Page 90 of Forged in Deception

No.

He seriously could not have this happen.

Not now.

It was just noise. Nothing else. It couldn’t hurt him.

Sure, that lightning bolt? That could have barbecued him instantly. But the thunder was just a sound. Nothing to be afraid of.

There was another lightning strike, and this time, the thunder followed almost immediately after it. The rain was coming down in freezing sheets now as the storm rested directly on top of where he now sat, helpless, clutching at the rock.

His head was swimming so much that it was all he could do to keep himself upright. His heart was pounding at a rapid clip, which didn’t help with the sudden rush of dizziness.

He shouldn’t be having a panic attack. He didn’twantto have a panic attack.

He knew that thunder couldn’t hurt him.

The problem was that his body didn’t know that.

His body remembered that loud sounds meant terror, pain, and death.

His body remembered Afghanistan, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

KARLIN

The ancient futon was even more uncomfortable than it looked at first glance.

After spending ten minutes struggling to open it up flat, Karlin had given up and lay down anyway, her arm hopelesslysquashed no matter what position she tried. Already, her spider paranoia was enough to have her scratching at her neck every thirty seconds.

She shivered and stared up at the ceiling.

Even with the help of the fire she’d made–admittedly, it probably wasn’t a very good one–it was still extremely chilly. Worse, the fabric of the futon felt almost damp.

How long had she been here?

She kicked herself for forgetting her smartwatch on its charger that morning. It was impossible to trust her perception of the passing time.

Outside, thunder and lightning had joined the deluge of rain. If dawn was close, she had no way to tell. The windows revealed only blackness, lit by an occasional burst of blinding white.

She flinched with every strike, awaiting the enormous clash of noise that always followed. Once more, she longed for Axel’s presence, even if she had no doubt he’d tease her about her fears. She’d happily accept a little ribbing if it meant she’d get to rest in his arms until the storm passed.

But Axel might not be coming. Help, in general, might not be coming. At least not for a while.

She scratched at an invisible spider on her neck again.

She couldn’t just stay here and wait around for someone to save her. She had water and some hopefully edible food, but the firewood would last maybe one more night, if that, and then she’d be in an even worse position than she was now.

When morning came, she needed to get out of this cabin.

She twisted on the futon, freeing one arm and pinning the other beneath her body.

Even the little rest she’d had was enough to light a renewed fire within her, but she’d force herself to lay down a little longer.

Another lightning strike lit up the windows.

For less than a second, she could see the familiar clearing and the rocky hills that surrounded it, which were now slick with mud. Even if she somehow managed to break out of the cabin itself, getting out of the valley might prove even more difficult.

But she had to try.

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