Harder Than Stone

by Jacey Ward

“I’m not having a schizoid breakdown,” she yelled. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  She’s guessing what I’m thinking. People with personality disorders and psychopathic personalities can often—

  “Read people better than the average person,” Audrey intoned, finishing his thought. “I am not a textbook case, Jameson. I merely have capabilities that you would be hard pressed to imagine with your surprisingly narrow world view.”

  His jaw was almost on the dusty ground and he willed himself to stop thinking, lest she read more of his mind.

  “You can read my thoughts?”

  “I can do a lot of things,” she repeated. She eyed him speculatively.

  “Do you know who Oculus is?”

  The question sent butterflies through his gut but he had no idea why.

  “No.”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “That emitted a physiological response from you,” she warned him. “Are you sure you haven’t heard the name?”

  “How the hell could you know what my body did?”

  “Stop asking me questions right now — let me think,” Audrey told him, looking about worriedly. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

  “You’ve…” he steeled himself from exploding. “All right, Audrey. You want me to think you’re of sound mind but you’re not making any sense right now.”

  “Bryan,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “He’ll be back for me but why now? Why didn’t they take me before?”

  “Why would they take you at all?” Jameson asked conversationally. “Why don’t we start there.”

  He grinned disarmingly at her and tried to keep his thoughts neutral but the concept was more difficult than he imagined.

  Christ. When have I ever had to watch my own thoughts?

  “You don’t have to watch your thoughts,” she snapped angrily. “Just help me think of a way out of here.”

  Holy shit. What is this?

  “You need to think hard, Jameson. Are you sure you don’t know Oculus? You’ve never heard of them?”

  Again, his temperature spiked but nothing about them came to mind. Inexplicably, he could taste the burn of whiskey on his tongue.

  What the hell…?

  “What? What’s happening?” Audrey asked, her eyes still darting around the horizon as if she expected an ambush.

  “Nothing! Get out of my head!” he growled, feeling humiliated suddenly.

  “Oh. You believe me now?” she asked bitterly. “Good. We have to formulate a plan. If this isn’t because of the CIA, it has to be Oculus on my tail.”

  She gnawed on her lower lip and he could see the wheels turning in her mind.

  “Could the hospital be real?”

  “Audrey, look at me.”

  She continued to mutter to herself, wringing her hands and he grabbed her shoulders, refocussing her eyes upward. Regardless of whether she was being paranoid or not, her fear was real and paramount.

  “Look at me!” he insisted. “Whatever you think is going on, I promise to help you. But you have to tell me everything, okay?”

  The sound of a vehicle approaching suddenly caught their attention and Audrey swore under her breath. Down the long, winding road, a black tinted van headed toward them at rapid-fire speed.

  It didn’t take Jameson long to realize that Audrey’s concerns were legit. That van didn’t belong in the rural area, gunning toward them.

  “What the hell?” Jameson muttered, still taken aback by the approaching vehicle. There was no time to consider the surreal quality of the situation as Audrey grabbed his hand and yanked him off of the road, just as bullets began to fly at them.

  “Audrey!” he choked. “Are you okay?”

  “RUN!” she screamed. “They’re shooting to kill!”

  He didn’t need to be told again. His military training kicked in as they sprinted away from the ambush. Without slowing, Audrey shot him a scathing look.

  “Do you believe me now?” she cried.

  Chapter 7

  She zigzagged through the shanty town, ducking back behind chicken coops and darting through makeshift alleys, Jameson shadowing her moves and staying close.

  The gunfire had only been that one spray, the team obviously not expecting to have missed.

  “We keep going until we reach the jungle,” Jameson hissed as she rested against another mud shack and she shook her head.

  “They’ll send a scout team looking for me,” she insisted. “We need to find somewhere to hide.”

  “The best place to hide is the jungle,” he told her, grabbing at her arm to keep her moving. “It’s too dense for drones and foot patrol. We need to find a cave to hunker down.”

  She looked at him, admiration growing on her face.

  “You’re right. But first, get rid of your cell phone. They’re tracking us.”

  “I already did. A click back. Where’s yours?”

  “I ditched mine too.”

  They shared a short smile.

  “Maybe we think more alike than we thought,” she breathed. “Let’s go.”

  The buildings were fewer and farther between now and Audrey’s heart was ready to plunge from her chest as she sprinted, waiting for the single bullet that would shatter her spine.

  Sweat pooled down her chest and back, her flimsy tank top clinging to her like a second skin. Her throat was parched and her legs were rubbery but she dared not stop.

  “We’re almost there,” Jameson told her. “Keep going.”

  I won’t slow us down. We’ll keep going.

  She swallowed the dry cough threatening to erupt from her windpipe and in three more minutes, they were on the lip of the jungle, tripping through the flora on top of one another.

  “Stop!” Jameson rasped, pulling her back suddenly and pressing his fingers to his lips. Audrey could see he was listening for movement and she looked around for colors amongst the brush.

  She shifted her attention outward to San Antonio and watched a flurry of black light shifting through the town.

