Page 49 of One Merciful Moment

Before? Copper rarely talked about his time here before everyone else arrived. He'd learned what he knew from experience and from surviving what the others hadn't.

"The patterns have lined up for a storm," Copper continued. "I don't know when it'll hit. Could be days. Could be hours. But a storm's coming."

The men shifted. Unease rippled through the room.

Ashley looked at Boone, wanting answers. He couldn't look back at her because he had no idea what to tell her.

Copper's eyes swept the room. "We need to be ready. The last time everything aligned, the veil changed. It doesn't stay calm when the storm hits."

Ashley's hand found Boone's under the table. She held on.

"This storm won't be like the last one." Copper took two steps and returned to the same spot. "It's not wind and rain. It's pressure. It's movement. The veil is testing us."

Boone swallowed hard. "How can you be sure what's going to happen?"

All eyes swung to him. Boone raised an eyebrow, wanting answers. He wasn't letting Ashley near the veil unless he knew she'd be safe.

Ashley's eyes widened. He squeezed her hand.

"Because it's in my notes," Copper said. "The one thing we lacked all these years was a way to stabilize the town. That's why the veil shut down. The storms were intermittent, and when they happened, someone always came through... or left."

"Like the team you always talk about," Finn muttered.

Copper nodded. "They all tried to leave."

"And they were all killed in their attempt," Vaughn said. "Tell it like it is. If we try to leave, there's a good chance we'll die."

Copper stared at the floor, then raised his gaze. "Yes."

"Why didn't you leave when the veil opened?" Wade asked.

"I tried." Copper paused. "It threw me back into Everstill. That was my sign to finish the job we started."

"And what was that?" Moe asked.

Copper dropped his gaze for several seconds before looking at the room. "Everstill was meant to be a bridge. That was our goal. We wanted a controlled passage between dimensions. The original team died trying to stabilize it. I survived because the veil would've disappeared without me." He looked at Ashley. "You weren't pulled in by accident. We needed you to stabilize the veil, and you succeeded. We can work on making the bridge. When it storms, we can travel back and forth."

"How many of us have to die to test that bridge?" Finn asked.

Ashley leaned closer and whispered, "I feel sick."

"You want to leave?" Boone whispered back.

"No." Her nose scrunched. "I want to hear."

He put his arm behind her and rubbed her back. It wasn't sickness attacking her. Everstill never passed colds or flu to those who lived here. She was upset.

Both their coffees sat forgotten. Boone held her while Copper finished telling them to prepare, stay alert, and report anything unusual.

The men questioned Copper about his plans. Voices rose in anxious conversation.

Whatever storm was coming wouldn't experiment with Everstill. It was going to test them.

Ashley trembled. Boone rubbed her back, but when her teeth chattered, he pulled her from the chair and walked her outside.

He didn't realize how tightly he was gripping her hand until they stepped out.

"Come here." He leaned against the restaurant wall and pulled her into a hug. "Just breathe."