Kei shrugs. “Could be. Can anyone here swim that far?”
Everyone looks at Sue-Ellen. She throws her hands back. “Don’t look at me. That was a lifetime ago. And plus, I trained for speed, not distance.”
“Well, if the Olympic swimmer can’t do it, then it’s not an option for the rest of us,” says Valeria matter-of-factly. “Maybe we could build a raft?”
“Definitely. First thing in the morning, we’ll need some people to find materials—logs and rope—and others to go looking for tools.”
“Do we have enough food?” asks Sid.
“Yes, we’re good for food. We’ll eat everything out of the fridge and freezer quickly, so it doesn’t spoil, and then we have enough rice to last us for weeks. We’ll be out of here before we run out of rice.”
I glance around at the faces of the others. The fear is evident in their wide eyes and clenched jaws. Am I scared? I’m not. I’m not anything. I’m numb.
“What if the raft doesn’t work?” Trina’s voice is small, gripped by barely contained panic.
“Then we’ll be found. Or we’ll figure something else out.”
My heart breaks at the gentleness of his voice.
“Or,” Isa says, “we die.” He throws his red plastic cup on the fire. It makes a sizzling sound before collapsing onto itself.
The last trace of light vanishes behind the horizon. The air is thick with the acrid smell of burning plastic and the hum of fear. The skin on my face is hot from my proximity to the fire, but I don’t move away. No one moves. No one speaks.
Suddenly, Sid sits up straight, his ear cocked toward the opening of the path. “What was that?” He stands, his body tensed.
“What?” I try to say, but my voice catches in my throat. I feel a rush of cold dread hollowing out my stomach.
“I heard something. Over there.” He pauses. It feels like time pauses, the spinning of the earth pauses, as we all strain to listen.
“Damian?” Harmony calls, her voice cracking.
Nothing.
And then we all hear it at once. The distinct sound of a foot falling on a gravel path. Harmony stands up. Another footstep, heavy and slow, dragging across the ground. All other noises fade into the background, adistant hum of white noise against the crisp sound of crunching gravel. I squint, searching the darkness where the path opens to the beach. I can see nothing but night.
“Damian?” Harmony calls again, this time with an edge of doubt in her voice.
Someone gasps.
A shadow emerges out of the blackness, but something is not right. It’s too tall to be Giovanni, too skinny to be Damian. Harmony covers her mouth with her hand.
Someone whimpers.
The figure takes another step, and the outline of a man’s body is unmistakable now. He makes a noise, something guttural, almost not human.
Someone cries.
And then he drops to the ground.
Chapter Thirty-One
Along moment passes in which we’re all frozen. And then I stay frozen while everyone else springs into action. I hang back as everyone crowds around the man, shouting directions and questions at one another. I inch closer. Do I even want to know?
The man has fallen forward on his stomach. Trina, suddenly in nurse mode, rushes over and turns him on his side. I close my eyes.
I hear a wave of gasps.
“Is that—”
