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tuque off and his red hair stuck up on his head like flames “That something came and dragged him down there?”
    â€œNo. I mean…No, that’s stupid.”
    â€œExactly,” Sam said. “Come on, Alex. What are you trying to do? Scare everybody? The wind always sounds like that at the drop.” He reached up and lit the lantern over his head. The room suddenly filled with light.
    â€œI don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know. Where could he have gone? Are there footprints or anything?”
    â€œNo. Nothing.” Sam pointed at the door. “It’s a blizzard out there.”
    â€œWe have to call someone,” Dave yelled. He charged around the room, taking quick little steps. Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and held him steady.
    â€œDave, my man, I need you to calm down. All right? You hear me?”
    Dave started shaking his head. “Where could he have gone?” Dave said. “No snowmobile. No board. How deep is the snow out there? Why would he go anywhere?”
    â€œMaybe he felt badly about not putting enough logs in the stove,” Hope suggested. “Maybe he’s, like, I don’t know, punishing himself?”
    â€œThat’s stupid,” Dave said. He had grabbed his jacket off the end of his bunk and put it on. Now, whenever he moved his arms, he made swishing sounds. It would have been funny in some other situation.
    Sam went back to the woodstove and began blowing again. The room wasn’t getting any warmer. I used the bathroom and then came back out and put on my jacket and snow pants. Sam had the satellite phone out and was waiting for it to find a signal.
    â€œI’ll call base camp,” Sam said. “They can send a chopper up to help find him.”
    He seemed relieved at the possibility of getting help. He pressed the button on the phone again, waited and then pressed it again. He put the phone to his ear.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Dave asked.
    â€œIt’s not connecting,” Sam replied.
    This was bad.
    We were a long way from anywhere, or anyone. Even if we made it to the bottom of the mountain, we were still a long way from any roads or towns. Without the satellite phone, we were on our own in the wild.
    â€œThere’s a pickup spot though, right?” I said.
    Sam shook his head. “It was to be arranged.”
    â€œOkay,” I said. “But people know we are here. They know when we’re supposed to get picked up, right?”
    Sam shrugged. “I don’t like to nail down the details. It’s too much planning. Too many variables. I said three or four days. Everything depends on the weather.”
    â€œWhat about food?” Dave yelped. “How much food do we have?”
    â€œLots,” Sam said. “Especially now that Bryce is gone.” He laughed. No one else did. I went and looked out the window. It was pitch-dark.
    Dave started laughing. We all looked at him. Red hair straight up in the air. Hands on his knees. Laughing.
    â€œWhat?” I said.
    â€œWhat?” Sam said.
    â€œWhat are you laughing at?” Hope said. Dave shook his head. “It’s a test, isn’t it?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “We have to go out there now and find Bryce. You’ve got him stashed in another hut somewhere nearby. He’s fine. Just hidden. Another test, that’s all.”
    â€œI wish that were the case, but it isn’t,” Sam said.
    Dave’s face fell. “So you really don’t know where he is?”
    â€œNot a clue.”
    â€œThis isn’t all a setup?” Dave said.
    â€œNo setup.”
    â€œLet me see the phone,” Dave grabbed the phone out of Sam’s hand and started pounding the power button.
    â€œThis isn’t working,” Dave said.
    â€œThat’s what I told you,” Sam said.
    Dave sat down in a chair. “We’re screwed,” he said. “Screwed.”

chapter seven
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