Voices carry on the night air – angry, agitated, but I can’t make out words. I guess they've discovered my escape.
Flashlight beams dance through the trees. I need to move, but which way? The road they came in on is my best bet for civilization, but that’s now the most dangerous… or equally dangerous. The vast, treacherous expanse of the Everglades stretches out behind me – a gamble that could very well kill me, but what choice do I have? Maybe I can just hide for long enough for them to think I’ve gone.
As I decide what to do, I become aware of a deep hum and wonder if I’ve disturbed some nasty nighttime insect. What the heck is that? It’s steady and unremitting, but before I can decipher it, there’s a bellow, followed by a frenzy of commotion.
The drumming of pounding feet seems to be coming right for me, and swallowing a yelp, I turn and blindly run.
My heart pounds as I sprint through the dense foliage, branches whipping at my face and arms. The sounds of pursuit grow louder behind me, accompanied by shouts and the crashing of bodies through the undergrowth. I push myself harder, ignoring the burning in my lungs and the ache in my legs.
Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet turns treacherously soft. I stumble, nearly falling face-first into murky water. I've reached the edge of a swamp. Panic rises in my throat as I realize I'm trapped between the water and my pursuers.
The strange humming grows louder, seeming to come from everywhere at once. A gust of wind whips my hair, and I look up to see a dark shape blotting out the stars.
Fuck my life! It's a drone, hovering low over the trees; probably heat seeking. I spin back and eye the water, wondering if its chill will mask my heat signature. I guess I’m about to find out.
Except, before I can move, a spotlight blazes to life, pinning me in its harsh glare.
"There!" A voice bellows from behind.
I have no choice. Taking a deep breath, I plunge into the swamp. The water is chest-deep and sickeningly warm, filled with unseen creatures that brush against my legs. I wade forward, trying to move as quickly and quietly as possible. The spotlight from the drone sweeps back and forth, searching.
Suddenly, a loud splash erupts behind me. They've entered the water. Panic surges through me as I realize how exposed I am. I duck lower, submerging myself up to my chin, and push forward with renewed desperation.
The drone's spotlight finds me again, illuminating the murky water around me. I hear shouts of triumph from my pursuers. They're gaining on me.
Just as I'm about to give up hope, I hear a clear and distinct voice shouting my name. Surely, I must be imagining it… it can’t be. Can it?
“Emylyah! Stop, it’s me. It’s Niko.”
Startled by the unexpected sound of my name carried through the darkness, I twist sharply in the water, my heart lurching at the familiarity of that voice. Desperation mingles with disbelief; could it truly be Niko out here in this forsaken wilderness? Or am I hearing what I want to hear? The very notion of him rushing to my rescue fills me with a strange mix of hope for what might be and the dread that my hope isn’t justified.
As my mind stalls, I lose my footing and the slippery mud beneath me gives way.
Before I can brace myself or even cry out, my legs give way from under me, and I’m plunged beneath the surface of the swamp’s murky depths. Cold panic grips me as water floods into my nose and mouth, choking off any attempt at calling for help. I thrash wildly in the darkness, limbs flailing against the tangled vegetation that seeks to drag me deeper still. It feels as though malicious fingers are clawing at my skin, pulling me down into oblivion.
Blind and disoriented, I struggle against the stifling weight pressing in from all sides, the world above reduced to a distant memory. My lungs burn with the need for air as I fight against the growing disorientation. Each second stretches into eternity, my thoughts splintering between survival instincts and half-formed memories of Niko—his face, his voice calling my name over and over again.
Time seems to stretch thin in this submerged purgatory until finally, mercifully, an unseen force takes hold of me.
Strong hands grasp my arms, hauling me up and I emerge sputtering and coughing, blinking water from my eyes.
"Lyah, it's okay. I've got you," Niko's voice rumbles close to my ear.
I stare up at him in shock, hardly daring to believe it's real. His face is etched with concern in the harsh glare of the spotlight. Behind him, I see several of his men wading through the swamp, weapons drawn.
"H-how?" I manage to choke out between coughs.
"Later," he says tersely. "We need to get you out of here and to safety. Then we’ll talk.”
Chapter 21
NIKO
I really can’t quantify how I feel now I’ve found Emylyah and she’s finally safe in my arms.
My mind is reeling with the overwhelming rush of emotions crashing over me with the force of a relentless tidal wave.
Relief surges through my veins, but it’s tangled with an unusual, disconcerting ache nestling in the depths of my chest. I’ve felt it a couple of times recently, but it remains a sensation I am unaccustomed to — a raw vulnerability that peels away the layers I’ve meticulously built up over the years. It’s disconcerting. I’ve never allowed myself to experience any profound feelings, always finding a way to distance myself from them. What I feel now is foreign and unsettling, threatening to unravel the steely composure I've always maintained.
