Page 54 (1/2)

He launched hiasped, and he felt a strange sense like he was in some distorted maze, because thedidn’t seem to be closer--it was so much farther than it had looked He’d slipped on the ice repeatedly before he reached it He tried shoving up the pane with his rubbery hands, but it wouldn’t give, so Tom hurled himself at it, and then kicked viciously over and over, perfectly willing to scrape his leg to break the glass, but it still wouldn’t break His gu He willed on net-send, but the frequency was still jaht into hi to hurl at it His gaze roved over the ground, and he spotted a rock, half-buried in snow Tolee that he could use this to break the cae blinked across his vision center: Warning: Low body temperature detected 952&ord He couldn’t help it "I a-aers scraping over the rock’s jagged edges He couldn’t feel the stinging cuts

Then light flooded the corner of Toerov had relented He’d opened the door again!

Of course Of course, he couldn’t strand Toame of chicken and Toer now, getting back to where he’d coain, nu the snow His li blocks by the ti blast of war closed again

"NO!" To himself at it, but it was too late "N-NO!" He punched it with his unfeeling fists For ato split open His throat seeh spilling from his lips The camera was still fixed on him

"OPEN UP! OPEN THE D-D-DOOR! OPEN IT! I’LL K-KILL Y-YOU F-F-FOR THIS!"

Some part of his brain warned hi reasons for anyone to open a door for hi

An e: Low body teency beacon

Toet it? And then he screamed in frustration as he read the words: Frequency unavailable Eency beacon not sent Autohteen seconds

He stopped clawing his way forward, his eyes stinging as they focused on the distantToo distant

He could die here

The thought spliced through his head, sharp like a razor A vivid ie of his own body frosted over with snow filled his brain and To around This wasn’t a gareith rage and fear, and whirled back toward the , knowing it was his best chance His throat felt numb When he fell, he clawed his way forward, the wet snow plastering his clothes to his lied back into the snow Panic tore at hi other than the cold