Arlo's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

The emergency radio crackled at three in the morning. Arlo jerked awake, heart already hammering before his brain caught up. A woman's voice cut through the static, requesting immediate assistance. Someone hadn't returned from a supply run. Last known position: somewhere between the weather tower and the northern cabins. Arlo's hands shook as he pulled on his boots. He was the closest person to the search area. The realization hit like ice water: they were counting on him. He grabbed a flashlight and stepped into the darkness, telling himself this was just like following footnotes in a thesis, one careful step after another. Twenty minutes later, he found the missing contestant's pack beside a collapsed section of snow. The sinkhole's edges crumbled under his probing stick, revealing black ice below. He planted his feet wide, anchored a rope to a nearby rock, and lowered himself into the void. The woman was conscious, her leg trapped between ice sheets. Arlo talked her through each movement as he worked the ice free, his voice steady even as his whole body trembled. When they finally climbed out together, she gripped his shoulder hard enough to bruise. The terror didn't leave him, but neither did the knowledge that he'd done it anyway.