But finally, finally, her feet found purchase.
Rock. Solid ground beneath the water.
Zhou Yuxi pulled herself forward with the last reserves of strength she had, her hands finding the rough surface of the rocks, gripping, hauling herself up and out of the water that had held her for so long.
She collapsed onto the shore, her body hitting the stone with force she barely registered, and for a long moment she simply lay there gasping, her chest heaving, her lungs burning as they tried to remember how to process air that wasn't mixed with salt water and spray.
Everything hurt.
