Page 56 of Deadfall

My throat tightened the same way it had then. Worse, because I knew I’d never see him again—I drank in the sight of him, until the colors brightened and everything around me became overexposed.

White engulfed the scene. I was so used to darkness—it was too much. I shielded my eyes.

The color bled back in around me. I looked around. The forest was just like I remembered it. This was another memory. Except it was all viscerally real. I touched a leaf and gasped as the sensation registered—this wasn’t normal—

I wasn’t in the cabin anymore. I was on the south slope—I never went out this far, but that day Sacha had insisted. That alone should have told me something wasn’t right.

The lower meadows still held some snow drifts in the shadows, but overall spring had a firm grip over winter. The same thought I’d had that day flashed through my mind. Our meat stores were low, but I was a good five miles from the cabin and didn’t relish the idea of carting an animal that far.

Deja vu swept over me. Because, I knew what was going to happen.

Sure enough, a low hum vibrated through me. It steadily increased in volume. I remembered the confusion I felt that day, and it mixed with the foreboding of now knowing what it meant.

I looked up.

A whirl of rotors buffeted the surrounding tree tops as a helicopter flew low overhead.

I ducked instinctively and dove behind the boulder. The bird flew low over the valley and cut back. It was sleek, black and tactical. There weren't any insignias on it that I could see, but the entire thing screamed military.

And, it was hunting.

It did another pass over the river before it circled low over—oh fuck.

That was the cabin.

The rational part of my mind told me this wasn’t real—all of it had already happened. It was only a memory. But, I still couldn’t understand why it felt like I was living it at the same time I was remembering it. I could feel the ground under my feet as I ran toward the cabin. The wind whipped past and the feeling of inevitability settled in my stomach. I knew the outcome already and it filled me with dread.

Everything glitched. I stumbled—and I was suddenly almost to the cabin.

I heard the rotors again and the helicopter dipped low overhead. I was under the trees and hidden, so I didn’t stop. As I got closer, I could smell the smoke from whatever had exploded earlier. The urge to get home was so strong I almost burst into the clearing in front of the cabin—only my training gave me pause, and I crept the last hundred yards until I had a clear vantage point of the house.

The sight was surreal.

All the front windows were shattered. Glass littered the porch and bullet holes tore through the entire front of the structure. The smoke rising through the trees was from the direction of the garage, which must have been the explosion. The front door sat gaping, half off its hinges, and there was a silence about the place that had my hackles raised in silent alarm. Bodies in black tactical gear littered the lawn and porch.

There were six of them.

“Sacha?” I called.

I was in the house now—upstairs landing.

In my memories I’d quickly cleared the house, and still couldn’t find Sacha so I’d made my way up here. My heart jolted in my chest as Fang rounded the corner so fast I almost shot him. I should have been expecting it—

“Oh my god, buddy, don’t do that!” I clutched my heart and crouched to wrap my arms around him. His fur was as rough as I remembered and I could smell his familiar scent. He appeared unharmed but he was covered in blood. I burst into the room and came face to face with the barrel of Sacha’s shotgun where it sat propped on his knee.

“What happened?”

Even though I knew what I’d find, it didn’t make it any easier. I rushed over and knelt beside him where he leaned against the wall in the blood that had pooled around him. It was too much blood. I ripped at clothing and tried to find the source. Sacha attempted to bat my hands away. His eyes fluttered as I pulled apart his shirt and bit back a gasp.

There were too many bullet holes.

The past played out—words tumbled from my lips like they had back then.

“No, no, no—fuck, Sacha you need a hospital—”

“No,” Sacha gritted his teeth. “Too late—listen to me—”

“I’m not going to let you die,” I stated. “Let me grab the first aid—”