Trapped

Jason and Weems lug everything they’ll need for the fire upstairs. They open up a new classroom for the fire, which has the pro and con of being “close to both rooms” the kids are already using (142). Despite all the reservations, the fire ends up working out and almost sounds like “a fireplace crackling away somewhere nearby” (144).

For the first time since the snow started, it slows down enough to be noticeable. Pete leans out the window to try and get cell reception. There’s none, and he drops his phone in the snow. The phone is too far away to reach, and there’s nothing they can do but close the window “with a heavy thud” (147).

Weems spots a helicopter out the window. It doesn’t get close enough for them to try and contact it, but the group splits up to keep an eye out from different sides of the building, which leaves Weems alone with Krista. Weems stares at her and wonders if this is what love feels like. Krista looks up, and Weems thinks she’s staring at him. She’s actually looking out the window at the snow, which is “really coming down again” (151).