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“Let's keep moving.” Wyatt glanced over his shoulder. “We’ve got a chopper to catch.”
We continued up the steep terrain with Hunter and Wyatt alternating turns at the rear of us, searching for the men chasing us.
The wild foliage seemed to close in on me, making it harder to breathe. Harder to walk.
Each time Hunter or Wyatt fired their weapon at the men chasing us, a scream followed. Men were dying and it was my fault. My narrow-minded quest to create something good brought this nightmare to the Amazon jungle.
And now three good men were in the line of fire because of me.
We finally reached the top of the hill and Hunter stopped us.
“Get down.” He pressed Cody’s shoulders until he flopped onto the wet leaves. I crawled in beside him and grabbed Cody’s hand.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He shook his head. “What’s going on? Why are they shooting at us?”
“I don’t know, but Hunter is here to save us.”
Cody swept his wet hair from his face. “Who is he and how did he find us?”
“I met him in the military hospital I volunteered at, and I used the satellite phone to call him and gave him the coordinates.”
As Wyatt peered through the scope on his rifle into the jungle around us, ready to kill, Cody moaned. His face was pale, and he looked dazed and disorientated.
“We're going to make it. I know we will.” I squeezed his hand, trying to offer some comfort despite my own fear.
I looked up to meet Hunter’s piercing gaze and saw not only the fierce determination of a soldier but also the vulnerability of a man who had been hurt before.
And it was my fault he was in danger again.
Hunter pulled out his satellite phone. “Eagle One, this is Black. We are ready for immediate extraction. But we are coming in hot. I repeat, we are ready for immediate extraction, and we have tangos in pursuit.”
His voice was tense and urgent.
“Roger that.” Hunter snapped the antenna down on the satellite phone. “Extraction confirmed. “We need to move.”
We stumbled through thick underbrush, pushing toward an invisible location that only Hunter could see on his GPS.
“Keep going!” Wyatt yelled as he fired a few shots at our pursuers.
“We're almost there.” Hunter pressed his hand to my lower back, urging me forward.
Our united breaths were ragged, and our bodies were slick with sweat and drizzling rain.
The distinct thump of helicopter blades cut through the air above.
“Get down!” Hunter pushed me into the bushes along with Cody.
As we huddled together, Hunter peered through the scope on his rifle, his body tense and ready for action.
“Stay low,” Hunter yelled over the roaring engine.
The helicopter hovered overhead but it was only just visible through the dense canopy. Wind from the rotors whipped my hair around my face and stung my eyes. The plants shuddered as if screaming their protest against this mechanical beast in their pristine wilderness.
“Here it comes!” Wyatt pointed to the cable lowering from the helicopter.
My heart raced. My hands trembled.
