My eyes scanned the ground around me, searching for any signs of Leo. I looked for blood, scattered gear—anything that would lead me to his location. But there was nothing. Nothing at all.
Frustrated, I continued my search, knowing I needed to find him fast. I’d already been exposed for far too long. Where were McCoys and Logan? Why weren’t they there yet? Had they been hit too?
As soon as their names entered my mind, they appeared beside me. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved closer to them.
We spoke in hushed whispers, our eyes constantly looking around.
“Find anything?” McCoys asked.
“Killed one. Still looking for Leo.”
“Split up?” Logan suggested.
“No,” McCoys shook his head hard. “Stick together. Let’s find him. We’re dark and I don’t like not having coms on.”
We moved deeper into the woods, our guns raised and our eyes darting. I strained my ears for any sounds that may help us find Leo, but everything was silent with the exception our soft footsteps as we inched through the woods.
Finally, we heard a scuffle a few yards to our right. I raised my gun higher and crept forward with McCoys and Logan on either side of me. I was sure the noise meant Leo was close, but we had to move slowly in case it wasn’t him.
The closer we got, the quieter everything became. We couldn’t even hear the scuffling anymore.
We couldn’t hear anything at all.
When I saw the blood at my feet, I knew the worst had happened. I raised my eyes and saw him lying with his back against a tree trunk. McCoys sucked in a ragged breath and Logan turned around aiming.
I threw my gun to the ground and ran to him, my whole body lurching forward. All of my training was forgotten in that moment, and all I could think about was reaching him.
I grabbed him and pulled him against my chest. My fingers searched frantically for a pulse, but it was too late.
He was already gone.
* * *
I sat up quickly, my heart racing and sweat running down my face. I tried to slow my breathing, but couldn’t shake the image of Leo lying dead against that tree.
It had been four months since our mission failed, but not a day went by where I didn’t think of Leo and wish I had done more. After weeks of counseling and conversations with my superiors, I knew there was nothing I could have done. I had acted perfectly and followed every protocol. I’d done everything I was supposed to.
Still, Leo was dead and I couldn’t help thinking I should have been able to save him. If only I had moved faster, ran harder, listened more intently—maybe he would still be alive.
CHAPTER 4
Zane
I shook my head and tried to clear the images from my mind, but they were burned inside my brain forever. No amount of therapy, sleep, or time would ever erase them. They were mine to hold onto. Forever.
I checked the clock and saw that it was two in the morning. I knew I should try to go back to sleep, but couldn’t bring myself to close my eyes; I didn’t want to see his face and bloody body again.
Without hesitation, I jumped from my bed and pulled on my sweatshirt. Sleep was no longer an option and I knew the only thing that might help was to move around.
I hurried down the stairs and out the front door. The second my feet hit the sidewalk, I started running.
The breeze shook me awake and the cool air cleared my senses. I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes while my feet beat a path beneath me. It wasn’t long before my body went into autopilot and I was able to run without any thought. The peaceful nothingness was more inviting than anything had been for a long time.
My legs tightened and my abs clenched, but I kept moving. My breathing was slow and steady. Even after months away, I was still trained for this. I could run at this pace for hours without breaking a sweat. My breathing never faltered and my sides would never ached. I had the body of a soldier and right then, as I ran through town, it was the only thing holding me together.
With my arms pumping beside me, I turned sharply down Peach Street. I ran quietly through the center of town, my eyes scanning the shop windows. Angel’s Café wouldn’t open for a few more hours, and the bank wouldn’t open until even later. The Joppa’s flower shop was always closed until noon on Sundays, and Melanie’s new stationary store wouldn’t open at all until Monday morning. Only the diner was open at this hour. I thought about stopping for a milkshake, but ran past without slowing down; it wasn’t the time for a diner trip.
I kept my pace as I put the town square behind me and moved farther into the surrounding neighborhoods. All the houses were dark, not a single light on anywhere. Only the street lights lit my path. I knew if anyone was awake, they wouldn’t come out to greet me; everyone was nervous around me since I had returned to Savage. While they idolized soldiers who stayed on the Savage base, attitudes changed once a formerly relocated solider returned. It was like they presumed any soldier who left the ‘safety’ of Savage and went out into the world was tainted. A hardened soldier with war wounds they couldn’t comprehend—I was now one of them, and no one wanted anything to do with me.