Cut and Run 4 - Divide and Conquer

overwhelming,
    filling his limbs with a tingling sensation as his gut churned.
    “Ty.” Zane‟s voice sharpened. “Stay with me. Come on. Talk.”
    “Shut up. If I could go anywhere, I‟d leave you here in a
    heartbeat,” Ty managed to strangle out. He reached up, horrified when
    his fingertips brushed cold stone. He‟d been trapped in small dark
    places before, which was why he had such a negative reaction to them
    now. But the very real knowledge that the walls were closing in,
    literally and not just in his mind, made him want to cry.
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    All the while, Zane‟s fingers carded gently through his hair. “I
    know what it‟s like to be totally in the dark,” he said, his voice calm.
    “But I wouldn‟t go anywhere even if I could. I‟d rather be here with
    you than somewhere else alone.”
    Ty reached up and gripped his hand, trying to grasp a thread to
    keep him from truly panicking. He would hurt them both if he lost
    control. Zane‟s fingers curled around his in a firm grip.
    “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked Zane, voice low and
    threadbare.
    “Yeah.”
    “You ever get gut feelings? Like you see something and you just
    know ?” Ty asked, feeling stupid but not caring. He felt Zane squeeze
    his hand. “First time I saw you, after I got over hating you, I knew… I
    knew we‟d die together. I could just feel it deep down. Never felt that
    before.”
    Zane exhaled heavily. “Not today. And not tomorrow. And not
    for a long time to come, Ty Grady. You hear me? A hell of a long
    time.”
    Ty nodded jerkily. “Do me a favor?” He reached out and grabbed
    at Zane‟s other hand in the pitch black. He shoved it upward, trying to
    get Zane to raise his arm. “Hold up the ceiling, okay?”
    Zane let Ty move his hand to touch the stone, which inexplicably
    made Ty feel a modicum better, but he kept his other linked with Ty‟s.
    Several heartbeats of quiet passed before Zane spoke. “First time I saw
    you, after I got over hating you, I knew,” he said, echoing Ty‟s words,
    “I knew I‟d fall in love with you.”
    Ty shivered all over, torn between the comforting warmth of
    Zane‟s words and the cold terror of impending crush injuries. He
    couldn‟t get in any air to speak.
    “I laughed at myself,” Zane continued, a hint of pleading in his
    voice, “and then I denied it, and then I did everything I could to prove
    myself wrong, but it didn‟t work.”
    “I know, Zane,” Ty whispered, though he had to admit the words
    brought a certain level of relief he hadn‟t realized he‟d needed.
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    “Ty.” Zane‟s even, soothing tones finally broke on the short gasp
    of his name. “I love you and I‟m scared I‟ll lose you. Please don‟t leave
    me alone in the dark.”
    Ty closed his eyes, trying to push back the weight of the tons and
    tons of stone that sat precariously above them. He smiled weakly with
    Zane‟s words. “Now was that really so hard to say?” he tried to tease,
    but it came out sounding desperate.
    “Yes?” Zane answered, forlorn. “Jesus, Ty, come here, please .”
    Just the thought of moving made Ty begin to tremble. He
    squeezed his eyes closed, gritted his teeth. He reached blindly for Zane,
    his hand glancing off Zane‟s shoulder, and Zane did the rest, moving
    close enough to embrace him in the tight space.
    Zane lifted one hand to cup Ty‟s face. “Do you have any idea
    how brave you are?” he asked, the sounds ragged and perhaps even a
    little choked.
    “Tell me when I‟m not about to freak out, okay?” Ty requested
    hollowly. The trembles skittered through his body and into Zane‟s.
    “Tell me about the ribbons,” Zane requested abruptly, his voice
    again calm and soothing.
    Ty knew what he was doing, trying to take Ty‟s mind off their
    impending doom any way he could. He shook his head. “The two on
    top are the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart,” he started breathlessly.
    “Bronze Star?” Zane repeated, sounding surprised.
    “The country‟s fourth highest medal,” Ty rattled off desperately,
    trying to find distraction from the realization that he couldn‟t breathe.
    He was about to have a full-fledged panic attack. “Awarded to any
    person who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of
    the United States, distinguishes him or herself by heroic or meritorious
    achievement or service while engaged in an action against an enemy of
    the United States, in military