31. Jonah
Jonah
I ’m losing the fight to stay conscious.
That becomes obvious somewhere between the bunker exit and the tree line.
Everything keeps fading in and out around the edges.
Sound first.
Then vision.
Then pain.
Though honestly, the pain part’s kind of a blessing.
My boots drag unevenly through mud and rock while Ronan and Sienna practically carry me between them down the mountain slope.
But even through the haze—
I can still feel her.
Sienna.
Holding onto me like letting go means I disappear.
Funny thing is—
She’s the only reason I’m still upright.
“You’re not dying.”
Her voice shakes beside me.
Fierce.
Terrified.
Determined enough to argue with death itself.
“You hear me? You are not dying.”
I try focusing on her face through the blur.
Doesn’t work very well.
“I’ll try not to.”
The words come rough and slurred.
Sienna lets out a sound somewhere between a sob and an angry laugh.
“Don’t joke right now!”
“Little late to change my personality…”
That earns me another shaky breath beside me.
Good.
Still fighting.
Still here.
Tree branches whip past overhead while Ronan keeps dragging us downhill through the dark.
Behind us, distant gunfire still echoes through the mountains where HELIOS tears itself apart.
Nice work, Sienna.
Remind me never to piss you off.
My vision blurs harder suddenly.
The ground feels uneven.
Wrong.
I stumble.
Sienna tightens her grip instantly.
“Jonah.”
Fear cracks through her voice hard enough it cuts straight through the fog in my head.
“I’m good.”
Lie.
Terrible lie.
Even I know it.
Then engines roar somewhere ahead.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Incoming.
Ronan stops instantly.
Weapon up.
Body tense.
“Friendlies?” he shouts.
I force my eyes open wider.
Headlights burst over the ridge line ahead through drifting smoke and rain.
One vehicle.
Then another.
Moving hard enough mud sprays behind the tires.
Military driving.
No hesitation.
Good.
I know those idiots.
Relief almost makes me laugh.
“About time,” I mutter.