Good, said Bob. Keep looking at me. Its not easy, I know
Sonny blinked instead of smiling. Bob scanned the area for Mike, but found nothing. Ive never been in an avalanche in my life, said Bob. Its the scariest fucking shit He laughed through the panic rising in his chest. Sonnys skin was almost gray, his eyes shadowed and sunken, his lips pale and dry. Sonny was failing.
Bobs radio struck up. A calm voice said, Flightsre on their way.
Thats great, said Bob. He looked up and down the slope. They were near the bottom, but there was no ground nearby at the right angle for a helicopter to land. And by the time the SAR team made it up to them from the trailhead, another half-hour would have gone by.
Sonny Bryant had got a perfect score in his EMT exams, so he knew exactly how he was going to die. He knew that the kind, smiling sheriff beside him knew how he was going to die. His limbs were crushed. As soon as the weight of the snow was taken away, toxins would rush to his bloodstream. His kidneys wouldnt take it. There were no IV fluids. There was only a half-liter of water that was almost gone. That was it. It wasnt enough. Bob Gage was holding his hand. Should he look him in the eye when they pulled him free? He didnt really want to leave Bob with an image that could haunt him for life. But he didnt want to stare into the blank white snow. Just in case wherever he was going was blank too.