White Out: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller by Eric Dimbleby

to camp out overnight, you and I. We can have a pajama party," stated Tony. She could feel him leering at her. There was that piggish demeanor again, that rapist wit.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Annie snapped out of her deep daze, bringing her mind back to the here and now, feeling the nastiness of the wind ripping into her from what seemed like all directions. She couldn't feel her face, even with several layers of fabric covering her. It was starting to feel more and more like The Purple Cat would be a good stopping point after all.
    She turned a bit, looking back towards the building they came from. It was much smaller now , barely visible through the churning tornadoes of snow that covered the distance. Tony made significant progress while she was daydreaming.
    A hopefulness sprung up in her at the thought that they hadn't sunk. Yet. They hadn't died. Yet.
    Annie started to think about Paulie again , about how nice it would be to cuddle him close, both for the physical warmth and affection he could provide her. The image felt like an ungraspable dream. It seemed like--
    She nearly choked on the air escaping her throat.
    A dirty blonde tangle of hair, unwrapped from its ponytail, poked up through the fluffy, swirling snow. The wind caught up the stiffened locks, whirling them wildly. The long strands reached towards the sky like thin fingers, separating and rejoining, finally lying flat on the surface, then whipping again. It reminded Annie of those inflatable characters that used car lots always put out front, filling with air when a gust of wind caught it, then sputtering and deflating when the air released.
    "Oh , my God," Annie said, clutching her eyes shut again. Maybe this was the real reason he warned her to close her eyes.
    She knew that Tony could see the hair as well, as he eased off on the ski poles for a moment, then started in again, this time with a more forceful stroke, presumably to distance them from the sight.
    He shoved them by at only a three or four-foot distance from Winnie's only uncovered body part.
    She heard a muffled sound from above and behind her. She turned to look up at Tony, up his stomach and at his bemused mouth. This time, the wind seceded enough so she could decipher exactly what he was saying about Winnie: "What a fucking twit. I guess there’s something to be said for survival of the fittest."
    Annie suddenly felt a degree or two colder.

 
     
     
     
    PART II- STRANGERS IN THE COLD

 
    Chapter One
 
    Paulie wasn't sure what to think of the unconscious man on their couch. All through the morning, Paulie kept circling him, looking at the man's serene face, where he scrutinized every pore. The stranger had lurched back to life enough to open his eyes, to peer into their house, but he hadn't shown a sign of life since. Christian wondered if that was what they called the “death lurch,” like when the villain pops back to life at the end of a horror movie, just to deliver the audience one more scare before the credits roll.
    Soon after they dragged him through the window, Christian commanded Paulie to go into the living room and play with his toys. The last thing he needed was for his son to see a dead man.
    Thankfully, the stranger had a pulse, but just barely. Christian hadn't taken a proper pulse in a decade or more, but he still had the general gist of it. Beyond the pulse, there was a slow, laborious breathing that slipped free of the man's chest. He was alive, but he might not last much longer. The chill of the man's bones could be felt all the way through his layers of iced over garments. Christian went right to work pulling off the outer layer, worried that he might thaw out a bit and then catch pneumonia from the dampness. He almost laughed at this idea-- pneumonia was the least of this poor bastard's problems.
    The man’s shoulder appeared to be bleeding. A red, crystallized patch on his undershirt indicated something had stabbed him. He cleaned up the wound the best he could,