The flare soared into the air, it’s flickering red light emitting a trail of pale smoke in its wake. Alex stared at the ascending plea for help and continued watching as it arced, then began to fall back to earth. He hoped everyone was too preoccupied scrambling for cover from the approaching storm to have noticed.

Something moved in his peripheral vision and when he turned to examine this movement, he found Eva dashing toward the pickup truck. Alex ran after her. She raised the flare gun at him. Had she had enough time to reload it? He supposed it was possible and therefore flinched and brought his arms up to defend his face and head. When he felt no impact, he figured she had bluffed. The move had caused him to slow his pace, thus allowing her to distance herself from him.

Shit.

Eva reached the driver’s side door and pulled it open. She slammed the door shut as Alex closed on her. She depressed the lock and Alex heard it engage.

“What are you doing, Eva?” he shouted. “I’m trying to help you!”

She ignored him. Alex hopped up into the truck’s bed and Eva spun around and slammed her hand down on the passenger-side door lock.

Damn!

Eva, realizing that the keys were in the ignition, shot a sly grin through the rear window, then started the engine. Alex couldn’t remember ever locking the rear window. Maybe it was open. He tried it and the pane slid to the side. He shoved his arm through, grabbing a handful of Eva’s blonde hair, just as she shifted the truck into Drive.

“Ow! Let go!” she yelled, clawing at Alex’s arm.

“Turn the engine off! Do it!”

Instead, Eva stood on the accelerator. Alex wondered if that had been intentional or just her body going rigid as a reaction to his hair pulling. The tires spun in the dirt path, kicking up clouds of dust. Then, they achieved traction and the pickup lurched forward, sending Alex tumbling back toward the tailgate – which had been down. He rolled out of the bed and landed hard on the ground; the wind knocked from him. He looked up to see the truck plow through the stalks of corn and then come to an abrupt stop, the rear of the truck bucking up off the ground. It had sounded like it’d hit something hard. Alex got to his feet and saw that Eva had crashed into one of the tractors.

He ran to the truck as Eva scrambled from the driver’s side door. She headed into the stalks, but Alex had enough momentum going that he caught her easily. He tackled her to the ground.

“Stop it!” He tried to pin her arms to the ground, but she fought with everything she had. “I don’t want to hurt you, Eva!” Amidst the struggle, Alex’s fingers became interlaced with hers and they both stopped fighting. Eva glanced at their hands, then up at Alex and he thought he detected a glimmer of recognition. Faint, yet still there. Was it possible, even with the implant, to recall the past? Was it possible for her to feel what he felt as they touched? Did she know him?

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“Eva?”

She blinked. Her eyes darted from his left eye to his right, back to his left again. “Alex?”

“Do you remember me?”

The question lingered, like a tremendous weight suspended overhead, ready to fall. If she said no, it would crash down upon him. But if she said yes…

Eva’s expression softened; her features relaxed. “I think I do remember you, Alex.”

He was leaning over her, one knee on either side of her hips, a position that would allow him to concentrate his weight to keep her pinned down. It also left him vulnerable and Eva must’ve realized this as she drove a knee into his groin. Alex groaned and doubled over, toppling over onto his side.

Eva rose to her feet, intending to flee. Alex, despite the excruciating pain, kicked at her shins as she took her first step. She fell headlong into the side of the pickup and lay still. Alex crawled to her and found her breathing. He checked her pulse, too. She was knocked out, but okay he supposed.

The wind stirred and something pinged off the opposite side of the truck. Then another something, followed by three more impacts. Alex drew himself to a seating position with his back against the truck. He watched small particles driven by the gusts. They were a half-inch or so in length, one end curved into a sharp point.

Seeds.

Alex rolled onto his knees and scooped Eva into his arms. He got to his feet and tossed her into the driver’s seat. He lifted her legs into the footwell, then climbed in over her into the passenger’s seat. He reached over and closed the door, locking it. Again, he checked to be sure Eva was breathing alright. He ran his hand along her skull, where she’d fallen into the truck. Weaving his fingers through her golden hair, feeling for lumps, he didn’t want to remove his hand. Likewise, he found it difficult to look away. He studied her long eyelashes and her perfect lips. He traced the charmingly uneven line of her nose, which curved gently to the right. An adorable imperfection overlooked by most.

But not by Alex. He noticed, and not for the first time.

Feeling like he was standing at the cliff of a deep chasm, Alex became aware that he was at the cusp of remembering his past. He had only to leap across the chasm – a feat that would require surrendering himself to something. Faith?

Surrendering himself to someone. Eva?

He needed help remembering. On the floor of the pickup, his eyes fell on the journal given to him by the other him. The one who laid dead and buried. At least, half buried. Alex would need to finish the job once the storm subsided.

He opened the journal and began to read.