Page 5 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

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Warmth on her skin.

That’s what she felt. Lying there, in the soft grittiness of the… sand?

She could feel the sun bathe her in its comforting glow. Waves lapped nearby.

She knew she was on a beach. Could smell the salt in the air tickling her nose. She must have fallen asleep while sunbathing.

That must be what it was.

She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips, only to feel how dry and cracked they were. She grimaced at the feel of them, which was the wrong thing to do as the skin tore.

Her tongue ran over her lip again. Tasted blood.

And then came the thirst.

The horrible, desperate thirst of someone who hadn’t drunk in forever, it seemed.

She tried to gather the will to wake, though her body seemed sluggishly slow to respond, when something small and lively crashed into her, and preceded to cover her face with wet, slobbery kisses.

She recognized that strong — and not unpleasant — smell of doggy breath and felt immediately relieved.

She liked dogs. Loved them, in fact. And this little one was super friendly.

Her eyes fluttered opened.

The hazy black spots that clouded her vision took a moment to fade, but when they did, an adorable furry face peered down at her, head cocked cutely to one side in a wide-opened stare.

He had the same features as a German Shepherd, but with salt and pepper patches to go along with the usual black and brown. His eyes were an impossible ice-blue that matched the diamond studded collar around his neck. A small silver name tag hung from the collar with the word ‘LOKI.’

He was only a puppy, possibly not more than a few months old, and at the stage where his paws seemed overly large compared to the rest of him.

Her lips curled into a small smile as she tried to ignore the flash of pain that the gesture brought. Loki didn’t notice her discomfort, looking down at her adoringly as if they were the best of friends already. His tiny butt shook as he squirmed with happiness at their meeting.

“This is a private beach — didn’t you see the sign?”

Not quite as friendly as the dog was the masculine voice that had come from several feet away. The annoyance was unmistakable, as was the proprietary tone that had come with it.

She didn’t recognize his voice, but something about the way he was talking to her was causing her heart to race.

And not in a pleasant way.

She looked past the puppy only to flinch at the sun that beat down on her. She noticed the sky next, so luminous in its brightness that it hurt to look at it.

Raising a hand to shield her eyes, she squinted towards the hazy figure of the man who was fast approaching, as Loki bounced between the two like this was a game.

The man pointed to a sign down the beach, but she couldn’t see the words from her position on the ground.

What was so important that he needed her to see it?

She tried to sit up when crushing pain shot through her body. She yelped, sucking in her breath, and froze.

What was wrong with her?

“This is a private beach,” came the voice again, this time with less of the annoyance that had preceded it.

She opened her mouth to answer, but the sound that came out was hoarse and unintelligible. She swallowed, but with seemingly no saliva in her mouth, all it did was make her throat feel even more scratched.

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