The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 202

Josh abruptly stopped in his tracks. He snapped his head in Wyatt's direction.

"Who's there?!"

Wyatt froze. English? He instinctively lowered the muzzle of his rifle a fraction, but he didn't stand up, still hesitating.

A split second later.

Bang!

A gunshot ripped through the air. The bullet whizzed inches above Wyatt's head, the heat of it making his scalp tingle. He rolled frantically to the side, cursing through gritted teeth, "Son of a bitch!"

He stayed flat on the ground, aiming his rifle right back at the guy. "I'm an American! Are you out of your mind?!"

Josh stood there holding his gun, his arm trembling violently. Smoke curled from the barrel, drifting into the beam of his headlamp.

He heard the words—American. His fingers lost their strength, and the gun dropped, the barrel hitting the snow. His legs gave out completely. He collapsed, bracing his hands against the snow as he gasped for air. He couldn't see a thing, but he knew someone was standing right in front of him. A guy speaking English, claiming to be from the States.

Wyatt stood up, brushed the snow off his gear, and lowered his weapon.

He walked over and looked down at the young man shivering violently on the ground.

His parka was caked in snow, his face covered in ice. His eyes were wide open, but they were completely vacant—not just blank, but clouded white, like frosted glass. Wyatt crouched down to get a better look.

"Blind?" he muttered. Without waiting for a response, Wyatt stepped behind Josh, raised his hand, and delivered a swift, hard chop to the back of his neck.

It landed with a sharp thud.

Josh pitched forward, his face plunging into the snow, completely out cold. The gun slipped from his grasp, sliding across the ice before coming to a stop.

Wyatt rolled him over and checked his breathing—he was alive. He stood up, bent down to hoist Josh over his shoulder, and trudged back toward the outpost, his boots crunching heavily in the snow.

"Heavy as hell," he grumbled, his voice instantly swept away by the wind.

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