Title: Terror in the Mountains
Authors: Jenn and Susie
Disclaimers: We don't own them. The Real Ghostbusters are the property of D.I.C.
Beta read: by Sandy Copyright: 2004
Chapter One:
Egon sighed as he heard a loud thud coming from downstairs. He was working quietly in the lab, or trying to when he heard the banging. His subconscious told him that the guys were playing football downstairs again and he knew that Janine would not appreciate it. He walked downstairs to see what the ruckus was about. As he walked down, he saw that Ray was getting ready to throw a football to Winston.
"Go long, Winston!" Ray cried.
Winston ran towards the front doors of the firehouse. Ray threw the ball and Winston went to dive for it. Slimer suddenly intercepted and accidentally swallowed it.
"SLIMER!" Winston cried. "That was our last football!"
Peter, who was watching the shenanigans from inside his office, laughed. "It's not like you turkeys know how to play real ball anyway," he said as rose to his feet and joined his friends. "Let a pro show you how it's done."
"You're a pro? Ha!" Ray replied as he held Winston back from chasing Slimer. "If you're such a pro, why did you take up ghostbusting instead of talking to scouts at your senior year football game back at Columbia?" he teased.
"Because, Ray, I couldn't leave my best buds," Peter answered with a smile.
Ray rolled his eyes. "If you went pro you could," he said and landed on the floor with a loud smack when Winston got free. "OW!"
Winston chased after Slimer yelling, "SLIMER, GIVE THAT BACK!"
"We better go after him," Ray said as he slowly got up off the floor
"Why?" Peter asked but Ray rolled his eyes and pushed him along.
As the two chased after Slimer and Winston, the phone rang and Janine picked it up. "Ghostbusters!" she snapped.
"Yes... Hello. This is Cyrus Spengler calling. Is my nephew there?" he asked.
"Um…" Janine hesitated. She remembered the last time he called it turned out to be big trouble. "Sure, Dr. Spengler. Just a moment," she said before placing him on hold. "EGON!" she screeched over the guys' yelling.
Egon came down the stairs the rest of the way, looking a little worn-out as he walked over to Janine.
"What are they doing up there?" Janine demanded.
"Not acting their age – that's for certain," Egon replied with a small smile. "Who is it?"
"It's your Uncle Cyrus."
Egon nodded and took the call. "Uncle Cyrus?" he asked. "Is everything all right?"
Cyrus hesitated for a moment before answering. "Not really, Egon. I have a problem here at the lab. The one in Washington and I would like you gentlemen to come out and take care of it for me," he said.
"You have a ghost problem?" Egon asked, surprised.
"Yes, I believe that is it," Cyrus said. "I will pay you what I can..."
"Nonsense, Uncle! We'll do it for free," Egon said. "We'll be there as soon as we can."
"If that is the case, then you must talk to my friend. He's a pilot and he will take you to your destination. I've already made the arrangements."
Egon nodded. "Very well, Uncle. Thank you," he said. Once they hung up, Egon rang the alarm and the guys came downstairs looking all scruffy from their wrestling. "I trust you three are finished with your game."
The guys exchanged sheepish grins.
"We have a call, gentlemen," Egon said and explained to them what the phone call was about. "Uncle Cyrus said his friend would meet us at JFK airport to catch our flight. He's made all the arrangements. A friend of his came in last night and he's going to take to Washington." Egon looked over at Ray. "I'm sorry, Ray, but apparently our mode of transportation will be on a Cessna."
"A Cessna? Why such a small plane? Egon, what part of Washington? Or do you mean DC? That wouldn't be too bad," Winston said.
Ray was quiet as the color in his face drained. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.
Peter placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Ray. You did it before when we went to see my dad and you can do it again."
"I-I don't know, Peter…" Ray said.
"Sorry, Winston, but Uncle Cyrus' lab is outside Seattle, Washington, not DC," Egon answered.
"Man, a small plane clear to Seattle?" murmured Winston. "That's crazy! It's only a little over six hours on a nice big 767!"
"I didn't want to question Uncle Cyrus' reasoning behind his choice to charter a small plane for us to get from one side of the country to the other," replied Egon, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, you should've! Egon, are you out of your very large mind? I'm not sure if I can stand Ray's moaning all away to Seattle!" Peter exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I can take it either, man," Winston added, nodding in agreement.
