No Service Read Online Free PDF

His forearm was inches from her face.
    “Don’t you fucking walk away from me,” he growled in her face. He had leaned in so close she could see the red veins in his eyes. His spit flew onto her cheek as he spoke. She winced and kept her face turned away.
    Jess hoped Chris was awake and coming out of the tent right now. When there wasn’t any movement, she raised her voice. “You can’t talk to me like you talk to your girlfriend!” The moment the words left her mouth, she was genuinely afraid he’d hit her, maybe worse. It was absolutely no wonder that Steph had run off somewhere. She’d seen their fights move past verbal abuse and Steph was a small woman, especially compared to his size.
    Mark stared menacingly down at her. She tried her best not to cower or shrink before him, but he leaned in even further toward her, his face millimeters from hers. Jess heard the tent rustle and knew Chris was getting up. Pushing off the tree with his arm, Mark stepped back and walked away toward his own site.
    Jess took a huge breath and was glad they weren’t going to have to deal with the psycho couple after a couple more hours. Steph would come back, they’d pack their crap, and leave. Chris emerged from the tent wearing just shorts and looking ready to tear someone’s face off. When he saw Jess still pressed against the tree, her face scrunched with fear, he raced to her and wrapped his arms around her.
    “You okay? I heard you. Apparently just in time.”
    Jess nodded into his shoulder, but still felt the tears rising in her eyes. She’d been really afraid and she’d never dealt with a situation like that in her life before. Chris’s bursts of anger involved him shutting down and stomping off to sulk. She’d never been one to get into fights at school or instigate intense arguments. She wondered if Chris would have been quick and strong enough to help her. Mark had looked downright animalistic.
    Clutching at her husband’s clothes she sighed and squeezed him. A familiar icy rush was coursing through her veins. Panic attacks were something that had plagued her since she was a teen. It was part of why she tried to avoid being confrontational. Certain stresses could trigger panic attacks and high-strung arguments were one of them. She fought mentally against her own body as it screamed out from the inside that she was in danger and probably dying.
    Chris rubbed her hair and held her close knowing from her silence and stiffness that she was close to a breakdown. The attacks never lasted a long time, but the effects after could be exhausting and could even trigger another one shortly after recovering. It was a vicious cycle that he had helped her fight so many times before. It was also a vicious cycle that he had sometimes caused and that hurt to know.
    Her heartbeat started to return to normal and after blinking several times to clear the built-up tears that hadn’t been cried, she pieced herself back together and let go. Chris rubber her back, then gave her a quick kiss. It was a gesture he hoped conveyed a sort of congratulatory attitude toward her getting back to a baseline of normal before the worst of her personal storm could hit.
    “We need to replenish our ice today,” Chris said quietly. Changing the topic was another thing she’d told him could help. A distraction from the looming devastation. Comforting her could only work so much, but forcibly distracting her frequently made a huge difference. “Everything in our cooler is melting faster than I thought it would. Let’s head into town and we’ll grab a bite to eat.”
    Jess agreed weakly, still struggling to normalize, but grateful that she wasn’t alone. The numbness and cold inside her was receding and she tried to shake off the dark thoughts that were rolling around in her mind.
    Jess knew that Chris wanted to waste enough time that when they came back they’d be scot-free of their atrocious neighbors. She wanted a little mini vacation away from the