Blizzard - 1. Chapter 1

The snow fell lightly as Jason drove down I-29 towards the campground. He and Patrick had been driving for an hour so far, and they were only half way there. It was time for the teens’ annual camping trip down to Wauskogee Park. It gave the two some time to escape their hectic lives and spend some time together. The past two years had been awesome for the boys. The weather had been calm and cooperative, and they had spent three days hanging out and having a good time in each other’s company.

This year, however, Mother Nature had other plans for them. The temperature was supposed to drop below ten degrees every night. Snow was predicted to fall continuously, but not collect on the ground. This didn’t seem to deter the boys, though. Instead, they brought along a portable propane heater for their tent to make sure they wouldn’t freeze to death during the night. Jason and Patrick were determined to make this trip work and keep the tradition alive.

Jason looked over at Patrick sleeping in the passenger seat and silently cursed him. Neither of the boys had been able to sleep the night before as their eagerness built up, but it seemed as though Patrick had no trouble sleeping in the car since Jason did all the driving. Prick, Jason thought to himself. He shrugged it off and turned up the radio, hoping it would also work to annoy his sleeping friend.

When Jason pulled off the interstate and into a gas station to fill up, Patrick stirred in his seat. Rather than letting him continue to sleep, Jason left his driver-side door open as he went to fill his truck up with gas. The cold quickly got to Patrick, and Jason could hear him swearing about closing the damn door, along with a few other choice words in front of his name. He smirked as he went inside to pay for the gas.

“So did you have a nice rest, Sleeping Beauty?” Jason asked when he returned to the car.

“That wasn’t funny. I don’t have a jacket on. I could have gotten frostbite!” Patrick said as he turned the heat up a little more.

“Oh quit being such a baby! We’re almost there anyway. I thought you might like to drive the rest of the way,” Jason said as he held up the keys to his truck and watched as Patrick’s eyes lit up with excitement. He rarely had the chance to drive Jason’s car. It was a new, 2006 Titan, and Jason treated it like it was his only child. Patrick didn’t blame him, though. If he had a car like that, no one would even be allowed to touch it.

“Hell yeah I want to!” Patrick agreed eagerly as he reached for the keys, but stopped himself midway, eyeing his friend. “Wait. You never let me drive. What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one, but if you don’t want to drive just say so and I’ll finish it up,” Jason said, leaving Patrick to hesitate for a second before taking the keys and switching places with him.

When they came up on the campground exit, Patrick pulled off and took some back roads to their usual camping spot. It was secluded enough so no one else would be around, but still close enough to a gas station and bathrooms if they needed to walk there. Jason eased the truck up a fairly steep incline and tried not to push the gas too hard for fear of his back wheels breaking their traction and losing control. Once he reached the top of the hill, he took an immediate right down a path that looked like it hadn’t been used in a year.

After Patrick navigated to their isolated camping area, Jason jumped out of the car and took off on a mad dash to the nearest bush to take care of his own business. Patrick shook his head and started pulling things out of the back of the truck. When Jason came back, the 17 year-old boys started pitching the tent, hoping to get it finished by noon.

As they finished getting their belongings together and setting up the rest of the campsite, Jason went off in search of firewood while Patrick was left to make them lunch on their miniature grill. He heated up some ready-to-eat soup from the cans they brought. Jason returned from gathering the wood just at Patrick was finishing up warming the soup.

“Is my lunch ready, Sweetie?” Jason joked as he set the wood by their fire pit.

“Shut up and eat your damn soup,” Patrick joked back as he handed him a bowl.

The boys ate in relative silence as they took in the scenery around them. They loved coming up here every year. It was a great place to just relax, unwind, and forget about all the crap going on in their lives. The only bad thing was the light snow still drifting down from above.

When both boys had finished their soup, they set to work on getting a fire going. Patrick grabbed some newspaper and lighter fluid out of the truck and tossed it to Jason as he kept looking for the big lighter they packed. By now, they knew better than to try and ‘rough it’ without some lighter fluid. Trying to start a big enough fire to stay warm with only a small book of matches isn’t very easy.

