Laughter from inside the car drifted away.

Just as I was about to black out, something slammed across my face.

“You probably don’t know this, but Amy has wanted a divorce for a long time.”

Hatred bubbled up behind my clouded eyes.

Ben was grinning like a man who had just won a bet.

“But you see, divorce means splitting assets. Widowhood works better for her.”

He tipped the electrolyte water out onto the sand.

“That’s why I’d rather waste this away than give you a drop!”

Instinct kicked in, and I tried to lick the damp sand where the water had soaked in, but I could not even manage that.

Ben sneered and leaned in close.

“The sun’s about to go down. The temperature will drop, and there are plenty of predators out here.”

He pulled out a pocket knife and slashed at my arm with force.

“We’ll come collect your body in the morning.”

Blood oozed out freely from the cut.

Blinded by rage, I summoned the last of my strength and lunged upward. I slammed my head into his chest and sent him stumbling backward into the sand.

The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth. It moistened my throat a little.

“This is murder, Ben!” I croaked. My throat was ragged and raw.

Hearing the commotion, Amy and the others rushed out of the vehicle and dragged me away from him.

Ben, who seemed shocked, pointed at the blood-stained knife on the ground.

“I was only trying to offer him some water. He lunged at me with a knife! He said he’d use the smell of blood to attract predators so we’d all get ripped apart!”

He lied shamelessly. I wanted nothing more than to smash that poisonous mouth of his to a pulp.

Amy, holding Ben up, kicked me in anger.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Roy? Just because we opposed you abusing your power as captain, you want us all dead? Ben even endured his thirst and tried to share the electrolyte water with you. You clearly don’t deserve it!”

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken, guttural rasp.

“He was the one…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Amy cut me off with a look of pure disgust.

“You’re the one who deserves to die out here in this desert!”

Her venomous words pierced straight through me.

One of the crew members spat at me.

“We thought you were just jealous because Amy showed Ben a little extra attention. We never thought you’d be twisted enough to try to kill us all!”

“What cursed luck to end up on a team with a monster like you!”

These were the teammates I had treated with honesty and respect, yet not one of them would even give me the benefit of the doubt at this moment.

A strangled, broken sound escaped my throat as I dragged my bleeding arm toward them.

I was trying to show them that it was I who was injured.

None of them saw it, or maybe they just chose not to see.

They were all trying to comfort Ben.

“It’s okay. We have your back. When the expedition is over, we’ll report him to the higher-ups.”

“A report isn’t enough. We should have this trash thrown straight into jail!”

Amy snorted. “Let’s see if he even makes it out of the no-man’s land alive.”

With every cruel word they uttered, something inside me grew colder and quieter.

The sun slid lower, and the desert finally cooled.

I was still bleeding. At night, predators might tear me apart.

There was no way I would survive the night.

Ben watched me with malice.

Amy’s gaze was cold.

“If you get on your knees and apologize to Ben, and if by some miracle you’re still alive at dawn, we might consider taking you with us.”

I stared at Amy in silence. At that moment, she seemed like a complete stranger.

But Amy was supposed to be my wife. She was the woman who had weathered countless expeditions with me.

My consciousness was sliding into oblivion.

I could no longer see anything. The pain had faded into a numb, hollow void.

It felt like my very soul was sinking into nothingness.

All I could hear was Ben’s distant, hypocritical voice.

“Roy, are you okay?”

I could not answer.

He continued in fake concern, “There’s so much blood here! What if predators pick up the scent and attack us? Even if Roy hates me, I can’t stand by and watch him die. I have an idea. Let’s dig a pit and cover him and all this blood with sand. It should hide the smell.”

His suggestion was met with immediate agreement from everyone.

They grabbed shovels and quickly dug a shallow pit beside me.

Then, they kicked me into it.

Grit and sand flew into my mouth and nose. I choked and gasped for air.

This had nothing to do with hiding the scent of my blood. He was burying me alive.

With the last flicker of strength I had left in me, I caught the cuff of his pants.

Ben reacted violently and broke my wrist with a hard stomp.

Then, he yelped and stumbled back.

“Are you trying to kill me, Roy?”

Amy, fueled by rage, hurled shovelfuls of sand over my body.

The sand soon buried me.

“Ben was trying to help you, and this is how you repay him?! I can’t believe I ever married such a cruel man! I’m divorcing you!”

My breathing came in ragged gasps, and my heartbeat was slowing.

Amy comforted Ben. “Don’t worry about him. Accidents happen all the time in a place like this. Don’t blame yourself!”

With that, the last flicker of my will to survive went out. I let my consciousness slip fully into the waiting dark.

Just as they shoveled more sand, the roaring sound of a helicopter sounded above us.

Powerful downdrafts whipped the sand into a stinging whirlwind.

They instinctively dropped their shovels and covered their faces as they scrambled toward the SUV.

Strong hands yanked me out of the pit.

The suffocating weight vanished. Air rushed back into my lungs.

Many voices buzzed around my head at once.

It sounded like the higher-ups had sent a rescue team.

The rescue captain frowned as he checked my condition in swift, practiced movements.

Then, he barked some orders in a calm, methodical way.

“Airway’s clogged with sand. Clear it now! Severe dehydration—start an IV with lactated Ringer’s now!”

Amy narrowed her eyes and stormed up to grab the captain’s arm.

“Are you even trained? Severe dehydration? Oh, please! He’s faking it!”

The rescue captain did not bother arguing with her. He simply handed her a satellite phone.

“If you have questions, take it up with your superiors. My job is to save lives, not debate the specifics of it.”

They cleared the sand out of my mouth and nose and strapped me to a ventilator.

The IV started to pull me back from the edge of severe dehydration.

Through the satellite phone, I heard the Minister of Natural Resources’ voice. It was stern and icy.

“Amy, all members of your expedition team except Roy will be dismissed and investigated. You will all be held responsible for the losses from this failed expedition.”