Danny was at her side. He moved her hands and lifted the sweatshirt. The wound was barely bleeding.

“He’s not bleeding as badly as last time.” Mandy reached down to clutch Jed’s hand, cold despite the heat thrown by the fire.

Danny didn’t respond. He didn’t have to. Mandy knew this time the knife had found a more vital target. Jed was bleeding all right, just not on the outside.

In the flickering glow, Jed’s face was bleaching out, the color in his skin fading to black and white.

Mandy cupped his face in her hand. “Don’t die on me!”

Danny reached into her discarded backpack. He pulled out the radio. “Do you read me?”

Static burst over the handset. “Loud and clear.”

“We need a medevac.” Danny gave them the details and their approximate location. “A vacant farm about a mile east of Lake Walker. Just look for the fire.”

Jed’s eyes lost focus. He blinked hard and looked up at Danny. “You can’t fix this.”

Danny spread the sweatshirt over Jed’s shivering torso.

Jed locked eyes with Mandy. The pain in his eyes wasn’t only physical. “I don’t care about Nathan. Not your fault. He fooled me, too, and then betrayed us all. Just wanted you to know.”

A tear dripped from Mandy face onto Jed’s. “I should’ve told you.”

“It’s OK.” Jed swallowed. His legs twitched. He glanced at Danny. “Just promise you’ll take care of her.”

Danny nodded. “I will.”

A sigh wheezed through Jed’s chest like an inner tube with a pinhole. He coughed. Frothy blood dotted his lips.

“Stop it.” Tears poured from Mandy’s eyes and blurred her vision. “You are not going to die, Jed Garrett. You can’t leave me. You promised, remember? Through thick and thin.”

“Sorry,” he whispered. His mouth moved but nothing came out except a hiss of air.

Mandy leaned over and put her ear to his lips.

He squeezed her fingers. “Love you. Always have.” His fingers around her hand went limp and slid to the dry earth.

“No!” She fell forward and sobbed on his shoulder.

“Mandy, he’s gone. I’m sorry. I tried.” Next to her, Danny wiped his hands on his legs, then pulled gently at her arms.

She resisted, burrowing her face into the wet flannel of Jed’s shirt. She didn’t want to let him go. He’d been at her side all her life. Her best friend. “No. No. No.”

A hot, dry wind blew over her skin. Something crackled.

Whoosh.

“Mandy, the fire’s spreading to the barn.” Over the roar of the fire, Danny’s voice sounded far away. “Get up.”

An ember landed on her arm. She could smell the burning of her skin but was numb to the pain. Danny brushed it away.