Ray listened to the others talking, wishing that he was far, far away from the firehouse. He sighed as he headed for Ecto and sat down in the back seat.
Egon looked at Ray sitting inside Ecto. The occultist looked like he felt two inches tall. While Peter went off in a huff and Winston went over his locker to start grabbing some gear together, Egon walked over to the soup -up station wagon and put his head inside the open window. "Ray, do you wish to stay behind?"
"No. You might need me. I'll be okay."
"All right then, if you're sure. Do you have anything to read? It may keep your mind off it. You could bring your earphones and some music too," Egon suggested.
"Yeah, that might do it. I've got a bunch of occult magazines I haven't had time to read and some new tapes to listen to. I'll make sure I bring them along. Let's go pack," Ray said as he exited Ecto.
Egon nodded and the two walked inside the firehouse, where Peter and Winston were pulling their gear together. "Peter, did you talk to Janine?" he asked, watching Ray as he ran upstairs to pack.
"Yeah... I told her she was fired."
"PETER!"
"Yeah, I told her what was going on!" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Going upstairs to pack some stuff?"
"Yes – and Ray's going to take some occult magazines and some music with him. Perhaps if he keeps his mind occupied, he won't be thinking about how small the airplane is."
"That's good thinking, Spengs. Hurry up with getting your stuff together," Peter said.
Egon quickly went upstairs, packed some clothes into a small suitcase, ran back down to get his Ghostbusting gear together and joined the others, who were waiting for him inside Ecto. "Okay, Winston. Let's go. Uncle Cyrus told me that our plane would be departing from Terminal Six, Gate Five."
Winston nodded and drove to JFK. Once they were there, Peter turned to Ray. "Are you sure you still want to go? You can always stay home with Janine and Slimer."
"No. I'll be fine." Ray swallowed and walked inside the airport. The others followed and the group headed towards Security.
"Okay, guys. Gate Five's down this way. My uncle told me the pilot has to leave at one and it's 12:40 now," Egon said once they had gotten through the security line. Once there, Egon found the pilot. "Hello. I'm Egon Spengler of the Ghostbusters. I believe that you're expecting us," he said by way of introduction.
The pilot nodded and shook Egon's hand briefly. "Yeah, I am. Hi. The name's Slim. Now why don't you boys get on the plane and fasten your seat belts? We'll be taking off as soon as I finish checking this baby out."
The guys nodded and got on. Peter looked over at Ray, who was the last to get on. Ray seemed fine until he sat down and the engines started up. Then he felt trapped and sick to his stomach. He bent his head down and moaned loudly as the plane taxied down the runway and took off.
Egon looked over at him. "Raymond, read one of your magazines and put on your headphones."
Ray nodded as he reached for one of his magazines. His stomach still felt off but he managed to open the magazine and read but every few minutes, he moaned.
Peter looked over to make sure he was all right then turned back to Egon. "So, tell us what your uncle said. Why does he need us?"
"He told me that a ghost is haunting his lab in Seattle."
Peter nodded. "Did he by any chance describe it?"
"Yes, he did. It sounds like a Class Five, but I can't be sure until I take a reading."
Peter nodded and turned his head to look out the window.
A couple of hours into the flight, Slim turned around and faced his passengers. "We'll be landing shortly for a refuel, boys. Now's the time to stretch your legs," he said.
"Okay. Thanks. Ray, did you hear that?" Peter asked he looked over at his friend with a worried expression on his face. The occultist only gave a small nod. Once the plane landed, he was the first off. The others looked at him as he leaned against the wall of a building.
"You okay, man?"
"I will be. I just needed some air. Thanks, Winston."
"Okay, guys. Slim said we have time for a bit of lunch, so let's get a bite to eat."
"If you don't mind, Peter, I'll pass."
"Are you sure, Ray?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll just wait here."
"Okay. We'll be back soon. Do you want us to bring you something for later in case you change your mind, Tex?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Okay. It's your call," Peter said as he and the others left.
Slim walked over to Ray. "You friend Egon told me you hate small planes."
Ray looked away from him, embarrassed. "Sorry. I just can't help it," he mumbled.
"Any reason why?"
"My cousin Danny was killed in one and…" Ray paused for a moment. "I saw it."
Slim nodded. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Well, I'm about refueled. We'll be taking off again as soon as your friends get back. See you later."
Ray nodded as he watched Slim head for the Cessna. He then sighed and got on the plane. The others returned a short time later and the plane took off again.
