It was still snowing heavily, marking the first heavy snowfall of the decade. Even the mountains were donned in white, and one could not discern another color on them.
The car windows were completely covered in white and the hole, which was crushed through by the tree, was filled with snowpile. Even if there was a car passing by the area, the people onboard might not be able to realize that there was a car buried under the collapsing house.
At the same time, Rachel had lost her sensations as numbness was the only thing she could feel. When one was exposed to extreme cold, their whole body would tense up, and their muscles would feel like it would snap at any time. Other than the few occasional jolts that reminded her to put up with it, Rachel just wished to close her eyes and take a good sleep.
It was too exhausting. Not only did she drive for almost twenty hours, the twenty over years spent in Riverdale was tiring as well.
If she was given the choice to choose, she would rather stay in Somerset Mountain. Although it was the place of the human trafficking syndicate and a place with inadequate resources where one could only fence for oneself, her childhood days were relatively happier and relaxing.
Rachel felt drowsier as time passed. People said that one would be able to ‘see’ the ones they missed before freezing to death. Their loved ones would bid them farewell so that they would appear in their dreams to give them the hope to move on with life.
Amidst the haziness, a gentle and familiar voice kept ringing in Rachel’s ears like someone was pounding on her temples, trying to pull her back from her dreams. Irritated, she frowned until a ray of light slanted into the space.
Clang! The car moved vigorously, causing her to open her eyes to see the car top shaking. There were traces of someone removing the snow from the windshield too.
A blurry silhouette was waving at her with all its might. Rachel squinted her eyes and looked at it for a while, only to realize that the person was, in fact, wiping the window.
He looks familiar. Who is he? As though she was suffering from amnesia, Rachel could not recall who it was no matter how much she racked her brain. Nevertheless, the familiar voice kept ringing in her ears. What is he shouting?
“Rae? Rae! Rae!”
A part of the white layer of snow was removed to reveal the person’s face, but it was barely recognizable due to her blurry vision. Since the car was buried under the house, Rachel could only see the person from a small hole..
The familiar face appeared in front of her eyes.. She thought it was a dream, yet he was calling her name anxiously.
“Rae! Don’t fall asleep!” Justin shouted in a quivering voice. He kept stretching his hand into the hole to hit the windshield so as to keep her awake. He was so afraid that she would close her eyes. If she slept in this below freezing temperature, she might not be able to wake up again.
Fortunately, Rachel finally opened her eyes and stared at the man for a very long time. Reaching out her hand, she wanted to caress his cheek, but all she could touch was the cold window.
“Is it you?” Her lips parted and she was the only one who could hear herself. However, Justin nodded profusely like he could hear her. “Yes, it’s me. Rae, it’s me! Don’t sleep! The firefighters are on the way now. They’ll be here soon! Just hold on a little longer!”
Rachel’s ears buzzed as past memories conjured in her head. It was the time when Arthur forced her to stay at the resort six years ago. Hans and Janice figured that it was the chance for her to escape. They even had a substitute on standby to fake her death.
Even so, there was a problem with the car brake, causing her to speed all the way until she bypassed the appointed location which they agreed beforehand.
Justin, who was video calling her at that time, looked at her speaking in sign language and kept comforting her by talking to her before saving her from danger.
Since when did he learn sign language? Rachel had no impression of him learning it at all, but she could remember how the misunderstandings formed at the beginning of the marriage because he did not understand her.
In actuality, she knew that it was not entirely his fault. She knew that putting all the blame on him was a cowardly excuse for herself, and she knew from long ago that she had fallen for him and was still in love with him.
“Justin!” Rachel tried to raise her hand, pointing at the passenger seat.
Justin understood her gesture immediately as he climbed to the car top cautiously. Stepping onto the gravel and the pillar, he dug out the stones and snow until he noticed the hole at long last. Peering through it, he could vaguely see what was going on inside the car. “Rae!” His eyes widened in joy as he observed. “There’s a hole here. Hold on, Rae!”
Then, he yawped behind him, “Frankie, bring the thermos cup and hot water bag!” Frankie, who was in the middle of digging through the snowpile, stopped in his tracks when he heard his name. He came back to his senses and dashed toward the car to grab the things from it.
“Rael” “Justin, I have something to tell you.” Rachel felt the weight on her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. If she did not say it right now, she was afraid that she might not be able to make it.
“I’m listening. He leaned in the ruin, extending his arms to the car top in order to widen the hole so that he could pass over the things to her.
“Life is fated.” Justin was stunned by her first sentence. The voice coming from the ruin was cutting off. He could vaguely understand what she was trying to say, albeit unclearly. The trembling voice almost tore his heart apart.
She’s been exposed to a temperature of below freezing for three hours straight. Just how cold she is right now?
“Rae, stop the nonsense. The firefighters are coming. Move a little and don’t sleep.” Rachel’s body trembled, whereas the rearview mirror showed her her chapped lips and cold, red cheeks.
“Justin, I just wanna say that I… I don’t blame you for what happened to Grandma and Hans. Everything is bound to happen as destined. Their deaths are not your fault. I know… I-I misunderstood you… I owe you an apology.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. It’s my fault and I’m the sinner! Rae, it’s all my fault!” “If anything else, fate is the one to blame.”
“Rae.”
Rachel mustered every ounce of strength she had to force a smile. In a soft voice, she said, “I saved you at Somerset Mountain 26 years ago.”
The sudden news put Justin into a trance and he looked at the crevice in disbelief.
