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Neither was real.
His body was beginning to struggle against dehydration and fatigue.
Late that afternoon another sound reached the mountain.
A helicopter.
Unlike before, this aircraft flew slowly.
Very slowly.
Almost as though it were searching every inch of rock.
Ethan carefully peeked outside.
The helicopter carried advanced search equipment beneath its nose.
He immediately understood.
Thermal imaging.
His rocky hiding place concealed him visually.
But body heat might tell another story.
His pulse quickened.
If the camera detected him, hiding would end within minutes.
He reached into his survival pouch.
Inside lay an emergency thermal bivy.
During survival school an instructor had briefly explained that reflective emergency shelters could sometimes reduce detectable body heat when used correctly.
At the time it seemed like trivia.
Now it might decide whether he lived.
Working carefully, Ethan wrapped himself completely inside the reflective material while pressing against the cold rock behind him.
The helicopter approached.
Closer.
Closer.
Its engines echoed through the valley.
The aircraft slowed almost directly above the crevice.
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut.
He could actually feel the vibration inside the stone walls.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Thirty.
He prepared himself for voices.
For ropes.
For discovery.
Instead…
The helicopter slowly turned away.
It continued down the valley.
Ethan opened his eyes in disbelief.
Somehow…
It had missed him.
Relief nearly overwhelmed him.
But celebration would have to wait.
He was still trapped.
Another freezing night arrived.
His fingers had become numb.
His lips cracked from dehydration.
His injured shoulder had swollen badly.
He realized something difficult.
If rescue didn’t arrive soon, the mountain would defeat him long before anyone else could.
As dawn broke on the second morning, Ethan made a decision.
Remaining hidden no longer increased his chances of survival.
It reduced them.
He slowly climbed from the crevice.
Every movement hurt.
The sky had finally cleared.
Sunlight reflected brilliantly across fresh snow.
Far in the distance another rescue helicopter searched the neighboring ridge.
This one flew a different pattern.
Hope returned.
Ethan removed a small signal mirror from his survival vest.
His hand trembled violently.
He aimed.
One flash.
Nothing.
The helicopter continued flying.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
His arm felt like it might collapse.
“This is it,” he whispered.
He steadied himself against the rock.
Took one final breath.