by Lyle, Travis
“What, these were your shoes right?”
Being grateful I say,
“Yeah, thanks.”
I said nothing more. I’m just glad I have something to cover me with. I would’ve been happy with the towel, but clothes are more comforting.
Buttoning up my shirt, I look up. Everyone’s wearing black, and people are perpetually weeping. Continually I’m reminded that we’re still on the ship, as waves start turning my stomach. Nearly screaming, as you would when trying to talk through a loud crowd of people, but very few words have been said by anyone while in this room.
“Wait! Everyone stop. What just happened?”
A strict female voice strongly addresses,
“Now just wait a minute, who in the hell do you think you are?”
Calming down and still lost,
“My name is Hollister Wolf. William was my adopted father.”
Saying this, even tears pause at the shocking truth. Even though William has only been my father for almost four years, he’s been like an uncle to me most of my life.
The strict female, now looking down like she’s mentally scolding herself, responds sorrowfully,
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I had no idea you poor thing.”
Tears begin to shed from the right side of my face. I now realize the truth, William is dead. Buzzing sounds of a helicopter overhead leaves the cruise ship.
A low soft spoken female voice lightly speaks from the far corner of the room,
“They must be taking him to the hospital now.”
I break down after hearing her near silent words. This kind of mental breaking has never happened to me before, but just now I’ve lost everything and everyone I’ve ever cared about. Mentally fucked, I’m still not sure if Amanda is even really the Amanda I knew from my past.
The feminine male voice speaks as if knowing something needs to be done to help ease some tension, and comfort a person who now looks like they have nothing to live for.
“Awe… I think we all need a group hug.”
Looking up, a crowd of people is gathered around me hugging. I feel like I’m suffocating in a football huddle. Tears from others drip down on the laminate flooring long after my tear well dries up. I manage to intertwine myself through the gathering, rushing through the door leading outside in search for some fresh air.
Chapter Six
Standing on the port side of the ship, I receive a brief moment of silence to process my thoughts. Inhaling the scent of the open sea, feeling pounding rays of the sun, my senses feel keener now to the surroundings. Well enough, I can faintly hear a commotion emanating from the deck underneath my feet.
Thinking to myself,
“I can’t handle any more surprises.”
Near silent screams flow through the stairwell leading to a lower level.
“Stop, stop… quit”
I walk the direction of the noise only to hear near rioting. Seeing a path to my right that leads to the other end of the ship, this quickly becomes my escape route. Nearing the top of the ship, one level down from the VIP section is where I’m at now. A path runs beside the ship with guardrails. Once around the massive VIP section, I approach a ladder leading to the top of the ship where a helicopter landing pad is.
Sitting on just one of the helipads this ship has, I faintly hear a helicopter flying in the distance. Knowing there are many other landing pads, I lay back and enjoy oceanic sounds without the screams of people involved. I’m sure if they felt ready to die like I do, they may be in their quiet place right now debating any options they have left.
Nearly everyone encapsulated within the ship walls right now feel drawn in one aspect or another to this drama. You have the weeping group which Hollister managed to escape. Then the belligerent drunken fighters brawl their way through the crowd, gathering spectators, earning the spot as the official riot starters. Many people bitch and complain at the turn of events, not for the incidents occurring, but at the loss of time and money. Who cares if someone is going to set the ship on fire as long as I get my money back, right? This is the awkward attitude which the mass expresses. Very few remain outside of conflict, and those who are become constantly pressured to join up in someone else’s fiasco.
Of all areas on this ship to land, the helicopter approaches me.
“Maybe they think I’m some kind of lazy landing operator sleeping on the job.”
Standing up with the why me attitude, written on the side of the helicopter I notice the word,
“POLICE”
The only legible action appearing in my scrambling thoughts quickly becomes null and void.
“Shit! They are moving too fast for me to hide.”
An officer speaks reassuringly to me through a megaphone. No longer do I feel the need to run.
