It took Jack a good half an hour with Matt's help, the cable acting as an anchor around his belt, to achieve the same feat. But once he too reached the road, the idea that they all could successfully escape was beginning to seem very, very plausible.

"So, who's next?" Matt asked again.

Brandon looked at the pile of bags. "I think those next."

"All right, send them up."

Clare and Brandon anchored the bag straps onto the hook end of the cable. With Jack's help, Matt hauled at the cable as darkness began to settle.

Jack looked at the sky for a moment as he heaved and huffed, pulling at the cable. Heavy blankets of dark clouds were gathering force. "We better hurry," he said. There was a strong chilly wind beginning to whistle across the land. "I sense a blizzard on its way."

As the last of the bags went up, Clare couldn't hold her excitement. She realized it'd be either Brandon's or her turn next. She watched the cable being lowered once more.

She took a few steps forward and confidently grabbed the cable by the hook.

"Okay, now hook it somewhere safe," Matt called down, "and come on up, honey, you're in safe hands." Clare was light enough for the boys to practically tow up, although there were moments when she had to steady herself in order to not become a human pendulum.

Matt reached out seeing her head reach the level of the road, "Come on slow poke" he said softly.

"Then, help me up" she bit back with a grin.

His hand immediately tightened around her forearm and he pulled her over the edge. "I hadn't realized you were such a wonderful climber."

Clare heaved herself to her feet, nervous about being so close to the edge.

She slid her wrist out of his hand and held his gaze a moment. "Brandon's waiting" she whispered.

"Brandon!" He nodded and turned to Jack. "Shall we get her boyfriend up?"

"Yeah, sure...he's probably wondering what's taking us so long," Jack replied, amused.

Clare watched the boys lower the cable one last time. She couldn't wait to see Brandon brought up safely to the road.

Brandon struggled during the climbed. The constant movement was beginning to cause his bruised shoulder some pain, yet he struggled on, forcing himself to extend his arm and grab hold of one rock shelf after another. He constantly looked up to see how far he had left to go. He knew he was climbing at a slow pace feeling the hook tug at his belt buckle every now and then. At one point he halted, his injured shoulder was throbbing painfully.

Feeling a sudden increase in the weight on the cable, Jack and Matt tightened their grip around the wire. They struggled with aching fingers to hold Brandon's weight. "Is something the matter, Brandon?" Matt asked through clenched teeth, "...we can't hold on like this much longer".

Startled, Brandon looked up. "No" he replied, and as uncomfortable as he was, he forced himself to continue climbing. A little while later, as he let his left arm take most of his weight so that his right could grab hold of another shelf, suddenly his hand slipped, leaving his entire body weight supported by the cable alone.

The sudden jerk on the cable sent both the boys skidding across the road. In a panic, Matt slammed his weight onto his legs and held on to the cable tighter than he had been, hoping against hope that Jack was doing the same behind him.

"Clare!" Matt screamed as he worked with Jack to push back from the edge. He could see there was only a few inches clearance between his feet and the end of the road.

"What's happening?" Clare leaned over the edge a little to see what was happening. "Brandon?!" she called out, watching his body hanging by the hook through his belt. She couldn't see his face.

"What's going on?" Jack asked through clenched teeth, struggling to keep his hands tightly wrapped around the cable.

Clare shook her head, "I don't know."

Matt swallowed hard. "All right, you go and join Jack. We can't hold him much longer, help us pull him up."

Jack saw Clare go behind him to grab hold the cable. "What happened?"

Clare shook her head and looked at Matt.

"All right, on the count of three, everybody, pull!" Matt ordered.

As Brandon came into view, Matt stared at his limp body hanging just by the cable's hook.

"Okay, you two support his weight. I'm going to get him over the top."

Clare saw Jack plant his feet on the ground and lean back, putting all his weight on pulling the cable. Clare tried to do the same.

"You okay back there?" Jack asked, through locked jaws.

"Yeah"

Jack nodded. "We're ready" he stated, hoping he sounded confident.

They watched as Matt let go of the cable and scampered towards the edge. He grabbed Brandon's jacket and pulled him over the top, practically dragging him across the edge until he was clear. Until they both were.

As soon as Jack and Clare saw that both the boys were safe, they let go of the cable with tremendous relief. They hovered over Brandon's motionless body, concluding he'd hit his head on the wall.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"Hope so," Matt said, checking Brandon's pulse.

Jack helped Matt carry Brandon a safe distance from the edge.

"We wait now, I guess," Matt muttered.

They could not cheer at the incredible feat they had achieved, not while Brandon lay unconscious. So, the three of them sat there, eyes darting between nightfall and Brandon.

When Brandon came around some fifteen minutes later, the sky was pitch black. He struggled to sit up and felt an annoying throb in his head.

"Thought you'd never wake up" Jack commented, relieved.

"Was that what you wanted?" Brandon asked, grinning.

"What happened back there?" Matt asked. He still hadn't been able to shake off the feeling that Brandon's slip, Matt had been more scared for his own life than anyone else's.

Brandon shook his head, causing his headache to worsen. "I'm not entirely sure. One minute my shoulder was cramping and then all I remember is falling."

"We're just glad you're back" Clare smiled warmly.

Matt sniggered and held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked authoritatively.

Brandon smiled. "In this light, I'd say two." He stood up with difficulty, stretching his cramped limbs.

"Anyone else starving?" he asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, yes, I am" Jack replied, holding on to his grumbling stomach.

"Then, how about we eat something" Brandon suggested. His silhouette, framed by faint moonlight, looked rather ghastly. His unkempt hair provided him with a strange sort of a halo.

