Happy H50 Friday! The idea for this story hit me as soon as I saw the first muddy pictures. I'm finally ready to share it with all of you. Just remember...I'm not an expert in anything! Enjoy!
Steve stood on top of a makeshift wall, cheering on two women as they dropped gracefully to the bottom. They gave him a wave before running to catch up with their friends. When he turned around, feet from the finish line, he was both elated and exhausted, buzzed from the adrenaline and endorphins flooding his body. He needed to get back to his team. Surveying the course below him, he watched someone being pulled from the mud.
A man.
Small in stature.
Streaks of blonde hair and a blue shirt visible through the mud.
This wasn't unusual. There were injuries at these events all the time. Luckily, people on the sidelines always jumped in to help. Most were trained EMTs and medics. This Mudder had a particularly large military presence.
He smiled, thrilled to finally be taking part in such an awesome challenge. This was his idea of fun.
Wait. Where was his team?
He'd surged ahead to help a group of women over an obstacle. Leaving Danny, Chin and Kono as they helped each other slog through a deep trench.
The name of the game here was camaraderie. Helping other Mudders. He couldn't resist.
His team was fine. They didn't need him, so he'd offered a hand to a group of breast cancer survivors. The momentary high of helping them was wearing off.
Then he saw her. Kono. Off to the side. Bent over, hands on her knees. Chest heaving. Was she crying? Yelling?
There was so much noise around him. They were so close to the end. People were cheering, celebrating. It was organized chaos.
A split second later, he spotted Chin. He was helping to pull the man from the course. Other Mudders surged around them. Mostly unaware of what was happening.
EMTs rushed past Steve's vantage point as he climbed down the wall.
Where was Danny?
He scanned the throng of people for his best friend.
Why wasn't he there with Chin, helping the injured stranger?
His body knew the answer before telling his rational mind. It was suddenly too loud. Voices, cheers, chants. A siren. His own heart pounded. He couldn't catch his breath.
Then he heard his own name.
He looked for the source.
Chin crouched beside the man now surrounded by medical staff. He waved for Steve. His eyes wide with fear.
Oh God. Danny.
Am I evil enough to leave it here? Naaaahhhhh...you'll get at least one more chapter tonight.
PS. The title reflects mostly how difficult it was for me to come up with a title! :-P