Their shared exuberance at finding the small town and the lodge seemed to melt from Mark’s body as his repeated attempts to get someone’s attention were ignored. He felt both like they were acting in an unscripted movie, and soon they’d be warm and cozy and laughing about their adventure, and like they would find the lodge and town abandoned, and then return to the plane’s remnants to find everyone else dead. If this was a movie, the last scene would be followed with them trying to survive only to discover at the end of the movie that it was they who died, and their ghosts had been struggling to come to grips with their new shared state.<br/><br/>The very thought sent a shiver through him.<br/><br/>When Nora joined her voice with his, though, it seemed to finally get someone’s attention. Her pounding brought footsteps to the door, and it opened to reveal an older gentleman who seemed oddly out of place in his suit, tie, and carefully manicured beard. Mark’s thoughts immediately went to ‘serial killer.’<br/><br/>The man seemed receptive. His lack of surprise concerned Mark, though the young man couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong. Maybe the man was used to having strangers showing up on his doorstep in the middle of the winter who claimed that they were the survivors of a plane crash. Or maybe he had a lobotomy and didn’t have a way to process emotion. Both possibilities seemed equally feasible to the actor.<br/><br/>Mark eagerly followed Nora in, then found a place near a fireplace. The feel of heat near his numbed thighs and hands felt almost painful, but he relished it, pulling off his gloves and jacket as soon as he could and setting them on the hearth. A log fell and sparked, making him jump, and he thought guiltily of those who were still out there in the cold.<br/><br/><i>After a short pause, </i>the host<i> thanked the person on the other end of the phone, and hung up. With a bit of a sigh, he turned back to his new apparent guests. “They are sending out a rescue crew. It might take some time, but they will be here as soon as they can.” He folded his large hands in front of him and looked from Mark to Nora. “Can I get you anything while you wait?”<br/>
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Nora hesitated, but turned to look at Mark. “We should probably go and bring the others back here… right?”</i><br/><br/>“Right,” Mark said, even though he didn’t want to go back out. “If the rescuers go on their own they won’t know the way. We could tie off trail markers to help them, and in the meantime, maybe we could bring a sled or snowmobile up there?” The last part was more a request to their host. Mark walked forward to the sharply dressed man and extended a hand in greeting. “I’m Mark Miles,” he introduced himself. “Thank you for this,” he gestured towards the two of them. “This has been a Godsend.”