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He strained his ears but heard nothing but the thud-thud-thud of his heart pounding. He glanced over at Pierce, still slumped unconscious in that chair, and grimaced. The guy’s face was ashen, his lips tinged with blue.
With a grunt, Cal pushed himself up to a sitting position. Everything spun for a moment before settling back into place.
“Pierce,” he rasped, voice hoarse from disuse and dehydration. “Pierce, come on, man. Wake up.”
No response.
Just like all the other times he’d tried.
That was the worst part—the brutal silence broken only by Pierce’s uneven breathing, which seemed to grow shallower with each passing minute.
Cal closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the metal wall, trying to keep the panic at bay. He took one steadying breath, then another.
There had to be a way to get out of this.
Suddenly, there was a noise. Distant at first but growing louder. It sounded like… barking?
He held his breath and listened, praying it wasn’t just desperation playing tricks on his senses.
There it was again.
A distinct bark, followed by the sound of voices.
The container doors creaked open, daylight streaming in like a knife through the oppressive darkness.
“Cal!”
The relief that hit him was immediate, the tears that followed unexpected. Ellie stood illuminated in the doorway, her blond curls an untamed halo around her head. She had never been a more welcome sight.
“Elle,” he croaked, his throat raw.
She hurried to his side, her gaze flickering briefly to Pierce’s motionless form. “We need help in here,” she called to someone over her shoulder.
More figures moved into the tight space—men he didn’t recognize dressed in camo and face paint. They freed Pierce from the chair and gently carried him out.
“Who…?” He couldn’t finish the question—his mouth was too dry—but she understood anyway.
“They’re Zak’s friends. He called them in to help find you.”
As if conjured by his name, Zak appeared in the doorway with a pair of bolt cutters. “Hey, Cal. How are you doing?”
“Been… better.”
“Yeah, we’re getting you out of here.” As he positioned the cutter on the chain, he added, “Medivac is five minutes out.”
Cal winced as the chain fell off.
“Thanks,” Cal managed, rubbing the raw skin around his wrists. He was helped to his feet by Zak and Ellie, a wave of dizziness hitting him as he stood.
Ellie was at his side instantly, her arm sliding around his waist to hold him steady. “Cal, are you okay?”
He wasn’t. He felt like shit. He was overheated, hungry, thirsty, and the world around him kept spinning in a dizzying dance of light and shadow. But he looked into those clear blue eyes behind her smudged glasses, and, somehow, he felt better. “I am now.”
There was a moment between them, a brief flicker of something that was over too quickly, shattered by Zak’s gruff voice. “All right, lovebirds, stop making googly eyes at each other. We need to get moving.”
“What about Pierce?”
Zak grimaced and slung the bolt cutters up onto his shoulder. “The medic’s working on him.”
