Chapter 2 Stay Dead

The plastic bottle slipped from my fingers and hit the deck with a soft clatter. I turned my head slowly. Noah Sinclair was already looking straight at me.

There was no cold distance in his eyes this time. No newspaper version of the ruthless billionaire. Just sharp, focused urgency, like he had been waiting for the exact moment everything would go wrong.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the ferry exploded before I could speak.

The blast came from deep below, a violent, bone-shaking roar that lifted the floor under my feet. People screamed. Glass burst somewhere behind me. My ears rang so loudly the sound of my own breathing disappeared for a second.

Thick black smoke surged up the stairwells in heavy waves. It hit my throat like fire.

I bent over, coughing hard, eyes streaming. “No, no, no,” I choked out, pressing a hand to my chest. “This cannot be happening. Not like this.”

A second explosion ripped through the lower deck. The entire ferry tilted hard to one side. People lost their balance and slid across the wet floor. Bags and phones went flying. I grabbed the nearest railing with both hands as the deck kept sloping under me.

Someone to my left screamed and disappeared over the side.

I held on tighter, arms shaking from the effort. “Somebody help!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “Please, somebody!”

Through the smoke and chaos I saw Noah pushing toward me, shoving past panicked passengers. His expensive coat was gone. There was a thin cut on his forehead, blood mixing with the soot on his skin. He reached one hand out toward me.

“Maya, take my hand!” he shouted over the noise.

I stared at his open palm like it might burn me. “I don’t need your help!” I yelled back, still clinging to the railing. My voice came out higher and more desperate than I wanted.

Noah’s jaw tightened. Even with the ferry breaking apart around us, he looked almost frustrated.

“Stop being stubborn for once in your life,” he shouted. “The boat is going down. Take my hand or you are going to die right here.”

“I’d rather take my chances with the water than with you!” I shot back, coughing hard between the words.

“That is the most ridiculous thing you have said all night,” he yelled, stretching farther. His fingers almost brushed mine. “You can hate me as much as you want later. Right now just grab on before it’s too late!”

“Why do you even care?” I shouted, my arms trembling from holding the railing. “You destroyed everything I had. Why pretend you want to save me now?”

“Because I am not leaving you here!” he shouted back, voice rough. “Now take the damn hand, Maya!”

The ferry let out a long, terrible metal groan. The section of railing I was holding suddenly ripped free.

I fell.

The cold water hit me like a solid wall. The impact knocked every bit of air from my lungs. Salt water flooded my mouth and nose. I kicked hard and broke the surface, gasping and coughing.

Burning pieces of the ferry floated all around me. People were in the water too — some swimming desperately, others already still. 

The heat from the flames on what was left of the boat made the air shimmer, but the water itself was freezing, pulling the strength from my body with every second.

My clothes felt heavy. My shoes dragged me down. Every kick of my legs came slower than the last.

“I can’t believe this is how I’m going to die,” I thought, the words spinning uselessly in my head as I tried to stay afloat. My arms ached. My chest burned. A broken piece of wood floated past and I reached for it, but my fingers only brushed the edge before it drifted away.

My head dipped under once. I came up coughing, vision already blurring at the edges. I was so tired.

Just when the cold started to feel almost soft, something strong clamped around my wrist. A gloved hand.

It yanked hard, pulling me through the water with surprising force. I kicked weakly as the person dragged me away from the burning wreck and the screaming. 

My body felt disconnected, like it no longer fully belonged to me. I tried to speak but only swallowed more water.

We reached the rocky shore after what felt like forever. The person hauled me up onto the stones with steady strength. I collapsed onto my side, coughing so hard I thought my ribs would crack. Water poured from my mouth and nose in messy streams.

The woman dropped down beside me, also coughing, but somehow still in control of herself. I blinked up at her through stinging eyes.

She looked to be in her early thirties. Sharp cheekbones, dark hair pulled back tightly, wearing a black jacket that was now heavy with water. There was nothing soft about her face. 

Even while catching her breath, her eyes moved constantly, checking the water, the dark trees, the empty road above us.

I pushed myself up on one elbow, still gasping. “Who are you?” I asked, my voice rough and broken. “Why did you save me?”

She shot me a look full of pure irritation as she spat salt water to the side. “Is that really how you thank someone who just dragged your stubborn self out of the water?” she said, raising one eyebrow. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

I touched the side of my head and my fingers came away red. Blood. Not a lot, but enough to make the edges of my vision pulse with every heartbeat. 

The sky was already darkening fast. Night was settling in properly now, and we were on some quiet stretch of shore with nothing but trees and the distant orange glow of the burning ferry behind us.

Panic rose fast in my chest. “I need to call someone,” I said, trying to stand on shaking legs. “My phone is gone, but I have to let people know I’m alive. My mother—”

The woman moved faster than I expected. She clamped a firm hand over my mouth and pushed me back down against the cold rocks.

Her voice dropped low and calm, right next to my ear. “Keep quiet.”

I struggled against her hand, eyes wide, but she held on without hurting me.

“You have to stay dead,” she said, her tone steady and serious. “Or you will not survive the night.”