Perilous

Chapter Five

Perilous

Chapter Five

Cammie POV

"Cammie."

As soon as the word left his mouth, the door was slammed shut and he was pressed against it, my forearm on his throat.

"How the hell do you know that name? How the hell do you know!?" I demanded.

Zach struggled to breathe. "I..." He coughed, but I didn't relieve the pressure on his windpipe. "I remember you."

I growled. "There should be nothing to remember!"

"Y-yes, there is." He argued breathlessly. "It w-was years ago. Catherine had kept you from me for a long time. B-but then I did something...it was something stupid. I-I think I assaulted a guard?"

As he spoke, my arm slowly released the pressure on his throat. He continued, breathing easier now. "I don't know. I-I think I was 10 or 11? She tied me to a chair...I had to watch her torture a girl my age for hours as punishment. I found a video of me screaming for it to stop in the old evidence files I was looking at and...I remember. Every time I screwed up, the girl paid for it. And then one day...Catherine put us in the same cell. I cleaned her wounds and talked to her. She, she told me her name was Cammie, Cammie Morgan. Short for Cameron."

It was really hot all of a sudden. My head started to hurt. My arms fell to my side.

"I saw her many times after that. Whenever she finished with training or being tortured, I patched up her cuts and bruises. Whenever Catherine starved her as punishment, I would slip her some of my rations. She wasn't allowed to go outside or above ground unless Catherine was with her, so I brought her photographs of the things I saw. I made her something once. So that she could remember me if I was ever caught."

He searched my eyes with his green ones.

"After about two years Catherine caught me showing her photos and giving her food. She locked her away. I never saw her again. I assumed she was dead." Zach reached a hand out to touch my hair. "It was you, wasn't it? You're Cammie, right? I recognize your eyes. The same sapphire blue." His fingers toyed with the ends of my hair. My eyes simply stared into his.

"Agh!" I suddenly screamed and stumbled back as a sharp pain pierced my skull. My hands grasped at my head.

"Cammie! Oh my god, Cams." Zach ran toward me and caught me before I could fall.

I started to feel faint, light-headed. My heart pounded.

The last thing I heard was Zach calling my name. I hadn't heard that name in years.

The last thing I saw were his concerned green eyes peering down at me.

I squeezed my eyes. They blinked a few times before opening fully.

Looking around, I recognized the CIA infirmary. It was empty besides Nick sleeping in a chair at the door.

Suddenly, there was a movement in my lap.

Looking down, I saw a mass of soft, light brown curls.

Smiling, I ran my fingers through his hair. It really was soft.

Zach stirred, blinking up at me.

He sat up abruptly. "You're awake."

I nodded before realizing how much my head hurt. "Yeah, looks like it." I began to sit up but he gently pushed me back down.

"No, stay. Rest. We still have a few hours before we have to get on our plane."

I sighed, laying my head on the pillow beneath me.