Chapter 10 Kelli felt like crap. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. She was terrified that she'd fall asleep and wake up to pitch darkness again. The candle had been a godsend, but it had finally burned down to almost nothing. Flash had been the most amazing partner in this...what was this? Adventure? No, that wasn't the right word. Nightmare? Yeah, that was closer. Having Flash with her made everything that had happened not quite as scary. If she'd been by herself, she would've been a basket case. And she couldn't even imagine being stuck in this hellhole with her cousin and the Three A's. They would've been unbearable. Amazingly, she'd learned stuff from Flash. He'd let her...no, made her open the second can of food. She'd wanted to save it, because in the back of her mind she still wasn't so sure that Flash's friends would find them. But she let him talk her into seeing what was inside the can. He'd made opening the first can seem so easy. She sawed back and forth with the tip of that spoon for what seemed like an hour before she'd finally been able to weaken the tin enough to break it. Inside had been what looked like peas, but they were a speckled brown. Flash thought they were probably gungo peas. Another common Jamaican staple. The liquid they were in smelled really good, but that was probably because she was so hungry. This time, they'd remembered to put some of the uncooked pasta into the can. Her mouth watered as they waited for the pasta to soften. When they couldn't stand waiting any longer, they both popped a few pieces into their mouths. Never in her life would Kelli have thought just soaking pasta in liquid, without any kind of heat source, would result in anything edible. But the tiny morsels were a feast. She imagined she could feel her body soaking up the carbs and other nutrients from the pasta as it settled in her belly. The peas weren't great, but again, since she was so hungry, Kelli didn't think twice about eating them. When the can was empty of peas, and after they'd drunk every drop of the coconut milk the vegetables had been packaged in-the little that wasn't soaked up by the pasta-it was all Kelli could do not to break down in hysterics. That was it. The end of their food. They'd also finished the water. They'd found the source of the dripping, and had begun collecting water in the empty bottle, but starving to death wasn't her idea of a good way to go. "Come here," Flash said, from where he was leaning against the side of the bus. He held his arm out to his side. Without hesitation, Kelli crawled over and leaned into him. His arm around her felt like coming home. He was her safety net. Being close to him helped her believe that someone would be coming for them. That they'd be found. "Once upon a time, there was a girl. She had an evil mother and stepfather. They made the poor girl work from the time the sun came up to when it went down. But the girl didn't mind. Staying busy kept her mind off other things. Like her empty belly and the taunting of the other little girls in her village. None of them had to work like she did. They all got to wear pretty dresses and sit outside in the sun and have tea parties." Kelli smiled as she snuggled into Flash's side. She'd told him hours ago about her love of fairy tales. How the happy endings soothed her soul. They'd taken turns telling little made-up stories. It was his turn, and she was content to listen to him talk as she watched the last of the light from the flickering candle. "One day, a possum waddled into her yard. Her stepfather wanted to kill it. Said it was vermin and would dig holes and destroy their crops. But of course, he wouldn't do the deed himself, he ordered the girl to do it. So she dutifully set a trap, putting some of her own dinner inside. Before long, the possum took the bait and was inside the trap. "But the girl couldn't kill the beast. It was ugly and scarred, and it hissed at her, but she didn't care. It was just scared. Trapped. Like her. All it wanted was to live its life. So in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, she went out to the trap and set the possum free, warning it not to come around in the daylight when her stepfather could see it. She also promised to leave food out, if he came back. "For the next year, that's what she did. Even though she was always hungry, she saved some of her dinner every night to bring outside for her possum friend. Then one night, her stepfather got angry with her and began to beat her. The girl was crouched down, trying to cover her head, enduring the pain from the much larger man's fists, when she heard a noise outside. Scratching at the door. "It got louder and louder, until