“We have to go into the woods,” he said. “The road is blocked.”

“The baby, Adrian,” I whispered, my hand clutching my stomach. “I can’t run.”

“I’ll carry you if I have to,” he said. “But we can’t stay here.”

We ran out the back door, plunging into the deep snow.

The wind caught my hair, whipping it across my face and stinging my eyes.

The snow was falling so heavily I could barely see five feet ahead of us.

My boots sank deep into the drifts, making every step feel like I was lifting lead weights.

Behind us, the headlights of two SUVs cut through the trees near the driveway, their yellow beams slicing the dark.

“Over the ridge,” Adrian said, guiding me toward the steep slope of the ravine.

My foot caught on a hidden root, and I went down hard on one knee.

The sharp ice scraped through my pants, biting into my skin.

Adrian caught my arm, pulling me back up with a grunt.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, taking most of my weight as we struggled up the hill.