They heard Lizzy before they actually saw her, of course, which was all the more impressive because the tempest that swirled around them was loud and all-encompassing. Had she not been moaning and grunting with each tortuous movement, they might have walked right over her.

It was more than moaning, though. Rather, it was a series of grunts that one might make while painfully – very painfully and painstakingly – taking a treacherous step or movement forward. It was ...