The world beyond the windshield was a chaotic swirl of white. The blizzard—a sudden, vengeful beast—had descended upon the mountain, erasing the road and turning the forest into a blur of skeletal pines. The engine of the beat-up Ford pickup groaned, its transmission whining as the tires fought for purchase on the ice-slicked ascent.
Inside, the cab was a claustrophobic box of misery and blood. Silas lay slumped against the passenger door, his breath coming in ragged, whistling hitches that sounded like dry leaves skittering across pavement. A dark, tacky stain was rapidly blooming across the fabric of his leather vest, despite the improvised pressure bandage Vance had wrapped around his shoulder hours ago.
"Hold on, Si," Vance muttered, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. Ev