“This is the Biloxi Police Department. Do not move for your safety, we’re sending officers down to help.”
Watching the police officer repel out of the helicopter, he lands a few feet from me. The officer begins yelling at me because of the loud whipping noise produced by the closely hovering helicopter.
“Excuse me sir, are you okay?”
Breaking down into tears while speaking, the officer knows there’s something seriously wrong happening right now.
“No, I’m not okay.”
The officer radios the helicopter,
“He’s just a kid, bring it down. I have a feeling this is a bigger mess than what the boss knows about.”
A short pause is broken,
“Rodger that. Should I call in the fleet?”
Without hesitation,
“Bring it down so we can ask the kid.”
Moments later, the helicopter engine slows down enough to hear the officer speak. Asking rushingly,
“Hey kid, what’s going on here?”
Yelling while breaking down,
“My adopted father died, riots are happening on the ship, and there are now many photos and videos of me having sex for the first time.”
Asking as if looking for me to begin with,
“Are you Hollister Wolf?”
A few whimpers flow out of me before I say,
“Yes, am I going to jail?”
The officer kindly laughed,
“No Mr. Wolf, but you’re the first person to ride the helicopter back to mainland. District Attorney Jordan needs to see you at the hospital.”
Quickly I reply,
“What about?”
His response seems to flow from his mouth naturally,
“I can’t discuss that with you Sir. My orders are strict. Now if you will, please have a seat in the chopper and put on the headphones. We have much bigger problems to attend to.”
I step up and sit down inside the helicopter. Putting on the headphones, the door slams shut. Before any others are able to seek shelter off of the ship with me, the helicopter starts up and prepares for take off. I can hear the pilot through the headphones,
“Just sit tight and buckle up, in a few minutes we’ll be back on the coast.”
Nearing the coast, I see an Air Force base that sits with costal view. Seconds pass there after and we now hover over the hospital. I see three men dressed in black suits with matching sun glasses walk on the landing pad. The helicopter lands smoothly, but the engine didn’t have time to shut down before the door closest to me flew open. A black suited man firmly speaks,
“Mr. Wolf, Sir please come with us.”
I want to know indefinitely because this entirety still feels surreal,
“Did William live or…?”
Once again he speaks firmly. By the sound of this man, I’d despise being his son.
“This is why we need you to come with us.”
Muttering in disappointment,
“Fine!”
Leaving the helicopter behind me, the three men escort me inside. An Emergency Room sign points left, but they drag me right towards a set of elevators. I want to ask,
“Where are we going?”
By the looks of these guys, a governmental programmed response might be all that would pour out of their mouths. Walking inside an elevator with them, the door closes. One of them decides to press a button stopping the elevator. Responding wearingly fearing their actions,
“What’s going on, what are you doing?”
They don’t speak. At the same time two of them reach into their pockets. The worse pessimistic thought pierces sharply through my mind,
“Oh shit! Do they have a gun? They’re going to kill me.”
I run backwards, slamming myself against the rear elevator door. If they are going to kill me they’re going to have hell. Flowing through my head as if I actually had the power to dodge bullets or if I was on fire,
“Dodge, drop, and roll. Dodge, drop, and roll.”
The third man I completely blanked out even being here. That should be acknowledgment to exactly how scared shitless I am right now from the two that have their backs turned to me looking like they have guns. Rapidly pulling their hands out of their pockets, they now hold their hands out as if they are going to turn and shoot me dead. Screaming at the top of my lungs in fear,
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
Not caring to live less than an hour ago, oddly I find myself wanting to cling to life now. Ringing loudly,
“Ding”
The door pressed against my back quickly opens. I fall backwards while still screaming for my life. The surprise landing knocks the breath out of me, instantly silencing my screams to short squeals. The giant of the three is now sitting in the corner of the elevator pissing all over himself. Looking up, gasping for air, District Attorney Jordan looks at me with a slight smile starting to stretch across his cheeks. His shoulders and chest bounce up and down, in and out as if holding in the laughter. I think it’s his goon that wet his pants bringing him to laugh.
