Page 48 of All The Way Under
Collin shakes his head. “This could be our only chance. Our last chance. This has to work. We need to get home.” The sentence is desperate. A plea. Brody lets me slide down his body and places me on the ground.
“You have both. You know the truth,” he whispers, shaking his head. “You’ve known it all along, Sweet Pea.”
I swallow down the ball of emotion in my throat and merely nod.
“Promise me we will make it through this. You’ll find me.”
He nods sternly once. His face shutters.
“Let’s move to the water. The docking area we came to when we first arrived. It’s not monitored like the west dock or the beaches. It’s where they’ll expect me to be once they see the lay of the base from above. That was agreed upon before I set out on this crazy mission. Follow me,” Brody says, loud enough for the brothers to hear.
He takes my hand, and we run again. He pulls me, running quicker than my shorter legs can handle.
I listen to my heart pound in my ears and try to focus on his hand in mine. I didn’t get enough of this version of Brody, and even though it’s insane that he could have gotten us out of here days ago, I agree with the reasoning. The waterfall wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t believe love could grow so strongly if we hadn’t had the extra time.
A gunshot ricochets from behind us. I don’t turn to look because Brody does. I focus on keeping my footing.
Another shot. Then another.
I can see a matte black helicopter on the sand at the end of the trail we’re on. It’s a funnel, though. There’s nowhere to hide unless we go inside the jungle on the left or right. Then Brody pulls me to the side, entangling us in the wild brush and thick green plants. He pulls the gun from the waistband of his pants, lunges out of our hiding spot, and shoots. My cap is still on his head, backward, and it takes a full second for the thought to clear and for me to realize this is bad.
“Collin is down,” Brody says. “Stay there. It’s Ravelo. He’s hiding. I need to take him out.”
I don’t have time to protest. Brody leaves me in a wet bush that probably harbors three types of insects that can kill me and one snake that wants to make me dinner. This is the only alternative to being on the trail.
There are more gunshots what feels like minutes later, but rationally I know only seconds have passed. I’m sweating, myclothes are covered in wet mud, and nothing feels real anymore. It’s hard to remember who I used to be and what I found important. It all feels trivial after enduring this.
Brody’s teammates, in full camo uniforms with guns and helmets, run past my hiding spot, heading toward the sound of gunfire. One of them notices me. His eyes go round, and he looks like he’s terrified of me for a beat or two.
“I’m Commander Orwell. We are here to save you. You are safe.”
Seeing other people who have no ill intentions is baffling.
“Okay,” I say. “I’m Saylor,” I say, extending my hand.
He shakes it, then pulls me out onto the trail. Brody jogs up, and the radios on the other SEALs are making so much noise that I know they must not be worried about being quiet.
Brody looks at me, then his commander. Brody has blood splattered on the left side of his face and neck. There’s some on the hat too.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I say, wrapping my hands around Brody’s waist.
Commander Orwell looks at Brody oddly. “Good to see you alive, well, and covered in blood, McCoy,” he says, then clears his throat when his gaze drops to me. “Why don’t you take her to the bird, and we’ll get the other two.”
I pull away. “Are the brothers okay?”
Brody’s face looks grim. “Ravelo shot Collin in the leg, and Turner is not handling it well, but we have a medic with him now.” He shakes his head. “It’s going to be fine. They’ll be okay. Don’t worry about them.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulder and walks me down the path to the helicopter.
“The kind of fine when women say, ‘I’m fine?’ Or like, he’s actually going to be fine?”
“Too soon to tell,” Brody answers honestly, helping me up the rungs on shaky, tired legs.
I sit in one of the seats in the back, and the shock sets in. Brody watches me closely.
“Saylor, you’re going home. You should be happy.”
How do I tell him my happiness is tempered with the unknown? I don’t know how to go back to my normal life after this. I don’t know who I am after the spell we spent here. My time on this island changed me. I don’t know how to wake up alone or work alone. I don’t know how to be without Brody. Without him, what does tomorrow look like? A year from now?
