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blizzard. He was gone. They were gone. No return. No false promises. Just the roari

ouldn't afford. The sinking SUV had been our ride, our shelter. Now, it w

a deep, shuddering breath and dove back into the murky depths, searching for anything useful

was a sturdy, waterproof bag, filled with essentials for any road trip, especially through remote mountain passes. My hands fumbled throu

remembered Christian scoffing at my "prepper" tendencies, Kianna giggling ab

nd a thermal survival suit. I had packed them, just in case. Just in case. Tears pricked at my eyes, not from sadness

d the cold. The thick material immediately offered a blessed layer of insulation. Then, I pulled out the compact life raft, a bright orange beacon in the gloom. I ya

es of water. I stuffed them into the raft, along with a small first-aid kit and a waterp

off, swimming with powerful strokes, pulling myself onto my own rescue vessel. The inflatable raft felt like a fo

ured by the blizzard, couldn't be too far. If I could just keep going, keep paddling. There had to be fishing boats ou

g, visibility dropping to almost zero. A rescue in this weather, at night, was a long s

of Christian and Kianna, their betrayal, their indifference. It was fuel. Pure, unadu

shore lay. Every stroke was agony, every wave a brutal assault. The wind howled, tearing at my hair, whipping icy s

the world into an inky blackness. The blizzard ramped up, the wind

r. The storm had been too brutal, the journey to shore too long. Her fragile body, already injured,

n but myself if I failed. But failure wasn't an option. I pushed hard