Page 107 of Undone
“We’re going to find Sergeant Fite,” Sean told the others. “When that ship is far enough away, give the signal to detonate.”
I ran for the door with the others at my heels. We jumped into the Jeep Sean had brought, and raced down the narrow path of the mountain. My heart was beating too hard when we got to the bottom and took off across the expanse of desert. I felt like I was having a heart attack, or a massive panic attack at the very least. I could see one of the downed jets, half disintegrated and smoking.
When we got to the area where Rylen had been dropping, we had to stop the Jeep because boulders and cacti were everywhere.
“Rylen!” I screamed, running.
And then, as if my heart could handle another horrible sight, I spotted a booted foot beside one of the larger boulders.
“Over here!” I yelled for the others. I sprinted and skidded in the dirt next to Rylen, taking in the facts. He was whole. One side of his body was badly scraped, half his clothes hanging off, as if he hit the ground and skidded. I felt for his pulse and it was slow, but there. I felt each arm, and the one on his scraped side definitely had a broken radius. Miraculously both legs felt in tact, but his ankle on the bad side looked twisted.
Matt cursed when he saw him. I was already getting under one of his arms, but Matt told me to take the feet.
“Watch his left arm,” I warned him. He and Sean hauled Rylen’s body up, and we awkwardly ran to the Jeep, pushing his body into the back seat.
I opened my medic bag and started treatment on the side of his face first. From his forehead down to his jaw were bright red, filled with dirt, and already peeling. He would have scars for life.
I murmured to him the whole time, shaking like a bush in a sandstorm. “You’ll be fine. I’ve got you, babe. Here’s a little morphine for the sting.”
We made it to base in record time and people ran out to help us get him inside to a medical bed. I got his clothing off and it wasn’t as bad where his uniform had protected parts, like his chest, hips, and upper legs. But his face, neck, shoulder, and arm were raw and nasty. It took almost two hours to get him cleaned up and treated. During that time Remy came rushing in to help me, taking orders like a rockstar nurse.
“What happened out there?” she asked as we bustled around the room.
I told her everything, and she shook her head. People shouted outside in the hall, and Remy ran to see what was going on.
“Look out the window!”
We ran to the window, and far out in the sky was a ball of fire, like a second sun, but so much closer. Within seconds, the ground shook, and the sound of wind and sand hitting the side of the building filled the room. It was done. Cheers sounded, echoing through the building, and Remy and I beamed.
She went to Rylen’s groggy form and kissed the side of his head that wasn’t burned.
“You saved us all,” Remy whispered to him. It made my eyes burn, but I had no time for tears right now. I planned to have a good ugly cry later though.
Tater busted into the room, making us both jump.
“He fucking did it! Did you see?”
“Yes,” I told him. “He’s so lucky.”
“Is he okay?”
“He will be.” I gazed down at him. “The stubborn ass.” Rylen stirred, wincing and stilling again.
Tater laughed with wet eyes and went to his friend’s side. “Damn, bro, look at you.Chuleta.Guess I’m the handsomest now.”
“Nope,” Rylen whispered, surprising us. “I’ve got that rugged man look.”
We all laughed and I bent to gently kiss Rylen’s good cheek. “You’ll always be the handsomest in my eyes.” I kissed him again. “Now get some rest. You’ve got a lot of healing ahead of you.”
So much for rest. The door opened again, and Matt, Sean, Devon, Tex, and Josh pushed their way in, looking at Rylen.
Tex let out a low whistle.
Devon eyed Ry. “I heard you tried to get abducted and shit.”
Rylen laughed, which turned to a cough and he flinched. “Something like that.”
“He did.” I crossed my arms. “I saw it. He’s out of his mind.”
