The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 198

Cassandra didn't waste a single word.

She pulled the carbon-fiber drone from the cabin, unfolded the rotors, checked the battery, and typed a rapid string of commands into the controller. The drone buzzed to life and ascended into the air, its underbelly thermal camera slowly rotating as it fed a live feed to the tablet in her hands.

The three of them crowded around the screen.

On the monochrome display, the frozen tundra was a uniform, dead expanse of deep blue, as cold as a corpse. The drone flew east—deep blue. It flew south—deep blue. It flew west—

"Wait!" Cassandra's finger froze over the screen.

Three faint, orange dots were huddled together, pulsing against the deep blue background like three fading heartbeats.

"Southwest, eight o'clock direction, two point two miles out in a straight line. It's three people!"

"It really is three people!" Wyatt shouted in excitement.

Garrison stared at those three glowing dots, entirely paralyzed.

Thump, thump—it was the frantic hammering of his own heart. The three dots were so small and dim, looking as if they could snuff out at any second.

"Are they... still alive?" Garrison's voice tore from his throat.

Cassandra didn't answer immediately. She watched the dots on the screen for a moment before speaking. "The thermal imaging shows body heat, but it's incredibly weak. I can't say for sure."

"Let's go, fly over there now!" Garrison ordered decisively.

"Understood."

The two turned and marched toward the helicopter, with Wyatt following closely behind. After taking a couple of steps, Garrison suddenly stopped and looked at Wyatt's arm. His sleeve was ripped open, the fabric underneath soaked in blood and frozen solid. It was clearly a wound from the recent firefight, yet Wyatt hadn't let out a single groan of pain.

"Wyatt," Garrison said, "go wait for us at the outpost. They should have an emergency medical kit."

"It's just a bullet graze, nothing major. I'm coming with you." Wyatt looked down, pressing a hand against his bleeding arm.

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