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Orroye looked up to the sky as it began to darken. Nashida was still in the same position he had been in more than three hours ago; gun drawn, and ready to open fire without hesitation. The fact that they had lost the tracks didn't faze Nashida. Orroye wondered if he even noticed. His partner was still convinced Jericho could be behind any tree or snow mound.
Orroye took out his cellphone again. The damn thing still couldn't get a signal. Even worse, the battery level was at less than 50%. He didn't have a USB cable, outlet, or any other way to charge it. Tomorrow morning, it may as well be a twelve-hundred dollar rock. The time read 3:02 pm. Sundown was coming, and they had nowhere to go.
"Hey."
Nashida stopped and shot his partner a death stare. How dare he make a noise out here when the enemy could be around any corner.
"Shhhh!" Nashida motioned with his index finger.
"Andrew, he ain't around here, man."
"You don't know that," Nashida said, finally letting the firearm slump to his side.
"The tracks are gone. Sun's going down, and we don't have any kind of shelter."
"Shelter? You think Jericho is gonna stop and camp out tonight? Not a chance. He's gonna keep moving. So should we."
"You really believe a seasoned pro with obvious military training is going to take his chances with sub-zero temperatures and no light? Come on, man. He's not dumb."
Nashida shook his head. Orroye knew Nashida hated not being right, but he couldn't fight the truth, just like he couldn't fight the fading light.
"And we aren't either."
"All right, Mr. Boy Scout. What do we do?” Nashida asked
Orroye pulled the backpack off his shoulder and unzipped it.
"We gotta make a quick shelter. I've got four blankets from the plane and some food. Can you try and find some branches for kindling?"
Nashida stuck the revolver back in his holster and nodded. "I can do that."
"Perfect," Orroye pointed at a tree with exposed roots. "If I can push away some of that snow and get the fire going, that'd be a good campsite."
"Okay." Nashida sounded almost defeated. "I'll gather some wood. How're you gonna make a fire?"
"I got some flares. We can use those to spark the kindling. I'd also like to carve a V in the snow."
V was the universal sign for trouble. Like SOS, but for passing planes. Nashida frowned. To him, carving a V in the ground and asking for help was tantamount to surrender. He might not like it, but Orroye was smart enough to know there weren't many other options.
"How long do we keep pursuing tomorrow?" Orroye asked.
"As long as it takes."
“Andrew—"
"Stop calling me Andrew. If you want to call for help, that's fine. I know you're right, but we can't just let these guys get away."
"At the moment, we don't have much of a choice.” Nashida looked like a pouty toddler. "But neither do they," Orroye reminded him with a pat on the shoulder.
Nashida sighed and shook in revulsion. "Jesus. Do you smell that?"