Duncan snapped awake gasping for air.

He sat forward with a jerk and was brought to a hard stop by a rope tied around his chest like a harness. Confused, he stared at it until the rope, or something holding onto it, yanked him backwards. The back of his head collided with a tree.

“What the hells?” he sputtered.

The rest of what he wanted to say vanished when a sharp, stabbing headache exploded behind his eyes. Duncan wanted to double over, and would have, had the rope allowed him that much room. Instead, he tilted sideways to his right then huffed out a grunt followed by a whimper. He licked his dry lips and closed his eyes, hoping the pain would let go of him.

After what felt like a long minute, the pain did withdraw to a dull ache at the back of his skull....

Please subscribe to keep reading.