Snow Kissed

Chapter 1

The sign read; Seventy-five kilometers till next gas service. Check your fuel.

That had been enough to make me stop at the lonely, small general store on the side of the highway. Parking in one of the bays, I peered into one the frosty windows where I saw one older woman reading a newspaper. Getting out, I grabbed my purse and stepped up to the fuel pump, where another note plagued me.

'Pre-pay for Gas inside.' Rolling my eyes at the old machine, I marched my way towards the doors.

“Hello!” She greeted me behind the chime of the door-bells.

An eerie muted Christmas music played over the old tin-sounding speakers. “Er... hey.” Picking up the last packet of breath mints from the display box, I decided on another coffee before paying for gas.

“Cold out there.” She made small talk as I stirred some sugar into my cup.

“Yeah, it is.” Not in the mood to chat, she didn't seem to get my hint as she yammered on about the weather.

The woman finally paused halfway through her talk of a snow storm. “Is that all?”

“I'll fill my tank too.” I pulled off my leather gloves and found my wallet in my shoulder bag.

“Where ya' heading to this evening?”

Taking out my platinum Visa, I paused to entertain her question. “Uh, Forrest Mountain Ski Resort?”

“Oh yes.”

“Do you know it?” I got excited at the prospect I was near.

“You still have a while to go. It's about another hundred clicks north.”

“What!” I stared at her. “No, that can't be right. My GPS--”

“Never have much luck out here with a GPS.” She smiled and took my credit card. “Visa, today?”

“Uh, yeah.” I wrinkled my nose. “You're joking, though, my friends said it wasn't too far?”

“You keep going down the highway; you're going to eventually come to the resort signs. I would consider staying at the motel though before this snow storm hits.”

Mentally, I pictured the state of the dingy motel around the side of the old building as I'd driven my car up to the pump. “Thanks, I'll consider it.”

The door bells chimed, knocking into the glass as someone walked in.

The woman went about ringing my order as a man milled around the store, grabbing a few things. Looking over my shoulder I noticed his bed messed hair, thick square jaw and stubbled cheeks, a real product of his environment but not too hard on the eyes.

“Oh, shoot.” The woman smiled sympathetically at me. “I put in the wrong numbers, this machine is so old.”

Holding back rolling my eyes, I glanced outside, where a light dusting of snow began to fall.

“How are you, Ean?” She asked, punching numbers in slow succession.

“Getting by. How about you, Martha?” The tall bushman came beside me and I moved aside with a wooden step. I didn't understand why people couldn't grasp the concept of personal space.

“Same old thing here. Did you just get back? You haven't been by in awhile.” The woman paid more attention to the conversation with the man than she did with my gas, mints, and coffee.

“I just got home from camp. It was long this time.” He tapped the counter and I watched his abnormally thick fingers do so. “I always get home right in time for a storm apparently.”

I glanced at him as he sniffed, the crisp air had seemed to get the better of his nose and cheeks like mine.

“I was just telling this lovely lady, it's supposed to be a big one. She's on her way to Forrest Mountain Ski Resort.”

I wasn't impressed, they were having a full conversation and somehow, I had now been brought into it.

“Forrest Mountain, eh?” He looked at me with concerned set of eyes that made me uncomfortable.

I nodded once. “If I ever get there.”

He agreed,. “Should be careful. Hope you have winter tires.”

I was going to kill Beth! She hadn't said squat about needing snow tires or what did they call those other things.. chains?

I had half the mind to just head home.

The woman got my card processed and handed it back to me.

“Thanks,” I said in a gruff voice and walked towards the door.

“Drive safe,” the man called.

I paused, my hand on the door handle as I caught his eyes. “Thanks.” I left quick, fumbling with the mints and the hot cup of coffee. Balancing the foam cup on the top of my sleek sedan, I flipped open the gas cap and started to fill the tank.

Shivering from the temperature drop, I waited as the old pump chugged away. “Jeez.” It's what I got for not stopping an hour before at the civilized gas station.

I heard the distant bells as he walked out of the store and over to his truck, which he also started to fill with gas. This gave me ample time to take in his red plaid shirt, dirty jeans, and black winter vest. An interesting style choice, I concluded, looking back to my gas pumping.

“I'm Ean.”

Confused, I looked up to noticed him talking to me.

“Amy.” I managed my name.

He looked amused, and it better not have been at my expense. “Where are you from, Amy?”

“A warmer place,” I snarked.

He nodded. “So, the coast then, you look like that type. Just going to Forrest Mountain for Christmas?”

“Yeah,” I answered, looking away and trying to hold it together as my fingers and toes went numb.

“Well, have fun and stay safe.” He ended our conversation just in time.

The pump finished and I slipped into the black leather of my vehicle, slamming the door as I did. Pulling out of the bay, large snowflakes dropped on my windshield and I ignored the way my gut started to turn at the sight of them.

With the wipers on full speed, I was back on the two-lane highway north bound. The temperature outside continued to drop and the radio cut in and out as I squinted to see through the falling snow. Scanning the radio for a weather channel, I found one on the AM side.

“Blizzard warning... low visibility and black ice... snow warning for--”

It dropped off to white noise and my heart started to pound. “Snow warning for where! Where!” I shouted at the fuzzing radio that never did answer me. As the minutes passed, I slowed my speed, the visibility down to a scarce nothing.

I reached for my coffee, trying to get rid of my chill, but my hand couldn't find it and with frustration, took my eyes off the road for only a split second.

Looking back up, the headlights caught the silhouette of a deer standing directly in my path. All I could think was 'Rudolph' and when it didn't move, I swerved in panic.

The car took a not so artful dodge, caught ice, and spun me into the other lane.

Through my screaming, I could not register where my foot was or where the coffee had gone, but I felt the burning all over my lap and the sound of revving tires.

The hood of my beloved sedan hit a tree and became one with it. Leaving my head to smack into the window as the air bags deployed.

Within seconds the world and its noises faded.