"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞."
Lou Johnston and Eddy "Boone" Higgins, two former best friends whose paths diverged after high school. Now, years later, they find themselves inexplicably draw...
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The ground felt like it was shifting beneath me as I dragged Boone's body closer to the tractor, the wind howling like a freight train overhead. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, but I gritted my teeth and kept pulling. The storm was closing in, and we didn't have much time left.
I couldn't tell if the ringing in my ears was from the wind or my own exhaustion. My fingers dug into the fabric of Boone's jacket, slick with dirt and blood, and I felt his weight pulling me back with every step. I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep going, but stopping wasn't an option. Not with him so close to slipping away.
"Come on, Eddy," I muttered under my breath, barely able to hear my own voice over the roar of the storm. "Just a little farther. You're not leaving me like this."
The maniac had fallen out of sight, swallowed up by the storm or the wreckage. I didn't care where he went as long as he stayed gone. I focused on the weight in my hands, the steady rhythm of dragging Boone across the barn floor, step by agonizing step.
Finally, after what felt like hours but couldn't have been more than minutes, we reached the tractor. It loomed in front of us like some kind of shelter, its rusted frame still holding together despite the chaos outside. I slumped against it, trying to catch my breath.
I glanced down at Boone-Eddy. His eyes were half-closed, fluttering in and out of consciousness. Blood trickled from a gash on his forehead, and his face was pale, too pale.
"Eddy?" I crouched down next to him, my hand shaking as I brushed the dirt off his face. "Hey, you with me? You gotta stay awake, okay? I can't do this without you."
His eyelids twitched, and for a second, I thought he might answer. But then his head lolled to the side, and I felt a surge of panic rise in my chest.
"Eddy!" I shook him, harder this time. "Come on, damn it! You can't leave me here!"
I didn't know if he could hear me, but I kept talking anyway, the words spilling out in a rush. "Remember what you said? About getting out of here? About everything we were gonna do? We still gotta do that, Eddy. We still have a future. You and me."
The wind screamed louder, and I could feel the tractor shudder under the force of it. The storm was getting worse, and we were running out of time. But I couldn't let go. I couldn't lose him.
I leaned down closer, my voice cracking. "Remember you said we were gonna take that trip out to the coast? Just you and me? You're still taking me, right? You promised." My throat tightened, but I forced a laugh through the tears that had started to blur my vision. "And you said you had plans for us, big plans. That I'd better watch out 'cause you were gonna surprise me, and I'd never see it coming. You're spoiling it now, y'know that?"
