The Survivors

Back in the present day, Sergeant Renn escorts Olivia inside the cottage for questioning. Just before he takes Olivia inside, Kieran tells him about seeing the light-colored vehicle the previous night. Renn says they will get a statement from him and Mia later. As they wait outside, Ash nervously picks weeds from the lawn, and Kieran asks about Bronte. Ash says Bronte was a nice person and Olivia’s frustration is less about Bronte and more about trouble with her mother. Ash also tells Kieran that Liam was attracted to Bronte.

The narrative switches back to Olivia and Kieran exploring the caves. Kieran always remembered his brother Finn’s warning to get out before high tide. Kieran and Olivia developed a romantic connection and began meeting regularly at the caves though they kept it secret from their friends. One day, despite growing storm clouds, the couple met in the caverns and lost track of time. When they looked out of the mouth of the cave, the tidewater had risen making it dangerous to exit. Kieran moved swiftly to get them out, Olivia barely having time to grab the waterproof bag holding their phones. They fought the undertow and driving rain to make their way to the path leading up the cliff, but the water had risen so high they lost their bearings. The narrator said, “There was nothing between them and the horizon, and all at once he knew why everything felt so wrong. The Survivors were gone” (92). Realizing the ocean had risen to submerge the statue, Kieran panicked. As Olivia was pulled under the waves, he pushed her to safety only to be taken under himself. As the waves pounded him into the rocks, Olivia used her phone to call for help. Kieran finally found a foothold but, exhausted by the struggle, lacked the strength to climb further. Just as he was feeling hopeless, he looked up to see his brother’s boat the Nautilus Blue making its way toward him.

The narrative moves to Kieran’s patchy memories of the storm. He remembers seeing the boat approaching as he clung to the rocks. Others filled in the details later. The Nautilus Blue capsized killing Toby instantly, his head cracked on the rocks. Finn drowned after becoming trapped under the boat. Finn was the model older brother, son, and beloved member of the Evelyn Bay community, and everyone was devastated by the loss. As the town recovered from the storm damage, they held a joint funeral for Toby and Finn. Verity and Brian sank into their grief ignoring Kieran. Ash visited often though the friends did not talk about what happened, and Kieran never told anyone Olivia was with him that day. Eventually, Sean came with Ash for a visit, and though he reiterated that it was an accident, things were never the same between them. Olivia’s younger sister Gabby went missing during the storm and after an extensive search, only her backpack was recovered.

The narrative returns to the present as Julian arrives at Fisherman’s Cottage where officers question him. The investigator notes the exterior light bulb is out, and Julian says the roommates did not report it to him. Julian tells Ash that Liam is not doing well, and neither is his wife, Sarah. Olivia emerges from the cottage distraught after being questioned for so long. She says the officers kept asking the same questions, and they are now searching Bronte’s room. Julian is confused why they did not report the light, and Olivia says she thought Bronte told him. Olivia and Ash leave, and Kieran, anxious to get back to Mia, tries to leave, but Julian stops him. Julian explains that he found Brian wandering the street the previous night and had to call Verity to come to collect him. He had relayed all the details to Sergeant Renn. When Kieran questions if that was necessary, stating his parents barely knew Bronte, Julian reminds him that they knew Bronte—she helped Verity clean out her shed. Julian had also shared this information with the sergeant, and he defends himself saying he is just trying to do what is best for the community and find justice for Bronte.

Kieran returns to his house to find detective Sue Pendlebury from Hobart waiting to question his parents. The detective suspects someone drowned Bronte. Brian exclaims he told her she should not be on the beach because a storm was coming. Verity explains Brian is confusing the previous night’s events with the day of the storm 12 years ago. Brian had said those words to Gabby as she stood on the beach. Pendlebury asks about Bronte’s help with the shed. Verity explains that they mostly talked about her artwork and her grandmother in Canberra who has dementia. Pendlebury is interested in whether Bronte showed them any of her art, and Verity said she only showed her sketches of the town. Brian continues to interject at various times thinking they are talking about Gabby. Pendlebury asks who Gabby is, and Kieran retreats into his memory of 12 years ago.

Gabby, Olivia’s younger sister and Mia’s best friend, was a shy girl who did not like attention, but that summer the boys started to take notice of her as she grew into a woman. The attention made her uncomfortable, and she was known to slink away often due to her bashful personality.