Fishing out food from the backpack, Matt noticed Brandon seemed to be tuned to their surroundings rather than to the small talk the other two seemed to be having.

"Are you all aware that we haven't yet introduced ourselves?" Jack said. "I mean, we've been together for three days and we hardly know each other besides our first names".

"So why don't you start then?" Matt said.

Jack turned to Clare, who was the only one paying attention to him or at least trying. "I'm Harrison. Jack C. Harrison" he stated.

"Jack C. Harrison!" she repeated, "What's this C. for?"

He smiled. "Carter"

"That's all?" she asked cheekily, "and here I was thinking you were going to reveal everything." From the corner of her eye, she caught Brandon's subtle smile.

"You want details?" he asked quizzically.

With a grin, she replied, "If you feel comfortable enough."

"Comfortable?" Jack huffed dramatically. "Jack's always comfortable. Jack C. Harrison, twenty-one, law student" he looked at her, his eyes challenging. "Anything else? Perhaps my bank account number, etcetera?" he smiled like a happy child.

Clare shook her head.

"Your turn," Jack said matter-of-factly.

She nodded, "What would you like to know?"

"Name, age, address, height, weight..." Jack laughed.

"Take it easy, buddy," Matt said as he tuned into the conversation.

"She left the door open" Jack shrugged.

Clare smiled. "It's okay. I'll answer a few. Peterson. Clare Peterson."

"So, how old are you, seventeen; eighteen?" he continued.

She looked at him, offended. "Absolutely not".

"So, you got a career?"

"Why, do you? I'm a design student." She turned to Matt. "What about you? Jack can't honestly have me thinking he's a law student?"

Matt chuckled loudly. "Well, I can't quite believe that myself yet. I'm afraid he's managed to get in."

"Since we're in the name arena, yours is Matt what?"

"Matt Carter."

"So, you a lawyer too?" she asked curiously.

Matt almost giggled. "You'll have to pay me to see me in court...or sue me." He watched her burst into laughter. "No, I'm on easy street. I'll eventually sit in the comfort of my office and listen to rich housewives pour out their problems in the hope that I, an outsider, will come to their rescue. I'll sit and nod and get well paid for it too."

"A psychologist?"

"That's just another name for it, yes."

Jack nodded at Brandon, "You want to have your say?"

"It's okay. This way is rather entertaining." Brandon replied comfortably.

"What comes after Brandon?" Matt asked directly.

"McCoy."

"You single McCoy?"

"That's easy," Jack said. "I can hardly imagine him as a guy without."

Matt wanted to hear "No", hoping in a way to close the chapter on Clare and him before it could begin. Unfortunately, Brandon replied "Yes". Matt sensed Clare relax.

"Any reason for that," Jack asked before he could restrain himself.

Brandon shook his head. "I'm keeping away from relationships for the moment. They haven't really worked for me before."

"Darn, there goes my chance," Clare joked, the jovial tone in her voice sounding slightly forced. All eyes turned her way. "Just kidding, you know, ha-ha, you're supposed to laugh!"

Sure you are thought Matt before forcing himself to burst out laughing. "Man, she has it in for you."

Brandon suddenly felt awkward and turned his attention to the weather. "We should get inside the tent, and soon. The wind's picking up and the temperature will drop. Unless you want to get buried in snow, I suggest we take shelter for the night."

* * *

The shrill ringing of the phone woke Helen from her light sleep on the couch. She listened intently as Glenda answered it.

"What news do you have? ...Ah ha, well when could you possibly ...No, she's still here...Yeah, I'll tell her...Just do all you can...Yes, you're sure about that?... Okay, talk to you later. Thanks." Glenda looked at Helen.

"Well, due to the worsening weather, Simon says, they can't send out the chopper. Poor visibility and all", she put down the receiver.

"When can they do it?" Helen whispered.

"He says not until the blizzard clears, and the weather bureau is not sure when exactly that'll be," she answered. "Simon says it might not happen for a few days."

"Days," Helen repeated, choking on the word. She felt any chance of finding her husband alive slipping away. "No sooner?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, everybody is advised to take shelter. All roads and flights are shut down." Glenda walked past Helen into the living room and turned the radio on to a local channel. "Simon's just about to announce the closure. Charlotte is going to be in an indefinite shut down until further notice."

The two women stood there listening to the broadcast, Helen horrified beyond belief as to what she was hearing.

"Mayor, why are we taking such heavy precautions against this blizzard that's said to hit Charlotte in the next hour? Haven't we been through enough blizzards safely without such an alarm?" the radio host asked.

The Mayor answered in an authoritative tone. "Yes, yes we have, but it is not to say that this blizzard is likely to be similar to previous seasons. It is a precautionary move. There is quite a thick sheet of ice forming on our roads, and considering the high-speed limits on the highway, the transport minister and the police have all advised that it'll be safer for all if extra caution is taken."

The host spoke again. "Is it not true, that this measure is only being taken because a tourist bus from Charlotte is missing up in the mountains?"

Simon Stacey spoke. "At this point, it's only an assumption. And we at the station are doing all we can to clear this up either way."

* * *

The night grew colder as Brandon had predicted, and so the four separate sleeping bags eventually came together inside the cozy little tent. Brandon took the left-hand side and fell asleep instantly while Clare placed herself in the middle next to him. When Matt tried to settle beside her, Jack jumped in, wriggling into his bag, he mumbled audibly.

"We don't want an addition to the family so soon." He turned to them with a cheesy grin. "Take your time. Get to know one another first."

A cold look stole over Clare's face before she tucked back into her sack.