Page 109 of One Last Shot

It was so violent and frigid he didn’t have a hope of crossing it with Hannah on his back. He pulled out his walkie and tried it, but nothing.

“Okay, Hannah. Hang on.”

Nothing.

“Hannah?”

He looked over his shoulder, but he couldn’t get a glimpse of her. She’d stopped singing, though, and he couldn’t remember when.

If he put her down, he might not be able to get her back up. He turned and started hiking along the shoreline, his heart thundering. “Moose. Come in!”

Nothing, but he kept trying every few minutes even as he hiked up the shore. He guessed he might be a few, maybe more, miles downstream.

The wind bit at him, tried to sweep his feet out from under him, but he kept his head down, kept moving.

Started singing his repertoire of songs softly in his head.

His legs burned and he slipped, then again. Sweat burned down his back, his chest.

A tree had fallen across his path, and he stood, breathing hard, debating.

Then he trudged into the woods, around it, fighting the snow and branches until he came out on the other side.

Hannah never made a sound.

Oh, God, please help.

He wasn’t sure where the words came from, just sort of squeezed out of him.

And then, as he trekked up the river, a song gathered inside him, a tune and then words. Something new.

On a lonesome road, under skies so gray, I face the storms, come what may.

In the dark, I lost my way, but I have to hope there’s a brighter day.

For crying in the dirt, he was turning into a gospel singer. Still, he added a hum to it. And as he spotted the bridge up ahead, he heard another verse.

This one, however, felt like it came from somewhere, someone else.

Help me muster the strength to carry on,

Find the courage in my heart to be strong.

In the storm cloud’s rage, let me find peace,

and in God’s hand, myfears release.

“Oaken!”

He looked up and nearly stumbled. Light, and then through the fog and flurries, a red jumpsuit.

He stopped, breathing hard as the person came up to him. Although he wore a facemask, Oaken easily placed him when he said, “For Pete’s sake, not a great day to go hiking, Oak. Where ya been?”

Axel.

“Who you got there?”

“This is Hannah. Check and see if she’s breathing.”