Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Special You

"I love you. I fell in love with you the day you knocked on my door, and the love has only grown with time. I want to kiss my bride, but you're so far away." Shamir left a kiss on the glove and tossed it far away to Suzy.Then, he untied the rope between him and Susie. January 24, 2013 The storm swept across the entire mountain, and the wind blew the snow on the ground, making visibility almost zero.Two climbers tethered to the same safety rope can barely see their hands.It is almost impossible to move forward in this huge white world. Two hours ago, Shamir wanted to give up climbing the mountain and turn back as soon as possible, but Susie kept walking forward, pretending that the howling wind around her prevented her from hearing Shamir's repeated request to go down the mountain.In fact, they should have stopped and dug a hole to shelter from the storm.If they continue at the current pace, it is impossible for them to reach the next alpine hut for rest before nightfall.Shamir felt very cold, his face was covered with frost, and the numbness in his limbs made him start to worry.In a sense, high-altitude mountaineering is playing hide-and-seek with death.The mountain has no friends. To it, climbers are just a group of uninvited guests who force their way in.If it decides to close the door to these intruders, its will should be obeyed without reservation.Before departure, Shamir had told Susie this, but now it seemed that she had put this advice behind her, which made Shamir very annoyed.

The blizzard is still raging. At this altitude of 4,600 meters, it is necessary to keep calm, but Shamir has difficulty calming down his thoughts. A year earlier in the summer, he and Susie had gone to Grace Peak in the Arapahoe National Forest for mountaineering training.But the weather conditions in Colorado are obviously different from the situation they faced this evening, and they are not even comparable. That climb to Mount Grace was also a turning point in their relationship.Back down the mountain, they checked into a motel in George Town and shared a room for the first time.There's nothing great about this hotel, but the bed in the room was big enough for them to stay on for two full days.For two days and two nights, they comforted each other's wounds left by Dashan on each other's bodies.Sometimes all it takes is a gesture, or a caring look, to let you know you've found someone else so much like you.This is exactly what Shamir felt in his wild thoughts.

A year ago, Suzy had knocked on his door, and the smile on her face was irresistible.In Baltimore, not many people have a smile on their face. "It seems that you are the best mountaineering instructor in the country!" Susie started with this sentence. "Even if this is true, there is nothing to be proud of. Maryland is as flat as a desert! The highest altitude is just over 1,000 meters, and a five-year-old child can climb it..." "I saw your climbing log on your blog." "Miss, what can I do for you?" Shamir asked. "I'm looking for a patient coach and guide."

"I'm not the best climber in America, and I'm not going to teach anyone." "Maybe, but I appreciate your skills and your straightforward personality." Susie walked into Shamir's living room uninvited and explained the reason for her visit.She hopes to become a certified climber within a year and admits she has never climbed a mountain before. "Then why do you have this idea now? And why so quickly?" Shamir asked. "Some people hear the call of God one day, but I heard the call of the mountain. I have the same dream every night. In the dream, I climb the snow-covered mountain in pure silence, It's an obsessive feeling. So why not find a way to make the dream come true?"

"These two things are not contradictory," Shamir replied. Seeing Susie's puzzled look, he added: "I mean the call of God and the call of the mountain. But God is generally quieter, while the mountain neighs and roars, and sometimes the low roar of the mountain wind can be scary." "Forget about the silent God then. When do we start?" "Miss……" "My name is Baker. Call me Susie." "To be precise, I usually climb alone." "Even with two people, you can feel like climbing alone. I'm not a person who talks too much."

"It's impossible to become a qualified climber in one year unless you devote all your time." "You don't know me. Once I start something, nothing can stop me. You've never seen a student as determined as I am." For Susie, learning to climb mountains has become a lingering idea in her mind.When she couldn't find any more reasons to convince Shamir, she offered to pay his tuition fees to help him improve his current life, at least to repair his dilapidated house, anyway, he did have such a need .Shamir interrupted her and gave her a piece of advice, and Susie also took his words as the first lesson of mountaineering training: on the rock wall, you must keep calm and control your every move.In short, it should be the complete opposite of her previous attitude towards mountaineering.

Shamir asked her to leave first, and promised to consider her suggestion and contact her. As Suzy walked down the front steps, Shamir asked why he had been chosen.Suzy gave a more sincere answer than the previous compliment: "Your photo on the blog. I feel comfortable with the way you look, and I always trust my instincts." She left without saying anything more. The next day, Susie came to Shamir again for answers.She parked the car at the garage where he worked, asked the manager where Shamir was, and came to him.Shamir was filling an old Cadillac in a trench. "What are you doing here?" Shamir asked, wiping his greasy hands on his overalls.

"What do you say?" "I told you I would consider your suggestion and then contact you." "We have classes on weekends, and based on 8 hours a day, the total is 132 hours. I know some climbers who have climbed mountains, and they have less experience. Forty dollars an hour, which is already the hourly salary of a general practitioner .I will settle the money for you every weekend." "What do you do, Miss Baker?" "I went to school for a long time, but it didn't work. Then I got a job with an antique dealer, and then he became too obvious that he wanted to pursue me, so I left. Then I was always looking for my own. the way."

