On the Brink

The cawing of the crows had already started. She was not sure how long she had been sitting there, but the floor was freezing she suddenly realized. The beasts that had been so insistent on breaking through the door had given up a short while ago. Her heart was still racing, and the blood in her veins felt like ice. The feeling was not due to the extreme temperatures, but rather due to the fact that she had been eye to eye with death. Now that the crows outside had woken her from her state of shock she started to think of how everything had suddenly gone so wrong.

Herself and Nathan had been hiding out in Nathan’s cabin ever since the world had gone dark. It had been quiet and solitary. The first few days Nathan had attempted to get their radio working, but to no avail. It had not been the circuits or any other component. The electricity just wouldn’t work.

Eventually what little supplies they had stashed out on the island had started to run low, and they had decided to leave the house in search of better shelter and more provisions. They had waited for a clear day. The ice had seemed so empty and quiet. They had left the safety of the house, with what provisions they had left stashed into Nathan’s pack. He had been a gentleman that way. He wouldn’t let her carry anything heavy.

They didn’t get far onto the ice before they had heard that terrible sound. On their heels had been a pack of wolves, and they didn’t seem intimidated by the fact that they were in the vicinity of humans at all. Rather they had come charging towards them with hunger in their eyes. The closest shelter had been an ice fishing hut, and she had bolted for it without a second thought. The survival instinct had kicked in just like that in the face of impending death. It was not before she had gotten inside the hut that she had noticed how Nathan had been lagging behind. As she had looked on, stunned by the sight, their pursuers had jumped Nathan, coming down on him as if on their natural prey. It had felt like an eternity, and it could only have been the survival instinct that had compelled her to close the door as the animals had started towards her. After that everything was a blur. The last thing she could remember was Nathan’s panicked expression as the predators came down on him, and his screams as they began to tear him apart.

Now that her senses were slowly returning to her, the brunt of the shock fading, she opened the door ever so slightly. She peeked outside. She could feel her heart still racing in her chest. The sunlight came in through the small opening, blinding her for a moment. The wolves had gone, leaving only the bloody mess that was once Nathan behind. Tears filled her eyes as she saw. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her coat. She took a deep breath and got up, opening the door a little more. She was silently praying she wouldn’t see what she was looking for. The only sound she could hear was the cawing of the crows circling above Nathan’s lifeless body. She steeled herself and took a step out of the fishing hut, looking around for a sign of the previous attackers. She noticed some vague pawprints in the snow, but she could not see the beasts themselves. She ran as silently as she could over to the body. She kneeled beside it, sobbing.

“Nathan…” she whispered sorrowfully. She deeply grieved for her dead colleague. They had been working together for so many years, and now that had ended. Yet she understood that the situation demanded that she didn’t let herself succumb to the grief and pain. That pack was still out there somewhere.

She allowed herself a minute before she reached for the pack which had been torn off Nathan’s body, and put it onto her own back. She got onto her feet and scanned her surroundings. She was in the middle of the frozen lake. Of the wolves there were no signs. For a minute she contemplated going back to the cabin, but she soon dismissed the idea. After all they had left the house because they were running out of provisions, and going back would likely result in her slowly dying herself. Instead she started for the treeline, ever vigilant of her surroundings. It was not until she reached the trees that she realized that the wolves may be residing in the forest. She froze in her tracks, eyes darting from tree to tree. She stood there for a minute or two, paralyzed with fear, and considered her options. There truly were few. Nathan’s cabin was situated on a small island in the middle of a lake, which in turn was in the middle of a forest. It was a fishing cabin, but also meant for use during the warmer seasons of the year. Not for the winter. She looked back again at Nathan’s body, regretting that she couldn’t give him a proper burial. Given the circumstances there was no time for any such rituals though. The wolves could be lurking anywhere. Eventually she decided to take her chances. She took a deep breath and crossed that treeline.

For hours she wandered through the woods. She didn’t know these parts very well. It was Nathan’s cabin, and it was her first time visiting. The visit had taken a rather dramatic turn as the cold of winter turned even colder. Unnaturally cold, according to Nathan. He’d been an expert of the outdoors, often going on hikes and adventurous trips around the world. Before long the electricity of the cabin had gone out. When they went to investigate the generator they had not found anything wrong. Beyond logical explanation the generator just didn’t work. They had put their hope on the ham radio, but the same issue had surfaced.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a distant howl from behind. Her blood became like ice, and she picked up the pace somewhat. She started to desperately look for shelter, but could find none that wouldn’t leave her exposed to the animals. Determined not to give up without a fight she found a thick branch on the ground that could easily be used as a club. She picked it up while remaining mobile. Her heart was racing as she thought she could hear the beasts get closer and closer behind her. Her eyes started to fill with tears. She didn’t want to face the same fate as Nathan had. To be torn to pieces by a pack of feral beasts was not a fate she was okay with. Please, God! Don’t let it end like this!

