Zero Visibility. Sharon Dunn

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      THREE

      For the fifth time in the night, Nathan woke up in darkness. He lay with his eyes open, absorbing the sounds around him. Wind rattled the windows. The big living room clock ticked. He got to his feet yet again and made his rounds through the house to make sure everything was secure.

      He stopped before checking the front door and stared out the big living room window. Snow whirled and danced in the beam created by the porch light. The storm looked as if it had let up a little. At least two feet of snow, maybe more, had fallen.

      He glanced back at the door to the guest bedroom. He hadn’t heard any noise from them. He was glad the two women had been able to sleep. When he had tried to call the police station a second time, the phone was dead. The weight of the snow on the phone lines had probably destroyed the connection. The house ran on a generator, so that had not been affected. He hadn’t brought a cell phone or a laptop, intending for the weekend to be a time of prayer and saying goodbye to the cabin that held so many fond memories.

      His hand touched the windowsill as he peered out into the darkness. Maybe they had gotten lucky and the thieves had opted to seek shelter in their car instead of hiking up the mountain to the cabin.

      In the morning, he would find out if either of the women had a cell phone, but for now he didn’t want them to worry. It would be easier to face tomorrow’s challenges after a full night’s sleep.

      He stared out the window. Something moved just beyond the circle of illumination created by the porch light. He watched. There it was again. He saw a flash of yellow, the same color as Lorelei’s coat. Then he noticed that the bolt on the door was slid back. She hadn’t been in a clear mental state since the robbery. Maybe she had really lost it and was wandering in the cold. He needed to get out there ASAP.

      He slipped into his boots and put his coat on. He’d yell for her. If she didn’t respond right away, he’d have to go back inside and get more winter gear on. He stepped out on the porch, but couldn’t see anything.

      His breath formed clouds when he called her name. He studied the forms and shadows through the falling snow, trying to pick out movement.

      The blow to his head came without warning. He tumbled off the side of the porch into the snow as blackness descended.

      * * *

      Merci stirred beneath the covers of the twin bed. The bedspread was baseball-themed, something a young boy might like. Nathan and the brother he didn’t want to talk about must have shared this room when they were kids. Funny that he called it the guest room instead of referring to it as his old room.

      Merci reached over and clicked on the light by her bed. Lorelei’s bed was empty.

      Concerned about her friend, Merci sat up and pulled back the covers. She plodded across the room and into the living room. Nathan’s door was shut. He must have found the couch uncomfortable and gone to his room. Lorelei wasn’t in the living room or in the kitchen. When she checked the bathroom, it was empty, as well.

      Lorelei had been traumatized by the attack, even more so than Merci. Maybe she wasn’t thinking rationally. Merci took a deep breath to try to minimize the rising panic as she walked toward the living room window.

      The wind wasn’t blowing quite so hard, but the snow fell in heavy clumps. She pressed a little closer to the window. Though she was covered in shadow, Lorelei was outside. What was she doing?

      Merci flung open the door, and the cold wind hit her. She yelled Lorelei’s name. Lorelei turned slightly, but didn’t look at Merci. Maybe she couldn’t hear through the howling wind.

      Merci ran back to the room, slipped into a sweater and jeans, grabbed her coat and put her boots on. She opened the door and stepped out on the porch. Silence greeted her. Where had Lorelei gone?

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