"In other words, you're a spoiled young lady who doesn't know how to pass the time. We have nothing in common." "A century ago, the middle class was prejudiced against workers. Now it's the other way around." Susie replied sharply. Shamir failed to complete his studies because he did not have enough financial resources.And Susie's tuition for these mountaineering lessons could go a long way toward improving his life.But he didn't know whether Susie's audacity and arrogance fascinated him or angered him. "Miss Baker, I don't have any prejudices. I'm just a repairman. The difference between us is that for me, work is necessary. In addition, I don't want to be fired for putting down my work to chat with beautiful women. "

"You didn't make small talk with me. Thank you for the compliment." "I'll contact you when I think about it." Shamir said as he continued his work. That night, Shamir contacted Susie.There is a fast food restaurant next to the auto repair shop, and he has dinner there every day.Looking at the dinner plate in front of him, he called Suzy Baker and asked to meet her at a fitness center in suburban Baltimore at 8:00 sharp on Saturday. For the next six months, they practiced climbing the artificial rock wall every weekend.After that, Shamir spent another three months taking Susie to climb the real mountain.Susie wasn't lying, and she often surprised Shamir with the determination she displayed.She never stops because of fatigue.Even if her limbs were so sore that anyone would let go, she would only hold on to the rock wall more tightly.

When Shamir said that early summer would take her to climb the highest peak in Colorado, Susie was very happy and invited Shamir to have dinner together. Aside from a few casual meals at practice, this is the first time they've sat together for a meal.That night, Shamir recounted his experience, how his parents came to the United States, how they lived on poverty, and how much they sacrificed for his education.Susie didn't talk too much about her personal affairs, just mentioned that she lived in Boston, came to teach him every weekend, and said that she wanted to conquer Mont Blanc next year. Shamir has climbed Mont Blanc.A few years ago, he won a college competition and used the money to go on a trip to Europe.Unfortunately, Dashan did not intend to welcome him, and he had to choose to turn back halfway from the top of the mountain a few hours away.This made him always feel very disappointed, and he could only comfort himself that at least he and his teammates returned safely.Mont Blanc often takes the lives of climbers who don't give up. "When you talk about mountains, it makes people think that mountains have souls," Susie said at the end of dinner. "All climbers think so, and I hope you will too in the future." "Will you go again?" "If there is enough money someday, I will go back." "Shamir, I have a bold proposal. After our lessons are over, I will take you there." Shamir believes that Suzy is not yet ready to challenge Mont Blanc, and that the journey will be very expensive.He thanked Suzy, but declined the offer. "Within a year, I will definitely climb Mont Blanc, whether you will be with me or not." Before leaving, Susie said firmly. The next day, they climbed the highest mountain in Colorado and kissed at the top of Grace Peak. Shamir refused Susie's payment to him. For the next six months, Suzy began to pester Shamir with another obsessive idea: conquering the highest peak in Europe. One November morning, Susie had her only argument with him.When Shamir came home, she saw Susie sitting cross-legged on the living room rug with a map spread out in front of her.He recognized at a glance that it was a topographic map of Mont Blanc, on which Susie had marked the climbing route in red pen. "You're not ready yet," Shamir said emphatically, and he couldn't count the number of times. "Are you never going to give up on your ideas?" "Never!" Susie held two air tickets in her hand and proudly declared, "We will leave in mid-January." If it was summer, Shamir might hesitate to take Susie there, but if it was January, it would be absolutely impossible.Susie emphasized that during the tourist season Mont Blanc would be crowded with tourists, but she wanted to climb the mountain quietly with Shamir.She had spent weeks studying the route, and she understood even the tiniest detail. Shamir lost