Chapter 193 A Familiar and Frightening Feeling
Serene cast her gaze upward, her eyes tracing the majestic snow-capped mountains that towered beside her. Her voice echoed into the distance, stirring up memories that had lain dormant in the recesses of Antonio's mind.
Antonio stared at her in astonishment, his gaze following hers. He was instantly transported back to a dark and gloomy day, a day marked by an avalanche.
In that year, Antonio was still a young man, accompanying a skiing team to these very mountains. The sled they were on left faint traces in the snow, which quickly disappeared amidst the flurry of snowflakes.
As the snowfall intensified, the surrounding tourists began to retreat, leaving the snow-covered slopes dotted with only a few remaining visitors. It was a sight that resembled an endless sea of white.
Suddenly, amidst the falling snow, there was a chilling sound. It was the creaking of ice and snow breaking apart from above.
"Quick, run! It's an avalanche!"
A scream from someone in their group pierced the air, and the snow at the mountaintop began its deadly descent. Accompanied by a deafening roar, the avalanche rushed down like a monstrous tidal wave, aiming for the crowd below.
Death, in its white and icy form, opened its gaping maw toward the unsuspecting victims.
In that moment, Antonio was certain he was about to meet his end.
He stood frozen, a mixture of shock and terror rendering him immobile. As the avalanche crashed onto him, a force knocked him down next to a massive boulder.
In the midst of the chaos, he caught a glimpse of a girl.
Despite the protective presence of the boulder, the violent avalanche still managed to bury them beneath its heavy load.
They were enveloped in darkness, trapped under years of accumulated snow.
The immense pressure caused excruciating pain in his internal organs, and the air instantly became thin. Shortly after, he succumbed to unconsciousness.
Miraculously, the sudden appearance of the little girl had prevented him from being completely devoured by the avalanche.
They were trapped deep beneath the snow, their only hope being a timely rescue.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, with every second feeling like an eternity.
His breath grew weaker and weaker. Vaguely, he regained some consciousness, spurred on by his strong survival instinct.
He exerted all his strength to move his body and accidentally brushed against the girl beside him.
"Are you awake? Just hold on a little longer. I'll soon dig out a hole, and we'll make it through!"
In his hazy state, he heard the girl's urgent yet resolute voice. It ignited a spark of hope within his nearly desperate heart.
"There we go! Don't fall asleep, I'll lead you out..."
The girl's excited yet slightly weak voice gradually faded away in his ears...
He felt the girl exert all her strength to drag him out of the heavy snow, and his breathing instantly became clearer.
However, due to the significant amount of snow he had inhaled and the prolonged duration of their entrapment, Antonio's consciousness became hazy. He could only vaguely sense the girl carrying him on her back, struggling to drag him through the snow...
It was a whole ten hours. It wasn't until after they were rescued that Antonio learned from the doctors that they had been buried under the heavy snow for at least ten hours. It was the girl who had dug through the weighty snow with her bare hands, saving him from the clutches of death.
Since the avalanche, Antonio never saw the girl who rescued him again...
Could it be that the girl was Serene? Antonio's surprised expression was met with Serene's eyes, shimmering with a watery glow.
"Antonio, after we were rescued, you promised to always protect me. Does that still hold true?"
…
Nestled at the base of the snow-capped mountains, Asa and Sarah journeyed toward their project site.
Throughout the drive, Asa intermittently shared anecdotes from his work experiences, a gesture that deepened Sarah's appreciation for him. The car moved steadily along the mountainous terrain, until, with a sudden whooshing sound, it came to an abrupt halt.
"I'll get out and take a look," Asa declared, parking the car by the roadside. Sarah followed him out, her brow furrowed in concern. "What's the matter?"
Upon inspection, Asa's brow furrowed. "The tire is flat. The roads around here run along the mountains, and there's often loose gravel. Seems like a stone on the road punctured it." Seeing Sarah's confusion, he patiently explained the situation.
Sarah glanced at the road ahead, then checked the time on her phone. "What should we do? I'll call for assistance to have the car towed," she suggested, already reaching for her phone. But Asa reached out, stopping her with a shake of his head.
"No need, I had a feeling something like this might happen, so I brought a spare tire. I can handle it myself. Just help me get the tools from the trunk."
"You're really dependable, senior. Alright, I'll go get them," she teased, rolling up her sleeves and heading to the back of the car to fetch the tools and handed them to Asa.
"Haha, when you're away from home, you need some skills up your sleeve."
Asa chuckled lightly as he received the tools from her, and they set to work, with Sarah handing him the necessary tools.
After a considerable effort, they managed to change the tire. Asa climbed back into the car to confirm the tire was fixed. But as he was about to call Sarah, he noticed her standing by the back of the car, her gaze lost in the majesty of the snowy mountains.
Curious, Asa stepped out of the car and gently tapped her shoulder. "What's the matter?" he asked softly.
Startled, Sarah shivered. "It's nothing, I just find the snowy mountains strangely familiar and scary...I can't really explain it," she confessed, her voice a mix of fear and uncertainty.
Asa handed her a bottle of water from the car. "Have some water. Are you really okay? I feel like something scared you." She took the water and forced a smile, trying to appear at ease.
"I don't know what's going on either. Besides the sense of familiarity, when I look at these layers of snow-covered mountains, I have this indescribable feeling of fear. If someone didn't know, they would think I had experienced an avalanche before. It's really strange."
Asa glanced at Sarah, then at the towering snowy mountains, before offering a comforting smile. "It's normal for people to feel small and fearful when they're in the face of majestic nature."
Sarah nodded at Asa's explanation, her gaze drifting back to the mountains, a shiver running down her spine. Asa, sensing her unease, tried to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, this area has been surveyed. There won't be any avalanches in the next few years. Unless we're really unlucky, we won't encounter any."
"Haha, what you said makes sense. We won't be so unlucky," she replied. Their shared laughter eased the tension, and they returned to the car.
"Let's go, or it will be too late," she said, checking the time on her phone. But Asa, leaning against the car door, raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't we just walk instead of driving? I took a look, and the terrain here is uneven. It's better to avoid getting another flat tire."
Sarah followed his gaze to the winding and rough terrain ahead. "That's fine. It shouldn't take us long to walk a few minutes' distance," she agreed. Asa locked the car, and they set off on foot towards their destination.
As they neared the project site, the road became increasingly undeveloped and uneven. Sarah struggled to navigate the bumpy terrain, her previously twisted ankle not yet fully healed. The further she walked, the more painful it became.
"Ah..." A sharp stone jutted into her tender ankle, causing her to lose her balance and fall face-first onto the rugged path.
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