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“So, e got the puppy, my father joked that she looked just like the bottoreed and that was her naood sense of huy and loved to go outside and play We could bring her to the lake, and she’d get in the water and splash around with us But then she would sleep in my bed And if I was sick, she wouldn’t leave my side She lived for sixteen years”

“Wow,” I said “You got a good life with her”

A hint of a sreat”

As alked, we continued to talk, learning h little bits about our lives Aiden didn’t open up tohe would I didn’t pry, and I didn’t try to push hi he would at least offer ht into who he was as a person and the life he’d lived before I knew him But he offered me very little

I was disappointed For souard down and let , but now that I had poured everything out to hiht he would beto share more with me I wasn’t sure what to do with the fact that he wouldn’t

By the time ere done with our walk and headed back to the cabin, I decided to try to put it out of ht then, he was my only chance at survival If he wanted to keep hiht with hiht with hio through all this the best way I could

19

Aiden

I snapped awake, the screa my throat I pushed myself to my elbows, eyes wide as I scanned the room Sweat stuck the sheets to ot to ht Ready to survive

But the desert was gone So was the building, the fire, the blood My gun had been replaced by a pillow My uniforht sweatpants The stifling heat replaced by cold wooden floors beneathdown the last seconds of his young life, replaced by the terrified, curled-up body of Desiree, sheets pulled up around her as she looked at nition

I collapsed to the floor, pulling the pillow tight to , and I leaned into it, shoving my face into it as well Tears that I refused to let fall down my cheeks were dabbed by the fabric on the pillow It wasn’t the first time It wouldn’t be the last

“Aiden,” Desiree said, her voice cracked with fear but atte “Aiden, what’s wrong What do you see?”