his temper.At 4,800 metres, the oxygen content of the air is cut in half, which can trigger headaches, aching legs, nausea and dizziness for those who are not prepared.Only experienced climbers can challenge Mont Blanc in winter, and Suzy is far from that level. But Suzy was still very stubborn, and she began to instill in Shamir what she had seen before: "We can walk Gut's Needle to Boss Ridge. We can climb from Eagle's Nest on the first day. Six hours, up to eight hours, we can reach Tetrus camp. At dawn, we can go to the At the entrance of the ice cap, and then through the camp site of Valo. The height of 4362 meters is the same as the Grace Peak we climbed before. If the weather is too bad after the forecast, I promise to turn back immediately. After that, in two Between the snow slopes," Susie said excitedly, pointing to the red cross on the map, "it's time to reach Mount Turna, just to climb the highest ridge. We will take a photo there and come down. You can realize It's been a dream to conquer this mountain since!" "Susie, don't do this, don't put yourself at such a risk. One day when I have enough money, I will take you to Mont Blanc. I promise. But in winter, it would be suicide." Susie showed a displeased look. "And what if I told you that I've been fantasizing about you proposing to me on Mont Blanc since the kiss on Mount Grace! And January is a special time for me, isn't it better than yours? Is the ridiculous worry about the weather forecast more important? You're such a disappointment, Shamir, I think..." "I didn't disappoint you," Shamir murmured, "No matter what, you always have to do what you want to do. But from now on, I won't let you have any rest time. All you can do freely It takes all your time to realize this crazy idea. You have to adapt yourself to everything you are going to face, not only the unpredictable mountain, but also its climate. You have never experienced high Altitude storm." Shamir remembered every word they had spoken in the warmth of their Baltimore home, but the icy snow particles that fell on his face made him sting. The storm continues.In this annoying gust of wind, Susie, who was fifteen meters ahead, was just a vague figure from her back. Don't panic, don't sweat.On high mountains, sweat can be deadly.It sticks to the body and freezes as soon as the body temperature drops. Susie walked ahead holding the climbing rope, which disturbed Shamir.After all, he was the guide, and Susie was just the student.But for an hour, Susie refused to slow down and insisted on walking ahead.Valo's camp was far away from them, and they should have turned back there.It was dark when they decided to continue exploring the dizzying canyon. Under the snow curtain blown by the strong wind, Shamir seemed to see Susie waving.Generally speaking, a safety distance of fifteen meters should be kept between two climbers tied to the same safety rope, but Susie walked more and more slowly, so Shamir decided to put this rule aside for the time being and go to her first. go there.As soon as Shamir reached Susie's side, Susie shouted in his ear that she was sure he had seen the rock face of Mount Turna.As long as they can get there, they can take shelter from the wind and snow in the cave. "We can't reach it, it's too far away," Shamir shouted. "Can't you be more optimistic?" Susie pulled up the climbing rope again. "Don't get so close to me." Shamir poked the climbing pick on the ground and ordered. When he felt the ground slipping under his feet, he realized it was too late, and immediately turned to Susie to warn her. The rope was taut at once.Susie was thrown up, she used all her strength, but she and Shamir fell into a crack that suddenly appeared under her feet. They rolled down a slope at dizzying speed, and there was no way to slow their fall.Shamir's climbing pants were torn, and rough icicles cut his chest.His head hit the ice, and it felt like an uppercut to the face.There was blood gushing from the brow bone, making him unable to see the scene in front of him clearly.Cold air began to enter his lungs.Climbers who have fallen into crevasses and survived say it feels like drowning, which is what Shamir felt at the time. Because they couldn't hold on to the rock wall, they kept sliding down.Shamir called Susie's name, but no one answered him. He finally hit the ground.It was a disorienting feeling, a pause