Morning in the mountains came quietly.
No alarm clocks.
No city noise.
No honking traffic or distant construction.
Only wind.
Rishabh woke to the soft rattling sound of prayer flags outside the lodge window. For a few seconds he stared at the wooden ceiling above him, trying to remember where he was.
Then the cold air brushing his face reminded him.
Nepal.
Everest expedition camp.
Today the trek began.
He sat up slowly and stretched, his muscles still stiff from the brutal twenty-one-hour drive the previous day. His body protested immediately.
"Great," he muttered. "And I haven't even started climbing yet."
Outside the window, the early Himalayan dawn painted the mountains in pale gold. Snow-covered peaks glowed under the rising sun like enormous frozen towers.
The sight instantly woke him up.
This was real.
He was actually here.
Rishabh quickly packed his gear, double-checked his backpack straps, and stepped outside.
The air was sharp and freezing.
The camp was already awake.
Trekkers moved around the courtyard adjusting equipment, tightening boot straps, and checking oxygen meters. The guides stood near the equipment shed discussing the route for the day.
Dorje noticed Rishabh and waved him over.
"Breakfast first," he said.
Rishabh didn't argue.
Inside the dining lodge, a simple meal waited—eggs, toast, butter, and steaming cups of tea.
The group slowly gathered around the tables.
Now that Rishabh saw everyone properly in daylight, he began recognizing faces.
There was a tall American man named Mark who had climbed in the Andes before.
A quiet Japanese woman named Aiko who barely spoke but listened carefully to every instruction.
Two German brothers who seemed far too confident for their own good.
A middle-aged couple from Australia.
And several others from different parts of the world.
Fifteen people in total.
Rishabh realized he was probably the least experienced among them.
Dorje clapped his hands once.
"Finish breakfast. We leave in thirty minutes."
Excitement mixed with nervous energy spread through the room.
This was it.
The trek had officially begun.
---
The group left camp shortly after sunrise.
The path started gently enough.
A narrow dirt trail wound through the valley, surrounded by rocky slopes and scattered patches of snow.
At first the walking felt easy.
Almost relaxing.
Rishabh fell into rhythm behind the two German brothers as they followed Dorje along the trail.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The sound of boots pressing against frost-covered ground echoed quietly.
Cold wind flowed through the valley but the sun slowly warmed the air.
Rishabh breathed deeply.
The mountain air felt incredibly clean compared to the polluted city air he was used to.
For the first hour, the trek felt almost peaceful.
People talked quietly while walking.
Occasional laughter broke the silence.
The trail climbed slowly through forests of dark pine trees before opening into a wide rocky valley.
Snow appeared more frequently now.
Dorje stopped the group at a small clearing.
"Water break," he announced.
Everyone dropped their backpacks gratefully.
Rishabh took a long sip from his bottle while looking around.
The mountains here felt different.
Larger.
Closer.
The valley walls rose sharply on both sides, towering thousands of feet above them.
"Beautiful, right?" Mark said, standing beside him.
Rishabh nodded.
"Unreal."
Mark smiled.
"Enjoy it while you can."
Rishabh raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Mark pointed toward the distant peaks ahead.
"That's where things start getting serious."
---
Two hours later, the trail began climbing steeply.
The easy walking disappeared.
Now every step required effort.
Rishabh quickly realized why Dorje had emphasized pace during training.
If you walked too fast, your breathing became unstable.
If you walked too slow, you risked falling behind.
So everyone followed the same steady rhythm.
Step.
Breath.
Step.
Breath.
The higher they climbed, the thinner the air felt.
Rishabh could feel his lungs working harder already.
The mountains seemed to grow more hostile with altitude.
The trees vanished.
The ground became rocky and uneven.
Snow covered large sections of the trail.
Wind gusts struck suddenly from the cliffs above.
The group moved more carefully now.
Conversation disappeared.
Each trekker focused on their own breathing.
Rishabh glanced behind him occasionally.
The valley below looked impossibly far away.
They had climbed a long way already.
But Everest still remained somewhere far beyond the visible peaks.
---
Around midday, Dorje raised his hand.
"Stop."
Everyone froze instantly.
The group gathered near a narrow ledge overlooking a steep drop.
Dorje pointed ahead.
"This section is dangerous."
The trail ahead had become extremely narrow.
Snow covered most of the ground, hiding loose rocks underneath.
One wrong step could send someone sliding down the slope.
"Follow exactly where I step," Dorje said calmly.
"Do not rush."
One by one, the trekkers began crossing the ledge.
Rishabh's turn came soon.
He placed his boot carefully into the footprints left by the guide.
The snow crunched under his weight.
Wind pushed against his body from the side.
He forced himself not to look down.
Just follow the steps.
Just keep moving.
After what felt like forever, the ledge widened again.
Rishabh exhaled in relief.
But not everyone crossed safely.
Halfway across the ledge, one of the German brothers slipped.
His foot lost grip on the icy rock.
For a split second his body tilted toward the cliff edge.
Someone shouted.
The man grabbed a rock and stabilized himself just in time.
Dorje quickly moved forward and helped him regain balance.
Everyone stood silently after that.
The mountains had given them their first warning.
---
The trek continued for several more hours.
Fatigue began creeping into everyone's movements.
The wind grew colder.
Clouds slowly rolled across the peaks.
Rishabh checked his watch.
They had been trekking for nearly eight hours.
Dorje finally stopped near a wide plateau surrounded by jagged ridges.
"We rest here," he announced.
Some trekkers immediately sat down.
Others collapsed onto the snow.
Rishabh dropped his backpack and stretched his aching shoulders.
From this height, the world looked unreal.
The valley below was now a distant landscape of white and grey.
Somewhere far beyond the mountains ahead stood Mount Everest.
But they were still only halfway.
Dorje walked toward the group with a serious expression.
"We continue tomorrow," he said.
Then he looked around slowly.
Counting.
Once.
Twice.
His expression darkened.
"We are missing two people."
The group exchanged confused glances.
"Who?" someone asked.
Dorje checked the list again.
"The German brother who slipped earlier… and the Australian woman."
Silence spread across the plateau.
Rishabh's stomach tightened.
"What do you mean missing?" Mark asked.
Dorje's voice remained calm.
"They did not reach the plateau."
"Maybe they are just behind us," someone said.
Dorje shook his head slowly.
"No."
The wind howled across the mountain ridge.
Fifteen trekkers had started the journey that morning.
Now only thirteen had arrived.
And somewhere behind them, deep within the silent mountains…
two people had vanished.
The expedition had barely begun.
And already the mountains were claiming lives.