Back in the present, Kieran tells Pendlebury that Gabby was Olivia’s sister who disappeared 12 years ago on the day of the historic storm. Verity adds that their son also died in the storm along with Toby Gilroy. Pendlebury seems interested to hear more but returns to the current event and begins questioning Brian about his whereabouts the previous night. He becomes angry thinking she is asking about Gabby’s disappearance and begins to rant at the detective for invading his home and privacy. Verity interrupts and explains he went out the night before and Julian found him walking on the road. She cannot account for how long he was out but confirms he was on the road, not the beach. Pendlebury says there is evidence the assailant was mentally disturbed and left the crime scene quickly. She asks Brian once more if he saw Bronte on the beach and he responds by repeating what he said before: he told her to go home before the storm. Looking towards Mia, he tells the detective to talk to her since she was there. Mia tries to defend herself before Kieran cuts in to explain Mia was with Gabby on the beach the day she went missing and confirms Mia was with him last night. Once the confusion is cleared up, Pendlebury asks to know more about Gabby’s disappearance.

Kieran relates the details of Gabby’s disappearance., Between noon and two o’clock on the day of the storm, Gabby went online and checked her social media and made a birthday card for her mother. She then walked to Mia’s house, and the two girls went to the local library for an hour. The librarian reported hearing the girls arguing, but Mia later told the police they were just discussing stories they wrote for a creative writing class. The girls walked to the beach, but Mia left due to the worsening weather. Since her mother was a nurse working the night shift in the chaotic aftermath of the storm, no one noticed Gabby was missing until the next morning. Mia told the police she and Gabby parted on good terms, but Mia’s mother gave a different account saying she found Mia in tears when she returned home. Two days after Gabby disappeared, her purple backpack washed up on shore.

Back in the present day, Pendlebury asks why Brian is confusing the previous night’s events with those of the day of the storm. Verity claims he is just confused. After the detective leaves, Kieran asks his mother why she did not tell the detective that Brian was the last person to see Gabby alive. Verity says she did not think it was important, and Brian already gave a full explanation to the police after the storm. Kieran returns to the day of the storm in his memory. This father was the school PE teacher and knew all the students well. Returning home from an errand, he saw Gabby standing on the rocks near the beach. Afraid for her safety, he approached her, touched her elbow, and told her to get home before the storm arrived. He guided her off the rocks and onto the safety of the sand. Gabby promised to go home, and Brian left. Later, during his questioning, Brian told the police what he said to her. They asked why he did not offer her a ride home, and he explained teachers are not allowed to have students in their cars.

Verity and Kieran go to the Surf and Turf to get takeout for dinner. Verity needs a break from the constant care of Brian, and Mia stays home with Audrey since she does not feel safe walking after dark considering what has happened. As they enter the restaurant, Kieran returns to the day of the storm in his memory. Both his parents and Toby’s rushed to the cliffs after word spread that their boat capsized. Along with Toby’s distraught wife, they watched as the lifeless victims were pulled from the water.

Back in the present, Kieran sees the restaurant is mostly empty save a few police officers including Sergeant Renn. A local television reporter is also there with a cameraman. Lyn is the only waitress on duty as the others refused to report to work. Quick to express her dislike of Liam, Lyn explains how Julian spoils him and does not make him take responsibility for his mistakes. She also says Liam repeatedly pursued Bronte despite the girl making it clear she was not interested. Verity suggests she is too quick to assume that would be a motive for murder, but Lyn claims she just knows it instinctively. While waiting for their order, Kieran notices a photo of Bronte on the bulletin board with a collection jar below it. Locals placed a picture of Finn and Toby on the same board after the accident.

Verity introduces Kieran to George Barlin, a famous author of intensely popular crime novels. He is living in Ash’s grandmother’s home and renovating the property including the gardens. Kieran remembers when Ash originally designed and planted the garden for his grandmother 12 years ago while the rest of their friends enjoyed the summer. Ash had even gone to repair the garden after it was damaged by the storm. George is in Evelyn Bay to work on his latest book and was only acquainted with Bronte through seeing her at the restaurant. As George politely excuses himself, Kieran notes Sergeant Renn taking a phone call. The officer approaches Verity and says something has happened with Brian.

