TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Owen

  Chapter 2

  Gray

  Chapter 3

  Stranded Strangers

  Chapter 4

  Running Out

  Chapter 5

  Off Road

  Chapter 6

  Needles for Night

  Chapter 7

  Before the Ice Age

  Chapter 8

  Cold Snaps

  Chapter 9

  Up and Out

  [ Chapter 1 ]

  OWEN

  Two beads of sweat raced down the face of 16-year-old Owen Sevensky. He carried his suitcase across the airport parking lot.

  His dad, Calvin, followed. Waves of heat floated up from the ground.

  “Do you need help with that?” Calvin asked.

  “No, I’m okay,” Owen said. He wiped sweat from his face.

  His corduroy pants, sweater, and coat made the hot Florida sun feel even hotter. He wished he were wearing a T-shirt and shorts like his dad was.

  As they entered the airport, Owen let out a big sigh. “Air conditioning!” he said. “The greatest invention in human history.”

  “I’d say the best invention is airplanes,” his dad said. “And yours is late.”

  Owen looked at the departures board. The takeoff time for Burlington, Vermont was an hour later than scheduled.

  A TV nearby was showing a report about an October blizzard. The big snowstorm had just gone through northern New England.

  “You’ll like Vermont,” Calvin said. “Even the outside is air-conditioned.”

  “More like deep frozen,” Owen said. “If my flight is any later, I’ll miss the whole thing.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. At the top, it read, “Extreme Community Service Awards Dinner for America’s Teen Heroes.”

  Owen shook his head. “The dinner starts at 7 p.m.,” he said. “I’m going to have to go there straight from the airport.”

  “Relax. The storm has to be affecting the other kids’ flights too,” Calvin said. “Since you have time to kill now, why don’t you take off your coat and join me outside for a smoothie? It might be your last chance to see the sun for three days.”

  [ Chapter 2 ]

  GRAY

  For most of the car ride, 16-year-old Gray Tindle was silent. Then he snapped at his sister, “Man, Becca, how can you stand it so hot?” He reached over and turned down the heat. His sister rolled her eyes. Gray crossed his arms and put his head back against the headrest.

  “I know you’re mad that you’re going on this trip instead of Caitlyn,” Becca said. “But it’s what she wanted.”

  “No, what she wanted was to go herself,” Gray said. “Then she had to get a bad cold.”

  “It’s not like you don’t deserve some pats on the back,” Becca told him. “After all, you helped her with the community service. You should be proud. You should be happy you have the kind of girlfriend who would ask you to go to this special awards weekend in her place.”

  Gray stared out the window. A sign said they were a mile from the Indianapolis airport.

  “Mostly I just hate wearing a suit,” he admitted.

  The news came on the radio. The first story was about a big blizzard that had just hit the northeastern United States.

  “The worst is yet to come,” the broadcaster said. “Another blizzard will move into the area later tonight.”

  “Sounds like you’ll need to wear more than a suit,” Becca said.

  [ Chapter 3 ]

  STRANDED STRANGERS

  Hours later, Owen waited for his suitcase in the busy Burlington International Airport. The room was packed.

  People were stretched across chairs or sitting on the floor. Some were sleeping, using their bags as pillows. Some were just sitting there, looking uncomfortable.

  On the departure screens, lists of flights were marked “canceled” in red letters.

  When Owen looked out the window, he didn’t see piles of snow. Instead, he saw plenty of concrete. “It doesn’t seem so bad out there,” he said to a woman standing next to him.

  “This isn’t the blizzard,” the woman said. “It’ll get worse later.”

  Finally, Owen saw his suitcase. He grabbed it. Then he headed outside. Even though he was wearing his winter coat and a thick sweater, he still felt the cold air. He shivered. Then he noticed that small snowflakes were starting to fall.

  A car was supposed to pick him up and take him to the awards dinner. As he waited, he got colder and colder. After a few minutes, he opened his suitcase and pulled out another sweater.

  He took off his winter coat. Then he put the second sweater over the one he was already wearing. Finally, he put the coat back on. He put on his hat, scarf, and gloves, too.

  A guy his age was standing a few feet away. He looked at Owen and raised his eyebrows. “I’m not used to the cold,” Owen explained. “I’m from Florida.”

  The other guy didn’t say anything. He was wearing a warm coat, but no hat or gloves, and he had hair that went to his shoulders.

  A minute later, a car pulled up. The sign in its window read “Extreme Community Service.” The driver got out and put Owen’s suitcase in the trunk. Owen got into the back seat. Then the guy with long hair got in.

  “Oh, hi,” Owen said. “You’re going to the awards dinner too?”

  The guy nodded.

  “I’m Owen,” Owen said.

  “I’m Gray,” the other guy said.

  “My name’s Jerry,” the driver said from the front seat. “I’ll get you there before the storm gets bad. You’ll be eating in twenty minutes.”

  Owen smiled. “Great,” he said.

  “Where are you boys from?” Jerry asked.

  “Florida,” Owen told him.

  “Indiana,” Gray said.

  “Well, you were lucky to make it,” Jerry said. “Your flights were just about the last two in. They closed the airport about ten minutes ago.”