They were about fifty miles outside of Seattle when the plane jerked, rousing Egon, Peter, and Winston from their sleep.
"It must be turbulence," Winston yawned, wearily rubbing his eyes.
Peter looked out the window and his eyes widened in alarm and the color drained from his face when he saw that they were in the middle of a bad snowstorm. He cursed softly under his breath before he turned to face the others. "Guys, I think we're in trouble."
Ray lifted his head and looked out the window. "We're going to crash and die! Let me off! I don't want to die like Danny!" He began struggling with his seatbelt.
"Egon, calm him down!" Peter barked. "If he gets up now, he'll throw our weight distribution off!"
"Ray, take it easy! We'll be okay," Egon said soothingly.
Ray stopped his struggling with the seatbelt and grabbed hold of Egon, clinging to him with a death grip. Egon tried to free himself, but it was no use. Ray had a vise-like grip on his arms.
Slim tried his best to keep the plane's nose up, but the snow was too heavy on the wings. "We're going down, boys! Get into crash position!" he yelled as the plane hurtled towards the ground.
Ray screwed his eyes shut as he did what Slim told them to do. He heard the pilot frantically talking into the radio's mike as they went down. They hit hard and the last thing that he remembered was hearing the screech of metal ripping apart before exquisite pain blossomed throughout his body. Everything went black.
Slowly, Peter lifted his head, gasping a little from the cold wind whipping around his body. He felt something warm and sticky dripping down the right side of his face. Experimentally, he lifted his hand up to his head and felt blood oozing from a cut he had gotten from the crash. It was dark, hard to see, and his head hurt like hell. He slowly realized that aside from that, he was relatively unhurt – and he was still buckled up in his seat. As he struggled with removing the seatbelt, he called out, "Guys! Answer me! Are you okay?"
"I'm here, Peter," Egon replied. "I appear to be unhurt aside from some bruises and minor abrasions. Ray's with me, but he's unconscious."
Peter had finally managed to remove his seatbelt and carefully made his way over his two friends. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes Peter," Egon said, squinting in the little bit of light that they had. He saw the cut on Peter's forehead and frowned worriedly. "Are you okay? You're bleeding," he said as Peter helped him with the seatbelt.
"I'm okay, Spengs. It's not as bad as it looks. You go check on Winston while I check on Ray."
Egon nodded and headed for Winston. "Winston, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Egon. Just help me get this stupid seatbelt off."
Just as Egon was helping Winston to his feet, they heard Peter say, "Guys, come here. It's bad…"
The two slowly walked over to join to Peter and Ray. After he checked Ray over, Peter looked up. "I smell gas. We have to get out of this wreck before it blows."
"Do you think it's safe to move Ray?" Winston asked.
"We've got no choice, I'm afraid. This plane could blow sky-high any moment now," answered Peter. "Give me a hand with Ray, guys."
Winston and Egon nodded as they carefully helped Peter lift Ray up. They slowly moved away from the wreck until they thought they were a safe distance away. Peter hurried back and got the first aid kit from the plane. "Here's the first aid kit, Egon. I'm going to the cockpit and check on Slim. There's a chance that he could still be alive."
Egon nodded and took the first aid kit. A few moments later, Peter returned, his face an alarming gray shade.
"Slim's dead, isn't he?" Egon asked very softly.
Peter nodded slowly as he knelt down next to Ray. "Yeah... His face... Oh God..." He turned away for a moment, swallowing hard.
"Oh no…" Winston said.
"I believe his ribs are cracked… but I will know more when he wakes up," Egon murmured.
"Oh Ray…" Peter sighed.
"Peter, while you were gone, Winston and I decided to go for help."
"Do you think that's wise, Egon?"
"We have no choice. Ray desperately needs medical attention."
"Okay. Good luck."
"We will, Peter - and you and Ray be careful, too. Try to keep him as warm as possible with any clothing or blankets that you can salvage from the plane."
Peter watched the two leave. Looking down at his friend, he said, "Well Ray, it's just you and me. Want to play checkers?" Peter got no answer but then again, he didn't expect to.
"I don't like leaving them there, my man," Winston admitted as he and Egon began hiking down the mountain.
"I don't like the situation either, but we have to find help for them. I don't know how bad Peter's head injury is and I am certain that Ray should not be moved," Egon said
"Even though we've already moved him?" Winston asked.
