A Song of Winter by Andrew James Greig

Author:Andrew James Greig [Greig, Andrew James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Fight or flee

I

The morning weather report could be heard coming from every vehicle snarled up in the frozen queue backed up on the A9. Drivers and passengers exchanged worried looks as the radio presenter offered no glib assurances that the extremes of weather were likely to abate, then mentioned, in more of the way as an afterthought, that land and mobile telephone networks were failing throughout Scotland. The resultant surge of mobile users attempting to ring out brought the local cell to a complete halt. Faces stared out of frozen car windows at the arctic conditions outside, looked into other vehicle windscreens to see what everyone else was doing. Fuel gauges were checked, engines run every few minutes to try and keep warm, eyes scanned the road ahead and behind for the tell-tale amber or blue flash that would signify help was on its way. Nothing showed – just an increase in wind noise and occasional heavy flurries of snow obscuring the view.

“We can’t stay here another night.” The woman spoke quietly, hands held in front of air vents extracting what little heat was available. She and her husband had already spent twenty hours waiting in the car, running the engine every hour for just long enough to warm the air coming through the heater. He’d been out – clearing the snow from the exhaust, talking to the other drivers in front, behind. He’d noticed the snow covering first the road, then the grass on the verge, now almost up to the car windows. They weren’t dressed for the weather. Lulled by the unseasonable hot spell that had preceded the snow, he’d assumed a light jacket would be sufficient. How could he go any distance in that, or these shoes? She was having similar thoughts, but they’d run out of food, water and looking at the petrol gauge, they’d soon run out of fuel. Besides which, she absolutely refused to crouch down in the snow to empty bowels which were sending urgent requests to her brain to do just that.

“We can’t go any distance in this, love. We’re not dressed for it. We’d be better waiting here with everyone else where we’re in shelter until the emergency services come. They won’t be long now. They’re not going to just leave a hundred or so people and cars blocking the road for ever, are they?”

She looked at him, wanting to believe him. It was midday, although the sun had been hidden for days behind a carpet of grey cloud, so she had to go by the car clock.

“I don’t think anyone’s coming.” She spoke the words quietly, as if not wanting to hear them herself.

“What do you mean? Of course someone will be coming. It’s just a heavy snowfall – they’re probably clearing the road each side of us. This is the highest point so it figures they’ll get here last.” He sounded more confident than he felt. As each hour passed and still no sign of any emergency vehicles, not even a helicopter or tractor, he began to imagine the impossible.

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