finally her stepfather couldn't ignore it any longer. Angrily, he stalked to the door and wrenched it open. Looking down, he saw a possum. "As he stared at it, the animal began to grow. It grew and grew-until standing at the door was a giant! A huge, ugly, scarred giant. It hissed at the stepfather, then grabbed him by the throat, pulled him out of the house, and stomped on his head. Squishing it. "The girl stared at the giant, wondering if she was hallucinating. Then the giant ducked his head and came inside the small kitchen. He picked up the girl ever so gently and carried her outside. He stepped over the wall around their yard and stopped. They were surrounded by almost a dozen possums. As she watched, they all began to grow, just like the one at her door. Now she was surrounded by giants, male and female. "'This is my family. My brothers and sisters and my parents,' the giant said. 'Because of you, not killing me a year ago, we've thrived. To thank you, we're going to bring you to our world. You'll marry me and live happily ever after.' "The girl was confused. 'But you're a possum,' she said. "'I am and I'm not. That's our secret form. I'm really a prince. But maybe you think I'm ugly and don't want to be with me.' "He sounded so sad, and the girl felt for him. 'I don't think you're ugly. My stepfather was ugly. Deep in his soul. You aren't. I'll come with you. Be your princess.' "That night, there was a huge party. The giants celebrated a new princess-who was healed by their prince's touch, so no more bruises marred her fair skin. And they lived happily ever after." Kelli smiled against Flash. His stories...they weren't exactly the best. They made no sense. But she loved them anyway. Because they all had happy endings, just like she'd told him she loved. "That was perfect," she told him. He chuckled, and Kelli felt it reverberate against her side. "It sucked. But I'll get better." It was strange that she was smiling. She was filthy, smelled horrible, was thirsty and hungry, and yet, she was content. Just then the candle flickered and abruptly went out. Kelli could smell the smoke from the smoldering wick in the air. She inhaled sharply. "Easy, Kelli. We're okay." Swallowing hard, Kelli nodded against him. The dark seemed darker now. Which was silly, but she couldn't help thinking it was true. "Your turn. Tell me a story," Flash ordered. She knew he was trying to distract her. From their situation, from her growling belly, from the dark. What Kelli really wanted to do was scream. Have a tantrum. This wasn't fair. What did she do to deserve this? She was a good person. Didn't cut in front of people on the interstate, said please and thank you even to people who were mean. She put her cart in the thingy in the parking lot at the grocery store instead of leaving it in the middle of another parking space. She paid her taxes on time and ignored all of Charlotte's nasty quips against her. And for what? To end up buried alive in a bus in the middle of some stupid jungle. Flash's arm tightened around her, then she felt his lips on her forehead. But...she wasn't alone. She had Flash. And the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him. There was probably some psychological reason for that. She was dependent on him. Shared trauma, something. But Kelli couldn't imagine him not being in her life now. She liked talking to him. He was smart, had good instincts, and was incredibly calming. Besides that, he made her feel alive. He didn't see her flaws, and there were many. Instead, he saw her. "Come on, your turn," Flash said, nudging her gently. Taking a deep breath, Kelli began telling a story about a grasshopper named Fred who left home to see the world, only to discover that what he'd been searching for was back home the entire time. She'd just finished, and was basking in Flash's gentle chuckles, when a loud sound echoed throughout the metal bus. Like his namesake, Flash moved so quickly, Kelli couldn't even begin to process what he was doing or what was happening. Before she knew it, he'd pulled her to her feet and put her back against the far corner of the bus. Away from the manhole they'd been dropped through when this whole nightmare started. "Stay here," Flash ordered in a tone of voice Kelli hadn't heard him use before. It was hard and cold and completely businesslike. This was the SEAL behind the man she'd gotten to know. It should've scared her, but instead it made her feel protected. "I've got the conch shell knife we made. If it's Heckle and Jeckle, I'll make sure they don't get a chance to hurt you." His first thought wasn't even about getting out of there-it was for her safety. "Be careful," she whispered. She felt his hand on