23
Our final stop is a mountain climb.
I'm not trained and not in great health, so we pick a low-altitude peak with stunning views.
The calm shatters in the afternoon.
A low rumble grows.
The snow slope ahead shakes violently.
Avalanche.
Lin Shen's face changes. He grabs my hand, sprinting toward a massive rock.
Snow crashes down like the end of the world.
I realize how small we are against nature.
We cling to the rock.
The roar of the avalanche engulfs us, snow burying us like a tidal wave.
Darkness and noise.
Silence.
I wake, pinned by snow, unable to move.
I scream Lin Shen's name.
My voice echoes in the dark snow cave.
Fear erodes my will.
Just as despair sets in, a faint light pierces the snow.
Lin Shen digs frantically, hands bleeding.
"Qiao Lu!"
"Lin Shen! I'm here!"
Tears stream down my face.
"Don't be scared. I'm here."
He pulls me out, and I collapse.
His clothes are torn, eyes red, hands bloodied.
"You…"
Before I can speak, he hugs me tightly, kneeling in the snow, trembling.
"It's okay."
"Thank God."
A hot tear falls on my neck.
Relief washes over me, and I hug him back.
In the snowy ruins, we hold each other.
The world is just us.