that was too sudden, as if the mountain was going to swallow him up, kill him instantly. He raised his head, only to see a large piece of white falling from above.Then everything fell silent. A hand brushed the snow from his face, and a distant voice begged him to open his eyes.In the halo in front of his eyes, he saw Susie leaning over in front of him with a pale face.Although shivering with cold, she immediately took off her gloves and dried Shamir's mouth and nostrils. "Can you move?" Shamir nodded.He stabilized his mind and tried to stand up. "My ribs and shoulders hurt," Shamir moaned. "What about you?" "It was like being run over by a steamroller, but the bones didn't break. I fell to the bottom of the gap and then lost consciousness. I don't know how long I fell." "Where's your watch?" "It broke." "What about mine?" "It's not on your wrist anymore." "If we do nothing, we'll die from hypothermia. Pull me out of the snow." The snow had reached Shamir's waist, and Susie was digging the snow aside. "It's all my fault." Susie shouted as she worked hard to clear the snow. "Can you see the sky?" Shamir tried to pull himself away from the snow. "A corner of the sky, but I'm not sure. I'll have to wait until the weather clears." "Open my jumpsuit and wipe me off. Hurry up, I'm freezing to death. Put gloves on right now. If your fingers get frostbite too, we're all done." Susie grabbed her backpack, which cushioned her a lot from the fall.She took out a T-shirt from it and unzipped Shamir's trousers.She wiped him non-stop, and Shamir continued to suffer from increasingly unbearable pain.When he was almost dry, Susie quickly bandaged his upper body, re-zipped the jumpsuit, and opened the sleeping bag. "Come in with me," Shamir said. "Be sure to stay warm. This is our only chance." This was the first time Susie obeyed him.She rummaged through the backpack again, and also confirmed whether the mobile phone had a signal before turning off the power in disappointment.She helped Shamir lie down in the sleeping bag and curled up beside him. "I'm tired," Susie said. "We must fight sleep, if we fall asleep, we will never wake up again." "Do you think the rescue team can find us?" "No one will realize we're missing until tomorrow. And I doubt they'll find it here. We're going up." "How do you want to get up there?" "Recover your strength first. If we can see a little light after dawn, we'll go find the climbing pick. If we're lucky..." Susie and Shamir persisted for a long time in the dark.As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, they discovered that the bottom of the gap seemed to lead to an underground cavern. Finally, a ray of light shone thirty meters above them, dispelling a little of the darkness.Shamir shook Susie. "Let's get up," he ordered. Susie looked ahead.The sight before him was both beautiful and terrifying.A few meters away, a half-arched sliver of ice hangs over a hole, the walls of which glisten with ice. "This is a sinkhole." Panting heavily, Shamir pointed to the top of the mountain pass. "The passage between this sinkhole and the burrow forms a natural patio. The width is so narrow that we might be able to use that to climb out." He pointed Susie to the possible passage.The slope was steep, but after an hour or two the sun should soften the hardness of the ice and their carabiners could hang on it.Fifty meters, or sixty meters, although it is difficult to judge how far it is from the ground, as long as they can climb to the stone platform protruding from the cliff, the passage above should be narrow enough that they can use their backs against a rock. The wall, and then use hands and feet to move up. "What about your shoulder?" Susie asked. "The current pain is bearable. Anyway, this is our last chance. Climbing through the crevasse is impossible. Now we need to find the climbing pick." "Then if we go out from that hole, is it possible to find the exit?" "Impossible this season. Even if there was an underground river flowing through there, it should be frozen by now. The only way is to climb up this sinkhole. Today is not possible. The distance takes five hours, but now only About two hours and then the sun will pass over this crevasse and we won't be able to move forward at all in the dark. Take a break and find our gear. It's hotter than I thought in this burrow, we might try Sleep in your sleeping bag for