her upper arm a split second before his lips unerringly found hers. The kiss was hard and fast. "I will. Unlike Fred the grasshopper, I know exactly what I've got, and I'm not going to do anything to fuck it up now." Then he was gone. Kelli couldn't see anything, but she could just hear Flash moving quietly through the bus. She held her breath and strained to see something, any speck of light. But it was no use. Their tomb was just as dark as it had ever been. The odd scraping sounds continued at the top of the bus, making the hairs on the back of Kelli's neck stand up. Whatever Heckle and Jeckle had put on top of that manhole cover sounded heavy, just as Flash had thought. She wasn't sure why they hadn't heard them piling whatever it was on it when they were first put in here, but she supposed it was because of the shock of the moment. Then...the cover began to slide to the side. The light that poured into the bus wasn't overly bright, it wasn't direct sunlight, but it was still more than enough to make Kelli wince as her eyes struggled to adjust. She'd just made out Flash, pressed against the side of the bus beneath the hole-half the conch shell in his hand and ready to strike-when a voice called out from above. "Flash? You in there?" Kelli blinked in surprise. Did Heckle and Jeckle know Flash's nickname? It wouldn't have been on his IDs, and she couldn't remember if she'd said it when they were in the van at the start of this nightmare. "Flash?" a different voice called out. Then a man's head appeared in the hole, looking down. His gaze met Kelli's, and they stared at each other. "Smiley?!" Flash asked, sounding both elated and shocked at the same time. The man's head turned, and he smiled when he saw Flash standing under him. "In the flesh," the man named Smiley said. Kelli knew that was one of Flash's teammates. He'd told her all about his friends and their women. She felt as if she knew them now, just from Flash's stories. "Holy shit, am I glad to see you! Took you long enough." "Fuck off," another man said, pushing Smiley out of the way and sticking his own head into the hole. "It's been less than a day and a half." "That's it?" Kelli said without thinking. "Damn, it feels as if it's been at least a week," Flash said at the same time. "Who's here?" "We all are. Come on, let's get you two out of there, then we can chat," he said, before climbing to his knees. Before Kelli could blink, the man's legs were dangling from the opening and he jumped inside the bus. Flash dropped his makeshift weapon and gave the guy a huge hug. "Man, it's good to see you, Kevlar!" "You too. Although, dude, you need a shower." Kelli frowned at that, thinking it was a pretty inconsiderate thing to say, considering the circumstances. But since both men laughed, she assumed Flash wasn't offended, given he hugged his friend once more. Then he turned toward her. "Come here, Kelli." Suddenly self-conscious for the first time since they'd been kidnapped, Kelli hesitated. She was filthy, still had blood in her hair and down the back of her cover-up. Was wearing a bathing suit, for goodness sake. Flash didn't wait for her to come to him. He quickly strode over to where she was standing. He blocked her from Kevlar's view and put his hands on both sides of her head, tilting her face up. "It's okay. We're safe now." "Aren't you going to say 'I told you so?'" she teased. "No. But I am going to ask you to trust me. These men, my friends and teammates? They're good men. They understand what we've been through. There's no judgement here. Okay?" This man could read her way too easily. It was uncomfortable and kind of scary. Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead. Right there in front of his friend. Kelli couldn't believe it. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We've got food, water, and a shower waiting for us back at the resort." Now those were three things she couldn't resist. Flash took her hand and turned. Kelli looked down as she started to follow. Then she stopped. "What? What's wrong?" Flash asked, concern heavy in his voice. Kelli knelt and picked up the spoon that had been in the box. The one they'd used to get into the cans. It was just a stupid spoon. A cheap one at that, as it was now bent from the pressure she'd used to try to open the can of peas. But for some reason, she didn't want to leave it behind. It was a reminder of what she'd survived. Some people might think it morbid that she wanted a reminder of this horrible experience at all, but it hadn't been entirely bad. The kiss she'd shared with Flash popped into her head. That had been...not horrible in the least. Flash squeezed her hand and led her over to where Kevlar was