AMARA POV
My lungs burned as I coughed violently, salt and water spilling from my mouth. My body felt heavy, useless, like it didn’t belong to me anymore.
The sound came first.
Waves.
Slow. Steady. Crashing against something solid.
Cold air kissed my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms as I groaned softly. Sand scraped against my palms when I tried to push myself up.
“Where… am I?” I moaned, my voice hoarse.
Then it hit me.
Gunshots.
Blood.
The fall.
“Zed!” I gasped, panic ripping through me as I forced myself upright. My chest heaved as I spun around wildly.
I was on land.
An island.
Trees swayed gently not too far away. No buildings. No boats. Just sand, water, and silence.
“Zed?” I called again, my voice shaking.
My clothes clung to me, soaked and heavy. I wrapped my
