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Screw the rifle, the binoculars have a broader view.
Bigger and bigger patterns I weave across the surface. Checking each bank as far as I can see. The few boats that are nearby have all twisted so I can see both sides.
Two thousand.
That has to be it, she’s hiding by one of the boats until she can swim free. I make it a point to memorize every single chip and stain on the hulls of each one.
Not an errant wave. There isn’t as much as a finger showing near any of them.
Ten thousand.
I’m not sure if I should keep counting.
A hollow ache begins to consume me as I watch the darkness. I can’t see anything but the lights reflecting off the water in tiny patches near the dam.
Have I lost her?
Was my only chance at joy so fleeting? It’s a cruel twist of fate to drop perfection from the sky and have it ripped from me so soon.
It feels like my ribs are being split apart and Alpha himself has my heart in his claws, shredding me slowly from the inside out.
I’d endure being shot a million times to never have this agony again.
A thin sliver of a moon splits between the clouds when I hit twenty thousand. There’s just enough light sprinkled across the water to keep searching.
I’m not leaving until I see some sign of her again.
The frost settles heavy enough I pull the blanket over me. It’s going to be a long night.
Twenty five thousand seconds. Almost seven hours have passed when I hear Alpha’s heavy footsteps.
And a strange chattering sound.
“Here.” His deep voice is quiet. I almost feel what he says rather than hear it.
“What? I’m busy.” I don’t want to look away. There’s a chance still. Right?
“Mikey?”
Her.
How?
I levitate from the ground and run to the giant creature. He holds a bundle against his chest that shivers within his arms.
“Hope?” I pull her to me. I can’t believe it. She’s alive. And soaking wet.
It’s freezing out here.
Her teeth are rattling together almost loud enough to cover the sob that escapes her throat. Cold fingers thread themselves around my neck and into my hair. “I thought you were dead.”
“No, baby. I told you I’d come and get you. I always will.” My lips find hers in a chilly kiss. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
She wobbles on her feet when I stand her up, but dutifully holds up her arms so I can strip the shirt off of her. Her wet pants cling to her hips and she folds her arms over her belly as she shivers.
But, she’s here, with me. An agonizing weight has been lifted.
My own clothes shed much faster before I scoop her up and cover us both with the blanket.