Page 104 of Sawyer

Mouth dry and heart pounding, I watch as Rumor steps onto the solid ground, shaking the bridge. I close my eyes as it sways, and my hands clench the gritty ropes as nausea swells in my throat.

A shudder runs through me, and I wait until the bridge has almost stopped swaying before I continue on.

“One-third in, Sawyer,” I say, focusing on my breath and the next step. “I wonder who built this and why. What were they doing?” I swallow as I take another step toward Rumor, who stands there, nodding encouragingly. “How did they even get the bridge across this fall to hell?”

A board creaks beneath my foot, and I swallow bile.

“It’s fine. We are still alive. Keep moving, keep swimming, and do the thing. Well, maybe not swimming because then I’d be in the water below, and that’s not cool.” I ramble on and on until I make it to where Rumor was when I hopped on.

The bridge sways as Sin steps on. I can hear his groan from here, and I choose to focus on my movement, not his, even though he keeps swaying the bridge.

“It’s like the harbor,” I tell myself. “Like when Shep took you fishing and we went on the dock. It was a big dock. Very long. Lots of water. Waves. And look, you stepped on that with no problem, none at all.” I continue to talk to myself. “You didn’t even fall…” I hop into Rumor’s arms. “Off.”

“Were you talking to yourself?” he asks, hugging me close to his warm chest. He brushes a soft kiss across my forehead.

“How else does one cross a death bridge?” I clear my dry throat. “Because I don’t know any other way.”

“Understood.” He sets me down. “Help me anchor the rope.”

“Why?” I follow him to a tree. “Why do we need to anchor the rope?”

“It’s better to be prepared than not.” He unties his rope and mine, then wraps it around the tree three times before knotting it. “Come on, Sin,” he mutters.

“I don’t want to look.”

“I’m going to catch him.” Rumor rushes over to grab Sin, who immediately lies on the ground and heaves.

I finally turn, seeing that Bryn is almost two thirds of the way here. He’s so close, so fucking close.

Snap.

We glance at the tree stump someone tied the bridge to.

Snap.

One side of the rope breaks off.

There’s no time to react, no time to move or catch it. All I can do is watch in horror as one side of the bridge flutters into the night.

Sawyer

“Oh fuck!” Sin shouts as he slides toward the edge. His hands scramble to find purchase until he’s near the edge, and he can wrap his arms around the stump the rope remains tied to.

Bryn…

I find the larger alpha holding onto the rope that’s still tied to the other stump, his muscles bulging as he dangles above the ravine. My fingers press to my lips as I watch him pull himself up, and his feet find purchase on the double rope of what used to be the railing.

Somehow, he balances on the rope that’s left. His entire focus remains on his forward movement, which isn’t much. I don’t dare breathe in case I disrupt his focus. One hand slides forward, then a leg, the other hand, and the other. His hands never release the rope, and he never once looks up at us.

I’m useless. All I can do is stand here and watch as Bryn holds the rope, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Somehow, he isn’t freaking out. I would freak out and panic and scream for help.

Hell, I’m panicking right the fuck now.

Rumor crouches by Sin, grabbing the rope he’s tied to and keeping him from falling now that Bryn moves forward.

The only thing keeping him from falling to the ravine below and taking Sin with him is his balance and the rope that Rumor tied around all of us.

My mind is a scared, broken place because all I can think of is his balance failing him, causing him to lose his grip and fall, taking Sin with him.

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