“I can’t remember how it feels to be dry,” Sarah said.
Gail smiled. “You will soon.”
The current swept them forward faster and faster, making them dizzy. Sarah considered closing her eyes to ward off the vertigo, but instead, she continued staring into the sun. Behind them, Leviathan raised both massive fists and brought them down, smashing the ship into splinters. Leviathan roared again, and Sarah felt the pressure not only in her ears, but on her eyeballs and against her lungs, as well. Lightning split the sky, striking the ocean’s roiling surface in a dozen locations. The whirlpool increased.
“Hang on,” Gail yelled. “Oh God… the current!”
“We’re going to be okay.” Sarah did her best to reassure them. “Just stick together and don’t let go.”
The vortex swept them toward its center. Leviathan, the creatures, and even the rain seemed to fade into the background. Henry stared, blinking as the sun grew nearer.
“What happens next?” he asked.
“We start over,” Sarah said. “We get to start over in a world that’s still alive—a world where our loved ones are still alive.”
She smiled, thinking of Kevin and Teddy and Carl and all of the others she’d lost along the way. When she looked up at Henry, the teen was smiling. So was Gail, as the sun in the center of the ocean dried the tears on her face.
Together, they sailed over the edge of the world.
THE END
