Those damning thoughts hit her again and again, and Olivia was still mentally kicking her own ass when something smooth touched her face. Snapping her out of the brutal self-evaluation, Jake’s gloved fingers found her chin, turning her head so she was looking back up at him.
The angry glare was gone and his expression had softened. He began to lean in even closer, and...Holy crap!Was he going to kiss her? Here?Now?
When his lips began to move, Olivia instantly realized her mistake. Jake wasn’t trying to kiss her. He was mouthing the words, “Don’t move.”
Before she could process her embarrassing misinterpretation of his intentions, he was moving away in a crouched position. Olivia followed his order, and didn’t move a muscle.
It was hard, especially when he left the bush’s protection. She could no longer see him, but stayed like that, stock-still and barely breathing, for what seemed like an eternity. Until...
A single gunshot echoed throughout the green hell surrounding her, making her entire body jolt as if she’d been shocked. The sound was much closer than the rat-a-tat-tats she could still hear coming from the camp, and Olivia was immediately thrown back to that horrific day two weeks ago.
The gunshots. The blood. Their lifeless faces. Only this time it wasn’t Malani’s dead eyes staring at her. It was Jake’s.
Jake!
All thoughts of self-preservation gone, Olivia got up and scrambled around the bush. Her only goal was to get to Jake. All she could think about was trying to help him.
Her heart pounded. Blood rushed past her ears. She looked around as she ran, but saw nothing but more trees and shrubs. Stopping near one of the smaller trees, she spun around in circles looking for him, but Jake was nowhere to be seen.
Her stomach sank. Was he hurt? Dead?Oh, God!Breathing so fast she was on the verge of hyperventilating, Olivia took a risk and whispered loudly.
“Jake?” Terrified, a steady stream of sweat ran down her back and another between her breasts as she waited a beat. Nothing. She tried again. “Jake!”
Spinning in another full circle, her long, slick hair stuck to her face as her mind whirled with even more fear and worry. There was no sign of him anywhere. Not knowing what to do next, she kept standing there, trying to think. That’s when it happened.
Olivia heard the explosion before she felt it. It was the loudest sound she’d ever heard. When the ground began to shake a few seconds later, she lost her balance and fell to her hands and knees.
Birds she didn’t even know were there squawked and flew away as fast as they could. Agonizing screams echoed from a distance. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut and prayed they weren’t coming from any of Jake’s friends.
Another explosion filled the air. The ground shook again, and then...silence. She heard no more screams or gunfire, just an eerie calm and the sound of her own breathing.
Her body shook with terror. Olivia knew she should get up and keep looking, but she couldn’t move.
She was numb. Didn’t even feel the pain she knew her ragged breaths should be causing.
Just like before, she was frozen. Laughter filled the silence, and Olivia was suddenly back to where it all began.
She felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. The cool breeze, and the relief it had carried with it that day. Her new friends and colleagues surrounded her, joining in the fun as Cody shared one of his jokes.
Then, the scene changed, morphing into something much different.
The doctors and nurses began twisting and turning. Changing before her very eyes. It reminded her of an old sci-fi movie. One with weird, swirling special effects.
Olivia looked at her friends again, only to find them all lying on the ground, their bodies and blood surrounding her. A heady odor filled her nostrils, and it took her a second to realize it was the smell of death. They were all dead, and, just like that day, she was doing nothing to try to help them.
Still on the ground, Olivia braced herself with her hands and knees. The tears running down her cheeks went unnoticed as she begged softly, “Please don’t leave me here alone. Oh, God, please don’t leave me.”
She whispered those same words over and over again. Was still saying them when she felt someone touching her shoulder.
Her body reacted without conscious thought. Screaming like a banshee, Olivia came up swinging. She went wild, striking out at those who’d hurt her friends. Her target easily dodged her fists, and it took a few more flailing swings before she realized her would-be attacker was actually Jake.
“Easy, Liv. Easy. It’s just me.”
All of the breath left her lungs at one time. Confused and disoriented, Olivia stood there, staring. She blinked, unsure if what she was seeing now was real or another figment of her screwed up imagination. With a shuddering breath, she wiped her face dry and looked at the area around them.
Everything was exactly as it had been before the explosion. There were no bodies. No coppery scent of blood. All of that was gone...and Jake was back.
Olivia’s eyes went to him. He was standing in front of her, gun down at his side. His other hand was still raised, as if he were waiting to fend off another attack.
