Murphy's Law by Yolanda Wallace

Author:Yolanda Wallace [Wallace, Yolanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781602828254
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

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“Tie on!” Sam shouted twice, once in English and once in Nepali.

As Jimmy quickly unspooled a long length of robe, Sam pushed a nearby boulder to test its stability. The jagged rock didn’t budge. Olivia judged it to be about six feet tall with a weight of close to twenty tons. Sam shoved her toward the massive stone.

“This will anchor you. Wrap your arms around it and hold on as tight as you can.”

Sam’s voice shook, a byproduct, Olivia guessed, of the adrenaline coursing through her body. Her own heart galloped in her chest like Secretariat closing in on the finish line at the Belmont. She thought she had prepared herself for the isolation and sense of exposure climbers felt when they reached altitudes normally occupied by low-flying airplanes, but her growing sense of helplessness made her realize she hadn’t prepared as well as she thought. This situation was way out of her area of expertise. Panic lurked at the edges of her psyche. The clear head she prided herself on was clouded with apprehension.

The “smoke” she had seen earlier was snow barreling down the mountain. Snow that was now headed straight for them. They had no place to go and nothing to hide behind except a boulder that, if it dislodged, could topple over and crush them or drag them over the edge. If it held, they might have a chance. Emphasis on might. But what about the others? Were Marie-Eve, Peter, and Pasang above the danger zone, or had they been caught up in the maelstrom now roaring toward her?

Sam raced to the other side of the boulder.

“Where are you going?” Tightening her grip on the rock, Olivia craned her neck to follow Sam’s movements.

Sam’s face filled her vision. Her eyes radiated calm, soothing Olivia’s fears.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going far.” She tied one end of the rope around the boulder and affixed it with a sturdy knot. Then she wrapped three loops around Olivia’s waist, took two steps backward, and wrapped three loops around her own body before passing the rest of the rope to Lhakpa, who fed the rope through a bolt bored into the mountain before wrapping it around himself and tossing the rest to Jimmy. Though she and her crew moved in a rush, Sam took time to explain their actions. “Safety in numbers,” she said, bracing against the mountainside. “If we tie on, we can stay together.”

Together. How could one word inspire such hope?

“Hold on,” Sam said. “We’re going to be fine.”

Whether she meant them or not, Sam said the words with such conviction, Olivia couldn’t help but believe her.

The noise filled her ears. The sound of air, water, snow, and debris combining to form a new entity. The sound of a horrible nightmare come to life.

Olivia closed her eyes and braced herself for impact. The snow slammed into the boulder with such force she felt the monolith tilt on its axis.

“Please,” she whispered. “Please hold.”

Thick clouds of snow powder enveloped her, stinging her skin and filling her lungs.

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