Page 111 of Mariposa
Suddenly, the aircraft jumps and maneuvers violently, making me drop the bear. My eyes flutter from the sudden turbulence. Everyone groans and sucks in a breath, skeptically hyper-focusing on where the pilots sit. The bear skids across the floor, sliding between every soldier slowly, and stops at Booker’s feet. He stares at it momentarily, curiosity flickering through his hazel orbs. Before I can ask him to throw it back to me or unhook my seatbelt, chaotic shouting comes from the cockpit.
“RPG! They’re everywhere! We’re getting fucking shot at in the sky!”
What?!
Everyone tenses. I grip my seatbelt tight until the friction burns the pads of my fingers. We’ve been in the air for about an hour, approaching our destination. The helicopter moves again; this time, it feels like we’re going through a pocket of air, but that’s impossible. Hanging on while blood pounds in my ears, I bite the inside of my cheek until it fills with blood. My stomach rises to my chest as bile explodes into my throat, and we start to free-fall. It’s a desperate attempt from the pilots to land safely before we’re shot out of the sky. In the distance, I glimpse the mountains as the pilots jerk their sticks, dodging enemy fire. We’re getting closer to the ground.
Holding my scream inside my constricted lungs, I search for the bear, trying to focus on anything but the worst-case scenario.
Crashing.Death.
I’m going to puke everywhere.
“What the fuck?!” Green Berets shout and groan left and right from the chaos that ensues. Before I know what I’m doing, my fearful eyes meet Kade’s confident, calm, and collected gaze.
He takes off his mask, making me take off mine. The urge to run into his arms and hold his hand is killing me. I need it; I crave his safety. If we’re going to go down, I want to be next to him. He might hate me, yet, in what seems to be our last moments of life, we spend them looking into each other’s yearning eyes.
The helicopter’s engine booms, and loud pain riddles my ears. His is the last face I see before gravity pulls the aircraft to the ground. The collision forces everyone to lose their bearings, and the last thing I remember is seeing Kade’s intense gaze and wondering where the bear disappeared to.
43
VIOLET
Am I dead?
I don’t remember how I got here. Memory eludes me.
All I see is black. My nerves are numb, like I’m weightless, which could only mean Death has finally claimed my soul…right? But then the distant sound of the helicopter engine comes back into my ringing ears like a muffled nightmare. Memories of how I got into this situation creep inside me and contradict my initial thoughts.
It’s not a dream. It’s my horrid reality.
Adrenaline floods my veins, and my eyes shoot open. I’m flat on my back, and my chest rises and falls rapidly as I catch my breath. My fingers tremble as I try to trace the blades of grass on the ground. I blink the darkness away and fixate on the sky. All I see are stars. They dance in my blurred vision.
This can’t be good.
Panic is causing me to become more aware of how I got here. I roll to my side, and liquid warmth falls into my eyes. I immediately react and inspect what’s blurring my vision with my index finger. I poke what I’m hoping is sweat, but red paints my fingertips when I retract.
I’m bleeding.
I tilt my head to the side, and finally, the numbness fades and is replaced by excruciating pain. I groan when a shooting, stabbing sensation strikes my ankle when I try to drag my knee up. I let out a shriek followed by strangled whimpers. As soon as I’m hit with agony, I drop my foot, and the pain lessens to a bearable amount.
“Mariposa!”
My team leader’s voice booms. He sounds close, yet so far away.
Where are we?
“Mariposa! Where are you?”
His tone sends that familiar burn through my chest, and I yearn to see him. Is he okay?
“Beast,” I try to shout, but his call sign only comes out as a dry, low, and soft croak for help. I clear my throat and try again.
“Beast! I-I’m over here!” I lift my hand, hoping it’ll help him locate me. I wait a few seconds, craving to hear his deep, worried voice again, but he doesn’t answer.
Placing my palms on either side of my hips, I change into a sitting position. I need to get up—we’re still in the fight. I grit my teeth as red drips off my chin and onto my camo pants when I find the tall tree only about a foot away. I scoot and drag my legs until I get to the thick tree. The entire time, I’m scraping my limbs across the ground, I take in the dark sight before me. My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach as the ghastly images tattoo themselves into my brain. Bodies are being burned in front of me in the wreckage. Their bodies, from head to toe, are in flames. Some are missing limbs. Bile rises into my throat just as I’m hit with a wave of nausea. I swallow it back down and shut my eyes tight. My blood turns cold, and the strength I once had fades.
“I see you! Don’t move!” His footsteps thud louder, and I know he’s near. My dry lips curve into a small smile, knowing we’re okay and both still have beating hearts accompanied by warm flesh.
