i left the small town in the distance, the blizzard engulfed it totally, a few plumes of smoke was all that gave it away, the world was white, as if all dimensions had come together in an unexpected singularity. my skin was on fire and the bag was getting heavier and heavier as my muscles were aching from their collective weight. who would have believed a million dollars would bear such density. i had a plan, it was simple, rob the bank, escape to the hills and hide out in the mountains until it was safe, no one knew me, my identity was a charade, i had left no evidence despite spending the weekend in the vault itself. but fate is a cruel mistress and the last thing i had planned was a freak blizzard like this, visibility zero, almost 20 ft of snow submerged the small town and the trek to the mountains was almost impossible. if i didn't find some sort of shelter soon, frost bite would claim me.
the bags were becoming impossible to carry, my fingers felt as though they were burning up and my cheeks ablaze, as for my nose i thought it had fallen from my face completely.
i had spent years preparing, meditation stood me in good stead and physically i was in peak condition, i was strong in many ways, and well trained in climbing so the idea of survival in the mountains held little fear, but as far as surviving these ferocious elements i was limited. i knew i would have to find shelter soon, an inner instinct whispered its priorities.
in my planning i had scouted and prepared a cave, high amongst the eastern side of the mountains, it was a treacherous path at the best of times, even in mild conditions the climb was deadly and only the most experienced mountaineers could ascend, i had practised over the last few months and knew the route relatively well, but the snow and ice conditions made it almost impossible now. yet my options were stripped away, there was no alternative, a life behind bars was no life. i would have to focus and trust the god of the peaks. my backpack was weighing me down, the two bags i carried were additional weight i could do without but the cash, the money, the focus of my desire. irony was tied in with my survival closer than i would know.
i'd been climbing in an easterly direction, i followed the sun, and as night came i used the stars, always moving, i knew enough to know that to stop would mean that certain death, that one hears about through fiction but never really faces in reality.
i must have reached half way, it was difficult to tell, my landmarks were obscured. my body was on auto pilot, my mind was slowly coming undone as fear ate its way inside.
i considered dumping one of the bags to lighten my load but even my mind was frozen. maybe i should just lay down and die. i stopped for a moment.
then suddenly there was a tremendous surge, directions converged, up and down were equal and i found myself in the air, grasping the bags not because of anything other than total panic and fear seized hold, i needed to grab something. i fell upon the backpack which broke my fall, all around me darkness but no snow. i was in some sort of subterranean passage.
i searched my pockets looking for the zippo and my cigarettes. i put the cigarette in my mouth and poised myself as i ignited the lighter. there was no telling what would be revealed. i momentarily thought i may see millions of bats overhead driven to frenzy by the sudden invasion of light, perhaps even subterranean faces, blind mole like creatures half worm half human, maybe a buried city or at least the skeletons of those who perished before me. but my expectations were met with something far worse. nothing. i was standing in the middle of nothing. no sky, no walls, no sides, no above just a cold rocky surface under my feet, nothingness. i was in an abyss. the cigarette was in my mouth the wrong way around, i noticed as i brought the flame up to my mouth and cursed aloud. 'Fuck!'
the word echoed for what must have been at least 20 minutes. I felt as if i was being tormented by myself. i sat upon the bags and smoked my cigarette, considering my options. i needed to find a way out, but how?
my body needed sleep and warmth, nourishment was a lesser necessity for the moment. my body was aching and defeat was upon me.
i carried myself forwards thinking if i found the edges of this chamber i may find some sense of perspective, but after an hour or so my body could no longer move and it's protest was to surrender to gravity.
i needed to make some sort of base camp, but all i carried was the lighter, two packs of cigarettes, a water flask (contents frozen), some biscuits and about one million dollars in unmarked bills. i pulled out a wads of cash and made a small tower, as if i were constructing a domino temple. there was no kindling, no bits of wood, no leaves no nature ere to assist me, just worthless paper. i lit the $1000.00 temple and watched the flames begin to rise. i almost threw myself upon the heat, but i was distracted by the wall nearby, for i had indeed found a perimeter and written upon the perimeter was a word. i threw another wad of cash on the fire watching the flames live again, resigned to my fate, and laughed and laughed. for there in large letters was the word, 'YASSASSIN'
LONG LIFE