Alex was walking through a field of beautiful yellow flowers. She’d never seen flowers like this before. It was as if the sun itself shone through them. Love surrounded her like a hug. It felt so good. She’d never experienced a love this pure and strong.
She could see a city on the other side of the field. It glowed like jewels, and she could hear something coming from it that sounded like the praise and worship music she’d heard at church. But this was way beyond that. It was incredible and seemed to fill everything. Even the flowers she walked through.
Alex suddenly realized she didn’t hurt. The pain from her chest was gone.
She wanted to keep walking, but something seemed to be holding her back. At first she resisted, but then she realized someone was walking next to her. A Man. She tried to turn her face to see Him, but she couldn’t.
“You are loved, Alex,” He said. “Someday you and I will walk this field together, but you still have a journey to complete on earth. As I am with you here, I will be with you there.”
Suddenly, Alex felt hands pulling her. She could hear someone talking. The pain returned in a wave, and she began to cry. She wanted to go back to that incredible field. She didn’t want to hurt. Didn’t want to be alone. Then the words she’d heard came back to her. “As I am with you here, I will be with you there.” The loneliness she’d felt almost every day of her life slowly faded. She felt complete. Loved.
“Alex, Alex,” someone was saying. She forced her eyes open and saw Logan looking at her. Where was she? At first she couldn’t remember. Then it all came back.
She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She tried again. “I-I’m alive,” she croaked.
“Yes, you are.”
She realized Logan had tears on his cheeks. She reached her hand up and touched his face. Why was he crying?
“Ka . . . Ka . . .”
Logan put his fingers on her lips. “Stop trying to talk,” he said. “You might hurt your throat even more. Kaely is fine. You saved her life.”
She smiled. Thank God. She tried to sit up, and Logan helped her. She looked around the room. Kaely. They were both alive. Bayne had lost.
“It . . . was . . . Bayne,” she whispered.
“We know. I got your note.”
Fear suddenly filled her. “The door,” she whispered. “The door . . . There’s a bomb.”
“We know that too. Can you get to your feet? I think you’ll be more comfortable in a chair.”
She nodded and tried to stand, but even that small movement caused pain. She cried out and touched her chest. “It hurts,” she croaked.
“I know. I’m already aware of everything you’re telling me, Alex. Please quit talking. Please.”
As Logan helped her to her feet, the pain from her broken ribs ripped through her body. The room swirled around her, and she grabbed hold of him.
“Are you dizzy?” he asked.
She gave him a small nod, trying not to move her neck any more than she had to.
“Hold on to the sides of the chair,” Logan said. “I need to help Noah.”
“I’ll sit next to her.”
Alex looked up to see Kaely smiling. Her neck was bruised and red. Her eyes were red too. Alex realized that was from petechiae, small blood vessels that had ruptured from the pressure of the rope against her neck.
Alex began to cry again. She reached over and put her arms around Kaely. Kaely cried too as she encircled Alex with a hug.
“You saved me,” Kaely said, her voice hoarse. “I tried to send the chair back to you, but you were already unconscious. Why would you do something like that?”
Alex thought the answer was obvious. She let go of Kaely and looked into her eyes. “Because I wanted you to live.”
Tears dripped down Kaely’s cheeks. “Alex Donovan, I pray I can be more like you someday.”
Alex tried to process what she’d said as Kaely hugged her again. How could someone like Kaely want to be more like her?
“There’s more,” Kaely said. “We can’t find another opener for the garage doors.” She pointed toward the door where Noah and Logan were looking at the bomb Bayne left. “And remember the laptop Bayne was using to record our . . . deaths?”
“Yes.”
“When Noah turned it off, the bomb began a countdown. If that thing goes off in here, it could be serious.”
“This is a large building. If we move to the back—”
“Logan says the whole place could collapse. We’ll have to go out the same way Noah and Logan got in—the window up there.”
“Then why haven’t you tried to climb—” Alex realized the answer. “You were waiting for me to wake up? You shouldn’t have done that. At least you could have made it out.”
“No man or woman left behind, my friend,” Kaely said with a small smile.
Alex struggled to her feet. “Well, I’m conscious. Let’s get the heck out of here.”
“I agree.” Kaely looked over at Noah and Logan. “How much time?”
Noah looked grim. “Ten minutes. We’re not sure how to disarm it. I’m afraid if we try, it will blow.”
“Then let’s go,” Alex said.
Noah shook his head. “We have to wait for the HRT. You’re in no shape to climb up to that window, Alex. Neither are Kaely and—”
Logan’s phone rang, and he picked it up. He gave directions to whoever called before hanging up. “They’re here.” He looked at the timer. “They’d better hurry.”
For the first time, Alex noticed Logan’s right ankle was bound with a cloth, and he was using a board as a crutch. “What’s wrong with Logan?” Alex asked Kaely, pointing.
“When he jumped from that window, he broke his ankle. We’re a rather pathetic group.”
“We need to get you closer to the window,” Noah said. “Someone is going to rappel in here and take you both up. Logan, did you text Monty and the others?”
“Yeah, they should be out of the area by now. I told them they can’t do anything to help us, that HRT should be here soon, and we don’t know when this building will blow.”
Alex looked at the bomb’s counter. Six minutes. She wanted to ask if they could all get out in that amount of time, but she knew it wouldn’t help the situation.
Noah was quiet as he led Alex to the wall with the windows. “They’ll have to put their harness around your chest. It might hurt some.”
Alex wanted to correct him. It would hurt a lot, but they couldn’t do anything about that.
Suddenly, a man rappelled through the window and down the wall. Without saying a word, he attached a harness to Alex. Then he yelled, “Okay. Get her out.”
The pain was so bad, Alex wanted to tell them to stop, but she bit her lip until she felt blood. When she reached the window, hands grabbed her and pulled her out. She fought the darkness that tried to overtake her, but finally, it won the battle.