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Chapter Twenty- Eight

D arkness fell at lightning speed and Mackenzie slumped with his back against the rough bark of a tree and blindly fanned at invisible insects buzzing in his ears. Something stung his ankle, and he brushed the insect away, thankful it was just an ant.

He wanted to keep moving but couldn’t. Fear of falling off another cliff kept him right where he was.

I’m about to have one hell of a shitty night in the middle of nowhere.

His heart pounded as he darted his gaze about the blackness.

Suddenly a flash in the distance caught his attention and jumping to his feet, he stared at the spot.

There it is again.

A fire!

Abi, you little beauty.

The distant flames were massive. Abi must’ve been loading the fire with timber for hours. Resisting the urge to run, he painstakingly tested every footstep. With each step the glow intensified as did his heartbeat. I’m going to make it.

“Abi!” He increased his pace.

The silhouetted plane materialised ahead of him and casting caution he sprinted toward it.

“Abi!” He jumped over the last bush and leapt into the clearing .

Abigail raced to him, with outstretched arms and tears tumbling down her cheeks. Her contorted expression was a mixture of fear and relief. She slammed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him, crushing both him and the lizard.

“I thought you were dead.”

“I fell down a cliff.”

They each spoke over the top of the other.

“I didn’t … know what to do.”

Her grip remained solid as she crumbled into sobs, choking out disjointed sentences.

“I’m sorry. I caught a lizard.”

She thumped him in the back. “I was so scared. I was all alone.”

“Charlie’s here.”

She stiffened and when she released her hands and pulled back, tortured grief flooded her eyes.

“No!” She didn’t need to say anything, her expression said enough. “Oh, no. Not Charlie.”

“He was by the fire writing a letter and I left him alone for a while. I thought he was asleep. But I …” She began wailing again and Mackenzie wrapped his arms around her.

He stared over her shoulder at the black clad figure by the fire and hugged her tighter. “It must’ve been awful.”

“It was.” They stood side by side by the fire, looking at Charlie.

“I thought we saved him. I can’t believe it.” Tears flooded his eyes. “Did he say anything?”

“Not a word. But he wrote a letter. It’s in an envelope on top of his notepad.”

Mackenzie picked up the envelope. Pink paper was visible inside, but he folded the seal down and placed it back on the notepad.

“You’re not going to read it?”

“No. It’s private.” Mackenzie wished he’d asked Charlie about his final mission. Now he’d never know. He glanced at the letter and wondered if he’d written it down, but now wasn’t the time for prying.

Mackenzie gathered Charlie’s frail body, placed him on the grass, and as he spread the black shirt over him again, he said a silent prayer. Although he’d only known Charlie for two short days, he’s experienced a deep, filial affection for the man. He couldn’t understand why. He’d never had a father figure in his life that he trusted. However, the frail stranger had instilled a deep sense of faith in him and had given him hope.

Their friendship was cemented with a common goal—survival.