With the fire going and the sun starting to fall below the horizon, the two moved closer to the flames as they tried to combat the quickly falling temperature. There was a lull in the conversation when Patrick got up and went to the truck to get something. Jason smiled when he saw him walking back with a bottle of Captain Morgan and two cups in his hands.

“This should help warm us up a bit,” Patrick said as he handed a cup to Jason.

Jason took a large swig from the cup and then chased it down with a drink from his Dr. Pepper. He sighed contentedly as the burning sensation made its way down his throat and into his body. Normally, he didn’t drink much, if at all, but as this was their last trip before they both headed off for college, he decided it was a special occasion.

Patrick smiled to himself as he watched Jason take another drink. His friend rarely let loose and just had a good time without caring about anything else. He was glad to see the change, though. If anyone deserved a break from life, it was Jason. He worked hard at everything he did. Not only did he work over thirty hours a week, but he managed to maintain a 3.8 GPA, and still have time to volunteer at a retirement home a few days a month.

“What are you thinking about?”

Patrick snapped his head back up and saw Jason was staring at him with an inquisitive look on his face. He didn’t answer, but gave a shrug instead.

“Oh come on, dude, just tell me. It’s not like it’s a big deal or anything. I know your life story better than I know my own,” Jason said as he finished off the last of his drink and reached for the bottle to poor himself another. It was probably true that he knew Patrick better than he knew himself.

“I was just thinking about our friendship, and how we met. You remember that day?”

Jason paused for a minute and tried to remember that day. “Yeah, it was a Monday. The first day of third grade I think. I hated your ass the moment I saw you!”

They both laughed as they thought about their unusual meeting in the principal’s office after having a glue fight. It started off with Jason accidentally bumping Patrick while he was gluing part of a project together, and ended up with both boys covered in glue from head to toe. It was an odd sight, and they both got grounded for the incident, but it was worth it for how much fun they had.

The two went back and forth recalling old memories about the times they spent together. Most of them had been good times when they both had a lot of fun, but a few were serious too. Throughout the night, the boys practically switched roles. Jason becoming the outgoing, fun-loving kid who was well on his way to becoming drunk, while Patrick was the more level-headed, serious person that only had one drink and then switched to just soda. He wanted to remember this night for the rest of his life. It would be one of the last times they would have a chance to do this before they went their separate ways to college.

As the night went on and the stories slowed down, neither of the two were paying attention to their surroundings or the time. It was ten o’clock before Patrick noticed the snowfall on the ground. Two inches had already collected and it was quickly piling up. He frowned as he remembered the weatherman saying there was only a possibility of one inch of snowfall.

“What’s up?” Jason asked, which had sounded more like whuz uh because of his slurred words. He saw the frown on Patrick’s face and mimicked the expression because he hated seeing his friend in a bad mood. Instead of answering, Patrick went to the truck and turned on the radio to an all-news talk station, listening for any hint about the weather. After about three minutes, he finally heard what he’d been waiting for.

“The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for the following counties until eleven p.m. tomorrow: Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Washington, and Waukesha. An approximate twelve to eighteen inches is expected to fall within the next twenty-four hours. Citizens in these counties are advised to stay indoors and off the roads at this time.” Patrick listened to the announcer repeat the alert again and he winced as he heard Ozaukee County called for the second time. He turned off the truck and went back to join Jason around the fire.

“The Weather Service just issued an alert for our area,” he said as he sat down. “They said they easily expect over a foot of snow tonight.”

Both boys looked at the ground around them as they thought about what to do. The previous two inches was now up to two and a half. As the silence carried on, the snow fell thicker and the visibility was diminishing. Patrick could barely see the trees that stood twenty feet away on the other side of the campsite. To say he was starting to worry would be an understatement, but he didn’t want to look like a sissy in front of his friend.

Jason broke the somewhat awkward, yet still comfortable silence, by tossing another log on the fire. They both watched as the glowing red and orange embers jumped from the pit and floated through the air until they cooled and could no longer be seen.

“So whadya wanna do? Should we go home?” Jason asked in a slurred tone as he poked the fire with a stick.

