Zac let out another cry and clawed at the bed. Tears streamed down his cheeks and eyes were swollen. Everything was moving too fast for him, and he had to lay down for a second. Big mistake. There was a clock beside the bed, and he glanced sidelong at it through his tears. 3:17 in the morning. The call had come only three hours earlier. He closed his eyes and flashed back, remembering it all.

Three Hours Earlier

Zac was happily beating Isaac at a never-ending game of MarioKart when the phone rang.

"Maybe its Tay," Isaac said, nodding at the phone. Zac smiled and picked it up.

"Hello," he said politely.

"Zac, let me talk to Ike," Christen's voice came over the phone.

"Kay," he agreed, handing the phone to his older brother. "It's not Tay," he whispered. "It's Christen."

"Sup Chris?" Isaac said. He listened for a minute as Zac watched in amusement. First his brows arched and his eyes got bigger. Then he screwed up his mouth, and then he stuck out his tongue and bit it. Zac impersonated him for a laugh, but Isaac just frowned at him and grabbed him by the elbow. "And you're sure they aren't out there?" he asked. Then to Zac's amazement, his brother's face seemed to drop. "We're on our way," he said as he hung up the phone.

"What?" Zac asked. "What's wrong Ike?"

Isaac held his grip on Zac's elbow and sat down on the bed, directly Zac's height. Then he removed his hand and grabbed Zac by both shoulders, holding him firmly in place.

"Zac," Isaac said. His voice cracked and Zac knew that something was wrong. "Tay and Nic are....they didn't come back with the group. And they never left the resort. And the ski patrol just covered the whole mountain, but they didn't find them."

"What?" Zac asked, laughing nervously. "Oh, it's a joke, right? Right Isaac? Just a joke. Ha ha! Very funny."

"Zac-" Isaac began.

"They aren't missing!" Zac yelled suddenly. "Tay and Nic aren't missing. Maybe they're playing a trick on us. It's a trick Ike. Not real." But at that moment something happened to show Zac that his brother was very serious.

Isaac's eyes filled up with tears. He NEVER cried. Zac had only seen Isaac cry about three times in his life. Isaac was the strongest person he knew. And now he was crying.

"No," Zac said in a small voice. "It can't be true Ike." His normally loud voice was a faint whisper. "Not Tay. Not Nic." Then, probably due to shock, he sat down on the floor, hard. Isaac still held his grip on the boy's shoulders, and the force pulled him down to the floor too. They sat there for a moment, locked in a panicked embrace. "We're going to find them Zac," Isaac whispered. With that he pulled Zac up to his feet and led him out the door and down the hall to Christen's room.

"Can't someone shut him up?" Shannen asked from her place in a corner opposite from Zac.

"Let him cry," Isaac and Christen said at the same time. They looked up sadly at each other before returning to their painful states of mind.

"We can handle this," Isaac continued.

"Not right now," Christen said. "It's too dark, and it's too cold. We'd never find them on this huge mountain tonight."

"So we're just going to let them stay out all night?" Isaac asked. "What if they're hurt? They could DIE Chris!"

Zac let out another pained wail and Isaac quickly stood to comfort him. "They aren't going to die Zac," Isaac whispered, hugging his brother. "We're going to find them." But this didn't help. After three hours of crying, Zac showed no sign of letting up. Isaac sighed and sat down on the bed beside him. "We should at least try," Isaac said.

"I guess we should," Christen agreed. She and Isaac put on their coats and snow pants quickly. "Shan, you and Zac go to your room with Laura. We'll go and take Hunter, Nick, Drew, and Josh."

And with that they walked out the door to gather up the others, not knowing what to tell everyone else to expect when they return.

"Taylor, baby, I know you're hurt. But you have to come back to me," she said aloud. She had once heard that talking to people who are unconscious can awaken them. "Please wake up," she pleaded as calmly as she could through her rising hysteria. "Please. You'll die out here. And I can't let you do that. You're my best friend Taylor. I need you. Ike needs you, and Zac needs you. Your family and other friends need you. Please come back to me."

She ran her fingertips over his closed eyelids, revealing that he was still out. Sighing and sitting down beside him, she began yet another one-sided conversation.

"Yes we are," Isaac said. "I have to. For my parents. And for my brothers and sisters. I have to find him."

Christen sighed and trudged along beside him. "Can we at least rest for a minute?" she asked.

"Sure," Isaac said, looking relieved. "Let's rest for a sec guys," he said to the boys. They all muttered agreements. They found a dry place in the woods with their flashlights and sat down.

"Brrr...I'm freezing," Christen said. She shivered and rubbed her hands together.

"Everyone is Chris," Nick said. "Ike, we aren't gonna find them tonight."

"How do you know?" Hunter asked, taking up Isaac's side. "What if they freeze to death out here tonight Nick?"

Nick muttered an apology and shoved his hands in his pockets.

One hour later

"Guys, it's almost 5 AM. We should go back to our rooms for a while and get some rest," Christen pleaded. She looked at Isaac expectantly.

"Fine," he said in a soft voice. "You guys aren't making any progress being this tired," he explained, trying to convince himself. They were at the bottom of the mountain once again, so they only had to walk a short way back to their rooms. Everyone turned and began to go back, but Isaac turned and started the other way.

"Ike?" Christen yelled. "You're not coming?"

"Dammit Chris, didn't I already tell you? My little brother and my girlfriend are out there somewhere," he said, gesturing to the woods. "Do you expect me to go back to my warm, comfy hotel room and have a peaceful sleep?"

Christen sighed. "I guess not. Well, if you're not going in, then I'm not either," she said.

"Don't come with me if you don't want to," Isaac said. "I'm going to cover the woods again."

"I can handle it," Chris said. Isaac turned and Christen followed him, deep into the woods. They had no idea of anything that lurked there or even if Tay and Nic were anywere in there. Despite the hope that Isaac was giving off, Christen felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into a state of dread and despair. Little did she know, Isaac himself was feeling exactly the same way.