“No.”
Linda had a satellite phone. Everything was going to be okay. I kept telling myself that over and over. I needed some reassurance, however I could get it, before I could make my feet move in the direction the map was telling me to go.
“See you at the end,” Lauren said. “Be careful. If you break your leg, I don’t think I can carry you to the finish line.”
She sounded so light and carefree—the opposite of how I felt. Leaving her when she’d been sick just the other day went against every instinct I had.
I did, though. I rushed through the rest of the course, collecting the last nine markers. When I emerged from the jungle and crossed the finish line, there were multiple camera operators filming me, and only two teams had already completed the challenge.
Maybe Lauren was right, and we were still in this. I went to the tent the producers had set up with water, fruit bars, and nuts for everyone to snack on.
Then I went back to the finish line, watching and waiting for Lauren to come out of the same path I’d exited the jungle from.
Within an hour, the second member of another team—Shayla—crossed the finish line on another path. Only Lauren and another female contestant, Amanda, were left.
My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest as I stared at the opening in the jungle, every second that passed without seeing her feeling like an hour. It wasn’t about the competition for me; I needed to lay eyes on Lauren and know she was okay.
Travis Burson yelled out in celebration as Amanda, his partner, came walking out of the jungle. That was the moment I lost my cool.
It wasn’t about the game. Something was wrong. Lauren should have been out by now if she’d continued at the pace we’d done the first half of our course at.
“We’re out, right?” I asked Josh, who was sitting on a bench eating a sandwich.
How that fucker could eat at a time like this was beyond me.
“As the fifth team to finish, yes, you guys are out,” he confirmed.
I nodded. “Then I’m going back in for Lauren.”
“No, you can’t go back in.”
I scowled. “Why does it matter if we’re out? I’m worried about her.”
Josh looked at Nadia, one of the producers.
“Do you want me to call Linda on her satellite phone to check on them?” she asked.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that would be great.”
Nadia flipped through a few pages on a clipboard, found the number for Linda’s satellite phone and dialed it. I watched as she waited for an answer, her brows lowering.
“She didn’t answer,” she said. “That’s weird. Linda always answers.”
“I’m going in,” I said, turning.
“No, wait,” Nadia said. “If Linda doesn’t call back within five minutes, I’ll send in a search team.”
“I’m not waiting,” I called over my shoulder. “I need to go right now.”