Hidden Covenant by J. A. Bouma

Author:J. A. Bouma [Bouma, J. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: EmmausWay Media Group

CHAPTER 24

The sun was still several hours away from slipping beneath the horizon as they exited the Land Rover near the park entrance, giving them plenty of time to investigate whether or not there really was something to the Shishak theory surrounding the Ark's disappearance. Fortunate for them, the usual hustle-and-bustle of tourists was nixed by a national Egyptian holiday. Only a few cars and pickup trucks sat near the park entrance.

Silas smiled as he craned his neck skyward, letting the dry, Egyptian sun warm his face. But his smile began to fade as he took in the sight of the dead parking lot, piled high with mounds of pale, packed desert sand. A shudder ran from head to toe as memories from what seemed like a lifetime ago began clawing back to the surface for attention.

Memories of social rote and mayhem wrought by a cadre of governments who didn't know what the hell they were doing or why they were doing it. Memories of the smells that turned his stomach even then, smells of burned sulfur from discharged weapons and of burned flesh from exploded ordnances, of discharged bowels from tortured suspects and frightened citizens alike. Memories of the taste of breakfast, lunch, and dinner coming back up after a particularly fierce firefight. And of course the memory of half his best buddy landing on him after a roadside IED ripped apart their Humvee, and that face staring up at him with a mixture of relief and fear before the life inside snuffed out like a candlewick.

He could feel his chest tightening as he continued standing and reliving the piles of memories as he stared at the piles of sand encircling the near-empty lot. He put his hands on his hips and stood still, closing his eyes and beginning a countdown coping mechanism he had developed for such times.

999, 998, 997, 996…

He kept counting down from a thousand, willing and praying away the kind of panic attacks that he had been wrestling to the ground ever since Iraq and Afghanistan—which was settling upon him in that moment.

981, 980, 979, 978…

Breath in, breath out. Stand still, don’t move.

He continued the counting as the attack’s iron grip held firm. He continued the breathing ritual, but it was as if a coffee stir stick was strapped to his lips. He was struggling for breath.

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. In an instant, the iron grip loosened, and he could feel it fall away. His body shuddered slightly, but then it relaxed. His chest opened up, and he could breathe again.

Celeste.

Silas let his arms fall to his side, and he opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

“You alright, partner?” Her hand was still resting on his right shoulder while she stood next to him, her face a mixture of compassion and concern.

An embarrassing heat began working its way up his neck. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes briefly, then relaxed and offered a struggling smile. “I’m fine,” is all he said, turning away toward the trunk of the Land Rover.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.