standing. "Hi. I'm Kevlar," he said with a smile as she got close. "I'm Kelli." "It's very good to meet you, Kelli. How about we get you out of here?" "Yes, please," she said. Kevlar grinned at Flash. "She's a polite little thing." "Yup. How we doing this?" Kevlar glanced up at the hole above their heads, then back to Flash. "How about you have her stand on your shoulders. The guys can take it from there." Flash nodded and turned to Kelli. "We'll do this just like we did before, except this time you'll be standing. Don't worry about falling. My team won't let that happen, and neither will I." Kelli was still nervous about her weight and standing on top of Flash, but she wanted out of this damn bus more than she wanted to brainstorm other ways to climb out of that hole above their heads. Before she knew what was happening, Flash had turned and was crouching in front of her. Kevlar moved behind her, to help her climb onto his shoulders. "Damn! You didn't say she was hurt!" Kevlar exclaimed. "Preacher! She's bleeding! Run back and see if the officer has a first-aid kit." "Don't," Flash called out. "She's okay! It's from when we were taken. Jeckle hit her with the butt of his pistol. It's old blood." "Ma'am, are you sure you're okay?" Kevlar asked. The concern from these men was overwhelming. "Flash is right. It's old. I mean, I do have a headache, but I think it's from the bright light after so long in the dark." "We'll get that cleaned up and checked out as soon as we get you topside," Kevlar reassured her. "Step up, Kelli. Let's get you out of here." It didn't take long at all. Kelli stepped onto his shoulders, and once she was secure-with Kevlar's help-Flash stood. Then her head was actually above the level of the ground. It didn't take more than a second for two of the men waiting outside to grab her biceps and pull her up and out of the hole. One of Flash's friends kept hold of her and gently backed her away from the hole, and before she could blink, Flash was out and striding toward her. She watched as two of the men lay on the ground and reached into the hole, obviously to help Kevlar out, before her line of sight was blocked by Flash. He took her into his arms almost roughly, and just held her as they both breathed in the fresh air. After taking a moment to appreciate that she was free, Kelli looked around. All she saw was trees. It was hard to believe these men had actually found them. It seemed like a miracle. "Come on, we need to get you two back to the resort and cleaned up. I'm sure the police will have questions." Kelli blocked out the rest of what Kevlar was saying as Flash turned her, keeping an arm around her shoulders and walking her away from the tomb she'd thought she was going to die in. The fact that she was still here was a direct result of the man at her side. And she had no idea how she was going to function when they parted ways. But that time was coming. She knew it down to her toes. He had a life, friends, a job. And she had...what? A crappy job she did just to stay busy? Yeah, her mom loved her, but she was occupied with her own life. Somehow over the years, Kelli had become isolated by her own making, with no friends to speak of, while saying yes too many times to her mom and cousin and not putting her foot down when she didn't want to do something. Doing whatever they asked just to avoid conflict. Well, she was done with that. She wasn't going to be in her cousin's wedding. But she was going to sit down and talk to an advisor at one of the local colleges, to see if she could figure out what she wanted to do with her life. And she was going to take self-defense and survival training. She never wanted to feel as helpless as she had when she was inside that bus, ever again. And Flash? She wanted him too. But she had no idea if what she felt was one-sided or not. Yes, he'd said he wanted to date her, and he'd certainly kissed her as if he wanted more than just friendship...but now that they were free, things could change. His feelings about her might be different in the light of day, literally. She'd have to see how things played out. First things first. Shower, food, water. Then she'd worry about everything else. But even as she walked toward the vehicle to get the hell out of this jungle, she couldn't help but love the feel of Flash's arm around her. Couldn't help but feel safe and protected. Getting used to that would be a bad idea, but for now, she allowed herself the moment of weakness. She'd find her backbone...later. In a romance-themed observation show, several participants undergo a series of interactions and conflicts filled with love, misunderstandings, and power struggles. In the end, one couple rises to over...