A Christmas Journey

Chapter 8

 The first couple of hours weren't too bad for Michael. The snow wasn't falling too badly and he was making decent progress. But then, a blizzard hit! The temperature quickly dropped to below freezing. The snow seemed to be falling in massive sheets, badly decreasing visibility and making the trek much harder.

"Aw, man!" he thought. "This isn't going to be easy."

Meanwhile, Amy and Sherri were back at the SUV talking about most everything: telling each other more about what happened to each over the past few years, talking about Michael, and thoughts about the journey.

Finally, Amy looked at her watch and announced, "Well, it looks like it's about time for supper. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think we had any food." Sherri replied inquisitively.

Amy stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the rear hatch, which she managed to open. Pulling out a bag and closing the hatch, she got back in the SUV, closed the door, and said, "Michael always carries a survival kit on long trips."

She then opened the bag and pulled out some MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat).

"Take a look and see what you like." Amy said as she handed a few to the girl.

Sherri thought for a minute. "Hmm, the chicken breast and minestrone looks good."

"Okay. I'll take the turkey."

Amy then used the heating pouch included in each MRE with some melted snow to cook the meals. After eating, the pair talked for a few more minutes and, since it was dark, decided to go to bed. Amy and Sherri locked all the doors, grabbed the survival blankets out of the kit, and went to sleep.

Michael's eyelids were growing heavier by the minute, but he continued moving on.

"Can't...stop...now! Have...to get...help!" he exclaimed, willing himself onward. As the time went on, it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. A couple times he almost drifted off and finally began to pray and think of whatever he could to keep his mind alert. If it hadn't been so cold, he would've considered even singing or talking to himself.

Michael thought, "I have to stay awake. Got to keep goin'."

The next morning, the blizzard had lightened up and Amy and Sherri woke up to a blanket of snow on the ground and the SUV.

Each tried to open a door, but was unable. The snow from the blizzard had piled on the doors so much that they were pressed shut!

"Sherri, I've got an idea." Amy said. "Move over."

She then climbed back to where Sherri was and said, "Between us, we should be able to push this open."

The young women pushed as hard as they could, unsure of how much snow was blocking the door. At one point, Amy lay down in the floorboard and began pushing the door with her feet. At last, the door began to give.

"Push harder!" Amy said strained.

A few seconds later, they were able to get the door open and step outside.

"Whew! I thought we were gonna be stuck in there." Sherri sighed in relief.

They walked around for a few minutes when Amy commented, "I'm gettin' a little hungry. Ready for breakfast?"

Sherri smiled and replied, "Oh yeah. I'm starving."

As they ate, Amy noticed that Sherri had grown strangely quiet.

"What's up?" she asked the girl.

"I've been thinking about it and I might know who's responsible for all the problems we've had. I almost forgot till a few minutes ago, but I think it could be my cousins: William, Richard, and Rodney."

Amy was highly interested. "What makes you think that?"

Sherri told her the story of why her family moved to South Carolina and then added, "Not only do they probably want to get even with me for that, but they're in line to inherit a lot of money if anything happens to me. I know this sounds like something from a TV show or a bad movie, but it's all I can think of."

"Let's see..."Amy paused, "revenge and a chance to get a lot of money. Oh yeah. We can fill Michael in when we meet back up."

Sherri became more talkative upon seeing Amy's confidence, but couldn't help fearing what might happen when they arrived in Minot.

A few miles away, exhaustion was beginning to set in for Michael. He had been stumbling along for the past hour after walking all night.

"I'm not gonna make it if I don't rest a minute." he thought. "I've got to look for some shelter."

He looked around carefully while still continuing the walk, eventually spotting a small overhang that would be good enough.

"I'll just go over there and have a ration bar and some water."

Michael walked to the overhang, cleared a small space, and used his firestarter kit to build a small fire. He then picked up some snow and put it in a small cup to quench his thirst.

After sitting for about half an hour and drinking more water, his body was refueled and ready to get moving again. It was important that he complete this journey.

"Time to get movin'." Michael thought as he tossed some snow on the fire and continued on his way.

The wind had picked up and was, unfortunately, blowing against him, blasting snow into his face. Nevertheless, Michael was not about to give up. He happened to look around and realized that there was no one, man nor beast, outside except for him. This, combined with the silence of the falling snow, made him feel like he was alone on another world. It was a surreal feeling that he almost found strangely pleasant.