Page 73 of Make Me Trust Again
Blissful darkness.
My ears are still ringing from the explosion, the relentless echo that makes my skull throb incessantly.
I can feel the darkness creeping up on me again, trying to pull me in.
Maybe I should let it.
A loud groan pierces through the ringing, snapping me out of it and returning me back to the present.
To the agony coursing through me, like a fire burning from within.
My stomach rolls, bile rising up my throat, suffocating me. I try to swallow it down and force my eyes to open. The motion seems to take forever, but I don’t give up. I can’t give up.
When I can see through the haze, I take in my surroundings.
There’s metal and bodies scattered everywhere.
Unmoving.
Groaning, I press my palm down and push myself upright so I can see better.
The first body is lying face down, not even a yard away.
My arm gives out on me, but I grit my teeth and push upright again. My legs won’t move. I glance down, noticing the blood seeping through the cuts in my uniform.
Cursing under my breath, I force myself to move. Every inch of space I pass is agonizing, but I focus on the person in front of me.
One of my brothers.
Don’t let him be dead.
Don’t let him be dead.
He can’t be dead.
I chant those words as I crawl my way to him. We were laughing just moments ago, talking about going back home. They can’t be dead.
Not when we’re so close.
I blink furiously, trying to clear my vision. I’m not sure if it’s sweat, blood, or tears that are sliding down my face at this moment; it may be a mix of all of them, for all I know. However, the only thing I can focus on is getting to my team.
I don’t know how long it takes me to get to the first bo—person.That’s still a person. I can’t give up on them. Not yet.
Time seems to have stopped moving. My breathing is ragged, chest heaving as I turn them around, only to find a pair of hollow eyes.
Gone.
Gavin Durran was gone.
I punch at the ground, “Fucking hell.”
Still, I don’t have the luxury to stop, so I continue moving. Checking body after body.
Gone. Gone. Gone.
I spot the last one.
“Foster.”