Egon nodded and sighed. "At the time, it was the right thing to do."
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Winston looked around.
"I'd guess that we're somewhere in the Cascade Mountains, Winston," Egon answered. "Otherwise, I don't have a clue as to our exact location."
Winston nodded, not looking happy with Egon's answer as they continued walking.
"It's freezing," Winston shivered, putting his gloved hands under his armpits to try and keep them warm.
Egon nodded. "Yes, indeed."
As they walked along, Winston thought he heard something but thought better of it. He sighed, figuring he was just freezing and not all with it at least until he heard it again. He gulped as he turned around. "Uh... Egon…"
"What is it, Winston?" Egon asked.
"Don't move. Just turn the other way and run…"
"Why? What is…" Egon stopped walking, turned around and saw a pack of wolves looking down at them. "Winston, don't run away. Stay still and don't move a muscle," he said in a low voice.
"Are you crazy, man?"
"No! Listen to me! Wolves don't usually attack humans, but if you run they will think you are prey and will chase you. So, do as I say and don't move!"
Winston nodded as he saw the wolves head toward them. The wolves sniffed around them and a couple growled but they left, losing interest in them.
Winston breathed a sigh of relief. "You were right."
"I usually am. Now, come on. We've still got a long way to go." Egon saw some bright blue paint in the shape of an arrow painted on a tree trunk and pointed at it. "It seems our luck may have changed for the better. We're on a hiking trail of some sort."
"That might be the best news I've heard all day," Winston said.
They continuing walking down the mountain, trying to go as carefully as possible, but Winston slipped on a patch of ice that was hidden just beneath the newly fallen snow. He let out a yell as he fell and slid down until finally coming to a stop next to a large rock.
"Winston! Winston! Are you okay?" Egon asked when he reached his fallen companion.
Winston slowly opened his eyes, his face twisting painfully. "Oh man, I think I spoke too soon about our luck changing for the better. I think I've sprained my ankle."
"Do you think you can stand on it?"
"I don't know. Let me try." Winston stood up but the pain was too much and he fell back down. "No."
"Can you stand up and lean on me?"
"I don't think so."
"Winston, we can't stay here. It's getting colder. Please try."
Winston nodded and with Egon's help he managed to stand. He leaned on Egon and together they headed north.
TBC
Beta read: by Sandy Copyright: 2004
Chapter One:
Egon sighed as he heard a loud thud coming from downstairs. He was working quietly in the lab, or trying to when he heard the banging. His subconscious told him that the guys were playing football downstairs again and he knew that Janine would not appreciate it. He walked downstairs to see what the ruckus was about. As he walked down, he saw that Ray was getting ready to throw a football to Winston.
"Go long, Winston!" Ray cried.
Winston ran towards the front doors of the firehouse. Ray threw the ball and Winston went to dive for it. Slimer suddenly intercepted and accidentally swallowed it.
"SLIMER!" Winston cried. "That was our last football!"
Peter, who was watching the shenanigans from inside his office, laughed. "It's not like you turkeys know how to play real ball anyway," he said as rose to his feet and joined his friends. "Let a pro show you how it's done."
"You're a pro? Ha!" Ray replied as he held Winston back from chasing Slimer. "If you're such a pro, why did you take up ghostbusting instead of talking to scouts at your senior year football game back at Columbia?" he teased.
"Because, Ray, I couldn't leave my best buds," Peter answered with a smile.
Ray rolled his eyes. "If you went pro you could," he said and landed on the floor with a loud smack when Winston got free. "OW!"
Winston chased after Slimer yelling, "SLIMER, GIVE THAT BACK!"
"We better go after him," Ray said as he slowly got up off the floor
"Why?" Peter asked but Ray rolled his eyes and pushed him along.
As the two chased after Slimer and Winston, the phone rang and Janine picked it up. "Ghostbusters!" she snapped.
"Yes... Hello. This is Cyrus Spengler calling. Is my nephew there?" he asked.
"Um…" Janine hesitated. She remembered the last time he called it turned out to be big trouble. "Sure, Dr. Spengler. Just a moment," she said before placing him on hold. "EGON!" she screeched over the guys' yelling.
Egon came down the stairs the rest of the way, looking a little worn-out as he walked over to Janine.
"What are they doing up there?" Janine demanded.
"Not acting their age – that's for certain," Egon replied with a small smile. "Who is it?"
"It's your Uncle Cyrus."
