The Body in the Snow

Brandy’s rigor mortis should have passed hours ago, but she’s stiff as a board. She’s impossible to carry, but Candace won’t leave her behind. It’s too cold for them to have another screaming match, so Dani sits in the snow, staring at Brandy’s body, trying to figure out what to do.

“We could make a stretcher?” Candace tries, fingers shoved in her armpits.

Brandy’s eyes are frozen open. Dani didn’t close them, too busy shaking and vomiting and being all-around useless. Now, Brandy’s ice-ball eyes stare at her.

“Yeah,” says Dani, “sure.”

They don’t stray far, and Dani finds a tree with a long, thick branch.

“Can I have the knife?”

Candace hesitates. Dani just glares.

Candace grimaces, pulls out a serrated pocketknife. She wipes it on her pants. It’s damp in Dani’s hand.

“I didn’t mean to.” Candace says.

“Uhuh.”

“I was aiming for you!”

“I don’t think Brandy cares, Candace.” Dani spits. “She’s kind of too fucking dead for that.”

“We’re both fucking dead!” Candace bites. “We’re stranded in the fucking forest, in the fucking snow, in fucking winter, so I don’t think it fucking matters anyway!”

The knife catches. Dani grunts, giving one hard tug. The knife scrapes out, swings down and slashes her thigh.

“Fuck!”

“Dani!”

Dani pushes Candace off. “Who’s fault is that!”

Candace is silent.

The branch comes down with a grunt. Dani shoves the knife at Candace.

“I didn’t mean to.” Candace takes the bloody knife. “I didn’t.”

Dani limps away.

“I didn’t.”