Page 71 of March 5

"Shit." Brett grabbed onto the back of her seat. "How much farther do we have to go?"

"A couple of minutes. It'll get easier." She white-knuckled the rest of the drive.

To her relief, a bare, flat, sandy area appeared in front of her, and she gassed the car. Getting the vehicle up on solid ground where it wouldn't sink under its weight, she stopped the car.

Brett opened the door and stepped out, peering around the area. "I'll be damned. How did you know about this place?"

"All teenagers know. It's where we went to party in high school," shouted Mariah, reaching for Brett.

Skye left him to wonder about the place and jogged to the other side of the flat area. She had hoped it would be easier to see past the dunes, but the grass was too tall. The dips in the landscape made it impossible to know the land. It would take a search party standing side by side to comb the area—and even then, he might not even be here.

She tilted her head back and yelled, "Dio?"

The pain inside of her spread throughout her chest and up her esophagus. Her throat spasmed under the strain, choking her. If he was out there, he might not even hear her because of the storm.

"Dio?" She ran along the edge, staying out of the grass. "Dio!"

On the other side of the field, Brett yelled Dio's name. Mariah joined in, working her way on the left side.

The wind stole her breath and her screams. She fought against Mother Nature, blinking the water out of her eyes. She fought against her fears. She fought the hard life that was set before her. She fought the tiny voice telling her that Dio was shot and maybe dead.

"Dio." She squinted, trying to see past the dunes. "Come on, babe. Where are you? Wh-where did they take you?"

There was so much land. It was almost impossible to search every inch. She stepped out into the grass, looking for any sign that someone would've walked that way, but the marsh was ever-changing. Footprints disappeared with the rise and dip of the tides. Bended grass righted itself with more water. The sand shifted and the terrain changed.

She stepped back up on the mound of land that was the only permanent spot in the marshy field, and even that would change over the years as the saltwater broke up the soil and took it back out to sea.

Life was fragile. People died.

It was a fact burned into her head, having grown up without her mom, losing her dad until she was eight, and losing Havlin members throughout the years with no explanation except it was their time to go.

"Dio, it's not your time to go." She sobbed. "Please, babe. If you can hear me, hold on."

She frantically searched, unaware she'd caught up to Mariah until she almost ran into her. "Have youseen any sign of him?"

Mariah shook her head. "I was coming to get you. The alarm went off on my phone. The tide will be here in twenty minutes.

She pushed back her hair. "I need to search the marsh."

"You can't."

"If I don't..." She looked out at the land, knowing that time was running out.

Tomorrow, the landscape would change with the tides. The sand would've moved. Any trace of Dio would be erased.

"Skye!"

She turned around. Brett motioned for her over his head. She never hesitated. Hopeful of news, she ran across the field.

"I found him." Brett pointed, bending over, out of breath. "I called your dad. He's coming with a truck and help."

Her heart raced, and she grabbed Brett. "Where is he?"

"About a hundred feet that way." He pointed. "On the other side of the dune."

"Is he...alive?" The ocean, the wind, her heartbeat roared in her head.

"I don't know."