Page 67 of Searching Blind

Finally.

She aimed the flare up towards the sky and pulled the trigger. The shot exploded into the air in a vibrant red streak, painting the dawn sky with its urgent message. She watched it arc high before starting to descend slowly, the trailing smoke weaving intricate patterns in the clear blue sky.

The helicopter tilted slightly to their direction.

They had been seen.

Sawyer turned towards her, his face lit by the flare's reddish glow. Up close, she could see the lines of fatigue etching themselves deeper into his rugged features, but his eyes held a spark of triumph.

"We made it," he said softly, reaching out toward her.

She laced her fingers through his. Tears welled up and spilled over, but these were tears of relief instead of fear.

They were going home.

Then, just as the helicopter lowered itself into the clearing, an ear-splitting crack echoed through the valley. The sound was so sudden, so violently loud, that both Lucy and Sawyer froze in place. Zelda growled low in her throat.

It took a second for Lucy to realize what had happened. "Gunshot!" she shouted over the thunderous whirring of the helicopter blades. She grabbed Sawyer's arm and yanked him down behind a large boulder.

"Sawyer?" a voice blared from the helicopter's loudspeaker and Lucy looked up, spotting a man clad in the red RWCR uniform leaning out of the chopper’s open door. His face was obscured by the visor of his helmet, but she recognized his voice—Connelly Davis, former pararescue jumper, now a bestselling author and RWCR’s part-time medic.

“Pull up!” she shouted, waving an arm at him without exposing her position behind the boulder. “Shooter!”

Just then a bullet pinged off the skid near Connelly’s boot. He ducked back inside. She couldn’t hear him, but she was sure he was swearing. The helicopter veered away, and her heart sank as she watched it go.

They were so close. But the shooter was still out there.

Sawyer's hand gripped hers tight as if to ground her. “Are you hurt?"

"No," she said, looking down at him. "Are you?"

He shook his head.

She let out a small sigh of relief. They were okay. For now.

"We can’t sit here. We need to move.” He struggled to his feet. His swollen knee trembled under the strain, but he ignored the pain and pushed himself upright. Zelda whined at his side, her tail tucked between her legs. She knew something was wrong and Lucy could see fear in her expressive hazel eyes.

“You’re okay, girl,” she whispered and gave the dog a kiss on her forehead. “We’re okay.” She looked up at Sawyer. “Where can we go?”

"Is there higher ground nearby?”

“Higher than here?”

“Anywhere we have a better chance of not getting shot."

She scanned their surroundings, her gaze landing on a cliff a good distance away. One side was vertical, but the other was a more manageable slope. It would still be a difficult climb, especially with Sawyer's injured knee, and they would be exposed on its rocky side until they reached the top. But once there, they would have the advantage of a view over their entire surroundings. The shooter wouldn’t be able to sneak up on them.

“Yes,” she said finally. “There's a ridge maybe half a mile to the north. It’s a stretch, but it's our best shot.”

His jaw clenched. "Any cover?"

“Some trees between here and there… but once we’re on the rock, not much until we reach the top.”

Another gunshot rang out then, closer this time, echoing sharply off the surrounding hills and making both of them flinch. Zelda whined again but stayed obediently at Sawyer's side.

"Fuck!" Sawyer cursed as the echo faded. "We don't have much choice, do we?"

Lucy glanced back at the ridge, her mind already calculating their route. "Just get to the trees first, then we’ll worry about the climb. The shooter can't hit what they can't see."

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