Chapter 52
Time passes, and there is no sign of Pontus. A little while ago Olivia was sweating after the arduous descent, but now the cold, damp layer of clothing next to her skin is chilling her body and making her teeth chatter.
And the temperature is falling.
When they set out this morning, it was minus seventeen, but it must be much lower now. The air is freezing in her nostrils every time she inhales, and the snow has acquired the crispy texture that warns of dangerous cold.
Where the hell is Pontus?
Could he have passed by without her noticing?
Olivia peers in vain into the fog. She can’t see any sign of movement in her frozen, lifeless surroundings.
The mountainsides loom above her head. The branches of the trees look as if they are reaching out to grab her. It is unnaturally silent and still.
She has to get out of here.
She shakes her head. She can’t wait much longer. Soon it will be completely dark; then the lift system will shut down and she won’t be able to get home on Fj?llg?rdsexpressen.
If she manages to get there.
With stiff fingers she grips her poles. She decides to take the right-hand side, the same narrow route that Amir took. At least she knows he got through.
If he can do it, so can she. She is a much more skillful skier than that idiot.
Little by little she makes her way alongside the dark wall of rock. Visibility is so poor that she can no longer see Amir’s tracks.
At first the terrain is relatively flat; it is possible to progress slowly and cautiously; then she is surprised by a steep downhill slope.
It simply appears as the route narrows; suddenly the space is so limited that she can no longer snowplow.
In a panic Olivia tries to reduce her speed by driving her poles into the snow and resisting, but she is moving too fast, she lets out a whimper, and one of the poles is snatched from her hand. She can’t do anything about it.
She is moving faster and faster; she loses control.
And comes to an abrupt halt. Both skis are stuck in a large snowdrift, she loses her balance and falls headfirst into the snow.
She feels a sharp pain in one knee; it shoots through her body like an arrow.
And then she tips over onto her side.
She has no idea how she is going to get up again.