Egon nodded and took the call. "Uncle Cyrus?" he asked. "Is everything all right?"
Cyrus hesitated for a moment before answering. "Not really, Egon. I have a problem here at the lab. The one in Washington and I would like you gentlemen to come out and take care of it for me," he said.
"You have a ghost problem?" Egon asked, surprised.
"Yes, I believe that is it," Cyrus said. "I will pay you what I can..."
"Nonsense, Uncle! We'll do it for free," Egon said. "We'll be there as soon as we can."
"If that is the case, then you must talk to my friend. He's a pilot and he will take you to your destination. I've already made the arrangements."
Egon nodded. "Very well, Uncle. Thank you," he said. Once they hung up, Egon rang the alarm and the guys came downstairs looking all scruffy from their wrestling. "I trust you three are finished with your game."
The guys exchanged sheepish grins.
"We have a call, gentlemen," Egon said and explained to them what the phone call was about. "Uncle Cyrus said his friend would meet us at JFK airport to catch our flight. He's made all the arrangements. A friend of his came in last night and he's going to take to Washington." Egon looked over at Ray. "I'm sorry, Ray, but apparently our mode of transportation will be on a Cessna."
"A Cessna? Why such a small plane? Egon, what part of Washington? Or do you mean DC? That wouldn't be too bad," Winston said.
Ray was quiet as the color in his face drained. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered.
Peter placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Ray. You did it before when we went to see my dad and you can do it again."
"I-I don't know, Peter…" Ray said.
"Sorry, Winston, but Uncle Cyrus' lab is outside Seattle, Washington, not DC," Egon answered.
"Man, a small plane clear to Seattle?" murmured Winston. "That's crazy! It's only a little over six hours on a nice big 767!"
"I didn't want to question Uncle Cyrus' reasoning behind his choice to charter a small plane for us to get from one side of the country to the other," replied Egon, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, you should've! Egon, are you out of your very large mind? I'm not sure if I can stand Ray's moaning all away to Seattle!" Peter exclaimed.
"I'm not sure I can take it either, man," Winston added, nodding in agreement.
Ray listened to the others talking, wishing that he was far, far away from the firehouse. He sighed as he headed for Ecto and sat down in the back seat.
Egon looked at Ray sitting inside Ecto. The occultist looked like he felt two inches tall. While Peter went off in a huff and Winston went over his locker to start grabbing some gear together, Egon walked over to the soup -up station wagon and put his head inside the open window. "Ray, do you wish to stay behind?"
"No. You might need me. I'll be okay."
"All right then, if you're sure. Do you have anything to read? It may keep your mind off it. You could bring your earphones and some music too," Egon suggested.
"Yeah, that might do it. I've got a bunch of occult magazines I haven't had time to read and some new tapes to listen to. I'll make sure I bring them along. Let's go pack," Ray said as he exited Ecto.
Egon nodded and the two walked inside the firehouse, where Peter and Winston were pulling their gear together. "Peter, did you talk to Janine?" he asked, watching Ray as he ran upstairs to pack.
"Yeah... I told her she was fired."
"PETER!"
"Yeah, I told her what was going on!" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Going upstairs to pack some stuff?"
"Yes – and Ray's going to take some occult magazines and some music with him. Perhaps if he keeps his mind occupied, he won't be thinking about how small the airplane is."
"That's good thinking, Spengs. Hurry up with getting your stuff together," Peter said.
Egon quickly went upstairs, packed some clothes into a small suitcase, ran back down to get his Ghostbusting gear together and joined the others, who were waiting for him inside Ecto. "Okay, Winston. Let's go. Uncle Cyrus told me that our plane would be departing from Terminal Six, Gate Five."
Winston nodded and drove to JFK. Once they were there, Peter turned to Ray. "Are you sure you still want to go? You can always stay home with Janine and Slimer."
"No. I'll be fine." Ray swallowed and walked inside the airport. The others followed and the group headed towards Security.
"Okay, guys. Gate Five's down this way. My uncle told me the pilot has to leave at one and it's 12:40 now," Egon said once they had gotten through the security line. Once there, Egon found the pilot. "Hello. I'm Egon Spengler of the Ghostbusters. I believe that you're expecting us," he said by way of introduction.
The pilot nodded and shook Egon's hand briefly. "Yeah, I am. Hi. The name's Slim. Now why don't you boys get on the plane and fasten your seat belts? We'll be taking off as soon as I finish checking this baby out."
