Page 189 of The Heart of Winter

"And I really like you. Really, really, really."

Silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of the waves and the distant, menacing rumble of the volcano.

"And you have a good heart too."

Winter’s face had his typical expression, not easy to decipher, but I sensed him so well, he felt oddly… shy inside.

I smiled again. "And now, it's time to go. We need to get away from the volcano."

I could tell he wanted to say more. This determined look in his eyes was that of someone who had been thinking things over for a long time, someone on the verge of launching into a lengthy speech. But then he seemed to realize we didn't have time for that.

Behind us, the volcano let out another round of terrifying booms, deep, shuddering echoes of explosions.

Hand in hand, we started moving across the beach, not saying a word, just pushing forward. Soon, we reached the cliff we had to climb. We scrambled up as quickly as possible, and once we were there, I decided to take another picture of the volcano and also… our first selfie on the island, with the hellish landscape behind us.

Only once we were on the other side did we feel a little safer. At least here, the lava wouldn’t reach us so quickly. It would possibly be directed toward the sea. But there was still the danger of toxic gases and falling volcanic bombs, any one of which could kill us instantly.

So we kept moving, further and further away, only occasionally exchanging glances that spoke volumes. So much so that I wasn't sure if anyone had ever looked at me with more intensity than Winter did today.

Within an hour, we reached the wetlands. Below the cliff where I had spent the night, there was a shallow overhang, not a cave, but enough to serve as a kind of shelter.

"We'll be safer here from the volcanic bombs," I said.

But just as we approached the cliff wall, I heard something else.

A different sound. Less natural.

"Winter, I hear something."

"Another volcanic eruption coming?"

"No, it’s something else." I started scanning our surroundings. "A weird buzzing sound," I murmured, tilting my head and looking up at the sky. I didn’t see anything at first, but the sound was getting louder.

It was subtle, so I was probably picking up on something still far away.

And then, I saw it. From the south, flying toward us—a drone!

Wiping my face, I could barely believe my eyes.

"Winter…" I whispered, stunned.

For a second, it felt like I had stepped into a movie, into a world where impossible, unbelievable things happened.

"That’s a drone!!!" I shouted.

I tore off the blanket from my shoulders and started waving it wildly, trying to make myself into a moving signal, something that couldn’t be ignored. Winter did the same, and together we ran toward the beach, where we’d be even more visible.

I knew drones could work in two ways, either someone was watching the live feed in real time, or the drone had an AI system that could make decisions on its own, and the footage would be reviewed later. I had no idea which case this was, so I did everything I could to get noticed. I jumped, waved, flailed the blanket above my head like a madman. Winter followed my example.

The drone flew about a hundred yards away from us. I could see it clearly, a dark shape against the sky, but it didn’t stop. It kept going.

Our excitement faltered.

We watched in silent disappointment as the drone became a tiny speck in the distance, heading toward the volcanic caldera.

But then—

It turned around!

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