Patrick’s mind was screaming yes, but he didn’t want to be the one to cut their last trip short. He looked at his best friend’s cool demeanor as he absent-mindedly stirred the ashes. Unknown to Patrick was that Jason was just as nervous as he was, but he too was putting on a façade not wanting to be the first one to call it quits.

They sat in silence once again until Patrick couldn’t take it anymore and had to say something. “Dude, screw it. Let’s go home. If it snows that much tonight, we’re going to be popsicles by morning. We don’t have enough propane to keep the heater on all night, so let’s call it a night and head home. We might be able to make it there by one.”

Instead of the groan that Patrick was expecting, he saw Jason just nod and head towards the truck. Even in his drunken state, he was still smart enough to know that if they waited to tear down the camp and take it all with them, they would lose an hour and leave in worse weather than they were already heading into. Patrick grabbed the keys from his pocket and made sure his friend was safely in the passenger seat before sliding around to the driver’s side.

As he made his way through the dense forest, he felt the truck’s tires break traction and spin out several times. Each time he would ease off the gas and coast, not hitting the brakes, until they once again grabbed hold of the dirt and ice below. It was a frustrating experience that left Patrick with frayed nerves. Driving on ice was basically the same as driving in rain, except three times worse.

When he reached the same large hill they used on their way in, he stopped. Patrick’s heart started beating faster. The snowfall had covered the steep slope and he couldn’t see the grass below anymore. If he took the slope too fast and hit his brakes, they would glide right down into the trees. He looked over at Jason and saw that he was more alert now. His calm, collected expression was long gone, being replaced by a worried and hesitant one.

“You have any ideas?” Patrick asked.

“Yeah, drive down the hill.”

They both grinned at each other, still trying not to look as scared as they really were. Easy for you to say, asshole, Patrick thought to himself. The only thing that could be heard in the truck for the next two minutes was the heater working full blast trying to keep them warm. When Jason saw Patrick put the truck in gear, he closed his eyes and sat back not wanting to watch what happened next. Instead of lurching forward like he expected, though, Jason felt the truck slowly inch its way to the edge of the hill.

Just as the truck’s momentum took hold, threatening to pull them over the edge and shooting into the trees beyond, Patrick slowly braked and tossed the gear into reverse. Jason was confused as first, wondering what was going on, when he felt the truck still going down the hill. The effects of the alcohol were non-existent as the adrenaline coursed through his body and he quickly understood what Patrick was doing. As long as the car was in reverse, the tires were going to keep trying to go backwards, but the weight of the truck was going to pull them slowly down the hill.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Patrick put the truck in park and let loose the breath he was holding. He glanced over at Jason and saw that he was smiling back at him.

“Nicely done! Now let’s go home, and try not to kill us on the way,” Jason said as he relaxed and leaned back in his seat.

Patrick didn’t respond, but instead turned the radio on to help calm himself down. He sighed with relief when he saw the paved road ahead. In his excited state, he let his foot drop a little harder on the gas and the truck started going faster. He looked over at Jason and grinned. He was about to pat himself on the back for navigating the woods, when he saw the look on his friend’s face.

Time felt as though it were playing in slow motion. He couldn’t hear anything his friend was saying, but followed his finger out the windshield and saw the deer standing thirty feet in front of the truck. The ‘deer in the headlights’ look took on a whole new meaning for them now as Patrick’s instincts kicked in before his mind could stop him. He stomped on the brake as hard as he could, turning the wheel in a sharp left turn. Rather than stopping however, the truck kept its pace as the traction broke and the tires started gliding on the snow and ice. The only affect of his actions made the truck start to spin.

Patrick could do nothing as he watched the buck dodge the vehicle and saw the trees beyond it coming closer. He looked in Jason’s eyes and saw nothing but fear; they both knew what was about to happen. Even with their bodies braced against the seats, the impact shook them from head to toe. The passenger side of the truck hit the trees straight on, and Jason’s body took a violent hit. His neck whipped at an almost impossible angle in a swift, but brutal, movement. The pain failed to come, however, as he quickly saw and felt nothing but darkness and his body went limp.

Ignoring the pain shooting through his ankle and the rest of his injuries, Patrick raced to get his seatbelt off. He was about to shake his friend to see if he was awake when thoughts from his health class came flooding through his mind. If he moved him, he could risk further damage and possibly end up paralyzing him for life. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything further happened to Jason that was his fault.

