Free Beneath a Winter Moon by Shawson M Hebert Page B

seat’s nylon webbing. Thomas knew the aborted landing had shaken him, too.
    Within minutes, they were hovering above camp two, only to find that, while the snowfall was lighter, the winds were just as bad if not worse. Steven decided not to waste making an attempt when he found that the aircraft was being rocked by the winds while over one-hundred feet in altitude. He muttered a curse, pulled his mic away from his mouth, and started talking with Jenny. Thomas could make out some of the words over the whirring engine and howling winds but not enough to understand. He saw Jenny nodding her head in agreement. She noticed his stare and she smiled and winked. She pulled her mic back over her lips and told him to sit back and not to worry.
    Thomas managed a shaky grin. “Reassure me some more,” he said, holding his mic close to his mouth.
    Steven spoke up. "We are going farther north, where we can get on the opposite side of this storm. There are some nice areas we can put down up on the high points of the cliffs. Great view. You’ll love it.”
    Delmar opened his eyes again. “More delays? Geez…how much are we paying you guys, again?”
    Steven grimaced. “Not enough, my friend, not enough.” He flipped a switch on the console. “Kyle, we are not going to make the camp two landing. It’s clearer but the winds are worse, copy?”
    The reply was only static.
    “Give me two clicks if you understand.”
    Two distinct static-filled clicks.
    “Roger. We are going north on the bluffs. Check your map for that LZ that I named High Sierra.”
    No clicks.
    “It’s circled in red with ‘H’ ‘S.’ Give me three if you understand."
    Two clicks.
    “Damned interference,” Steven muttered. “Radio check in ten, copy?”
    Two clicks.
    Ten minutes later the snow slacked off to a point where Thomas could clearly see the ground below. Jack slept, nose firmly embedded under the flap of Thomas’s jacket. Thomas saw mountain peaks and high cliff facings. These were not high mountains, but were very jagged and rough looking. The areas not covered with snow had rocky landscapes dotted with tall, green pines and evergreens.
    “We are coming up on the new LZ,” Steven said. “The winds have died down with the passing of the storm but the air is thinner up here. I really need to set her down due to fuel constraints, so it might be rocky, but we are landing if at all possible.” He looked purposely at Thomas, and winked. “At least I can see where I am going, now.”
    “Nice,” Thomas said.
    Thomas watched as they hovered over a clearing atop a high bluff. At first sight, the forest’s edge looked ominously close to the bluff but as they approached, he could see that there was at least one hundred yards between the thick forest and the cliff facing. Patches of thick snow littered the rocky, flat surface and there were large rock formations and boulders protruding through the white powder. He finally saw the LZ that Steven had his eyes on, about fifty feet from the cliff’s edge. Thomas’s stomach felt queasy as he got a look over the ledge. He guessed it was a fairly steep drop, maybe two hundred feet to the thickly forested valley below. The clouds were still thick and gray, but the snow had stopped. Thomas could see the thin glow of the sun as it began to make its last stand against the horizon. Beams of sunlight shone in all directions as shafts of gold and yellow found cracks through the thick clouds. He thought he was being silly when he felt the slight lump in his throat. The beauty of this evening mountain scene was nothing short of breathtaking.
    “Fantastic,” Daniel said. “Wish I had my camera handy.”
    They were surprised to see that Delmar was no longer asleep. He was also enjoying the view. “Yeah,” he said in reply to Daniel, “You could get some awesome shots right now.”
    They heard Steven trying to make contact with Kyle and they all felt a bit of relief when two static clicks came through the