Snowed in with the Enemy

Frozen Options

❄ Camille ❄

The blackout turned Sterling Routes Travel into a cave. Only the red EXIT sign glowed, and our phone lights cut thin paths through the lobby. I stared at the front doors, like the snow might suddenly move. Sebastian tested the lock again, then shoved his shoulder into the glass. It didn’t budge. He stepped back, his jaw tight as he scanned the shadows.

“There has to be another way out,” I insisted, and he lifted his phone.

“Back exits. Fire escape. Loading bay,”

“Then let’s check,” I said with a nod. We moved through the open-plan floor, our steps echoed in the silence of the building. Desks and chairs became shapes, and the silence felt wrong. The staff entrance at the rear was blocked, too. Sebastian pulled, but nothing happened. I aimed my light at the bottom seam, and it was blocked by snow, too. “Of course,” I muttered under my breath. Sebastian didn’t say a word as he tried the loading bay door near the storage area. He managed to get it open an inch, but was stopped by more snow.

“Everford decided to bury us,”

“Don’t joke,” I snapped.

“I wasn’t,” he returned in a calm way that made me want to throw something. More accurately, I wanted to throw something at him. We reached the stairwell to the fire escape. The metal door vibrated faintly with wind pressure. Cold air leaked around the frame, carrying the bite of ice.

“I’ll push,” I offered, mostly because I refused to stand behind him and feel useless. Sebastian shot me a flat look.

“No,”

“I can handle a door,”

“This is not a debate,” he snapped as he pressed against the bar. The door cracked open, and the storm punched inside. Snow blasted into our faces, stinging our skin and eyes. The gust hit Sebastian full in the chest, and he staggered back, his boots scraping against the tiled floor. The door slammed shut with a metallic shriek. I coughed and wiped my mouth.

“That was insane,”

“If we force it, we lose the door or get buried in minutes,” he said as he rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. My stomach dropped as the realization hit me once again.

“So, we are trapped,”

“We are stuck,” Sebastian corrected. As if that made our situation any better. I checked my phone again, but there still wasn’t a signal. No way to send a distress message or make a call. The outage had cut the last thread to the outside world. I left him and headed to the reception area. I yanked open the drawer for the old landline handset. I wasn’t surprised to find it was dead. The cordless base was dark, no power. I tried the emergency number listed anyway, but nothing happened. Nothing but radio silence. My throat tightened as panic slowly clawed its way through my entire body. I had to force myself to breathe, I knew that panicking wouldn’t help me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Sebastian watching me closely.

“No luck,” I muttered. He nodded toward the corridor.

“Well, then we need to check the kitchen and supply closet,” his tone left no room for argument. Not that it mattered, we needed to move. He held up his phone. “Turn it off to conserve the battery,” he said. “We can check every few hours for a signal,”

“You sound like a survival instructor.”

“We need light and warmth,” he answered. “And a plan,”

“What plan? All we can do is wait until someone notices we are missing...or when they clear the snow to get inside,”

“And we don’t know how long that could take,” he replied. I hated that he was right. “Now, I will check the supplies...hopefully, there is something we could use. You check the kitchen,”

“Ok, boss man,” I muttered sarcastically. Sebastian didn’t say a word as he walked away. I sighed rather dramatically as I headed to the kitchenette. I took my time checking every cupboard and drawer. I was relieved when I found a small gas burner Margaret had kept for offsite conferences in Branwell. It had a canister taped to it and a dented pot. I found coffee, sugar, boxed milk, and mugs. I also found a box of expensive imported biscuits reserved for clients, as well as three packets of crisps, a bag of pretzels, and four energy bars. It wasn’t dinner, but it was better than nothing. Thankfully, there were countless six packs of water bottles. We wouldn’t die of thirst. I gathered everything like it might vanish if I hesitated. When I reached the lounge area, the couches and thick carpet looked like luxury. Sebastian arrived seconds later carrying folded blankets and a box of thick candles.

“What did you find?” he asked. I lifted the box of biscuits.

“Our five-star meal,” he huffed a short laugh as he set down the candles.

“I found some blankets and candles...nothing else we could use,” he arranged the candles on the low table and lit one with a lighter. The flame wavered but held, which softened the dark. Sebastian spread a blanket on the leather couch. “Sit,”

“Stop ordering me around,” I snapped. He stared at me for a long moment, and I finally sat down. Sebastian tossed me another blanket, and I immediately kicked off my heels and tucked my feet underneath me before I wrapped the blanket over myself. It wasn’t much since the blanket was so thin, but it helped. Sebastian checked out the burner. Once he got it lit, he poured water into the pot, and for a moment, the soft bubble of the water broke the silence. Sebastian prepared two mugs of coffee, and as soon as the water had boiled, he carefully poured some into each mug. He added a splash of milk before he handed me a cup. I wrapped my hands around it in relief. The first sip burned my tongue, but it steadied my breathing. We ate the biscuits slowly, then split a packet of crisps. Eventually, he tried to get comfortable on the couch across from me, and all we could hear was the wind that kept battering against the building. It rattled the glass and made the ceiling groan in protest. It wasn’t at all comforting.

“Johansen’s booking. You locked the transfers?” he asked, and I stared at him.

“Seriously? Now?”

“If it’s wrong, Margaret will be on both of us,” he replied.

“I confirmed Aurora Skies, Grand Everford, and SilverRail Express,” I snapped. “Everything is in his file,” he studied me with that same assessing look from earlier.

“Good,” the single word didn’t feel like praise. It felt like a judgment. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, but the cold still lived under my shin. After a long moment, Sebastian joined me on my couch, and I shot him a look as disgust rose inside of me.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s cold,”

“Yeah? So?”

“Body heat will help, Camille,”

“I would rather freeze to death than cuddle with you,” I snapped.

“I didn’t say a word about cuddling. Just being close together helps,” he said, and I noticed how a muscle jumped in his jaw. He reached for another blanket and covered us both. I wanted to get the hell out of here. I wanted the power to come back. But I knew it wasn’t going to happen. Not with such a bad storm going on outside. “Try to sleep,” he softly suggested. I let out a harsh laugh. “Camille, I don’t want to be here either...especially not with you, but try to get some rest. We will reassess the situation at first light,” I didn’t bother arguing with him. Instead, I lowered myself slightly and closed my eyes.

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