22. Thirty Seconds

22 THIRTY SECONDS

Koen

“Fuck, no!”

I dropped to my knees, clawing my way through the dirt and debris, desperation controlling my every movement.

“Find shovels,” Riley yelled, dropping down next to me. “Anything we can use to dig.”

Buried.

Motherfuckers.

We knew she’d been alive when they put her in the ground, but it was the unknown that was destroying me. Shattering me. How long had she been there and how much oxygen did she have left? There was no giving up though. I’d never give up.

“What’s going on? Did you find her?”

Dammit. Jett.

He shouldn’t hear any of this, but I couldn’t stop digging. I had to get to her.

“Cut the comms, NOW,” my brother ordered. The last thing I heard before the earpiece went silent was Jett’s anguished cry.

Six others joined us on the ground, digging for all they were worth, while four more scattered, returning moments later with two shovels and a few large pieces of plywood. We worked at breakneck speed to clear the dirt, but it wasn’t quick enough.

“Faster,” I shouted.

Fight, Angel. We’re almost there.

The ground ran red as my blood mixed with the soil, caused by bits and pieces of rocks and sticks cutting into my hands. The only pain I felt was the fist of fear as it wrapped around my heart.

A loud thunk penetrated the air.

“Wait! Give me that.” I snatched the shovel from the officer's hands and slammed it back down into the earth. My swing was stopped by an immovable force and another hollow thunk.

“Jade!” I yelled, hoping to hear her sweet voice in return, but I was met with silence.

Together, my brother and I quickly cleared the surface of whatever I’d hit, which turned out to be a small wooden crate; some kind of shipping container. It took both of us, working on opposite ends, to pry the lid off the top with the tip of the shovels. When it finally came unhinged and flew off the top…I stumbled.

“Get an ambulance,” I heard one of the officers say.

Jade.

She was so still.

“Angel. I’m here. Open your eyes.”

Her chest rose once.

“Help me get her out.” I turned to my brother.

He took her legs while I gently scooped under her arms and we lifted her out, carefully laying her on the ground. Instinct and years of training took over as my fingers slid over her cool skin to find the groove in her neck.

Thirty seconds. Feel for thirty seconds.

Nothing. Not even the faintest of flutters.

“I’m so sorry, Koen.”

“Fuck that.” I crossed my hands over her chest and started pumping.

One one thousand. Two one thousand. Three one thousand.

“No goddammit. This is not how our story ends. No fucking way.”

Twenty-four one thousand. Twenty-five one thousand.

Leaning over, I pinched her nose and covered her mouth with mine. I watched as her chest rose with both breaths I gave, then went still.

“Koen—”

“Help me, Riley.”

Without another word, he took over chest compressions. Twenty-five pumps. Two breaths.

“Come on, Angel. Breathe for me.”

“Wait. I’ve got a pulse.”

Then, she gasped.