Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
I met Lauren’s gaze, a leaden sense of dread in my chest.
“We can’t split up,” I said.
“We have to. And we can’t spend a bunch of time arguing about it. The other teams will beat us.”
I considered our options, not liking either scenario.
“I don’t want you going first, because you can’t climb trees to get markers.” I put a hand out, amending my statement immediately. “I mean, you can, but I hope we both agree that you don’t need to be doing it when I can.”
“So you go first,” she said.
“Hell no. I’m not leaving you behind. What if you get lost?”
She gestured at Linda. “Satellite phone, remember?”
“Which one of us are you staying with?” I asked Linda.
She put her camera down. “I have to stay with the second team member, so I can get video of the finish.”
Lauren gave me a victorious look. “Perfect. I’ll have Linda in case of an emergency, so you can go ahead and get all our markers.”
I didn’t like this. But I also didn’t see what other choice I had. There was no way I’d be able to convince Lauren to throw the towel in on the competition. She’d made it through a little more than half of the competition so far, and she seemed to be feeling okay.
“You’re sure?” I asked her. “Because we don’t have to do this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Get moving so we can finish in the top four.”
I took off the backpack and offered it to her. “I want you to take the water.”
“Not all of it, though.”
I nodded. “I’ve got a canteen, and I only have a little over a mile to go. I’ll be at the finish in less than an hour. You take the water.”
She gave me a playful smile. “So if I take this bag, you’ll go?”
Reluctantly, I nodded. She took the bag, which dropped toward the ground in her grasp.
“It’s heavier than I thought,” she said, picking it up and putting it on.
I turned to Linda. “You won’t leave her?”
“No.”
Linda had a satellite phone. Everything was going to be okay. I kept telling myself that over and over. I needed some reassurance, however I could get it, before I could make my feet move in the direction the map was telling me to go.
“See you at the end,” Lauren said. “Be careful. If you break your leg, I don’t think I can carry you to the finish line.”
She sounded so light and carefree—the opposite of how I felt. Leaving her when she’d been sick just the other day went against every instinct I had.
I did, though. I rushed through the rest of the course, collecting the last nine markers. When I emerged from the jungle and crossed the finish line, there were multiple camera operators filming me, and only two teams had already completed the challenge.
Maybe Lauren was right, and we were still in this. I went to the tent the producers had set up with water, fruit bars, and nuts for everyone to snack on.
Then I went back to the finish line, watching and waiting for Lauren to come out of the same path I’d exited the jungle from.
Within an hour, the second member of another team—Shayla—crossed the finish line on another path. Only Lauren and another female contestant, Amanda, were left.
My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest as I stared at the opening in the jungle, every second that passed without seeing her feeling like an hour. It wasn’t about the competition for me; I needed to lay eyes on Lauren and know she was okay.
Travis Burson yelled out in celebration as Amanda, his partner, came walking out of the jungle. That was the moment I lost my cool.
It wasn’t about the game. Something was wrong. Lauren should have been out by now if she’d continued at the pace we’d done the first half of our course at.
“We’re out, right?” I asked Josh, who was sitting on a bench eating a sandwich.
How that fucker could eat at a time like this was beyond me.
“As the fifth team to finish, yes, you guys are out,” he confirmed.
I nodded. “Then I’m going back in for Lauren.”
“No, you can’t go back in.”
I scowled. “Why does it matter if we’re out? I’m worried about her.”
Josh looked at Nadia, one of the producers.
“Do you want me to call Linda on her satellite phone to check on them?” she asked.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that would be great.”
Nadia flipped through a few pages on a clipboard, found the number for Linda’s satellite phone and dialed it. I watched as she waited for an answer, her brows lowering.
“She didn’t answer,” she said. “That’s weird. Linda always answers.”
“I’m going in,” I said, turning.
“No, wait,” Nadia said. “If Linda doesn’t call back within five minutes, I’ll send in a search team.”