Page 118 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

Then he was gone. And Briony had never felt so cold in all her life.

An Unseen Weapon

Emptiness.

That was the only word Briony could think of to describe her existence.

There was no sound. No light. No warmth.

Where am I? What happened?She tried to speak her thoughts aloud, tried to shout, scream, or even whisper them.

But only silence rang in her ears.

She was utterly alone, and she couldn’t even find comfort in the sound of her own voice.

Santiago, where are you? How could you leave me?

She felt it then, sliding down her cheek: moisture. It was the first evidence that she was still alive.

But how is that possible?She’d been certain she’d never wake after she’d fallen on the beach. Certain that was the final time she would close her eyes.

Before she could think about it any further, though, fiery pain again overtook her. The flames licked at her flesh like dogs, spreading from her chest in all directions until they threatened to consume her.

Without her realizing it, Briony’s eyes shot open, instinctively searching for relief.

The sun was only a little higher now. She hadn’t been out long, maybe half an hour, but with Santiago gone, there was no guarantee that someone else would come upon her.

Her eyes went down to the source of her suffering, fearful of what she would find.

Surprisingly, there was very little blood on her skin, though the hole in her chest proved that the bullet had, indeed, gone into her. Briony tried to push up from the ground to check if it had gone all the way through, but when she moved, the pain escalated so much that she fell backward, her shoulder blades slamming into the unforgiving sand.

“Agh!” She felt the tiny granules digging beneath the skin, making her eyes swim with tears.

I have na bled to death yet, so perhaps Costa was telling the truth about knowing where to place his shot. Even so, there’s no way I can move in my current state. He may na have killed me, but he left me completely helpless.

She forced her head to turn so that she could look in the direction of the sea, and when she did, rather than freedom, she saw only danger.

The tide is coming in; if I stay here much longer, I’m going to be swept away.

It was then she heard a sound rising over the crash of the waves, the most beautiful sound she could have hoped for: a voice calling her name!

“Here! Please! I’m here!” Briony bellowed with all her strength.

She scanned the cliffs overhead, for she was certain that was where the voice had originated.

And sure enough, a figure soon appeared near the spot where Briony had jumped—It was Adaira!

Adaira’s eyes lit up when she noticed her friend on the beach. She waved her hands frantically above her head. “Briony, I see you!”

She then turned in the other direction and shouted, “John, she’s here! We have to go down to the beach!”

More tears fell onto Briony’s face, but these were nothing like the ones from before. These lacked any bitterness or despair; instead, they were full of gratitude and happiness.Adaira will look after me.

She closed her eyes peacefully and let sleep take her.

*

“Briony! I feared you’d never wake!” was the first thing Briony heard when she opened her eyes. She glanced around, happy to find herself in a bed at Everton Inn. Adaira sat at her bedside, looking like she’d just survived a hurricane.