The instant the car hit the water, everything became chaos.

  Vivian rammed the window breaker against the glass, her heart a frantic hammer in her chest. Nothing. The pane held, mocking her as icy water roared in, surging past her ankles in seconds, cold and brutal. Panic clawed up her throat.

  “Noah—it's not working!” Her voice cracked, shrill with desperation.

  Noah snatched the tool from her trembling hands, slamming it into the window with a single, fierce strike. Glass shattered inward, jagged shards tearing into his arm as he shoved the wreckage aside. Blood bloomed instantly, swirling into the rising flood, but he didn’t flinch. “Out—now!” he barked, voice cutting through the roar of water. His injured arm pushed the glass further aside, ignoring the deep gashes opening across his skin.

  Vivian hesitated, eyes snagging on the crimson streaking his skin, then lunged through the ragged hole. The ocean swallowed her, a frigid fist punching the air from her lungs. The current hit like a battering ram, dragging her down, then sideways, relentless and wild. It flung her toward the cliff one second, yanked her back the next. She thrashed, arms burning, the numbing chill sapping her strength fast.

  Seconds later, Noah appeared beside her, his movements sluggish but determined. Even through the dark, turbulent water, Vivian could see the pallor of his face, the way his breathing came in sharp, controlled gasps. His blood trailed subtly into the swirling current, a dark bloom dissolving into the ocean depths.

  A rogue wave slammed her sideways, sky and sea blurring into a disorienting swirl. Water flooded her mouth, bitter and choking, her chest seizing as she sank. Panic surged, limbs flailing—until a firm hand locked around her wrist, tethering her. Noah’s face loomed close, his dark eyes steady through the haze of pain. He pulled her gently, guiding her to slice parallel to the shore, not against the crushing current. Her terror ebbed, replaced by a raw, desperate focus. With him anchoring her, her strokes sharpened, cutting through the relentless battering of waves.

  After what felt like an eternity, until Noah gestured toward a shadowed silhouette—a pre-positioned boat bobbing seventy meters off. Relief flared in her chest, fragile but fierce. Each stroke dragged like lead, her limbs numb and screaming, but she pushed on, Noah’s steady presence behind her a lifeline in the chaos.

  They reached the boat, bobbing gently on the waves, and Noah guided Vivian toward its far side, away from any possible watching eyes above. He motioned her forward, lifting her carefully with his good arm to help her quietly onto the deck. Vivian collapsed immediately upon reaching the deck, body trembling violently from cold, exhaustion, and lingering adrenaline.

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  Noah climbed up slowly behind her, every movement deliberate, controlled, hiding the extent of his pain. Blood continued dripping steadily from his arm, unnoticed in the darkness. He crouched briefly, nausea rolling over him, but he steadied himself, fighting down the dizziness and turning to survey their surroundings.

  Vivian lay curled, breathing heavily, consciousness flickering at the edges. Noah moved quickly toward her, retrieving a pre-packed emergency blanket and first aid kit hidden on the boat. He draped the thick blanket over Vivian’s shivering form, carefully avoiding showing her his injured arm.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered softly, voice strained.

  Vivian could only nod weakly, barely able to speak through chattering teeth. Noah knelt beside her, his good hand gently brushing the hair from her face, his touch grounding yet cautious.

  “Stay down,” he murmured, eyes scanning the darkness anxiously, listening for any sounds of pursuit. His own breathing came heavily, shallow and pained, though he forced himself to remain calm, knowing she needed his reassurance.

  As Vivian slowly regained some composure, she lifted her head weakly, finally noticing the dark stains covering his sleeve, the slick sheen of blood illuminated faintly by moonlight.

  “Noah—your arm,” she gasped, reaching shakily toward him.

  He gently caught her hand, squeezing lightly, his jaw tightening subtly as he spoke. “It’s nothing,” he muttered, voice controlled despite the pain evident in his eyes.

  She studied him, chest tightening at the strain he buried beneath that facade—the way he’d smashed the glass, shoved her to safety, taken every hit without a second thought.

  They sat together quietly, the silence broken only by the distant crash of waves. Words failed her, but Vivian didn’t pull her hand from Noah’s. Instead, she let her fingers tighten slightly in his grip, silently acknowledging everything he'd done for her tonight.

  ******

  The Red Phoenix crew slammed their brakes, tires screeching as the car skidded to a halt inches from the cliff’s edge, gravel spitting into the void. They burst out, boots pounding asphalt, and raced to the railing over Lands End cliffs. Their breaths rasped, adrenaline crackling through the air.

  Below, black waves snarled against jagged rocks, the distant roar of ocean on stone swallowing the night’s silence. Noah’s car was gone—vanished into the churning depths, leaving only a fading thread of bubbles spiraling up through the dark, violent water.

  One man swung his flashlight across the surface, beam slicing desperately through the gloom, hunting for a glint of debris, a shadow, anything. “Think they’re dead?” His voice came taut, edged with nerves.

  The other shook his head, slow and deliberate, eyes narrowed as they raked the waves. “Couple of college kids? Even if they crawled out, these currents’d drag ’em under. They’re done.”

  “Should we call Sammy?”

  The second man gave a sharp nod, fishing his phone from his pocket. He dialed, gaze locked on the unforgiving water below, the call clicking through fast. “Yeah, boss—it’s done. Car went off at Lands End. Straight into the ocean. No sign of survivors.” He paused, ear cocked to the line, then dipped his chin.

  “Understood. We’ll stick around a few minutes, just in case, but it’s a waste of time. They’re definitely dead.”

  A beat of quiet hummed from the other end. He snapped the phone shut, a flicker of cold satisfaction crossing his face. With a curt gesture, he waved the others off. Their car peeled away moments later, its hum fading into the night, leaving only the relentless crash of waves gnawing at the rocks.

  can open under water? In movies I always see them smashing windows like we do in this chapter and wondered -wait why can’t they just open the door?