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"Dangerous? That bastard is lethal," Jace sneered, squinting against the sunlight that somehow managed to find its way through the smoky haze. "But he has Sofia and Victor. We... we can't just let them."
"No, we can't," I agreed. My gaze followed the footprints disappearing into the shadows between trees.
We were a pitiful trio as we began our trek deeper into the swampy Everglades, following the faint trail left by Sofia and Victor's captors. I was vaguely aware that we maybe should have been looking for Sam, but right then, all I cared about was Sofia. The sun was setting, casting long shadows and a gloomy orange hue over the scene of destruction. The cawing of distant birds was the only sound that accompanied our footfalls, creating an eeriness that sent chills down my back.
We pressed on. I avoided Jace and Grayson’s face, the blood smeared on their face almost too much to handle.
The journey had been arduous, each step a struggle against the sinking mud and the incessant pain from our injuries. But we pushed through, driven by desperation and fear. The footprints were gradually fading, almost lost to the undergrowth that was quick to reclaim its territory. We almost missed it.
Grayson froze in his tracks, his gaze locked on something lying half-hidden under a fallen tree. A gasp escaped me as I followed his gaze, my heart slamming against my ribs with a force that hurt.
"Sam," I breathed out, stumbling towards where he lay sprawled, his shirt soaked with blood and face unnaturally pale. His eyes were closed, but his chest rose and fell in shallow, stuttered breaths.
For a moment, everything stopped – the world held its breath as we stared at the man who was more than a friend to us; he was a brother.
“We need to get him to a hospital,” I said.
Grayson nodded, already moving to help me. Together, we carefully lifted Sam’s limp body, one under his shoulders and the other under his knees. He was surprisingly light, or maybe it was the adrenaline rushing through my veins that made him feel so.
"Stay with us, Sam," I muttered, not even sure if he could hear me. His breath came in ragged gasps, blood bubbling on his lips. The sight of it sent an icy chill through my veins and I had to fight off the next wave of nausea.
The sun had dipped beneath the horizon now, painting the world in hues of dusky purple and charcoal grey. A crescent moon peeked from behind a dark cloud, casting feeble rays of light that only heightened the eeriness enveloping us.
Jace and Grayson leaned down to grab him and we stumbled forward, slowly making our way back the way we had come. Every step was a fight against gravity and time, an agonizing crawl that seemed to stretch into eternity. We were a tangle of bloody bodies and gritted teeth, with only the faint hope of salvation in our hearts.
“Sofia…” I said, moving slowly.
“We aren’t going to find her if we all faint, boss,” Grayson said.
"Yeah," I coughed out, the smoke from earlier still clogging my throat. "You're right."
Jace was oddly silent, his usual bravado missing as he helped us lug Sam's body. The grim line of his mouth was hidden in the shadows but the tension in his frame was palpable even through the shroud of darkness.
Grayson and I took turns holding up Sam as best as we could, neither one of us willing to admit just how drained and weak we were. Jace wasn’t doing too well. It was hard to find our way back to our cars, but we did, stumbling upon the wreckage by pure chance. Relief washed over me as the sight of our battered vehicles came into view, their mirrors reflecting the faint moonlight and giving them an ethereal glow.
"Here," I managed to grunt, my arms trembling as we heaved Sam onto the backseat of the nearest car. Grayson was quick to climb in after him, his fingers already fumbling to tear open a first-aid kit we always kept with us.
Jace and I collapsed against the side of the car, our breaths coming out in ragged pants. My gaze flitted to his shadowed face, noticing the way his lips were pressed into a thin line. "We...we need to go back for Sofia," I said.
“No, we need to get to a hospital,” Grayson said. “If we let Sam die, Sofia will never forgive us.”
"That's not what I..." My protest died in my throat as Grayson's words sank in. He was right, as much as it pained me to admit it. We couldn't let Sam die. He was one of us, and Sofia would be devastated if anything happened to him.
Grayson was already starting the car, calling out directions to the nearest hospital. Jace and I climbed into the backseat, cradling Sam between us. His breathing was shallow, his skin cold and clammy against my touch.
"We'll get you help soon," I mumbled to him, unsure if he could hear me. "Just hang on."
But as we sped through the night, the hospital still miles away, I couldn't help but feel a gnawing fear deep in my gut. What if we were too late? What if Sam didn't make it? And what about Sofia and Victor?
We'd barely managed to save ourselves from the Everglades Viper this time. The fear was there in the tight grip I had on Sam's shoulder, in the quiet murmurs of Jace praying under his breath, and in Grayson's tense silence as he navigated the winding roads. The night sounds were drowned out by the broken humming of the car engine, each thump of my heart echoing in my ears.
I just needed to trust that Victor could keep Sofia safe.
That was the only hope I had to hang onto.
The drive to the hospital was a blur of darkness, blurred street lights and the low hum of the car engine. Grayson's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, Jace's prayers becoming increasingly desperate as Sam's breaths grew shallower. My mind traveled back and forth between Sofia and Sam, a silent promise hanging between each heartbeat: I won’t let you down.
We pulled into the hospital’s emergency bay with screeching tires, grabbing the attention of two nearby nurses who hurried over. A swarm of medical staff descended upon us as we clambered out of the car, carefully pulling Sam out and onto a gurney. Their quick movements were a blur against the bright hospital lights.