  Owen looked out the window. There were trees on both sides of the road. There were no houses, no signs, and no telephone poles.

  “Uh oh,” Jerry said. A car was stuck on the side of the road. A man was standing beside it, waving his arms.

  Jerry stopped the car. He got out and walked over to the man.

  “This guy is going to make us late,” Owen said.

  “So?” Gray said. “Are you actually excited about this dinner?”

  “Well, yeah,” Owen said. “Aren’t you?”

  “Not really,” Gray admitted. “If you want to know the truth, I’m not even supposed to be here.” He stared out the window at the snowflakes.

  Jerry got back in the car. “I’m going to wait until his tow truck gets here,” he said. “Don’t worry. We’ll still make it to the dinner on time.”

  A tow truck arrived in less than ten minutes. Another five minutes passed before it pulled the man’s car out of a deep snowdrift. The snow was falling even more heavily. The man turned his car around and drove carefully down the hill.

  The tow truck driver rolled down his window and Jerry rolled down his. “I’d head back too if I were you,” the tow truck driver called.

  Jerry said, “I’m not worried. I’ve got to get these guys where they’re going.” He waved and the tow truck drove off. Then Jerry tried to pull back on the road.

  The rear tires spun. The car slid from side to side, but didn’t move forward.

  “That’s not good,” Jerry said. He looked over his shoulder. The tow truck was gone.

  “We shouldn’t have stopped,” Owen mumbled.

  “I can see why they chose you for a community service award,” Gray said.

  Owen frowned. “Whatever,” he said.

  Jerry opened his cell phone. “No signal,” he said. “It worked outside — hold on.” He got out of the car and went back to where he’d called the tow truck. Owen could see him shaking his head.

  In a few seconds, Jerry walked back to the car. He brushed snow off his shoulders before getting in.

  “I don’t get it,” he said. “It worked before. What about your phones?”

  “My battery is dead,” Owen said.

  “I don’t have a cell phone,” Gray said.

  Jerry sighed. “Well, we passed a gas station about a mile back,” he said. “I’ll go down there and bring help.”

  “That seems like a long way back,” Owen said.

  “It’s really not far. It’s no problem,” Jerry said.

  “What about us?” Gray asked.

  “You’ll be safer here,” Jerry said. “Don’t worry at all. I’ll leave the car on, so you’ll have heat. Keep a window open, just a crack, so you get fresh air. Don’t try to move the car and do not get out.”

  “What should we do?” Owen asked.

  “Just wait,” Jerry said. “I’ll be back soon. You’ll only be a little late to your dinner.”

  Jerry smiled. Then he got out of the car. He vanished into the swirling snow.

  Owen and Gray were silent. They watched the car windows become covered with snow. Soon, they couldn’t see anything.

  [ Chapter 4 ]

  RUNNING OUT

  After ten silent minutes, Owen was bored. He tried to turn on his cell phone.

  “I thought you said the batteries were dead,” Gray said.

  “They are,” Owen said. “I was hoping it would work.” He turned to look out the back window, but it was covered with snow. “Do you think Jerry made it yet?” he asked.

  Gray shrugged. �

��Who knows,” he said.

  “Maybe we should go after him,” Owen said. “Do you think we should?”

  “No way,” Gray said. “I’m staying right here. Jerry said he could handle it.”

  “The dinner already started,” Owen said. “I know you don’t care. But I do.” He opened the door. “I’m going after him,” Owen said. “Come with me if you want.” He got out and shut the door.

  For the first time that night, Gray felt afraid. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, the car door opened. Gray jumped. He even raised his fists, just in case.

  “I couldn’t get far,” Owen said. He got into the car, bringing snow with him. “I couldn’t even tell if I was still on the road.”

  Gray closed his eyes again. Owen did too. Soon, they were both asleep.

  Later, Owen suddenly woke up. He looked at his watch. It was past 11 p.m. Panicked, he shook Gray awake.

  “We fell asleep!” Owen shouted. “It’s almost midnight.” He elbowed the window and some of the snow slid off. Outside, it was still snowing. “I hope the driver’s okay,” Owen said.

  Gray rubbed his eyes. “Do you have anything to eat?” he asked.

  Owen raised his eyebrows. “Are you kidding? That’s the first thought you have?”

  “No,” Gray said. “The first thought I had was that I’m glad we missed the dinner. Then I thought that you shouldn’t freak out. ‘I’m hungry’ was my third thought.”

  Gray looked at the gas gauge. It was more than half empty. Then he said, “And my fourth thought is what we’re going to do when we run out of gas, because I don’t think anyone will find us tonight.”

  Owen frowned.

  Gray went on, “I think we should stay in the car until the gas runs out or until morning, whichever comes first. Then we’ll try to find help.”

  “You’ll actually come with me this time?” Owen asked.

  “Yes,” Gray said. “But let’s soak up as much heat as we can first. And seriously, do you have anything to eat?”

  Owen looked through his backpack. “I have a few chocolate-covered raisins and an apple,” he said.

  Gray looked at the front seat. “We’re in luck,” he said. “Jerry had corn chips.”

  They ate for a while.

