"No," she whispered. It wasn't over yet. She pushed herself back up. Again she had to sweep wet hair from her face. She looked around, but it was impossible to see more than two feet in front of her.
She forced herself to run again. She had to find the village. If nothing else, she had to at least find somewhere to ride out this storm. Besides the fountain cave there were others scattered around the island, most along the shore. If she found one of those she could hide until this storm ended.
Even as she considered this, Samantha saw a dark shape up ahead. It didn't look like any tree she had ever seen. Upon closer inspection, she saw her salvation: a house! It didn't look like Miss Brigham's or the reverend's. At the moment she didn't care, so long as it had somewhere for her to dry off.
She felt around until she located a door. Pulling open the door, the smell of mold assaulted her nostrils. Not only mold, but other forms of rot as well. It was as if she'd entered a garbage dump. How could that be?
Samantha's foot kicked something white. She bent down and retrieved a bone. The bone had been worn completely smooth except where something had bitten into it. She located more of these bones, as well as rusty chains. She also stepped in what smelled like feces.
Pryde's house. This had to be it. She had never really considered where Mr. Pryde had lived; she had assumed he had slept outside like an animal. From what little she could see and from what she could smell, he hadn't lived much better than an animal.
A stream of water hit her in the face. She could barely make out more streams of water coming through the roof. This wouldn't be much of a shelter from the storm. Even as she thought this, the walls creaked. The entire house would probably collapse on her soon.
But what other choice did she have? She stumbled around the room, trying to find a dry corner where she might be safe. As she did, her foot kicked something else, something solid and metal that prompted her to cry out. She bent down and felt a thick metal ring. A trapdoor!
Samantha stepped back and then pulled on the ring. As expected, a door opened. She felt around with her sore foot until she found a stair. This must be a cellar. That should keep her safe from the storm, provided the house didn't collapse on the cellar and trap her inside. Given the alternatives, she decided to take the chance.