The soft jolts of the earth revived Micah. Distant bombs hitting home. He blinked up at the night sky, trying to remember why he was here, and where “here” was. Desperately thirsty, he watched the smoke spinning above him. The ground kept quaking. Blanketing action. They were killing something big.
He tried to sit up, and the pain knocked him down again. His lungs couldn’t get enough air. The earth became waves, rising and falling beneath his body, heading for some shore beyond his comprehension. His sense of geography had vanished. What country was he in? Find the stars. Orient yourself. Bolts of lightning crackled through the smoke overhead, red as blood. There were no stars. Just brilliant serpents striking at the night.
He was alone. He couldn’t hear anything. The ground heaved as though in labor, giving birth to some ancient evil.
I was on an op …
Absently, he wondered if he was dying.
With a shaking hand, he pulled on the chain around his throat and drew out her precious golden cross, which he’d worn day and night for two years. He steeled himself as he clutched it in his fist.
Irayna’s face filled his memories. Beautiful black hair spilled around her shoulders. She gave him a confident smile and laughed, that chiding laugh that always made him smile in return, no matter how desperate the situation. “Well,” her soft voice echoed from somewhere far away. “You’re still alive. What are you worried about? Just keep fighting, and you’ll make it out of this.”
“I’m trying, Irayna.”
Colors spun around him like a kaleidoscope turning …
He’d loved her.
His body convulsed in agony and he stared wide-eyed at the night sky.
Where am I?
Blackness.
When he woke, he was shivering and couldn’t stop.
He’d once spent three days in a sensory deprivation tank as part of his training. That’s where he was now. Floating. Everything had melted into one silent cry of loneliness.
If I stay here, I die.
Smothering his cries, he dragged himself to his feet. A river shone in the distance. Villages. Water. He was so thirsty.
He staggered toward it.