  “We should save some,” Owen said.

  Gray laughed. He said, “Don’t talk like a guy who doesn’t think he’ll be safe tomorrow.”

  “Whatever,” Owen said. Then he stuffed the extra food in his pocket.

  [ Chapter 5 ]

  OFF ROAD

  “It’s still snowing,” Owen said, shaking Gray awake.

  It was 7:30 a.m. The car was no longer running. It was very cold.

  Gray tried to open his door, but it would barely budge. Snow was piled up past the window. “Whoa,” he said.

  “It’s not as high on my side,” Owen said. “Let’s go.” He shoved open his door and got out. Gray followed him outside.

  Everything looked different in the daytime under several feet of heavy snow. Owen waded into snow up to his knees. He and Gray opened the car’s trunk. They looked through their suitcases for warm clothes.

  They got back in the car to bundle up.

  “You need a hat,” Owen said. “You lose the most heat through your head.”

  “I didn’t bring one,” Gray said.

  “Then wrap a shirt or something around your head,” Owen told him. “And something else around your neck, if you don’t have a scarf.”

  When they were ready, they headed down the road. But after a few minutes, they were both exhausted. It was hard work wading through the tall piles of snow.

  “Every kid in Florida is jealous of you northern kids and your snow days,” Owen said. “Well, I’m not jealous anymore.”

  Gray smiled.

  They walked through the falling snow for more than an hour. There was no sign of other human beings. Finally, they stopped.

  Owen looked around. “I think this is the wrong way,” he said.

  “Are we still on the road?” Gray asked.

  They looked around. It seemed like the trees were far enough apart for a road to pass through.

  “I think so,” Owen said. “I don’t know. Do you remember if we’ve passed any streetlights?”

  Gray thought for a moment. “No,” he said.

  Then he bent down and began to dig through the snow. When he reached the ground, it was soft and covered with leaves.

  “No pavement,” Gray said. He looked at Owen. “How could this happen?”

  “It all looks the same,” Owen said, shaking his head. “Let’s go back to the car. This is stupid.”

  “Okay,” Gray said. “Which way is that?”

  They turned to look at their trail through the snow. “Hurry,” Owen said. “The snow is covering our footprints really fast.”

  Quickly, they headed back along their own path. But soon they realized that the snow was falling faster than they could walk.

  “Great,” Owen said. “We’re lost.”

  Gray tried to kick the snow, but he could barely move his foot because the snow was so deep.

  [ Chapter 6 ]

  NEEDLES FOR NIGHT

  “No one knows where we are,” Owen said.

  “Jerry does,” Gray said.

  Owen sighed. “No, he knows where we were,” he said. “When we were in the car, where he told us to stay.”

  “We couldn’t have walked far,” Gray said. “We’ve got to be near something besides trees.”

  “I’m starting to get really cold,” Owen admitted.

  “You’ve got, like, two more layers on than me, and I’m fine,” Gray said. “Come on. We can make it!”

  Gray could hear Owen’s teeth chattering. Gray was cold too, but he was mostly thirsty. He scooped up a handful of snow and ate it.

  “You shouldn’t do that,” Owen said.

  “Why? It wasn’t yellow,” Gray pointed out.

  “Eating snow makes you even colder,” Owen told him.

  Just then, they heard a noise. It sounded like a helicopter. Then they saw something moving across the gray sky.

  “Hey! Down here!” Owen yelled. They both screamed and waved their arms, but the helicopter didn’t come any closer. A minute later, it was gone.

  “At least we know someone is looking for us,” Gray said.

  Owen brushed the snow off a fallen tree trunk and sat down on it. Soon, flakes began to collect on his lap.

  “I wish there was a way we could lie down or something. I need to rest,” he said. “And eat.”

  “Don’t we have some chips and raisins?” Gray asked.

  “Just a few,” Owen said. “Should we eat them now?”

  “Might as well,” Gray said. “We’re hungry now, and we have to keep moving.”

  He paused. Then he went on, “I’m sure we’ll find help soon. But no matter what, there’s no way we can sleep out here.”

  “Gray,” Owen said quietly, “I think we’re going to have to.”

  Gray looked at the sky. The sun was sinking toward the west. It would get dark in just a few hours. He stood still. Then he nodded and said, “So we need a shelter.”

  Owen stood up. The two guys started walking, looking for a place that would work as somewhere to sleep.

  Fifteen minutes later, they found a huge rock. It was at least twenty feet high. It looked like a small cliff.

  One part of the rock stuck out. There was a patch of brown ground underneath, where snow couldn’t reach.

  “Here,” Gray said. He hadn’t said a word for several minutes. His mouth felt numb. It was hard to talk.

  Owen stared nervously at the brown patch of ground. “I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t look great.”

  “We don’t have much time,” Gray said. “This is the best thing we’ve found. Let’s try to make this work. Let’s find stuff to make it cozy.”

  “Like what?” Owen asked.

  “I don’t know,” Gray said. “Branches, I guess. And anything else we can use to keep the snow and the wind out. Rocks, maybe. I don’t know what else.”

  He looked around. Then he added, “Just don’t go far. Make sure you can always see me and the cliff.”

 

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