Read Online A Winter of Ghosts by Christopher Golden, Thomas Randall - Free Book Online

thought it might be the one they had originally taken to get outto that stony bluff overlooking the city, but she dared not express her hopealoud. They kept on, trudging through the deepening snow. Her fingers and toesand face were numb, her legs like blocks of ice, and she knew that her friendsmust feel the same, though they traveled in silence.
    One moment the trees weresagging and swaying in the storm all around them, and then they were surroundedby nothing but white. They had arrived in the clearing without even realizingit. Through the storm she could see vague figures all around them.
    "Dad! Mr. Yamato! Someonehelp!" she called.
    Shouts came in reply and thefigures rushed through the blizzard to reach them. She heard her father's voicecalling her name, and then he appeared out of the storm and took her in hisarms, asking if she was all right, tearing off his gloves and using his handsto rub her cheeks and warm her face.
    "I'm okay," she said,barely aware that she had reverted to English. "We'll be okay. But theboys are still out there. We lost Sora somehow, and Hachiro and Ren doubledback for him."
    She quickly described the pathsthey had taken, the rocky overlook they had found, and where she thought theboys would be. By that time Mr. Yamato, Miss Aritomo, and Mr. Sato had joinedthem and listened carefully. With their hats and jackets coated in snow theylooked like they were being slowly whited out, erased from the world.
    "Where is everyone else?" Sakura asked, for the clearing was nearly empty.
    "I sent the rest of thegroup on their way to get the students off the mountain," Mr. Yamato said.He looked scared and confused. "I don't know how the weather turned soquickly. There was nothing in the forecast about a blizzard like this. Justlight snow, and even that wasn't supposed to come until tonight."
    Her father cupped her cheek inhis hands. "Keep moving, Kara. Go down with Mr. Sato and Miss Aritomo. Therest of us will find the boys and follow."
    "No!" Kara said."Dad, please. Come down with us."
    Hachiro was already out there inthe blizzard. Now that she had her father back, the idea of leaving him behindup there on the mountain made her frantic. She didn't even want to go back downwithout Hachiro, but she knew that they all risked frostbite if they stayed uphere much longer.
    "Kara, Mr. Yamato and I aregoing to — "
    "Harper-san," Mr. Satosaid, his big glasses spider-webbed with ice, "please go with Kara. I willsearch with Mr. Yamato.
    Kara's father hesitated and shegrabbed his hand, silently pleading with him. Then he nodded.
    "All right," he said,looking up at Miss Aritomo. "Let's get these girls off the mountain."
     
    Hachiro's throat was raw fromshouting. His head pounded, the cold like a vise on his skull. His gloved handswere stuffed into his pockets and he could no longer feel much at all in hisfeet. He thought he might have to stop and take his boots off, use his hands torub some life back into his feet, but didn't know if that would help or if theexposure would only make it worse.
    "Sora!" Ren shouted athis side. "Where are you? Can you hear us? Sora!"
    They struggled along togetherside by side, Ren peering into the trees to the right of the path and Hachiroscanning the woods to the left. Another thirty yards and they would be out ofthe woods and back at the rocky overlook whose allure had gotten them all intosuch trouble in the first place.
    "Sora!" Hachiroscreamed into the storm.
    He opened his mouth to yellagain, but paused, thinking he'd heard some kind of reply from the thickness ofthe snow-covered woods. It might have been the wind, or the creak of a treefelled by the blizzard, but he did not think it had been either.
    "So — " Renbegan.
    Hachiro clamped a hand on hisshoulder, shushing him. "Quiet. Listen."
    They stood still and silent forthe count of ten, but heard nothing but the cry of the wind. Hachiro glanced atRen and nodded and the two of them shouted again, this time in one voice,calling Sora's