Mission (Aftermath #1)

15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Investigation

Will

I spot Jon first, sitting in the lounge area with a coffee cup cradled in his hands. He looks up as I approach, his face breaking into a small smile.

“Will,” he says, standing to greet me. “How are you doing?”

“Better,” I say honestly. “Getting there.”

He nods, though his expression stays serious. “Good. You look stronger.”

Before I can respond, Mel walks in with a determined look on her face.

“Hey,” I say, stepping forward. Her hug is warm but brief, and when she steps back, her eyes search mine.

The three of us stand there for a moment, awkwardly suspended in the quiet before someone finally speaks.

“It’s strange being here,” Mel admits, glancing around the room. “Like the walls know what happened.”

Jon lets out a low hum, his brow furrowing. “I know what you mean. Feels... heavy. ”

We sit down, the three of us settling into the low chairs, and for a while, there’s only silence. It’s not uncomfortable, exactly, but it’s weighted.

“I didn’t think I’d make it through,” Mel says finally, her voice soft. “After the incident, I felt... lost. Completely untethered. But I had someone who helped me find my way back. A friend who just... kept showing up, you know? Even when I didn’t ask to be rescued.”

Jon nods slowly, his gaze distant. “I struggled too,” he admits, his voice unusually quiet. “Went up to rural Yorkshire for a while. No phone, no news—just sheep, hills, and plenty of sunshine. It helped. Put things in perspective.”

“Sunshine in Yorkshire?” I laugh. Sounds like an oxymoron to me.

“Yeah,” Jon has a mysterious smile on his face.

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “It’s not easy,” I say, my voice steady but low. “Coming back from something like that. I still see it sometimes. The landslide, the truck, the...”

I trail off, and they both nod, understanding unspoken.

“I can’t forget Arif,” Mel says, her voice trembling slightly. “He didn’t have a chance.”

“He deserved better,” Jon adds, his tone laced with guilt.

“I have asked myself a thousand times if I could have done something different that could have saved him… anything,” Mel sniffles.

“We all carry that,” I say quietly, my gaze fixed on the coffee table.

We sit in silence for a moment longer, each of us lost in our own thoughts .

“We are ready for you,” the voice of Greg Archer, the Head of Operations, pulls me from my thoughts.

I nod, standing and grabbing my crutches. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”

Jon and Mel fall into step beside me as we make our way to the meeting room. The weight of what we’re about to discuss looms large, but there’s something steadying about facing it together. We can get through this. Together.

To find out more about the incident, the investigation, what happened to Mel and Jon and what's next for Katie and Will, read

Rescue & Escape (Book 2 & 3 in the Aftermath Series)