Kieran and Verity race to the house to find Brian swimming in the ocean fully clothed. Mia is on the beach clutching Audrey, and several police officers are in the water trying to bring Brian ashore. Kieran and Verity wade into the freezing water and guide Brian to the beach where they all collapse. Brian and Kieran lay staring at the sky while Verity privately sobs. Later, Kieran notices a red mark on Mia’s face and wrist, and she explains that she tried to restrain him from going into the water. Mia says she is fine but asks not to be left alone with Brian again. Kieran confronts his mother over Mia’s injuries, but she responds defensively claiming she can do little to stop his behavior.

After a restless night, Kieran and Audrey walk up the cliffs to the cemetery. He realizes he remembers very little from the day of his brother’s funeral and does not even know where his grave is. He remembers Liam placing a soccer scarf on Toby’s grave, which he now sees flapping in the wind in the cemetery carefully landscaped by Ash. Olivia appears, looking for Ash, and she helps him find Finn’s grave. Olivia says Bronte’s death has deeply upset her mother as it reminds her of what happened to Gabby. Olivia worries Liam did not understand Bronte’s gentle rejection of his romantic advances. Olivia returned to Evelyn Bay a few years ago after her mother attempted suicide, and she feels trapped by the small town and the expectation to settle down and start a family. Being with Ash, who understands all that happened in the past, brings her a sense of security. Olivia subtly suggests she told Ash about her and Kieran’s visit to the caves on the day of the storm. When she receives multiple calls from Julian asking her to return to the cottage, Olivia leaves.

Kieran confessed his past with Olivia to Mia six months after they met, on what would have been Finn’s 31st birthday. Mia responded by saying it was not an issue for her. Putting the memory aside, Kieran decides to continue his walk with Audrey and explore the caves. His mind is flooded with images from the day of the storm. Guilt overtakes him as he thinks about his fateful decision and tries to justify his actions. He thinks about the way he and his friends carelessly used the caves for fun, carving their names into the rocks and not worrying about the danger. The narrator says, “But looking at the letters now, still legible more than a decade after they’d been made into the rock face, Kieran couldn’t believe he had ever been such a dickhead […] how he’d convinced himself this was a good idea” (148). Kieran thinks about how he could not go out on the boat for a long time after the accident, but Sean could as he dealt with his grief differently. Audrey becomes upset, so Kieran decides to walk back up and out of the caves. As he leaves, he hears movement in the north cave. Though he sees nothing, he has the eerie feeling he is being watched.

After scrambling out of the cave, Kieran sees Liam sitting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. Liam assures him he is not going to jump, and sarcastically jokes with Kieran for being in the caves. Kieran wants to fight back but tries to remind himself of Liam as a scared young boy grieving the loss of his father. Liam’s parents never recovered from their grief and eventually moved to Queensland. Liam asks Kieran if he wants to know what happened between him and Bronte the night she died. Liam is bitter that he is being questioned by the police for just being nice and giving her a ride home. He claims other men have not been as kind to her including a tourist, Marco. Kieran is concerned that Liam had been keeping such close watch on Bronte, but he urges Liam to continue with his story.

Liam explains he gave Bronte a ride home, and she invited him inside to look at a book from George. Liam claims he left because he had an early gym session scheduled for the next day; however, Kieran doubts Liam is telling the truth considering his romantic feelings for Bronte. Liam says that after staying just ten minutes, he left Bronte’s house and sped past Mia and Kieran. Sean told Liam that Kieran mentioned the car to the police, and he wants Kieran or Mia to confirm it was him in the car to the authorities. When Kieran hesitates, Liam insists he did not do anything to Bronte. Before they part, Liam asks Kieran if he still misses Finn. When Kieran says yes, Liam explains that the accident ruined his life, and it does not make him feel any better that Kieran suffers too.

Kieran walks to meet Mia and passes the house where George is living. He notices Ash’s carefully curated gardens have been ripped up to renovate the landscaping. Kieran logs on to the Evelyn Bay Online Community Hub or EBOCH and scrolls through the hundreds of posts left since Bronte’s death. Most of the posts extol Bronte’s kindness and express sorrow over her loss, though some mention not being surprised by Liam’s involvement. While they walk towards town, Kieran tells Mia about his conversation with Liam. She cannot say for certain if the car that nearly hit them was Liam’s. When they pass George’s house, Mia tells Kieran she and Gabby attended his writing workshop a few weeks before the storm. The talk turns to Gabby, and Mia says her friend could be difficult sometimes. Gabby hated the unwanted attention she got from adult men and resented being left out of Olivia’s activities. When they pass the police station, Sergeant Renn and Pendlebury summon them inside.