Her eyes were already heavy from the drive, and now the darkness made it worse. Snowflakes attacked the windshield like a Star Wars hyperdrive scene, making it feel as if she were moving much faster than she was. The wipers struggled to keep up. No tire tracks and no other lights. She could barely even see the road anymore.

Her knuckles whitened around the steering wheel. While she was no stranger to harsh conditions, this area was unfamiliar, yet she knew better than to expect any signs of civilization soon. Her last surge of adrenaline had faded.

Then, a flicker of hope—lights ahead, clustered in the distance, just beginning to come into view. She slowed, refusing to let her excitement override caution. She exhaled in relief. An outdated neon sign glowed: Vacancy.

A few hundred feet away, inside the modest motel, a man leaned over the sink rinsing his hands while staring blankly into the mirror. He was grateful not to be hurt, and to the lone truck driver who pulled him from his car, which was now likely buried under several feet of snow a few miles away.