  It’s Oculus. They’re the only ones with auras that black. Ominous and terrifying.

  But at least they were in the town for now and not the jungle.

  “They lost us,” Jameson told her. “We have to move fast and get through here before they pick up on our trail again.”

  Audrey didn’t need to be told twice and together, they hurried through the brush, careful not to step on anything venomous.

  Every so often, Jameson would pause to orient himself against the sun before motioning for her to follow.

  They barely spoke a word to one another and it was two hours before they found a place that was secure enough for them to stop altogether. Audrey had never been so grateful to sit down, her body on the verge of collapse.

  “This is perfect,” Jameson told her, peering through the moss to look inside the cavern well-hidden from view. Audrey had no idea how he’d found it.

  “I don’t think any animal has made it home.”

  He poked around inside and nodded.

  “Come inside. I’ll go find some water for us.”

  “You need to rest,” she told him, tugging gently on his arm. “You’ve been running as much as me.”

  “I’ve done this before,” he said flatly and her brows rose. “I was in the Army. Deployed to Afghanistan and stationed in Japan.”

  “Oh.”

  He gave her a tight smile.

  “I’ll be back soon. Just keep your head down and stay here, all right?”

  “Let me come with you, Jameson.”

  He started to shake his head but then he seemed to read something on her face that made him change his mind.

  “All right,” he sighed. “But we better get moving. We’re losing sunlight.”

  She scurried after him, swallowing the raw patch in her throat as she walked but there was not enough saliva in her mouth to whet her windpipe.

  “As soon as we find some water,” Jameson told her, his voice ras
py with thirst. “You’re going to tell me what the hell you did.”

  “I was born,” Audrey replied miserably. “And I refused to stay in hiding.”

  Jameson said nothing as he continued to hike through the trees, the rhythmic sounds of the insects almost calming if not for the predicament they found themselves in.

  “You’re going to have to do better than that,” he muttered but Audrey could tell it was hard for him to speak.

  Can I trust him? I didn’t even trust the CIA with my secret and I was working with them. For all I know, Jameson could be a part of Oculus.

  But deep down, she knew better. She’d never felt any threat from Jameson, not for a second. His thoughts had indicated that he had no idea who they were even if his body had responded to the name.

  Could he be unwittingly a part of Oculus? Like Danica?

  She willed herself to be still, to think about how he had almost died running with her.

  What if they are after both of us, if the entire hospital was a sham?

  It seemed like a very elaborate ruse but maybe it served a bigger purpose, one that Audrey had yet to see.

  They came upon a clearing and just beyond, a small waterfall which, in spite of their perilous situation, took Audrey’s breath away.

  The smell of exotic flowers wafted into her nostrils and she paused, wanting to savor the fleeting moment of peace it gave her.

  “What’s wrong?” Jameson demanded, realizing she’d stopped. She shook her head and followed him toward the edge of the pool, dropping to her knees. She sank into the mud and reached forward to scoop a mouthful of crystalline water into her mouth. At her side, Jameson did the same but almost immediately, he rose again, his eyes scouting about for something that she didn’t understand.

  “We need to find something to carry water back to the cave,” he told her, gritting his teeth. “We are in serious trouble out here without supplies.”

  There goes the peace, Audrey thought almost dryly as she, too, stood and looked about.

  “What do you recommend?”

  “I recommend that we gather some wood and build a fire. It’s safer to explore at night. Who knows what we might find out here.”

  “Is that safe?” Audrey asked nervously and she almost laughed at the question.

  Jameson didn’t smile, however.

  “It’s the safest option we have right now. It’s only a matter of time before this Oculus realizes we’re not in the village and spans out to look for us, if they haven’t already.”

  “They’re not looking for you,” Audrey told him quietly. “You could go back right now and tell them that I took you hostage and you escaped.”

  He stared at her in disbelief.

  “And what will you do?” he barked, irritated both by her suggestion and the intense feeling of fear he felt with the thought of her being out here running for her life all alone. “Hang out in the cave until you die of starvation or exposure?”

  Audrey bristled slightly.

  “I can take care of myself, Jameson,” she told him angrily. Even as the words left her lips, she realized that he wasn’t mocking her. He was terrified for her. Instantly, she was contrite.

  “There’s no reason for us both to be hunted,” she insisted. “You just have to go back and pretend like you know nothing.”

  “I do know nothing!” he snapped back. “You haven’t explained any of this to me.”

  Her mouth became a fine line and she lowered her gaze.

  “This isn’t the time,” she said and he snorted rudely.

  “Look — we’ve got nothing but time until Oculus finds us,” he reminded her. “So I don’t know when you’re going to get a better opportunity.”

  He moved away, leaving her to gape at him.

  “Where are you going?” she called after him and he pointed straight ahead without turning around.

  “There’s bamboo over there.”

  She ran to catch up with him.

  “What are we doing with that?”

  “We’re going to make baskets and over there…” he indicated a tall tree in the distance. “There are coconuts. We’ll gather as many as we can for storing water and carry them back in the baskets. It will tide us over until nightfall. We’ll have to see about other foods but we shouldn’t have a shortage of things to eat out here.”