a while." "Do you really think we can climb out?" "Your level should be able to climb out of this narrow vertical passage. Then you will open the way." "No, you should go ahead." Susie begged. "My ribs are too sore to hold you. If I slip, you will fall with me." Shamir returned to where they fell.The pain made it almost impossible for him to speak, but he tried not to let Susie know it.He was digging in the snow with gloves on, hoping to find a climbing pick, but Susie went to the burrow instead. Suddenly, he heard Susie calling him.He turned around and took a few steps in that direction: "Come and help me find equipment, Susie!" "Forget about the climbing pick, come and have a look!" In the depths of the cave, there is a large block of ice, smooth as if polished with tools.Its surface reflected a little gleam, and then fell into darkness again. "I'm going to find the lantern." "Come with me," Shamir ordered, "and study this place later." Susie reluctantly followed him back to the excavation equipment. They dug for an hour.Shamir breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a strap and then found the backpack he had lost when he fell.The backpack rekindled his hope of survival, but there was still no sign of the climbing pick. "We have two lanterns, two stoves, two days' rations, and two forty-five-meter ropes. Look at this face of the rock where the sun shines," he said. "The sun melts some of the ice, and we You have to collect this ice water, otherwise you will be dehydrated very quickly." Susie realized that she was indeed thirsty.She grabbed her lunch box and tried to place it under the melting ice. Shamir was right, the light quickly dimmed and then disappeared, as if some cursed evil spirit had once again drawn the curtain of night on the sky above their heads. Susie turned on the searchlight on her forehead.She tidied up her belongings, opened her sleeping bag and got in. Shamir lost his searchlight.He picked up a lantern and continued to search in the snow, but found nothing.Finally, exhausted, panting, lungs on fire, he had to give up.After he rejoined Susie, Susie broke open a cereal bar and handed him half. Shamir couldn't swallow, the movement hurt so much that his heart was pinched. "How much longer?" Susie asked. "If we can distribute the food and collect enough water, it will take about six days without the avalanche blocking the sinkhole." "I actually wanted to ask you how long we can live, but I think you have answered me." "It won't take so long for the rescue team to come to us." "They can't find it, you said it yourself. They won't go down this crevice. I can't climb that rock ledge you mentioned earlier, even if I can climb there, climbing sixty meters in a row The high vertical patio was also beyond my physical capacity." Shamir sighed. "Father told me that if you can't see the whole picture, take it step by step. If you can do each step in turn, then these small successes will eventually help you achieve the big goal. Tomorrow morning, as long as the sun gives We have enough light, let's figure out how to get to the ledge on that rock wall. As for the shaft above, if we need to wait another day, then we will wait. Now, to save battery, let's turn off the light. " In the enveloping darkness, Shamir and Susie listened to the sound of the wind sweeping the mountains above.Susie rested her head on Shamir's shoulder, begging for forgiveness.But Shamir was exhausted by the pain and had already fallen asleep. In the night, Susie was awakened by a thunderclap, and she realized for the first time that she might die in the mountainside.What frightened her most was not death itself, but the time before death.The crevice is not a space for the living, as she has seen before in the memoirs of other climbers. "It's not lightning," Shamir said softly, "it's an avalanche. Go to sleep and don't think about death, never." "I didn't think so." "You hugged me so hard you woke me up. We still have a little time." "I don't want to wait any longer," said Susie. She got out of her sleeping bag and turned on the searchlight on her forehead. "I want to move my legs and feet. You can continue to sleep, I won't go far." Shamir no longer has the strength to follow Susie.He felt that with each breath, the air entering his lungs was getting a little less.If the situation continues to deteriorate, I am afraid that he will soon