Chapter 55: Rescue
Night fell over the coast like a thick blanket of shadows. The sea hissed in the distance, whispering secrets only it could understand. The makeshift fire Cal had managed to build crackled stubbornly in the middle of our camp, offering us the only warmth we had. We all sat huddled around it, grateful, exhausted, and too emotionally drained to speak.
Red leaned back against a log, his leg still bandaged and stiff. Grace lay close to him, her head resting on his shoulder, their silence speaking volumes. Elena curled into my side, her body still trembling from the cold despite the heat of the fire. Cal sat across from me, his eyes reflecting the flames, unreadable as ever.
Then he broke the silence.
"Sidney, can I see you for a moment?" Carl asked, his voice low but firm.
Before I could answer, he'd already stood and gently pulled me to my feet. I stumbled after him through the darkness, away from the glow of the fire, the others fading into shadows behind us.
