Just as they agreed, Nick made his way back to the ridge. He pulled out the satellite phone and powered it on, quickly typing out a summarized message to Veronica.
[The liferaft is gone due to high tide. Supplies lost. Rescue us in 5 days. We don't have much food and water.]
The reply came almost instantly, but it wasn't what he hoped for.
[Negative. Rescue may take longer, possibly two weeks. Dad joined the search and rescue with the Davises. They've even brought in a private party to speed things up. We'll try to send a drone via Liam, but stealth is a problem.]
Nick exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his jaw.
[Understood. I'll check for fresh water. Rain won't be enough—and it's not safe.]
[Good luck, bro. We'll keep working from this end.]
