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“But you-you can’t. Promise me. No matter what…” Her voice trails off, choked with unshed tears.
I recoil from her words, my stomach twisting at the implication of what she’s asking. I shake my head, my voice emerging as a raspy whisper. “I can’t—Barbi, I can’t let them…”
“No!” She grabs the iron bars of her cell and presses her face between the gap. Her grip tightens, turning her knuckles white, and her lower lip quivers in fear. “You have to. I can’t live knowing they used me to get the answers they seek. I’d rather die. Promise me.”
Barbi’s urgent plea fills the small space with an ask I can’t fulfill. To sit by while she’s tortured.
How can I?
Her voice reaches me, a desperate plea tinged with fear.
“Alec, promise me.” She knows the horrors we’re facing. It’s plain as day in the turmoil etched across her face.
Memories surge through my mind, a brutal test of endurance and perseverance. The grueling training I underwent as a Navy SEAL, the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) course that tested the limits of my stamina. The simulated torture, the relentless mental and physical strain, the screams that still echo in my ears, I emerged from that crucible unbroken, a testament to my unwavering spirit.
But now, the thought of Barbi enduring that same torment may be exactly what it takes to break me.
She’s the one thread I cling to, the anchor in this maelstrom of darkness. The notion of her suffering is a weight that threatens to crush me.
Break me.
I take a deep breath, my voice a low rasp. “Barbi, I…”
The words falter, caught between my clenched teeth. The memories of my training, the battles I’ve fought, they flood my mind.
I can endure pain, but nothing prepared me for this.
None of them prepared me for the possibility of losing her.
None of them prepared me to withstand the burden of her agony.
Barbi’s eyes search mine; her desperation mirrors my own. Her resolve clear. She understands the struggle raging within me, the battle between duty and love, between protecting the mission and protecting her.
She knows I can’t do both.
“You can’t ask this of me.” How can I get her to understand?
“I know, but I insist.” She closes her eyes and takes a moment. “Promise me. Promise you won’t…” Like me, her voice breaks.
And in that shared gaze, a pact is formed.
“I-I swear.” My voice emerges, laced with the echoes of those who have been broken, who cracked under the strain. My voice thickens with emotion. “I won’t let them use you to get to me. No matter what.”
It’s in that moment that my heart breaks.
Barbi’s grip on the iron bars loosens. She slowly lowers herself to the grimy floor, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. It’s a promise forged in the crucible of our love, a vow that surpasses any allegiance to duty or mission.
Together, we’ll face this darkness and emerge on the other side, unbroken, but we’ll be forever changed.
I push aside the gnawing ache in my body as the guards suddenly return and unlock Barbi’s cell. They grab her, their grip like vices on her arms, and I’m forced to watch as they drag her away from me. She fights them, her screams echoing through the air, pleading for them to stop, to let her go. But they’re oblivious and uncaring of her pleas, consumed by their own sadistic purpose.
A surge of anger courses through me, fueling my determination, stoking my rage. I won’t let them break me. I won’t let them use her as a pawn in their twisted game.
The memory of my SEAL training, the resilience that was forged in the face of adversity, burns within me. I draw upon that strength, summoning every ounce of willpower to resist their vile demands.
The guards come back a few minutes later, their attention focused on me. Like they did with Barbi, they unlock my cell and haul me from it. The rough concrete scrapes against my knees as they drag me, a stark reminder of the harsh reality of our captivity. I grit my teeth and taste the bitterness mingling with the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
They take me back to the interrogation room where Barbi’s already strapped to a chair. The dim lighting casts eerie shadows on the stained walls, the air thick with the stench of fear and despair, suffocating in its intensity. I catch a glimpse of Barbi, her eyes wide with terror.