be short of oxygen due to poor breathing.He told Susie to be careful, and then went back to sleep. Susie walked deep into the cave while looking at the situation under her feet.People will never know where the bottom of the mountainside is, and the ice sheet under their feet may collapse at any time.She walked across the cavern's vault and into a long stone corridor, which she had discovered earlier, but Shamir ordered her to go back immediately.The expression on her face changed a little, and then she walked in without hesitation. "I know you are there, not far away, I have been looking for you for many years." She said to herself. She continued to walk deeper, noting every corner and every irregularity in the rock face.As she was getting deeper, the searchlight above her head suddenly shone a beam of silvery white light.Susie picked up the lantern and turned it on too.It was obviously unwise to waste so much battery in such a short time, but she was too excited to think about it.She grabbed the handle of the lantern and stretched out her hand: "Come out. I just want to find what's mine, what you shouldn't have taken from us." Susie moved closer to the source of the reflection.The ice cubes in this place are oddly shaped.She brushed the ice off the surface, and under the almost transparent shell she was sure she saw something metallic. For several years Susie had been convinced that the cave existed.She can't even remember how long she spent reading the travel notes of those mountaineers, to understand every detail around Mount Turna, to study the accident reports, to analyze all the photos, even the half century's history. Records of glacier activity, just to make sure I didn't miss a single detail.During the days of practicing mountaineering, she chose to keep silent about all the pain, just for the final goal. She glanced in the direction where Shamir was resting, but the distance was too far for Susie to see him clearly.She stepped forward, almost holding her breath. The stone corridor is getting wider and wider, and the surrounding stone walls are naturally carved, just like the outer walls of a cave dwelling village. Suddenly, Susie's heart beat faster. The cockpit of a Boeing 707 hangs over a pile of scrap iron in a "side-lying" position.In the despair that time could not dispel, it watched this strange visitor silently. A few steps away is the cabin, a pile of cables and frozen seats. There are all kinds of debris on the ground, most of which are metals that were deformed by the impact in the accident and fell off.The nose gear of the plane loomed in the middle of a pile of debris.In a block of ice a few meters from the ground, a broken old hatch can be seen, and the writing on it is still faintly legible. The first half of the Kanchenjunga is here, frozen in a tomb in the heart of the mountain. Susie approached slowly, excited and frightened by this new discovery. "Finally found you," she murmured, "I've been looking forward to this moment." She was lost in thought over the wreckage of the plane. She heard footsteps, turned around and saw the light of Shamir's wind lantern shining at the entrance of the cave.She thought for a moment, hesitating whether to speak or not. "I'm here." She stood up and said. She walked quickly towards Shamir, who had a look of displeasure on his face. "You should go on sleeping." "I know, but I feel like I'm suffocating and I'm worried about you. Did you find the exit over there?" "not yet." "Then what else can you do to waste the battery like this?" Susie didn’t say anything, just looked at Shamir.The look on his face was not all the result of physical pain, but the awareness of danger.This expression reminded Susie of their current situation, and she had almost forgotten about it. "Go and rest. I'll go back after looking at this place again." Shamir pushed her away and walked into the cave.His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the wreckage of the plane. "Isn't it impressive?" Susie asked. She shone the light on the Hindi writing on the hatch, and Shamir looked at it, wondering if she should move on. "This should be the wreck of the 'Malabar Princess'?" Shamir guessed. "No, the 'Malabar Princess' is a four-engine propeller plane, this is the 'Kangchenjunga'." "How do you know?" "It's a long story," Susie replied. "You knew it was going to be here?" "I wish it was here." "The