FB follows a bit more slowly, first pulling his burn kit from his coat, expecting to find nothing more gruesome than that Clark has gotten himself another grease burn.

Frances jumps at the noise and drops the mozzarella sticks in Giovanni's lap.

Joe shoves the phone out of the way, where it clatters to the floor, and pulls a plastic first aid kit from under the bar.

In the kitchen, Clark is kneeling over Jenny's prone body, pressing his hands against her neck and collarbone. Dark red blood wells up between his fingers. A bloody cleaver lies on the floor by Jenny's legs, pale and bare aside from her short skirt and furry boots, her usual winter outfit. Her red-spattered hands flutter weakly at her sides.

Jan goes directly to Jenny's side and presses his big hands atop Clarks, trying to staunch the blood. He looks from the girl's pale face to the boy's and traps him with his eyes.

"As soon as this is over one way or not, you'd better have one hell of an explaination."

The young man in black slides the Cleaver into a corner with his foot where it will be out of the way, and hands his wadded up scarf to Jan. "Here, use this."

He yells over his shoulder at Fran: "Grab that phone and call EMS, tell 'em to get here fast. Tell me when you hang up."

"Where's that first aid kit?!"

Clark's eyes are huge with abject terror. "She just ... she just ..."


"Here," Joe says, running into the room and pulling up short. "Oh, Jesus. What happened? Is that as bad as it looks, Jan?"

"I can't get a dial tone!" Fran yells from the bar.

6:26 pm

Jan nods to Joe, and shouts past him to Fran.

"Use the CB in Lucy! Someone grab the keys outta my pocket, I can't move my hands."

FB pulls out his satellite phone - ridiculously high-tech, space-age sort of thing - and calls emergency services. "Not sure we're going to get paramedics here in time in this storm. Anyone know a doctor?"

FB's phone can get through -- it could get through anything -- but the phone system of Deepfreeze's first responders isn't as high-tech. The call just rings and rings.

Joe yanks the keys out of Jan's pocket and throws them to the nameless newcomer. "You, FB, get 'em on the CB," he orders, as he shoulders in next to Jan and Clark. He takes a peek under the wadded up scarf and winces. "I need more than what I have here to take care of this."

The wind rises to a crescendo outside, slamming a clatter of ice against the roof. The power flickers. In the bar, the jukebox stutters and starts playing Mary McCaslin.

I am a noted highwayman
Cole Younger is my name

Clark is shaking all over now. "She just ... she just ... "

As he heads outside, FB dials the town doctor, at home, just in case he gets lucky.

The voice that answers is faint and crackly, but FB recognizes it as the doctor's husband. "Yes? Hello? Yes, what is it?" He sounds upset.

The parking lot is on the side of the bar, facing the main street. FB and the newcomer see the headlights of a car through the snow and gloom, racing up the street with dangerous speed.

6:27 pm

Outside is Jan's big monster of a pickup. Six massive chain-wrapped tires, an extended cab and bed, and enough lights for a highschool football stadium. It is a faded orange underneath the white arcs of salt that cover everything back of the front wheels. A pair of fuzzy magic eightballs hang from the rear view mirror. The CB is just above the passenger sunvisor.

FB indicates for the newcomer (balthazar) to get in the cab and get on the CB while he deals with the phone. "Sorry to call in the storm, but we've got an emergency at the Shack. Is the doctor around?"

"Gah!" Giovanni quickly puts his cheese sticks on the table. "What the Hell is going on?" He gets up and over to the kitchen. "Oh my..." He looks about. Everyone seems to be taking the necessary precautions. He sits at the bar.

FB sees the car's headlights yawing from side to side as it approaches, still gaining speed. "She came back from visiting the Hammans" (all locals know these are Jenny's parents, who live next door to the doctor's family) "and not thirty seconds ago started screaming nonsense and ran out of the house--"


Fran paces behind him, trying to light a cigarette with trembling hands.

We went to rob the Northfield bank
and brother Bob did say,
"Cole, if we undertake this job,
we'll always rue the day."

The front window explodes in a shower of glass as the car outside skids, jumps the curb, and slams into the front of the Ice Shack with a deafening crash. Cold air rushes into the bar, and snowflakes dance in the smoky, neon-tinted air.

"--and drove off!" the doctor's husband finishes, his voice near hysterical.

"I think I found her," FB replies, well versed in the flow of the narrative. "Call you back," he continues as he hurries towards the shattered window and the car.

"Are you all right in there?" he asks of the car, trying to get a door open.