Chapter 19:
The freezing water swallowed them whole.
Emily couldn’t breathe.
The current pulled her deeper into the darkness, spinning her helplessly through the underground river.
She reached out instinctively.
Her fingers brushed against someone’s hand.
Zach.
He gripped her wrist with all his strength.
Don’t let go.
The words echoed in her mind.
Then everything went black.
⸻
A steady dripping sound filled the silence.
Emily’s eyelids fluttered open.
She coughed violently, water spilling from her lungs.
The air was cold.
Her clothes were soaked.
“Zach…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
She forced herself to sit up.
They were lying on the rocky floor of a cave.
A narrow stream flowed beside them.
Above, a small opening in the ceiling allowed a shaft of winter sunlight