It felt as if she’d been trying to outrun her pursuers for hours when she finally reached the top of a hill and saw it. There was a small clearing in the woods with an elevated hunting blind in the middle of it. Without hesitation she bolted for it. Behind her she could hear a barking noise. They were close now. The pack that she’d salvaged from Nathan’s body was filled with important equipment and supplies, but it also slowed her down. She made a flash decision to dump the backpack onto the ground and ran as fast as she could for the blind. She could now hear the wolves running behind her. She got to the ladder leading up to the wooden tower and started the climb. The adrenaline was coursing through her veins and her mind was being torn between thoughts of that she was going to make it and what would happen if she did not. But she did make it. She climbed up, hearing the furious noises of the beasts that had chased her below. She collapsed on the floor, lying on her back trying to catch her breath. She felt the cold air filling her lunges and started to feel calmer. The only thing that kept her alert were the sounds of the wolves, but knowing that they couldn’t reach her where she was did calm her. She closed her eyes for a minute as she felt her quick breathing settle down. Using her arms as support she managed to sit up, leaning towards the wall of the blind. She sat there quietly as she listened to what the wolves were doing. They had gotten to the pack. She could hear how they tore it to shreds. Turning her attention to the sky that was visible between the roof and the walls she noticed that it had started snowing. A few gently falling snowflakes came drifting inside. She felt the exhaustion suddenly coming over her. Barely realizing it she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It was dark when she woke up. Not only dark but also freezing. The first thing she noticed was the howling wind. It would appear that the previously gentle snowfall had turned into a full fledged blizzard. She took a few moments to try and warm herself, listening for the wolves. She could hear nothing over the sound of the elements. It was also no use just hurdling up in this meager shelter. It had provided her a hiding spot, yes, but against the powers of mother nature this was completely worthless. Still determined not to let it end out here in the middle of nowhere she got out of her cover. Her footprints were still visible in the snow, although barely. She pushed her way through the furious wind and reached the place where she’d dropped her pack. It had indeed been torn to shreds, its contents spread out all over the ground. She searched through the clutter for a minute as the snow whipped at her exposed face. The emergency flare she was looking for had been partially covered in snow. She grabbed that along with a hunting knife, just in case the beasts returned. She lit up the flare and started walking further into the forest with the red light lighting her way only slightly.

At this point she was not sure as to what to look for nor what to expect. As they’d gone out for their little retreat at the cabin she and Nathan had been flown out by helicopter. The plan had been to stay for a month, mostly living off the land by fishing and hunting. It was a bit of a course that Nathan had offered her. After only a couple of days all electricity had suddenly failed. It had been a beautiful night with an aurora dancing across the sky. The radio had not worked and neither had the satellite phone. After a few more days they had simply decided to try and get back to civilization by themselves. Now she wondered whether that had really been such a great idea. Nathan was gone and she was now wandering aimlessly through the woods with no food, no know-how, and she also realized how thirsty she was.

The deep snow slowed her down a great deal. The wind still whipped the swirling snow at her face without giving any pardon. After a bit the flare went out, leaving her to stumble through the utter darkness. She felt the dread inside of her. Was it too late to head back to the cabin? She stopped in her tracks, pondering her choices. Go blindly through the woods or head back and come up with a better plan? She settled for the latter. She turned back and for a while she found it easier as she’d already trampled up a small path through the snow. After a while she saw the outline of the hunter’s blind to her right. She took a moment to find her orientation and then headed for the way back to the cabin.

It felt like it took even longer on the way back, and it most likely did. The blizzard was not giving any signs that it would relent anytime soon and it slowed her down a great deal. It also limited her vision in the dark even further. Eventually she stood in the middle of the woods again, looking around. Was this the right way? There were no landmarks that told her if her orientation was correct. She could feel her eyes fill with tears again as she started to think that perhaps she wouldn’t make it through this. It certainly did seem hopeless. She shook her head, hoping to shrug such dire thoughts off, and started on her way again. Suddenly, however, as she was going to set her foot on the ground before her the ground was missing. Her foot stepped out into nothing and she fell headfirst off a short ledge. She landed awkwardly and felt an intense pain rise through her leg. As she tried to get up, she couldn’t. She lay on a slope, the snow slowly covering her. She screamed out in pain and frustration. This isn’t happening! Quickly realizing she couldn’t move on in this condition she looked around for cover. She saw what may be a small opening under the ledge from which she’d fallen. Using her hands to pull herself she crawled back up and under the ledge. The wrath of mother nature didn’t reach in here. She felt her injured leg which still caused her intense pain. It was clearly injured, but at least there was no blood.

She lay in her cover for a while, looking out at the raging blizzard. She thought about how stupid she’d been to try and navigate such a storm in the dead of night, but her fear of staying out here had outweighed her sense of reason. If she stayed in her cover she would likely be able to find her way back when the sun had come up. There was no telling how far away the dawn was though. The cold was under her clothing. She herself hurdled up, hoping to maintain what little warmth she could. After laying there for what must have been at least an hour her eyes started to feel heavy. Perhaps she should rest and be fully refreshed when she continues in the morning. With a deep sigh she gave in to the exhaustion and drifted off to sleep again determined to go on in the morning.

She never did wake up.