out of the ravine, much less dragging himself all the way back to the motel in the middle of a blizzard.
It didn’t make sense.
I got up and walked past him so I could take a closer look at the grooves in the snow. When I did, I saw the footprints staggered along the side.
He hadn’t dragged himself back.
Someone else had.
I went back to Syl and stared at him for a moment longer, then I looked down at the overturned plate and the bright yellow eggs, scattered and steaming in the snow.
I thought about Sara and wondered what I was going to tell her.
She didn’t deserve what was coming.
18
I heard someone behind me, and when I looked back I saw Megan running across the parking lot. She approached slowly, and when she got close, I stepped away from Syl.
“Did you see where he came from?”
I didn’t answer at first, and she asked me again.
This time I shook my head.
My thoughts split and trailed away in several directions. If someone had dragged him back, then someone had seen me carry him out.
It didn’t seem real.
“Hey!”
I looked up at Megan.
“I said help me get him inside.”
“He’s alive?”
“There’s a pulse.”
I knelt down and helped her roll him onto his back. Once we had him turned over, I saw what was left of his face.
I’d heard about what frostbite could do, but I’d never seen it up close. Syl’s face looked like someone had painted him with shoe polish. His nose was shrunken and black. His cheeks were swollen and the color of asphalt. The skin around his eyes looked waxy and there was a forest of white spots that ran down his neck then disappeared under his coat.
“Can you lift him?”
“I think so,” I said. “If we can sit him up.”
Megan grabbed his arms and pulled him into a sitting position. I knelt and started to drape him over my shoulder, then I saw Zack come around the corner. He was carrying his snow shovel and smoking a cigarette.
Megan waved him over.
Zack raised the cigarette to his lips then dropped it in the snow and started toward us. When he got closer and saw what we were doing, he tossed the shovel aside.
“Give me a hand?” My voice shook. “We need to get him inside.”
Zack stopped behind me and stared at Syl.
He didn’t move.
Megan told him we needed to hurry.
Zack muttered something then stepped closer and together we got him standing, each of us under an arm.
Megan ran through the snow toward the office.
We followed.
“Put him over there,” Butch said. “Next to the fireplace. I’ll get some blankets.”
Zack and I eased him down to the floor then Megan moved in and started to unzip his coat.
“What are you doing?” Zack asked.
“His clothes are wet,” Megan said. “We have to get them off and get him dry, or he’ll freeze.”
Caroline and Marcus were up and standing behind me, watching. “Where did he come from?”
I shook my head, didn’t speak.
“Probably got caught in the storm and tried to walk,” Megan said. “I can’t believe he survived.”
“Good Lord,” Caroline said. “The poor man.”
I stood and watched Megan pull Syl’s clothes away from his skin, then I started inching my way toward the office door. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but right then, every instinct I had was screaming at me to get out, to get back to the room and grab Sara and the suitcases and just run.
We could take our chances on the road.
I was still backing away when I looked up and saw Zack standing next to the
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