Revenant's Kiss | ONC 2022 Shortlister ✓

E I G H T

The cool air chilled my bare arms and I buried my face against the warmth of the blanket cloaking me, wincing as a sudden pinch of pain pricked my bent arm. I blinked groggily and glanced down at the needle poked into my vein. A tube full of dark red liquid connected to the needle fed my body from a small packet suspended from the wall.

What the hell was this? I frowned. Where was I?

"Hey, you're awake." A redhead with soft brown eyes stepped up to me, kneeling down and gently touching my forearm. "How're you feeling?"

Creases formed across my brow as I frowned in thought. My brain struggled to recognize this man's face, or even bring back why I was here. I dropped my focus from his face to the floor, noticing a tactical backpack with the soaring eagle patch of the EGL.

My breath hitched. I remembered now, all too clearly.

"Where did you get this?" I asked, my voice cracking with dryness as I gestured at the pack.

He glanced down at it and shifted his weight onto his heels. "From a helicopter crash site not far from here. I salvaged what I could from the dead there before laying them to rest."

I pushed myself up, wincing at the sharp twinge in my side. If the bodies had still been out there, Control never got any of my messages. It was no surprise. Something inside the helo must've interfered with the signal, and I doubted they would send a search party out. Between the shortage of soldiers and how low we were on supplies at the QZ, they wouldn't risk any more lives even if there was a chance someone from Alpha Chaos survived.

He tilted his head at me. "You're an Eagle, a part of them, aren't you?"

I slowly trained my eyes on his face. Genuine curiosity shone in his eyes and I sighed, glancing at the pack once more before looking back to him and nodding. "Yeah. They were my team."

"I knew it," he revealed with a mostly silent laugh. He ran his fingers through his hair and held out a pair of dog tags. "Daytona Pierce, right?"

I nodded, feeling the metallic chill of the chain holding the tags as he dropped them in my palm. The fact he knew all of this blew me away. He was definitely more attentive and smarter than I originally gave him credit for. You don't judge a book by its cover, and he proved it. "And you are?"

"Soren Levisay. My title ain't as impressive as yours, sergeant, but I am a mechanic. Or, was before the virus and all," he revealed, babbling just a little.

Was he nervous? It sure seemed like it. Then again, maybe he was just talkative. I doubted it though, because something about him pointed at a deeply rooted shyness. I had to admit, it was sort of cute but he definitely wasn't my type. Ha. Who was I kidding? Since the moment I crashed into his hideaway, I noticed he possessed many of the mannerisms of Jonathan. But the girl I was with Jon was a far cry from the woman I was today.

"How'd you get all this set up?" I pointed up at the 0- blood packet, forcing myself from my thoughts. "And how long have I been out?"

"It's all in the perks of having a nurse sister," he replied, standing to his feet and staring down at me. He held his hands behind his back and leaned back a little. "Six days and about two hours."

"Six days!?" I exclaimed, shooting up from the bed like a rocket at launch.

Soren gripped my shoulder and gently guided me back down onto the cot. "Woah, ma'am! Easy. You've got stitches."

I felt like the biggest idiot right then. Here I was, a trained and battle-hardened soldier with a mechanic telling me what I knew I should be doing. Where was my brain? I held back a laugh. Probably out there with the downed helo somewhere just like everything else.