They Left Me Behind

Synopsis

It was Christmas, and our family had a trip. Halfway through our trip, my husband and his parents suddenly disappeared. After searching for a while, I opened a tablet and found a group chat. My husband: [Kaylie, I've shaken off my wife. Coming to join you for the Aotai Traverse snow hike!] Kaylie Hebert: [Hurry up, I'm already waiting in Ashwick Village. Let's head to Camp 2800 and enjoy the Christmas snow!] I wasn't in the group. I looked up at the towering mountain in the distance. My sister-in-law Elissa tried to stop me. [That's Aotai Traverse. It's dangerous and not that interesting. Charlotte, don't look.] More messages kept popping up. Mother-in-law: [It's cold up there. I'll stay at the base and wait for you.] Father-in-law: [Alright, we'll take some photos and come back down.] Come back down? I got into the driver's seat. "Before they return, we're going to Ashwick Village too," I said calmly. Elissa froze. "What? No!" She frantically typed in the group: [Charlotte is coming to Ashwick Village—Mom, go hide on the mountain. Dad, Michael, Kaylie, stay up there longer.] Longer? By then, the storm warning had already escalated—nine-level winds, freezing rain, blizzard conditions. Nobody was coming back down.