For the first few days, the thought had carried Edmund through. The knowledge that everyone he loved on this godforsaken island is off it had not only comforted him, but numbed him through his care of innumerable broken bodies.

He’d also finally gotten back in contact with his family and wept along with his mother when she’d heard his voice. Albeit for completely different reasons.

Because, if he’s honest with himself, it hasn’t just been the certainty of ...