Gently, Patrick placed his index finger and middle finger on Jason’s neck and choked back tears when he felt a faint, and barely noticeable pulse. Still ignoring the throbbing coming from his ankle, he looked around the truck to find his cell phone. When he finally found it buried under shards of glass from the various broken windows, he cursed out loud. No Service. Patrick wanted to scream.

He gave into temptation and threw the phone at the windshield. The glass, which was amazingly unbroken, spider-webbed and cracked around the area it hit. It did have the desired effect though, as the phone shattered into several pieces.

Patrick looked at his still unconscious friend and his face turned to stone. This was possibly one of the hardest decisions he had to make. He could either leave his friend here and attempt to get help, or he could stay in the truck with him and hope someone happened upon the deserted road during the blizzard. When he surveyed his own injuries, he saw that his ankle was quickly turning black and blue and was already swollen to almost double its normal size. It was most likely broken, and Patrick winced when he moved it a fraction of an inch.

Patrick took one last look at Jason’s motionless body and made his decision. He would go to the ends of the world for him, and would give his own life just so Jason could live. Pushing open the truck door proved to be harder than he thought. Even with the below-freezing temperatures, Patrick was sweating profusely which caused him to keep losing his grip. He couldn’t get it to budge. Looking out the broken window, he saw a dent was pinching the hinges shut. The headache forming in his head started to throb now. He silently cursed again, wondering what else could go wrong.

Taking a blanket from the back seat of the truck, he wrapped it in a ball around his fist, and as he shielded his eyes with his left arm, he used his blanket-covered hand and smashed the remaining bits of glass jutting out around the edges of the window. After he successfully removed most of the glass, he started crawling his way out the window. He screamed in agony when he tried putting weight on his broken ankle. It felt as though someone were crushing the bone between two boulders every time he put any amount of pressure on it. After a short pause to catch his breath, Patrick took his belt off and shoved it in his mouth. He clamped his teeth down hard on the leather to manage the pain and forced himself to keep moving.

The process was slow and agonizing, but he managed to make his way out the window and onto the snow-covered ground below. His battle was far from over, however. When he started to crawl towards the gas station, he knew he was only half a mile up the road. Every time he attempted to stand or walk, an excruciating pain would fill his body along with waves of nausea. Patrick soon gave up on trying to walk, and just crawled through the four inches of snow to get help.

In an incredible amount of self-discipline, he forced his body to keep moving, crawling through the brush and ripping his clothing as the bitter cold started creeping through to his skin. The frozen snow and icy wind quickly numbed his ankle, helping to take away some pain, but also threatening to cause frost-bite.

Half an hour later, Patrick made it to the steps of the gas station, and collapsed on the sidewalk outside the door. The attendant rushed over to the bloody boy and helped him inside. Patrick managed to tell the woman what was wrong and where Jason was just moments before he started going into shock. The woman hit the panic button under the counter to summon the police as she dialed 911 to get more emergency assistance.

--------------------------------------Days Later -------------------------------------------

Jason slowly opened his eyes for the first time in days and immediately wondered where he was. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around the room and saw enough to realize he was in a hospital. His heart jumped and his mind started racing when he thought about the accident and whether Patrick had made it out okay.

He stopped mid-thought though, when he heard a rustling sound come from the corner of the room and looked over to a sleeping figure on a small couch. He instantly recognized it as Patrick and started to cry. His tears came flooding out and he didn’t even try to stop them.

Patrick woke to the sounds of Jason crying, and scrambled to hit the call button for the nurse, but Jason stopped him before he could press it. He gave Jason a puzzled look, but soon understood that his tears weren’t from pain. He walked to the edge of his bed and gave his friend a soft smile.

“You saved my life,” Jason sniffled out with tears still in his eyes.

“I owed you for giving me a life in the first place. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Patrick said with a bigger smile on his face, and soon, Jason started smiling too, wiping away the tears from his eyes.

It was the first time in days that either boy had had a smile on his face. The previous thoughts of their friendship weakening during college were replaced by a friendship that was the strongest it had ever been.