Erika could barely feel her legs beneath her as she ran alongside Cassie. She could barely breathe. Her pulse raced as she stumbled along the uneven, slippery trail, desperate to get away from the unpredictable terrain beneath their feet.

Silently praying they could find the two at the bottom.

After what felt like forever, they reached the base and relief ran through her when Reed located the two men immediately. Then her knees felt weak as she approached to assist. Both of the men had cuts on their heads and one man’s wrist was clearly broken, the bone protruding from the skin in his arm, but her focus was on the other man on the ground...turning pale. His eyes were wide and his hand was around his neck.

He was struggling for air.

“He can’t breathe,” Cassie said, panic in her voice.

“Is he choking?” Reed asked.

“No.” Erika had seen footage of a similar injury during her premed days. “Blunt force can fracture the cervical spine—C2 and C3...” Time was the enemy in this case. She dropped to the ground next to the man and tore off her gloves. “Can you speak?”

He shook his head, his eyes widened with fear. No air was getting into his lungs.

She carefully felt his spine along the base of his neck. She was 99 percent sure she was right.

He would die without a tracheotomy.

Oh God, she couldn’t believe she had to do this.

She’d only ever performed the procedure in a sterile, safe, surgical environment. What if she was wrong? There were too many unsafe conditions...too many unknowns...

She did know this man couldn’t breathe and at that moment, that was the only “known” she needed.

She forced a deep breath as he gripped her hands, silently begging for help. He had seconds.

Oh shit. “I need something sharp and a tube—a pen or a straw...” She kept her gaze locked on the man as she extended a hand to the group, waiting for someone to hand her what she needed.

Nothing. They all seemed to be in a trance.

“Hey! Wake up! All of you need to help. I’m going to perform a trache—something sharp and a tube now!”

Cassie instantly handed her a pocketknife.

Great. Reaching for her canteen of hot water, she sterilized it as best she could under the circumstances, then glanced at the group. If someone had a better idea, they could speak up any second now.

Nothing.

“I still need a tube... Cassie, sterilize your Shewee—fast.”

Her friend quickly retrieved it and did as she was instructed, then handed it to Erika.

She swallowed hard, but one look at the guy’s bluish lips told her she had no time.