Salt and Silence

Arthur moved before thought, his hand striking firm against Aleks' back, the force precise, controlled. The sound of flesh meeting flesh cracked through the still night, sharp yet unhurried. Saltwater burst from Aleks' mouth in a violent cough, splattering across the wooden planks of the boat. His body convulsed, shoulders jerking as he fought for control.

Then, silence.

The sky stretched overhead, endless, untarnished, a sea of stars unmarred by cloud or storm. The ocean below mirrored it, an expanse of dark glass, unbroken save for the ripples from their boat.

Aleks did not see it.

His face was locked in place, rigid, his eyes wide, unblinking, frozen on the memory of the abyss. His breath came too fast, too loud, ragged gasps torn from a throat unfit to handle air.

Panic clung to him, wrapped around his limbs, his lungs, his mind. His fingers twitched against the wood, his body caught between fight and flight with nowhere to go.