Lost in the Snow

On the snowy mountain, Shawn Foster's neighbor, Susan Taylor, suffered from altitude sickness. He blamed me for not bringing supplies in time.

He tied me up and left me on the mountain, five thousand meters above sea level.

"You should experience the pain Susan went through."

I rushed up the mountain to find them, completely forgetting that I was already exhausted.

Without an oxygen supply, I gasped for air desperately.

He held Susan in his arms and headed down the mountain. I begged him for mercy, but he did not even glance at me.

I struggled, but I could not break free from the Prusik knot he tied himself.

The same knot I once taught him.

Three days later, he asked his colleagues about my whereabouts.

"I would never have forgiven her so quickly if it's not Susan's kindness."

But he did not know—I had long been buried beneath the snow.

"Where is Emily? The next group of tourists is arriving."

A colleague looked at Shawn Foster with confusion and asked, "Didn't Emily bring you the supplies? Did you not come down the mountain together?"

A flicker of unease crossed Shawn's face, but he quickly masked it.

"She's a guide herself, she can't possibly be stuck up there."

The colleague's expression shifted to shock.

"Emily's supply bag is still in her room. How could she be on the mountain?"

Realizing that Shawn was not joking, the colleague grew anxious.

"No, this is bad. There was an avalanche two days ago. She must be in trouble. We need to go up and find her—now!"

Shawn cut him off irritatedly, "Do you know how rare avalanches are? What are the chances she got caught in one on such a huge mountain? She's just being stubborn and trying to get back at me. I won't give in to her. If she doesn't show up by tomorrow, I'll go myself."

Just as he finished speaking, the medical team sent word that Susan had awakened.

Without hesitation, Shawn rushed to her bedside. His voice softened. "Are you still unwell, Susan? Don't worry. I'll make sure Emily suffers even more than you did."

Susan leaned her head against his chest as he gently patted her back.

"I'm so lucky to have you, Shawn." Two glistening tears rolled down her cheeks at the perfect moment.

"I don't think Emily did it on purpose. I just wanted her to admit her mistake. She doesn't need to go through the same pain I did. She's going to hate me because of that, won't she?"

Watching the two of them act so tenderly toward each other, I was furious.

Yes, I was caught in the avalanche. Before I suffocated, the snow buried me completely.

The immense pressure crushed my body, forcing blood to spill out uncontrollably.

The moment I died, my spirit drifted out of the icy grave.

My body was twisted at unnatural angles. My hands, still tied behind my back, struggled against the ropes until my wrists were scraped down to the bone.

My chest had caved in. My face was stained with the blood that had been squeezed out of me.

The unbearable pain of being crushed by the snow made me curl up involuntarily.

Even as a spirit, thinking back to that moment made me shudder.

Back in the hospital, Shawn gently comforted Susan.

"Don't worry. I'll never leave you in such danger again. And I won't let Emily off the hook.

"She knew you weren't in good health, yet she delayed the supplies purposely. She tried to kill you! I'll make sure she appreciates being alive."

His eyes were ice-cold, his voice filled with nothing but disgust for me.

I drifted into the corner of the room, devastated.

Shawn was right. Staying alive was not easy. Even when the avalanche came for me, I fought to survive.

To punish me, he tied the knot so tightly that it was impossible to undo. He even stripped me of my winter gear.

I struggled to untie myself but failed. I forced myself to stay conscious, hoping someone would find me.

He had forgotten that, before we climbed the mountain, I had just donated 800 milliliters of blood to his mother.

When the avalanche came crashing down, my survival instincts drove me to crawl forward, desperately hoping to escape.

Truth was, I completely vanished in the avalanche without a trace.