  “W-will that work?” she choked in awe.

  “Yes.”

  There was such a matter-of-factness about him that Audrey felt a rush of heat to her groin as she watched him stalk toward the bamboo.

  He’s a survivalist. He’s strong, smart and sexy and in that moment she knew she could trust him with her life.

  She wondered if there was something wrong with her that she was staring at him with such lust in her eyes but she couldn’t stop the burning desire growing inside her.

  Perhaps it was the danger they were already in fuelling her movements or the realization that this man, this virtual stranger was risking everything to protect her.

  Whatever the reason, Audrey cleared the distance between them and snaked her arms around Jameson’s waist in mid step.

  “What are you doing?” He whirled in surprise, his eyes glimmering with a mix of confusion and desire. It was easy for Audrey to see, even without probing into his mind, that he was looking for an outlet to his ever-growing stress too.

  “You know what I’m doing,” she breathed, sliding her hand downward. “You’re clearly used to the jungle - Ever encountered a wild tigress before?”

  He pulled her closer, one hand slipping down her shorts while the other raised to caress her throat, his fingers wrapping around her nape.

  Audrey exhaled sharply as his fingers slipped down the front of her panties, teasing the still swollen nub that he found there.

  “No,” he replied in an almost conversational tone. “Never one as hot as this ...”

  “Oh,” she breathed, her heart racing to the rhythm his finger was setting inside her. Her body quivered, her lean form instantly responding to his touch.

  She closed her eyes, amazed by how quickly she responded to his long, smooth finger darting in and out of her tight center.

  Jameson drew her closer still, his lips and teeth nipping at her chin. The sensation sent shivers through her in a flood. Around them, the insects and animals played a hypnotic melody which both seduced and aroused Audrey.

  With a tortured groan, he leaned into her body, pushing her against the broad tree trunk that was conveniently behind her. He gathered her wrists in one fist and raised her arms over her head.

  She opened her eyes slowly, recognizing the smouldering desire in his eyes and the way his entire body tensed with his arousal.

  “I want to lay you down right here and fu—” His voice cut off suddenly and Audrey struggled out of the haze of her passion to look at him.

  His eyes widened in shock as he stared above her head where his fist still held both of her wrists.

  “What?” she demanded, following his eyes. Her heartrate sped up immediately as she imagined a snake or some other creature getting closer to their hands.

  “Your Fitbit,” he muttered. “It has a GPS.”

  Realization dawned with the fierceness of being drenched in ice cold water. Fear almost paralyzed Audrey but she managed to rip the device off her arm and slowly look up at him, her mouth parting in shock.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, but she saw no anger in his eyes, only deep concern.

  “Come on,” he muttered. “We need to find a new place to hide.”

  Cautiously, desire completely replaced by fear, they tiptoed through the thick foliage, their senses on high alert.

  But Audrey couldn’t forget it. She was plagued by the sickness in her gut that told her she’d almost gotten them killed.

  Again.

  Chapter 8

  “We have to stop,” Jameson said reluctantly. “We need to start a fire if we have any hope of finding shelter tonight. We can’t go on in the dark and
its dusk already.”

  Audrey didn’t argue, her mind still on how close she’d come to getting them caught.

  The damned Fitbit. It’s connected to the phone I left in Berlin. I’ve been using it as a watch.

  There had been no indication that anyone was following – yet. Oculus was omnipresent. They could be standing over them, watching as they floundered around like idiots, looking for a place to hide.

  We had a place to hide but you fucked it up.

  “Audrey,” Jameson told her gently. “This isn’t your fault. We caught it in time.”

  “Yeah, but now we have no shelter!”

  “We’ll find shelter,” he told her with a confidence that she knew he couldn’t feel. “Do you think you have enough energy left to help me find some firewood?”

  “Of course!” she replied quickly. “Just…”

  She looked around sheepishly.

  “I have no idea what to look for. I’ve trained for a lot of things but this isn’t one of them.”

  Jameson shot her a smile.

  “Not much of a camper, huh?”

  Audrey scoffed.

  “No … travel wasn’t really in the cards for me until I was an adult and by then, I didn’t know too many med students who were in tune with nature.”

  He picked up a dry branch and nodded at it.

  “We’re looking for dry, easily flammable pieces like this, okay?”

  She grinned sheepishly at the obvious advice and started scouring the earth.

  “No wonder you chose to jet set all over the world,” Jameson commented lightly. “Being cooped up will give most people wanderlust.”

  “Are you trying to analyze me, Doctor?”

  “You’re not giving me much of a choice, Doctor,” Jameson countered. “I’ve asked you point blank what’s going on and you’ve given me nothing.”

  She bit on her lower lip and cocked her head to look at him but he was still fixated on gathering the wood.

  “It’s a long story,” she told him lamely.

  “I see.”

  “But…” she continued and he raised his head looking at her intently. “I’ll see if I can explain it to you without you calling me a paranoid crackpot like you always do.”