He Found Her or She Found Him
1474 Words
Khaleb pushed deeper into the forest, the beam of his flashlight slicing through the trees. Every few steps, he paused to listen—really listen. For breathing. For footsteps. For Levi’s voice. For anything.
But the forest answered him with nothing.
Only the crunch of dead leaves beneath his boots and the stiff whisper of branches brushing against each other. The silence was worse than noise—it felt like the trees were watching him, swallowing his voice every time he called out.
“Levi!”
His shout bounced weakly off the trunks, fading quicker than it should have.
No reply.
He checked his walkie. “I’m near the old creek bed. Any luck?”
“Negative,” Knox responded, his voice tight. “Tracks everywhere but none fresh.”
Hunter chimed in, sounding more strained than usual. “Man, this forest ain’t sittin’ right with me. Feels like… I dunno. Eyes.”
Khaleb swallowed. He felt it too—the prickling sensation crawling up his neck, like something unseen was trailing behind him every step he took.
He swept his flashlight across the undergrowth. Branches. Rocks. Fallen logs. Darkness. Nothing.
His chest tightened painfully.
“Stay focused,” he whispered to himself, pushing forward.
Minutes stretched like hours. His throat felt raw from calling her name. Sweat mixed with the cold night air, making his skin clammy. Fear pulsed in his temples.
What if she fell?
What if she got hurt?
What if—
No. He shook the thought away violently.
Levi was tough… but she wasn’t invincible.
He trudged down a narrow slope, nearly slipping. His flashlight flickered, making shadows jerk and sway. His breath hitched.
“Levi!” he shouted again, voice cracking from the strain.
Still nothing.
He stopped walking. Forced himself to be still.
To listen.
Just the forest. The wind. His breathing.
Then—
A sound.
Faint. Small. Barely a whisper.
Khaleb froze.
The hairs on his arms stood up.
He held his breath.
There it was again—
A faint, shaky noise bleeding through the darkness.
Not an animal.
Not the wind.
It was…
A voice.
A weak one.
“Kha… leb…”
His heart slammed against his ribs.
“Levi?” he yelled, spinning toward the sound. “Levi! Say something again!”
The forest stayed still—until the voice came again, quivering, strained, like it was fighting through tears:
“H-help…”
Khaleb didn’t think.
He ran.
Flashlight bouncing wildly, branches cutting at his arms as he sprinted toward the sound with only one thought pounding in his skull—
He found her. Or she found him.
Khaleb slowly loosened his hold just enough to look at her face. Her eyes were still glossy with fear, cheeks damp, lips trembling from the cold and panic. She looked small… too small for the attitude she always threw at him.
“You hurt anywhere?” he whispered.
Levi shook her head weakly, but her fingers stayed tightly knotted in his shirt, refusing to let even an inch slip between them.
“Khaleb… don’t let go, please.”
His chest tightened.
“I won’t,” he said—because he couldn’t. “Come here.”
Without another word, he slid one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her effortlessly into his arms. She gasped softly at the motion, then immediately curled into him again, arms wrapping around his neck.
She didn’t just hold him.
She clung to him like he was the one stable thing in the world.
“Khaleb…” she whispered shakily, her forehead resting against his jaw. “I thought something was going to get me.”
He angled the flashlight away so it wouldn’t shine in her eyes.
“I’m here now,” he murmured close to her ear. “Nothing’s touching you as long as I’m holding you.”
She shivered—part fear, part something else—and buried her face against his throat.
He swallowed hard. The way she held him… it did things to his heartbeat he wasn’t prepared for.
As he carried her through the trees, she kept whispering his name under her breath like she needed to hear it to stay steady.
Then the walkie crackled.
“Khaleb? You got eyes on anything?” Knox’s voice asked.
Khaleb tightened his hold on Levi instinctively. “Yeah,” he answered, breath uneven. “I found her. Heading back.”
Hunter responded, relief thick in his tone. “Thank God. We’re near the east trail. We’ll meet you halfway.”
Levi tensed, grip tightening.
“No… don’t put me down.”
He let out a soft breath, brushing her hair gently with his thumb.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
When he finally stepped out toward the trail, their friends came into view—flashlights raised, worried looks on their faces. But the moment they saw her wrapped around Khaleb like a lifeline, their expressions shifted.
Knox’s brows lifted.
Hunter’s jaw dropped a little.
But Levi didn’t care.
She only buried her face deeper into Khaleb’s shoulder, refusing to let go, as if separating from him meant losing the safety she’d finally found.
Khaleb tightened his arms around her in return, steady and sure.
“Easy,” he murmured just for her.
“I’ve got you, Levi. I’m not letting go.”
And he meant it.
Hunter was the first to speak.
“Well, damn,” he said, lowering his flashlight. “That’s not just a rescue. That’s a whole love story.”
Khaleb shot him a glare sharp enough to cut bark off a tree.
Knox crossed his arms,
. “Girl’s holding onto you like you’re her personal guardian angel.” hunter added comment.
Levi tightened her grip at their words—burying her face even deeper into the curve of Khaleb’s neck.
He felt her shaky breath warm against his skin.
“Stop talking,” Khaleb muttered to the boys. “She’s scared.”
Hunter grinned. “Scared of the forest or scared you’d stop holding her?”
“Hunter,” Knox warned, though even he couldn’t hide his amused grin.
Khaleb just walked past them, shifting Levi higher in his arms with ease.
“Let’s just get back. Thank you boys”
By the time they reached the porch, Levi still hadn’t loosened her grip—not even a little.
In fact, she pressed closer when she saw the house lights.
“Khaleb… don’t put me down yet,” she whispered weakly.
His breath caught.
“I won’t. Relax.”
Hunter leaned against the doorframe, watching them with a smug smile.
“She’s stuck to you like glue, man. Try peeling her off—”
“Try shutting up,” Khaleb snapped.
Levi tensed at the noise, fingers clutching tighter around Khaleb’s shoulders.
He lowered his voice immediately.
“Hey… hey, it’s just them. You’re okay.”
She nodded against him, still trembling.
Knox whispered to Hunter, “Dude… she’s not just scared. Look at her. She trusts him.”
Hunter nodded back. “I’d cling too if Khaleb carried me like that.”
Khaleb didn’t even bother replying. He just carried Levi straight inside.
He pushed the door open with his shoulder, gently sat on the edge of the bed—Levi still wrapped around him, refusing to let go.
“Levi,” he murmured softly. “I need to check if you’re bruised or hurt.”
She shook her head stubbornly.
“No. Later. Just… stay like this.”
Her voice was small. Raw. Honest in a way she never let herself be.
Khaleb exhaled, the sound almost pained.
“Alright,” he whispered. “Just breathe. I’m right here.”
Slowly, her trembling eased.
Her arms loosened—not letting go, but settling into a softer, more intimate hold around his neck.
He felt her body begin to relax against him.
Her cheek resting over his heartbeat.
Minutes passed.
Quiet. Warm. Safe.
Then her breathing shifted—slower… deeper… steadier.
Khaleb felt it before he realized it.
She had fallen asleep in his arms.
He froze, staring down at her peaceful face.
Dirt-smudged. Tear-streaked. Exhausted.
But beautiful.
Break-your-chest beautiful.
He adjusted his hold so she wouldn’t slip, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face with his thumb.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered, so soft it barely filled the room. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Levi didn’t answer—her lips parted, her breath warm and gentle against his collarbone.
Khaleb pulled the blanket over her without breaking their closeness.
And for the first time since the search began, he allowed his own shoulders to relax… just a little.
Because she was safe.
She was here.
And she had fallen asleep holding onto him like he was home.
- Writer
