Page 18 of Battle of Hearts

Sawyer led the way, her body bent against the wind, each step feeling like it took an eternity. The snow was knee-deep, and every movement drained more of their already waning strength. She prayed that the storm would let up, and that, if there were any animals lurking nearby, the ferocity of the storm would hold them back.

Behind her, she could hear Mirren’s labored breathing, the cold clawing at both of them. They’d barely made it a quarter of a mile when Sawyer felt the first pang of doubt creep in.

The storm was getting worse, not better. The outpost felt like a distant memory now, swallowed by the relentless blizzard.

“How much farther?” Mirren called out, her voice barely audible over the roar of the wind.

Sawyer glanced at her GPS, squinting against the swirling snow. “Three miles.” She answered, but that doubt never left her body. What if the GPS was wrong? Broken? What if the storm was leading her away from the location she remembered? She tried to shake the thoughts away, but they plagued the back of her mind like an unrelenting parasite.

“Three miles,” Mirren repeated, her voice shaky but determined, nearly muted in the howling winds of the storm. “We can do that.”

Sawyer nodded, but inside, she wasn’t so sure. The temperature was dropping fast, and the cold was seeping into her bones, making her movements sluggish, her thoughts slower. Her body screamed at her to stop, to rest, but she pushed forward, one step at a time, knowing that stopping meant certain death.

They walked in silence for what felt like hours. Every step was a battle, every breath a painful reminder of how fragile they were in the face of nature’s fury. The weight of their situation pressed down on Sawyer, her mind racing with grim possibilities.

Suddenly, Mirren stumbled behind her, her body collapsing into the snow.

“Mirren!” Sawyer turned, her heart leaping into her throat as she rushed to her side. “Mirren,get up. Come on. We can’t stop here.”

Mirren looked up at her, her face pale and lips blue from the cold. “I’m trying,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m just…so tired.”

Fear gripped Sawyer’s heart as she knelt beside Mirren, shaking her gently. “No. No, no, you can’t give up. We’re almost there. Mirren. We’re so close.We’re so close.”

But as Sawyer looked out into the endless white expanse of the storm, she realized the awful truth—they were still miles away from safety, and the storm showed no sign of letting up.

For the first time, a cold dread settled deep in her chest.

They might not make it.

8

MIRREM

The cold had settled into Mirren’s bones, so deep she wondered if it would ever leave. Her fingers were so numb they barely seemed like hers anymore, trembling uncontrollably even though she was wrapped tightly in multiple layers and the remaining thermal blankets. The blizzard screamed outside, battering their fragile shelter, and despite all her training, all her expertise in extreme weather, this was beyond anything for which she had ever before prepared.

She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision, but everything was blurred by exhaustion and the frost building in the corners of her eyes.

Next to her, Sawyer was hunched over, her breaths coming in slow, controlled bursts. Mirren could feel the tension radiating from her, could see the rigid line of her jaw in the dim light filtering through their makeshift tarp. Even in this state, Sawyer was the picture of calm under pressure, but Mirren knew the truth. She knew the cracks were forming, that beneath the tough exterior, Sawyer was just as close to the edge as she was.

Sawyer had helped Mirren to their feet, and the woman resumed trudging through the mounds of snow that grew largerby the second. But exhaustion was wearing her down fast, and the small voice in the back of her head whispered she wouldn’t make it was growing louder by the second.

“Sawyer,” Mirren called out, her voice barely audible over the howling wind. She had to repeat herself, louder this time, until Sawyer turned, her face shadowed by the hood of her jacket.

“What?” Sawyer shouted back, her brows furrowed in concern as she slowed down. “Are you okay?”

Mirren nodded but stepped closer, fighting the wind to close the gap between them. Her chest tightened and her throat constricted, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to the cold or the words she needed to say. It felt so wrong, so selfish to bring this up now, but they could die in the next few hours. Mirren could feel it in her bones—the fragility of life hanging between them like a thin thread.

“I need to tell you something,” she said, her voice trembling.

Sawyer’s green eyes were locked onto hers, sharp and attentive despite their dire situation. “What is it?” she asked, her breath misting in the frigid air.

Mirren hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment crash into her all at once. What if this was it? What if this was their last conversation, the last time she’d ever get to look into Sawyer’s eyes? She couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I—” Mirren’s voice cracked. She took a shaky breath, trying to find the words, but they stuck in her throat. Everything inside her screamed to hold it in, to wait until the storm passed, but what if there was noafter? What if this was their last moment together?

“I care about you, Sawyer. More than just...this mission. More than just survival.” The words tumbled out before she could stop them, raw and desperate. She clenched her fists at her sides, her heart pounding. “I can’t—I won’t get through this if I don’t tell you.”

Sawyer stared at her, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Mirren, what are you saying?”

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