CHAPTER 3
Zane
The darkness pressed down around me. I forced myself to focus. This mission was too important to fail. There was too much at stake for me and my team; I couldn’t let them down.
I took a deep breath and remembered my training. The fear disappeared from my body. My breathing relaxed, my heartbeat steadied, and I took a confident step forward.
I knew what I had to do.
I walked half a mile before I heard the shot. My heart stopped as I whirled around, facing the direction it came from. It had come from my left, where I knew Leo was moving in the same direction as me.
No one knew where we were, so there shouldn’t have been any gunfire; it wasn’t that kind of mission.
It took a fraction of a second, just long enough for me to question breaking my orders, before another shot echoed around me. Then the third.
My orders were clear—if the mission is compromised, locate my team and return to camp.
Without a second thought, I took off running through the darkness faster than ever. My legs moving quickly beneath me, I felt like a wild animal bounding through the forest. The only noise I made was the rustling of my pants. Nothing and no one was going to stop me.
I closed the distance in less than a minute, my gun raised.
I saw him immediately, but he hadn’t seen me yet.
Without hesitation, I fired. He collapsed.
I spun around, checking for more, but everything seemed calm I turned my attention to finding Leo. My instinct was to call out to him, but my training forced me to hold my tongue. Whatever happened, I couldn’t risk giving away my location.
Every noise I heard made my body tense. I felt like there were a million eyes on me and I expected to be shot each time my feet shifted. But there was no one in sight and I didn’t hear any gunshots for nearly five minutes.
I knew the rest of the team would be converging on me soon. I was the closest to Leo’s path, but McCoys and Logan weren’t far either. They would be there any second, and I still hadn’t located Leo.
“If the mission is compromised, locate your team and return to camp.”
Our orders were clear. I had to locate Leo before McCoys and Logan arrived so we could all get the hell out of dodge. We had to leave together, as a team.
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.