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“Go. Go. Go!” I heard the sergeant yell from behind us.
As I trudged through the mud so thick it made moving quickly impossible, I could sense my buddy’s life was hanging on a razor-thin line, his breathing ragged. “Stay with me, Ronny. We’re almost there.”
Bullshit. I had a solid half mile before I’d find a defensible position. As the barrage of bullets continued, Ronny started wheezing, his body shaking. Jesus Christ. I refused to lose him. Not now.
Panting, I heard movement and threw out my arm, issuing rapid fire. Another asshole was right behind him, but my reflexes were quicker, dropping the son of a bitch before he had a chance to get off a single shot.
I heard more yelling and ducked behind a tree, taking several gasping breaths. Ronny was becoming dead weight. Fuck. As I took off again, a single crack in the forest drew my attention to another area.
Pop!
Pain exploded in my side, the force of the close-range shot pitching me forward. As I lost traction, tumbling to the ground, I could feel the earth vibrating under me just seconds before…
“Boom,” I spat out, gasping for air, smoke strangling me. I jerked up, the sound too real, the stench overwhelming. Panting, I was immediately disoriented by the darkness.
But there was no fire.
No explosions.
Just darkness.
And it was almost as overwhelming as the visions.
When I heard a noise and I reacted, immediately jerking toward the sound, noticing a figure on the ground. As another series of visions rushed into me, I wrapped my hands around the insurgent’s throat. We’d been ambushed. “Die, you fucker.”
“Phoenix. Stop. It’s me. Wren. Your little bird. Remember?”
Gasping, I immediately jerked my hands away, horrified at what I’d done even as the ugly visions continued to ravage me. “Oh, God. What have I done.” I jerked away, stumbling off something. A bed. That’s right. Wren. No. No. No.
“Hey. It’s okay. I’m fine.” Her voice was so soft, comforting.
“I hurt you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
What the hell? Was it real? It had to be real.
Calm down. Breathe. Count to ten.
One. Two. Three…
I couldn’t make it.
Fuck. The images were bloody, more detailed than they’d been for a long time. I backed against the window, trying to catch my breath. The ugly visions had started to pick up in intensity, now so often I was terrified of closing my eyes at night. As I blinked, beads of sweat trickled down my face. Goddamn it. There couldn’t be anything worse than if this happened while I was out in the wilderness somewhere, my smokejumping team counting on me.
I counted to ten again, raking my hands through my hair, trying to concentrate on the sound of her voice as I blinked furiously. “I’m so sorry.” I jerked away, tumbling toward the door.
“Don’t go. Please. Stay with me, Phoenix. Phoenix. Listen. I’m not going anywhere. Come back,” Wren said so quietly, I strained to understand her words.
“You don’t want me here. I need to get away from you.” Jesus. Why had the dream seemed so real, as if I was reliving it all over again? I’d managed to suppress the ugliness for years.
“It was a nightmare. That’s all.”
I stayed where I was, my fingers digging into the dresser. When I felt her fingers pressed against my back, I tensed, forced to remind myself that I was no longer in the damn trenches, fighting to stay alive long enough to be found.
“Listen to me, Phoenix. I’m not hurt or upset. You have a lot of anger inside of you, demons that manifest in these nightmares. I know you weren’t trying to hurt me. You’re lashing out at what you couldn’t control. Come back to bed.” Refusing to take no for an answer, she slipped her fingers in mine, tugging me gently back to bed. I watched as she pulled down the covers, easing me into a sitting position, even taking the time to slide my feet onto the sheets. Then without hesitation, she crawled over me, cuddling against my legs and chest, her arm tenderly placed around my waist.
How could this girl stand being in the same room with me? I’d almost choked her to death.
