Alison pushed the elevator button without expecting it to work. She was just covering the bases. Why is any of this even here?

"I think it's time to head back," she declared without waiting on any results from the elevator. "Let's each fill a garbage bag with a coffee pot, a case of noodles, five water bottles, plastic forks, and some of those paper cups. I think that will keep us for a few days if we don't come back this way."

"The expiration date was seven years ago," Kirsti told Alison as she packed up one of the garbage bags. "What do you think this place was?  It's out in the middle of nowhere."

She made sure to pack the coffee pot in a way that it wouldn't easily break if she dropped the bag or banged it into a tree.

Jan slowly and carefully returns to the cabin, not wanting to startle anyone if they were waking up and groggy. [Private to GM: Actually, with his. mind being distracted from morbid thoughts he's feeling guilty and wants to compose himself before introducing himself. He'll approach the cabin quietly and observe what is happening.]

[Private to Jan Dahl: Jan peered in to see the younger of the two men stirring.  He wasn't quite conscious, just moaning.  Perhaps a step up from comatose?]

---

[Private to Alison Candlewell; Kirsti Carpenter: As Alison and Kirsti packed their bags, Alison noted that, as she suspected, the elevator never responded to her call.  Once their bags were packed, they braced themselves to return to the plane and began the two hour trek back.]

"The obvious answer is secret government facility," Alison finally said, answering Kirsti's earlier question. "Or it could be an abandoned research station, ski lodge, prepper hideaway, or just some rich guy's house.

"Whatever it is, it looks expensive and hasn't been used in seven years."

She was glad she'd packed some snow up against the door before they'd left to keep it closed. It was easier than trying to lock the door and she hadn't wanted to disturb her plastic window.

"If that was a break room," Kirsti said, "then it belonged to a company or an organization of some kind. It wasn't a full kitchen so probably not a private residence.

"But it did seem like they may have left in a hurry by not emptying the refrigerator before they left. Do you think it's worth trying to see where that elevator goes?"

"Leaving in a hurry might be a reason not to check out the elevator," Alison said.  "We have food and water for a while. It also seems to reason that this path leads back to a main road in the other direction.

"The question is, how many miles are we from that main road?"

[Private to Jan Dahl: Jan continued to watch, but the younger man stopped moaning and returned to a fitful slumber.]

---

[Private to Alison Candlewell; Kirsti Carpenter: Alison and Kirsti trudge along through the snow.  Their previous tracks hadn't filled in, but they still had a ways to go.]

"This path is probably the fastest and easiest way down the mountain," Kirsti said. "We could try hiking in the other direction tomorrow as far as we can get in half a day. If we don't find anything, we can try the elevator. Maybe they left something behind or there's a phone line still hooked up."

She was just glad they'd found something that would at least keep them alive.

"The alternative is to just keep hiking the other direction until dark," she added. "Hoping to find a road or something before dark. Make a shelter and do it again the next day.

"If we're fifty miles from anywhere, that might take us three days or more? I'm not sure we can scrounge enough to last one night without the cabin and a fire.

"It may even be farther.  We just don't know."

"That's a good argument to check the elevator," Alison replied. "Just to see if there's a map showing where we are and how far we need to go.

"The question is whether we give the other direction a go first, out and back? We'll see what Jan thinks."

Jan quietly steps forward, checking the man's pulse and temperature. He repeats the action with the second man, quietly going about his business.

He collects together all of the food they have, placing it in the first aid kit and glancing longingly at the bottles of water, melting by the fireplace.

"Why do you think we haven't seen or heard any search planes around?" Kirsti asked. "I know we were a little off course, but it's not like we're lost in the Amazon. This is the United States!"

"I don't know why we haven't seen any sign of a search," Alison admitted. "They may be searching the route from either end and just haven't reached out this far. Or maybe the weather is keeping them away."

Alison shrugged and tromped on. She didn't have any answers.

[Private to Jan Dahl: Jan finds the younger man's pulse strong and breathing steady.  The older man isn't quite as good, but seems stable.]

---

[Private to Alison Candlewell; Kirsti Carpenter: Kirsti and Alison tromped along through the snow.  It was still falling with the occasional gust of wind, but didn't seem bad enough to prevent a rescue effort.  At least as far as they could see on the ground.]

"So, were you returning to Las Vegas or visiting?" Alison finally asked as the silence stretched through the creaking forest. They may as well keep themselves occupied while they hiked.

She pulled out a water bottle and took a drink. These would definitely help Jan loosen up.

"I was just flying in for a break by the pool," Kirsti admitted. "Seems stupid now. My friends are sipping margaritas by the pool and I'm here.

"I should have just stayed at school. Same weather, better accommodations."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty," Alison said. "I'm supposed to be covering a conference as a freelance photographer.  I've flown all over the world on the most rickety planes you could find, and the one that finally crashes is a short hop to Vegas.

"As it turns out, so far, crashing in the US doesn't seem like it's any different than crashing in the Andes."

"At least we won't have to eat anyone," Kirsti commented. "I can't wait to get back and make some of this soup. I've always liked ramen noodles.

"I think this is going to blow Jan's mind."

She was starting to get a little tired and hoped they didn't have much further to go.

Jan spends time trying to get the two men to drink something with mixed feelings, before returning to the tunnel and keeping himself occupied. At the very least he'd free the dead that were trapped and potentially give the survivors access to more clothing. At worst he'd widen the tunnel, make it more secure and easier to access.

Well, that was what he told himself as he worked to occupy his mind from the predicament they were in.

[Private to Jan Dahl: While Jan is trying to get the younger man to drink, the man starts coughing and actually wakes up.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily.  "Where am I?"]

---

[Private to Alison Candlewell; Kirsti Carpenter: Alison and Kirsti get steadily more tired as they hike.  They're both pretty sure they haven't seen their marker flag yet, but all previous tracks have been erased by the blowing snow at this point.]

"Easy, easy..." Jan says calmly, lowering the water away to avoid spilling any, and slowly lowering the man's head back down to the floor.

"My name's Jan," he pronounced it Yan, "and you'll be fine. What's your name?? Do you know where you are??" he wanted to see how much the injured man remembered before worrying him with the details of the crash

[Private to Jan Dahl: "My name's Bob," he said unsteadily, looking around at the cabin and fire in a suitcase.  "The plane was crashing."

He gasped as he tried to sit up and he pressed his hand to stomach where he'd been speared by the tray table strut.  "Ahhh!"]

---

"Did we go past the flag?" Alison asked worriedly. They'd been hiking an awful long time.

"Like I said, easy. You were hurt in the crash, but you made it and I've patched you up. You'll be OK provided you don't try to move too much or too quickly." Jan explains, moving his hands to support Bob if he needs it.

"I didn't check my phone for what time we left the breakroom," Kirsti admitted. "I think it was a little over two hours on our way out."

She pulled her phone out now to check the time.