As promised, here is Chapter 2. Writing this made me cringe. Being buried alive would be a scary thing.
Parker and I are close to the location of Alex's car. I have Parker call Mitchell to see if she knows how Mike is doing.
"Put it on speaker," I instruct.
Mitchell says that Mike is scared, but still alive.
"Can you put him on?" I ask.
I need to hear Mike's voice. I want to hear for myself that he is alive. I also want to reassure him that we are going to get him out of this.
"Ryan," I hear him say.
"We're on our way, Mike. How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright," he says. "It's getting harder to breathe."
"Hang in there. We're getting closer."
"Could you do me a favor?" he asks.
"Sure," I reply.
"Call my dad and tell him that I love him."
"You're going to be ok," Parker tells him. "Save your air."
"You're an amazing woman, Debra. Keep doing what you are doing," Mike tells Parker.
Tears roll down her cheeks.
"Ryan, this isn't your fault. I chose this life for myself. I knew I was taking a major risk when I decided to be an FBI agent."
There is a pause on Mike's end. I can hear him crying.
"You're my hero, Ryan," he chokes out.
Tears pour from my eyes.
"You have to hang in there Mike," I tell him. "We are going to find you."
Alex's car as well as other fellow agents are now in my view. I park the car get out as quickly as I can.
"Have you found Alex yet?" I ask one of the agents.
"Not yet," he says.
"He could be anywhere," Parker says.
All of a sudden, a shot was fired. An agent goes down.
"He's close!" I shout to Parker.
I run away from the gunfire. I find Alex lying on the ground, aiming his gun in Parker's direction.
"Stop right there," I tell him while pointing my gun at his head.
I grab him and pull him up.
"Where is Mike Weston?" I ask him.
"I'm not talking," he says.
I press my thumb against his left eye socket. He screams in pain.
"Alright, alright!" he screams.
Parker approaches us.
"He knows where Mike is," I tell her.
I grab Alex's arms, and we walk back to the car.
Alex gives us Mike's location. I drive there as fast as I can. He shows us the way to the site where Mike is buried.
"Start digging," I demand.
Parker and I drive the shovels into the dirt and dig as fast as we can.
"We're coming for you, Mike!" I say loudly.
I pry open the coffin. The feeling of a hammer hitting my heart comes over me again.
He lays motionless inside. Blood drips from the cuts on his face.
"Help me get him out," I tell Parker.
Parker and I quickly lift Mike out of the coffin. We set him on the ground.
"Call for help, now!"
While Parker calls for help, I turn my attention back to Mike.
"Mike? Mike?" I say, gently shaking his shoulder.
He does not respond. I check for a pulse. I don't feel one.
"No," I say. "Please don't be gone, Mike."
I hover over Mike, breathing into his mouth. I begin performing CPR.
"Come back to me, buddy. I need you."
I continue CPR on Mike until I hear him cough. His eyes crack open.
"Oh, Mike!" I cry out, grateful that I have saved him.
He looks at me right away. There is a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"R-Ry…" he tries to say.
"Shhh," I gently say. "Don't say anything."
I hoist Mike onto my lap, holding him as I did the night he was stabbed. I look down to make sure his eyes are still open. He coughs again, and his head tilts to the side.
"Stay awake for me," I tell him.
I place my hand over Mike's heart to ensure that heart is still beating. I can feel it beating, but it is a slow rhythm. His breathing is also very faint. I pull him as close to me as possible and rest his head against my neck.
"Please hang on," I whisper in his ear.
I feel a soft touch on my hand. I look down, and see that Mike has moved one of his hands on top of mine.
"I've gotcha," I tell him.
I continue holding Mike until two paramedics find us.
"The ambulance isn't too far away," one of the paramedics informs me. "It's difficult to maneuver it with all of these trees."
I help the paramedics put Mike onto the gurney.
"He needs oxygen," I tell them.
"We have some in the ambulance," the other paramedic tells me. "We'll take care of him."
I nod my head at the paramedic. Then I lean in close to Mike.
"I'll be at the hospital soon."
The paramedics wheel Mike away. Once they are out of sight, I turn toward Alex. He has a smile on his face. Without saying a word, I pull out my gun.
"Ryan, what are you…"
Before Parker can finish, I put a bullet through Alex's head, killing him instantly.
I turn back to Parker. She looks at me in shock.
"I am sick of everyone I'm close to getting hurt or killed," I explain. "I had to kill him."
Parker opens her mouth, but closes it again.
"You don't have to say anything," I tell her.
I take a deep breath and compose myself before walking toward the car.
"I'll take you back to the station. Then I'm going straight to the hospital."
Parker and I get into the car. I drive the whole way in silence. I try to fight the tears coming to my eyes.
"This isn't your fault, Ryan," Parker says to me, breaking the silence.
"I know," I reply.
Even though deep down I know this kind of thing happens within the FBI, I still feel guilty. No matter how hard I try to protect those who are close to me, somehow they end up injured or dead.
I pull into the parking lot of the station. Parker gets out of the car.
"Let me know how he's doing," she says.
"I will."
As soon as she closes the car door, I head toward the hospital. It takes every ounce of self-control that I have to not break the speed limit. I have to get to him before he wakes up. He needs me now more than ever.
Sorry about the cliffhanger. Chapter 3 will be up soon. I promise. :)