Page 92 of Forged in Deception

For now, coping and suppressing would have to be enough.

He kept breathing, even as his body tensed in anticipation.

The thunder came a few seconds later, but he barely noticed it.

There was something else that cut through his terror.

He smelled smoke.

He looked around in the darkness. His night vision was even worse now thanks to the lightning, and it unsettled him, further destroying any remaining sense of direction he had.

He blinked quickly, trying to get rid of the starbursts behind his eyes, but he had no idea where the smoke was coming from.

There were few trees here, but there was plenty of brush and shrubbery. Even in the rain, he knew that those could still burn if they got hot enough.

And lightning would certainly do the trick.

He pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the lingering sting of his torn knee. With a final touch of the rock, he set his jaw and started to walk forward. He was glad for the chance to focus on an enemy he could quantify instead of the demons in his head.

He had to find shelter. Thunder wasn’t going to hurt him, but a brush fire certainly could, especially if the rain decided to let up.

With the next strike of lightning, he pressed his eyes shut hard, shielding them with his arm. After the thunder came, he opened them again.

He could see a little better, but not enough.

The smell of smoke caught on a gust of wind, filling his nostrils. Despite the danger, he found the smell oddly comforting.

The next time lightning hit, he was ready.

He kept his eyes wide open, using the half-second of light to survey the scene.

And to his amazement, he could see the top of the old cabin that Karlin had showed him up ahead.

There was no brush fire.

Thick, black smoke was pouring out of the chimney.

It was all he could do not to run toward it.

Instead, he walked slowly, not wanting to risk another fall. He knew there were several steep drops of rock ahead, and he’d have to navigate them using only the sporadic bursts of lightning to see.

He didn’t know who was in the cabin.

It could be Paul, but it could also be Lily.

Still, it was his best shot. He desperately needed to warm up, and hopefully find something to wrap his wound with before it got infected.

As he began his descent down the slippery rocks into the little valley below, his heart began racing fast again.

This time, it wasn't his fear.

It was hope.

Karlin probably wasn’t inside, but she could be. It could be her sitting there, warm and beautiful in the firelight.

And the very possibility was enough to drive him the rest of the way, even as the thunder hammered all around him.

CHAPTER

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