The guys nodded and got on. Peter looked over at Ray, who was the last to get on. Ray seemed fine until he sat down and the engines started up. Then he felt trapped and sick to his stomach. He bent his head down and moaned loudly as the plane taxied down the runway and took off.
Egon looked over at him. "Raymond, read one of your magazines and put on your headphones."
Ray nodded as he reached for one of his magazines. His stomach still felt off but he managed to open the magazine and read but every few minutes, he moaned.
Peter looked over to make sure he was all right then turned back to Egon. "So, tell us what your uncle said. Why does he need us?"
"He told me that a ghost is haunting his lab in Seattle."
Peter nodded. "Did he by any chance describe it?"
"Yes, he did. It sounds like a Class Five, but I can't be sure until I take a reading."
Peter nodded and turned his head to look out the window.
A couple of hours into the flight, Slim turned around and faced his passengers. "We'll be landing shortly for a refuel, boys. Now's the time to stretch your legs," he said.
"Okay. Thanks. Ray, did you hear that?" Peter asked he looked over at his friend with a worried expression on his face. The occultist only gave a small nod. Once the plane landed, he was the first off. The others looked at him as he leaned against the wall of a building.
"You okay, man?"
"I will be. I just needed some air. Thanks, Winston."
"Okay, guys. Slim said we have time for a bit of lunch, so let's get a bite to eat."
"If you don't mind, Peter, I'll pass."
"Are you sure, Ray?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll just wait here."
"Okay. We'll be back soon. Do you want us to bring you something for later in case you change your mind, Tex?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Okay. It's your call," Peter said as he and the others left.
Slim walked over to Ray. "You friend Egon told me you hate small planes."
Ray looked away from him, embarrassed. "Sorry. I just can't help it," he mumbled.
"Any reason why?"
"My cousin Danny was killed in one and…" Ray paused for a moment. "I saw it."
Slim nodded. "Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Well, I'm about refueled. We'll be taking off again as soon as your friends get back. See you later."
Ray nodded as he watched Slim head for the Cessna. He then sighed and got on the plane. The others returned a short time later and the plane took off again.
They were about fifty miles outside of Seattle when the plane jerked, rousing Egon, Peter, and Winston from their sleep.
"It must be turbulence," Winston yawned, wearily rubbing his eyes.
Peter looked out the window and his eyes widened in alarm and the color drained from his face when he saw that they were in the middle of a bad snowstorm. He cursed softly under his breath before he turned to face the others. "Guys, I think we're in trouble."
Ray lifted his head and looked out the window. "We're going to crash and die! Let me off! I don't want to die like Danny!" He began struggling with his seatbelt.
"Egon, calm him down!" Peter barked. "If he gets up now, he'll throw our weight distribution off!"
"Ray, take it easy! We'll be okay," Egon said soothingly.
Ray stopped his struggling with the seatbelt and grabbed hold of Egon, clinging to him with a death grip. Egon tried to free himself, but it was no use. Ray had a vise-like grip on his arms.
Slim tried his best to keep the plane's nose up, but the snow was too heavy on the wings. "We're going down, boys! Get into crash position!" he yelled as the plane hurtled towards the ground.
Ray screwed his eyes shut as he did what Slim told them to do. He heard the pilot frantically talking into the radio's mike as they went down. They hit hard and the last thing that he remembered was hearing the screech of metal ripping apart before exquisite pain blossomed throughout his body. Everything went black.
Slowly, Peter lifted his head, gasping a little from the cold wind whipping around his body. He felt something warm and sticky dripping down the right side of his face. Experimentally, he lifted his hand up to his head and felt blood oozing from a cut he had gotten from the crash. It was dark, hard to see, and his head hurt like hell. He slowly realized that aside from that, he was relatively unhurt – and he was still buckled up in his seat. As he struggled with removing the seatbelt, he called out, "Guys! Answer me! Are you okay?"
"I'm here, Peter," Egon replied. "I appear to be unhurt aside from some bruises and minor abrasions. Ray's with me, but he's unconscious."
Peter had finally managed to remove his seatbelt and carefully made his way over his two friends. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes Peter," Egon said, squinting in the little bit of light that they had. He saw the cut on Peter's forehead and frowned worriedly. "Are you okay? You're bleeding," he said as Peter helped him with the seatbelt.