reason why you must come to climb Mont Blanc is to find this plane?" "Yes, but don't. I was going to tell you on the way back." "You knew about the existence of this cave before?" "Three years ago a climber found the entrance to the side of Mount Turna. It was in the summer and he heard the sound of an underground river flowing behind the ice wall. He opened a passage and walked straight Got to the top of the patio, but didn't come down." "You've been lying to me all these days? Did you already want to do it when you came to my house?" "I'll tell you everything, Shamir. Once you know why, you'll understand me," Susie said as she walked towards the plane. Shamir took her arm. "This place is a mausoleum. It is sacred and we should not disturb the dead. Come on, let's get out of here," he ordered. "I'm not going to ask you for an hour to look at the cockpit. And we don't know if this stone gallery leads to a better path than your patio." Susie walked to the plane while Shamir looked around in the cave.The sight in front of her fascinated Susie.In the cockpit, the instrument panel has been calcified and covered with a tongue of ice that has corroded the outer iron sheet.She wondered what the strange mass on the driver's seat was, then turned around again, trying to get the horrible image out of her mind.Then, she turned around and walked towards the cabin, which landed on its side, and the seats inside were upturned by the shock wave during the fall. Rescue teams were on the scene the day after the plane crashed and recovered the wing, tail and part of the cockpit left behind by the impact.Over the past few decades, under the movement of the Posong Glacier, the engine, nose landing gear and passengers' belongings of the "Kangchenjunga" have finally been seen again.In the accident report that Susie could almost recite, it clearly stated that the cockpit and first-class cabin of the plane had never been found.Some investigators think they should have been shattered into pieces on impact, while others think they should have been swallowed up by an ice crevasse, like the abyss drowning a ship.Susie's discovery proved the latter group's guess was correct. Beside Susie, there were six frozen corpses. Their clothes were full of holes, making them look like mummies.She knelt in the center of this tragic scene, looking at the same kind who had lost their lives because of a few meters and a few seconds of error.The investigation report shows that if the pilot had realized that the position indication was wrong a minute earlier, he could have pulled up the fuselage and passed the summit.But on the morning of January 24, 1966, 117 people lost their lives here, and six of them died beside Suzy. Susie was about to go further into the cabin when Shamir suddenly appeared behind her. "You shouldn't be doing this," he said slowly. "What are you looking for?" "Things that belong to me. If any of your kind is among these people, don't you want to find something that belongs to him?" "Is your family among these people?" "It's a complicated story. I promise to tell you everything when we get out of here." "Why didn't you say it before?" "Otherwise you wouldn't have come with me." Susie said as she walked towards a corpse. This should be a woman.She stretched her hands forward, as if to make a final struggle before facing death.The wedding ring on the ring finger of her right hand was completely calcified, her feet were stuck between two iron bars under the seat, and a cosmetic bag that was so frozen that it could hardly see its shape fell there. "Who were you?" Susie muttered on one knee, "Are your husband and children waiting for you to go back?" Shamir reluctantly approached and also knelt down. “别碰任何东西，”他对苏茜说，“这不属于我们。” 苏茜又转向另一具遗骸。一个金属制的手提箱被一条铁链和一副手铐固定在了尸体的手腕上。她拿灯照过去，发现箱面上有几个尚可辨认的印地语文字。 “这是什么意思？”苏茜问道。 “怎么跟你说呢？几乎都已经看不清了。” “你一个字都看不出来吗？” 沙米尔靠近了那个箱子。 “主人名叫阿代什，可我看不出他姓什么。他应该是位外交官，这边写着'外交使命，请勿开启'。” 苏茜什么都没说。她轻轻抬起了尸骨的手腕，用力把它扯了下来。然后她取下了手铐，拿走了手提箱。 “你疯了！”沙米尔惊愕地喊道。 “里面的文献或许有史料价值。”苏茜镇定地说。 “我不能看着你做这些事，但我太累了，根本没法跟你吵，我回去睡了。不管怎样，你在浪费时间。爬那个天井已经很难了，你不能再带上个箱子。” 苏茜看了他一眼。她取下腰带上的钩环，甩在手提箱外面的冰壳上。箱口、锁链、弹簧全部都向四处飞开。 这个箱子应当防火，可是并不太防水。她发现了一根鹅毛笔，笔身已经完全被冻住了，还有半包威尔斯香烟、一个银的打火机、一个冻得硬邦邦的牛皮手包。苏茜拿起了包，把它塞进了登山裤里。 “你找到通道了吗？”她站起身来。 “你会给我们带来不幸的。” “走吧，”苏茜对沙米尔说，“我们要节省电池，现在回去睡觉。等到天亮我们就试着出去。” 她没有等沙米尔回答就离开了石廊，回到了放睡袋的地方。 等阳光射进山腹的时候，苏茜看到沙米尔脸色不太好。在这几小时中，他的情况又恶化了，脸色苍白得让人担忧。如果他不说话也不动的话，苏茜就觉得在她旁边的好像是一具尸体。