Escape

Everything You Thought You Knew

We're in position.

Holding our breath.

Hearts beating out of our chests.

Waiting for the truck holding our friend.

Praying this works.

Needing this to work.

The world seems to be holding its breath with us: no sound is heard, not even the wind pushing the branches around.

Ever heard the silence before the storm?

Usually what follows is deadly and catastrophic.

Can you ever actually be prepared for that?

Then Lena finds my eyes, her steady gaze and determined look giving me a boost I desperately need.

I let out a long breath, watching the condensation expand out and then up to get lost in the stars.

That's when I first hear it, the sound of tires rolling against stones and pushing them farther down into the earth.

This is it. It's coming our way. Any second now we'll be stopping it, holding them up until we free Nat, making a mad dash back to our jet in hopes of escape.

My breath is coming faster; heart thrumming in my ears and drowning out the sound of the oncoming truck.

With every second that passes, that incredibly bad feeling of impending doom only grows. We can't pull this off. Something is wrong; is going to go wrong. I can't stop it. It's already happening. How'd I let it get this far?

I can't tell if they're just driving really sluggish or if my brain started processing everything in slow motion, but they're approaching us. The truck is in view.

I glance at everyone in their hiding spots; they're ready. Ready to jump this truck and I'm about to let them. I try to rationalize that I can't stop them, that I want this to be Nat and I want this to all work out.

It's eating me alive. This dread I've felt from the beginning, but I couldn't stop any of it and now I feel as though I'm about to watch it all slowly slip through my fingers.

"Okay, every body ready and sharp. Stick to the plan. Easy stop and grab. Focus on getting Nat," Clint's voice almost had me jumping out of my skin.

"I don't see any other vehicles with it either, so at least they're alone. Don't let your guard down," Kate follows up.

The words all seem jumbled as they speak, yet my brain somehow understands the sentences.

I gulp so loud I'm sure the guys driving the truck heard it. Wiping my hands on my pants because they're somehow sweating in these freezing temps.

It's going to be fine. Nat will be in the truck. The plan will work. You will all make it home safely.

Except it won't and you won't.

This pep talk is lacking pep.

"Dani, are you ready?"

"Hm? Yeah. Yeah."

"Okay. We go on my count, okay Dani? I'm with you."

I swallow the lump in my throat. "I'm with you." I am. I'm willing to run into hell for her. Which might be what we're doing.

With that, I have to put myself together. Because somehow the large cargo truck is now only a few yards away and Yelena is giving the word to move.

My body is moving on its own accord; knowing what to do even though I feel numb, like I'm watching it all through a screen far away on a couch. Which is good because this would be a horrible time to choke.