Mountain Captive. Sharon Dunn

of breath, Lacey and Jude slowed their pace, reaching the houses on the edge of town. The snowblower was too loud and the man too focused to get his attention. Jude and Lacey approached the three children. Two were lying in the snow making snow angels while the third caught snowflakes on her tongue.

      Jude’s heart was still racing as he walked toward the girl catching snowflakes. “Did you guys see that guy on the snowmobile?”

      The girl, who was maybe seven, wiped moisture off her forehead. “Yeah.”

      “I don’t suppose you know who owns that snowmobile.” Jude leaned so he was closer to the girl.

      The girl studied him with dark pensive eyes. “Everybody has one. They kind of all look alike.”

      It had been a long shot. There was nothing distinct about the snowmobile, no paint job or custom design that would make it stand out. The driver as well had been in a brown snowsuit and black helmet.

      “Can you point us toward the school?” Lacey stood beside Jude, their shoulders touching.

      One of the snow-angel makers, a boy, sat up, “That’s where everyone is going. We’re headed up there as soon as Dad makes a path.” The boy pointed to the man with the snowblower.

      The girl pointed up the street. “You go back to the street where the restaurant is and then turn and walk up.”

      “Thanks.” Jude trudged up the sidewalk which was still filled with snow. Lacey walked beside him. “Why are we going to the school?”

      “I’m thinking it would be safer with people around,” Jude said. “Maybe I can borrow a snowmobile to get out of town and search that mountain.”

      “You’re probably right.” She looped her arm through his. Maybe it was just because she’d had such a fright that she wanted to be close to him. All the same, he liked that she trusted him that much.

      The houses were still mostly dark. He saw only a faint light here and there in windows from a candle or lantern. An overcast sky veiled the full intensity of the sun. It felt a little like they were under a dome.

      They found their way back to Main Street where there were more signs of activity, more people digging out. Still no cars moved up and down the street. Some men shoveled around where their snowmobiles were buried beneath several feet of snow. The café where they had met was dark as they walked past it.

      They trudged about two blocks before what was clearly the school came into view. A front school yard filled with very dated play equipment made of metal and a brick building with another smaller stick-built house next to it. He suspected that at one time the house had been where the schoolteacher lived though it might not be used for that now.

      Light glowed from every window and there was a steady stream of people coming from different parts of town headed toward the wide concrete steps.

      Lacey jerked.

      “Are you okay with this?”

      “I’m not sure what choice we have.” She tilted her head to look into his eyes.

      She looked kind of cute with the snow falling all around her, her beanie hat, red hair framing her porcelain face.

      “That guy on the snowmobile, whomever he is, doesn’t want witnesses. We should be pretty safe staying here,” he reasoned. He wanted to search more, but he knew he couldn’t leave Lacey alone.

      “Well, one thing is for sure. I’ll go crazy if I have to hang out in that hotel,” she said.

      He laughed. Both of them could agree on that. They headed toward the steps. Jude nodded at the other people going inside. Plenty of them were tall and thin. He wondered if any of them had come after Lacey and him intent on harm less than twenty minutes ago.

      Or was the culprit hiding out somewhere in some dark home, waiting for another chance to strike?