她努力地为他取暖，强迫他喝了水，又吃了一条谷物棒。 “你能爬吗？”她问道。 “我们没有选择。”沙米尔喘着气说。但是这句话又加剧了一直在折磨他的痛楚。 “要不我们扔掉背包好减轻重量？”苏茜建议道。 “就算爬上去了，”沙米尔看着天井说，“我们也只完成了一半的路程。还要下到山谷里。我可不想出了这条山缝却死于寒冷。给。”他把压在睡袋下的两把登山镐递给了苏茜。 “你找到它们了？”苏茜惊叹道。 “你现在才想到这一点？我几乎都不认识你了。从我们掉下这条缝隙开始，我就失去了那个和我系在同一条安全索上的伙伴，可是没有她我根本无法离开这里。” 起身后，沙米尔脸上有了一点儿血色，呼吸也顺畅了一些。他向苏茜讲解了如何攀爬。他让苏茜在前面先爬，确认岩壁哪些地方可以落脚，他在后面系着登山绳，跟着她。 挂满冰凌的岩壁就在他们面前，好像大教堂里的手风琴。苏茜紧了紧背包的袋子，深吸了一口气，抓住了石壁。沙米尔目不转睛地盯着她，告诉她要把脚放在哪里，手抓住哪里，是应当拉紧绳子还是适当放松。 刚开始的十五米，他们足足用了一个小时。在二十米的高度上，她发现了一个小小的岩台，可以坐在上面。她用腿撑住石壁，取下保险带上一端的铁钩，用力把它插进了冰里。在确定了是否牢固之后，她挂上了一个滑轮，穿上绳子，重复着这些沙米尔教过她无数遍的动作。 “好了，你可以上来了。”她喊道，试着看向下面。但由于整个人都缩在石台上面，她只能看到自己的膝盖和鞋。 沙米尔在完成前几米的时候，一直是跟着苏茜之前的路径。他每向上一点儿，痛苦就大一点儿。有好几次他都以为自己永远也做不到了。 “一步一步来。”脑海中有个微小的声音告诉他。 沙米尔发现上方三米处有一个小小的洞穴，他花了十五分钟爬到了那里，并暗自决定从这个地狱脱身后，一定要告诉父亲是他的建议救了他一命。 其实他脑海中还有另一个声音，跟他说所有这些努力都是徒劳的，还不如在山缝底部好好休息、终结痛苦来得明智。但沙米尔决定无视它，时间一秒一秒地流逝，他的手在发力，一米一米向上攀缘。 他们花了三个小时，终于爬到了峭壁上那个突出的部分。只要情况允许，苏茜就注视着在她身后攀爬的沙米尔，欣赏着他简洁的动作，这些动作在格雷斯峰上曾经那样让她着迷。 来到这里，已经是初步的胜利了，虽然他们知道之后还有更艰辛的路要走。沙米尔用手套捧起了野营毯上的雪，给了苏茜一把。 “吃下去。”他对她说。 然后沙米尔也吃了些雪。苏茜注意到他嘴唇上的雪都变成了红色。 “你在流血。”苏茜低声说。 “我知道，而且呼吸越来越困难了。但是我们还有很长的路要走。” “太阳很快就要下山了。” “这就是为什么我请你不要浪费电池去考察那个岩洞。我不可能在这里坚持一整夜了，我没力气了，”沙米尔喘息着说，“要不我们现在继续爬，要不明早你就丢下我走吧。” “我们继续。”苏茜回答道。 沙米尔给她上了最后一节登山课，苏茜从来没有如此认真过。 “你要隔一段时间再开探灯，好节约电源。在昏暗的环境下，要相信你的手，它们往往比眼睛更可靠，能帮助你找到合适的受力点。如果你要跃到别的位置，一定要保证有一只脚是踩在牢固的地方的。如果你觉得无法辨别方向，也只有在这种情况下，你才能打开风灯，记清楚前面有什么，然后就关掉。” 苏茜把沙米尔的话重复了好几次，然后就去拿登山镐。 “不要再等了，趁着还有点儿光。”沙米尔恳求道。 苏茜站起身来，半蹲在岩台上。她慢慢地伸长身体，把登山镐戳进岩壁里。第一跳……她上升了五米，然后稍微休息了一下，就继续向上。 这个竖井足够宽，虽然岩壁在逐渐靠近，但是距离还是很适合攀爬。她已经在沙米尔上方二十米了。苏茜敲入了一枚新的登山钉，重复确认了绳子是否牢固，然后将身子后仰，希望能在沙米尔爬的时候拉他一把。 沙米尔把苏茜的每一个举动都看在眼里。他在岩台上站起身来，把登山鞋底的铁钉踩入冰层，腿上发力，随后就开始往上爬。 他几乎没有停顿。苏茜一直在鼓励他。他中途停下来喘了口气，苏茜就开始列举他们回到巴尔的摩之后可以做的事情。但沙米尔并没有听她说什么，而是把所有的注意力都集中在将要完成的动作上。他的努力有了成果。很快，他就感到苏茜的手在抚摸他的头顶。他抬起头，看到她倒吊在半空中，注视着他。 “你应该确保安全，而不是做这些可笑的事情。”沙米尔恨恨地说。 “我们能出去。已经完成三分之二了，而且我们还是能看清四周。” “外面应该是晴天。”沙米尔喘着粗气。 “明天早上，我们就可以躺在雪地上看太阳了，你听到我说的话了吗？” “听到了，”沙米尔喘息着说，“现在，你应该站起身来，把你的位置留给我。我要在这里休息一下，你继续爬。” “听我说，”苏茜说，“现在距地面最多只有二十米了。刚刚我真的看到了外面的天。我们有足够的绳子。我现在一口气爬上去，然后把你拉上来。” “你头部朝下太久了，都开始说胡话了。我太沉了。” “沙米尔，这次你就听我的吧，你根本不能继续爬了，这一点我们都清楚。我们一定会从这个该死的洞里出去的，我发誓！” 沙米尔知道苏茜说得对。每吸一口气，他都觉得肺在嘶鸣，而每呼一口气，嘴里都会有血流出来。 “好吧，”他说，“你先爬，然后我们再看怎么办。我们有两个人，应该可以做到。” “我们当然可以做到。”苏茜重复道。 苏茜调整了一下姿势，好把身体转过来，沙米尔却突然咒骂了一句。 “插登山镐的时候，我们要听一下声音，然后再看看它。”这是爬格雷斯峰的时候沙米尔教给她的。但那个时候是夏天……沙米尔的登山镐发出了一阵古怪的声音，苏茜也听到了。他试着把登山镐插在别的地方，但是手臂却无法动弹。接着他就听到了断裂的声音。那些已经被苏茜的登山钉弄得有些松动的冰凌，现在都开始碎落。 沙米尔知道他只有几秒钟时间了。 “拉住我！”他一边叫喊，一边试着跃到其他地方。 冰块整个掉了下去。苏茜的身子前倾，试图抓住沙米尔的手，另一只手则紧紧抓住保险带。她感到登山裤里的手包在向下滑落，不由得分了心，也就在这一瞬间，沙米尔的手从她手里滑了出去。 下冲力很大，登山绳完全绷紧了，苏茜几乎无法呼吸，但她还是咬牙坚持。 “爬上来，”苏茜喊道，“爬上来！抓住！” 她身上的每一个部位都在使劲儿，只能试图保持平衡，好帮助沙米尔再爬上来。 沙米尔觉得他唯一的生机就是做一个滑轮装置了。苏茜看到他在抓保险带旁边的一根登山绳，就明白了他的意图。滑轮装置可以自动锁死。如果不受力的话，它就会滑动。可以把它挂在弹簧钩上，拉住它，然后再想办法向上爬。 沙米尔的眼前变得越来越模糊，他的动作也越发笨拙。他想抓住保险带旁的那根细绳，绳子却从他手上滑了出去。 他抬起头，看着苏茜，耸了耸肩。 看着上面悬在半空的苏茜，他开始解背包的一条肩带。他任凭它从肩膀上滑了下来，然后准确地从包的外袋里找到他一直放在那儿的小折刀。 “沙米尔，不要这样！”苏茜在哭喊。 她喘息着，哭泣着，看着沙米尔划断了背包的另一根肩带。 “不要哭了，我们两个人太重，不可能爬上去。”他喘着粗气说。 “我发誓我们一定能出去。给我点儿时间让我找个受力点，我一定能把你拉上去的！”苏茜恳求道。 沙米尔划断了背带，两个人都听到了登山包落在地上的沉重的响声。然后，就是一片寂静，只能听到他们急促的呼吸声。 “你真的想在山顶向我求婚吗？”沙米尔抬头问道。 “我想让你在山顶向我求婚，”苏茜回答，“你一定要做到。” “我们现在就要交换誓言了。”沙米尔脸上挂着苦涩的微笑。 “等我们出去再说，现在不行。” “苏茜，你愿意接受我做你的丈夫吗？” “别说了沙米尔，求你了，别再说了！” 沙米尔的视线一直停留在苏茜的脸上，他接着说道： “我爱你。你来敲我家门的那天我就爱上你了，这份爱一直在随着时间增长。我想亲吻我的新娘，可是你离我太远了。” 沙米尔在手套上留下了一个吻，然后把它远远地抛给了苏茜。然后，他就解开了他和苏茜之间的绳子。 沙米尔掉下山缝之后，苏茜在上面一直喊到嗓子变哑。她没有听到沙米尔身体撞击在冰上的声音。她只是悬在半空，在宁静的黑暗中一动不动，直到寒冷侵蚀了她的整个身体。 之后，她想到沙米尔付出生命，是为了让她能活下去，如果现在放弃，他的牺牲就变得毫无意义了。 苏茜下定决心，又打开了探灯，向出口爬去，她用双腿支撑住身体，利用登山钉缓缓向上。 每次登山钉敲进冰里，她就会听到雪落下山缝的声音，然后就会想到这些雪会盖住沙米尔的身体。 苏茜在昏暗中拼命向上爬，双眼含泪，紧咬着牙关。耳边仍然回荡着沙米尔的声音，还有他给的建议，她似乎还能听到他的心跳、感受到他的皮肤，就好像曾经在那温暖的床上一样。他的舌尖似乎还在她的口中、在她的乳房上、在她的腹部，甚至在她的女性地带。还能感受到他的手掌温柔地揽住她，将她搂入怀中。他的手掌推着苏茜不断向前，要帮她逃离这座白色的地狱。 凌晨3点钟，苏茜的手指终于触到了山缝的边缘。她撑住地面，把整个身体都抽了出来，然后跌坐在地上，终于看到了繁星密布的天空。苏茜摊开手脚，发出了野兽般的号叫，周围挂满冰凌的石壁发出银色的反光，就好像马戏团的看客。 在她周围，群山都笼罩着一层金属般的色彩。她辨认着一座座山峰和它们颈上的雪线。山风越来越大，在冰凌间穿梭呼啸。远处，风声中夹杂着岩壁断裂的声音，碎裂的石块撞击着地上的花岗岩，溅起一连串的火花。苏茜仿佛置身于另外一个世界，但这个世界没有沙米尔。 沙米尔警告过苏茜：“就算爬了上去，我们也只完成了一半的路程。还要下到山谷里。” 时间紧迫。苏茜的登山裤也和她一样坚持不住了。她的腰部和腿部都感到了冷气的侵袭。糟糕的是，她感觉不到自己的手指。苏茜站起身来，抓起背包，仔细研究接下来的路线。出发之前，她跪在山缝之前，望着远处的勃朗峰，咒骂着这该死的山，并保证有一天一定会从它手里把沙米尔夺回来。 下山的过程中，苏茜觉得身体好像都不是自己的了。她就像一个黑夜里的梦游者。大山让她为自己的挑衅付出了代价。 风更猛烈了。苏茜走在这片纯白里，什么都看不到。每走一步，她都能听到脚下冰块破碎的声音。 最后，她筋疲力尽，只能在一块岩石的背面避风。虽然她一直把右手放在上衣口袋里取暖，可是那里还是传来了难以忍受的痛苦。她摘下围巾，做成了一个简易的手套，看着指节处黑色的冻疮，不由得低低咒骂了几句。苏茜打开背包，从中拿出了暖炉，用最后一点儿燃气融化了一些冰，补充了一点儿水分。微弱的火光中，她拿起了那个让沙米尔付出生命的手包，想看看里面究竟有什么。 包里有一封用塑料信封装着的盖有印鉴的信，苏茜担心把它弄坏，就暂时没有打开，还有一张女人的照片和一把红色的钥匙。她小心地合上了手包，把它放回到登山裤里面。 救援人员在凹凸不平的冰碛处发现了她，当时苏茜躺在地上几乎失去了意识。她的脸颊被冻得通红，没有手套的手上满是黑色的血迹。但是最让救援人员印象深刻的，是苏茜的那双眼睛，好像在讲述之前发生的惨剧。