"I'm okay, Spengs. It's not as bad as it looks. You go check on Winston while I check on Ray."
Egon nodded and headed for Winston. "Winston, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Egon. Just help me get this stupid seatbelt off."
Just as Egon was helping Winston to his feet, they heard Peter say, "Guys, come here. It's bad…"
The two slowly walked over to join to Peter and Ray. After he checked Ray over, Peter looked up. "I smell gas. We have to get out of this wreck before it blows."
"Do you think it's safe to move Ray?" Winston asked.
"We've got no choice, I'm afraid. This plane could blow sky-high any moment now," answered Peter. "Give me a hand with Ray, guys."
Winston and Egon nodded as they carefully helped Peter lift Ray up. They slowly moved away from the wreck until they thought they were a safe distance away. Peter hurried back and got the first aid kit from the plane. "Here's the first aid kit, Egon. I'm going to the cockpit and check on Slim. There's a chance that he could still be alive."
Egon nodded and took the first aid kit. A few moments later, Peter returned, his face an alarming gray shade.
"Slim's dead, isn't he?" Egon asked very softly.
Peter nodded slowly as he knelt down next to Ray. "Yeah... His face... Oh God..." He turned away for a moment, swallowing hard.
"Oh no…" Winston said.
"I believe his ribs are cracked… but I will know more when he wakes up," Egon murmured.
"Oh Ray…" Peter sighed.
"Peter, while you were gone, Winston and I decided to go for help."
"Do you think that's wise, Egon?"
"We have no choice. Ray desperately needs medical attention."
"Okay. Good luck."
"We will, Peter - and you and Ray be careful, too. Try to keep him as warm as possible with any clothing or blankets that you can salvage from the plane."
Peter watched the two leave. Looking down at his friend, he said, "Well Ray, it's just you and me. Want to play checkers?" Peter got no answer but then again, he didn't expect to.
"I don't like leaving them there, my man," Winston admitted as he and Egon began hiking down the mountain.
"I don't like the situation either, but we have to find help for them. I don't know how bad Peter's head injury is and I am certain that Ray should not be moved," Egon said
"Even though we've already moved him?" Winston asked.
Egon nodded and sighed. "At the time, it was the right thing to do."
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Winston looked around.
"I'd guess that we're somewhere in the Cascade Mountains, Winston," Egon answered. "Otherwise, I don't have a clue as to our exact location."
Winston nodded, not looking happy with Egon's answer as they continued walking.
"It's freezing," Winston shivered, putting his gloved hands under his armpits to try and keep them warm.
Egon nodded. "Yes, indeed."
As they walked along, Winston thought he heard something but thought better of it. He sighed, figuring he was just freezing and not all with it at least until he heard it again. He gulped as he turned around. "Uh... Egon…"
"What is it, Winston?" Egon asked.
"Don't move. Just turn the other way and run…"
"Why? What is…" Egon stopped walking, turned around and saw a pack of wolves looking down at them. "Winston, don't run away. Stay still and don't move a muscle," he said in a low voice.
"Are you crazy, man?"
"No! Listen to me! Wolves don't usually attack humans, but if you run they will think you are prey and will chase you. So, do as I say and don't move!"
Winston nodded as he saw the wolves head toward them. The wolves sniffed around them and a couple growled but they left, losing interest in them.
Winston breathed a sigh of relief. "You were right."
"I usually am. Now, come on. We've still got a long way to go." Egon saw some bright blue paint in the shape of an arrow painted on a tree trunk and pointed at it. "It seems our luck may have changed for the better. We're on a hiking trail of some sort."
"That might be the best news I've heard all day," Winston said.
They continuing walking down the mountain, trying to go as carefully as possible, but Winston slipped on a patch of ice that was hidden just beneath the newly fallen snow. He let out a yell as he fell and slid down until finally coming to a stop next to a large rock.
"Winston! Winston! Are you okay?" Egon asked when he reached his fallen companion.
Winston slowly opened his eyes, his face twisting painfully. "Oh man, I think I spoke too soon about our luck changing for the better. I think I've sprained my ankle."
"Do you think you can stand on it?"
"I don't know. Let me try." Winston stood up but the pain was too much and he fell back down. "No."
"Can you stand up and lean on me?"
"I don't think so."
"Winston, we can't stay here. It's getting colder. Please try."
Winston nodded and with Egon's help he managed to stand. He leaned on Egon and together they headed north.
TBC