District Attorney Jordan, trying to hold in his laughter, his arms make a stopping notion at his goons. He says,
“Are you okay Hollister?”
The sound of developing tears chokes me while trying to utter words from my vocal chords causing my reply to come out in squeaks.
“NO! I thought they were going to kill me.”
Why does it seem that the world is against me? District Attorney Jordan is now sitting down in a chair trying to not have a “Jolly Attack”. That’s what I call a laughter induced Heart Attack. Stress is stress, no matter the level and intensity, and I only call it this because of William. That’s the way he said he always wanted to die. He wanted to die laughing, but instead his death caused people to laugh. District Attorney Jordan bellows while gasping for air supply,
“Will you three dingle berries shut up so I can calm down and speak with Mr. Wolf.”
I can tell that he didn’t think so highly of those three. I know what a dingle berry is. It’s not even a real berry or edible. Well I guess it can be if you like the taste of hairy toilet paper poop rolls that seems to cling to your butthole if you don’t wash or wipe properly. I calm down enough to catch my breath and stand up. Speaking angrily because I’m upset and tired of crap like this happening to me,
“Why have you brought me here?”
He speaks as if William’s death is a wonderful event,
“I’m sorry about all of this Mr. Wolf. Once William’s body arrived, and well… let’s just be honest. Your video is going viral over the internet. When William adopted you Hollister, he also changed his will. You’re now the head of William Peak’s Estate, investments, and finances.”
Shockingly I respond.
“Huh?”
The district attorneys actions and greedy tone shows where his determination lies,
“Okay Hollister, here it is. If you were to die on that cruise ship, all of William’s assets would’ve went to another country to a distant relative. Mr. Peak’s owned many businesses’ here across the Gulf coast and we fear that all would’ve been wasted if you died as well.”
Concerning the fate of others I ask,
“What do you mean, if I were to die? Is everyone on the ship okay?”
His tone turned mono, like a news anchor trained to read lines with no emotion.
“A fire broke out on the ship during one of the many fights that were provoked. A small explosion took out one of the kitchens. Twenty five people have minor injuries and three are dead. One of them being William, the two others was cooks in the kitchen that exploded. After hearing the rioting and well… your incident, I knew we had to take control and extract you.”
Curious about the ships condition,
“Did the ship sink?”
Speaking as if this ship is the pride of the south,
“Oh no, ha, ha, ha, it would take much more than that to put that chunk of metal under water. You’ll just have some costly repairs to do in order to get it back in commercial condition.”
Depression became my tone, but the sound can be easily confused with exhaustion.
“I’m not sure I can take anymore stress right now. I need to go home Mr. Jordan. I’m so tired. I just want this day to be over with.”
Mr. Jordan looks at the biggest of his three goons,
“Sure thing Mr. Wolf, I’ll have Jimmy take you home.”
Speaking to Jimmy like he’s a dog,
“Jimmy boy take Hollister to the limousine and get him home.”
As Jimmy walks me to the limo, I can’t stop myself from asking,
“Why do you let Mr. Jordan talk to you like that? Why not find another job?”
Jimmy’s voice quivering,
“I’ve tried, but no one will hire me. The D.A. isn’t such a bad guy when you get to know him, he’s just too direct. Matters none though, I’d take a daily beating while starving to death to make sure my children eat. I live for the days a smile perches across my family’s cheeks.”
I feel the strong love this man has for his family. I miss that.
Along the ride home, Hollister ponders the meaning of life trying to find an explanation for why he’s still clinging to it. Hollister believes it’s because he still knows nothing about Amanda. The thought of her alive keeps him here. Confusingly, Hollister is still wrapped up in her lust, which she graciously blessed him with on the ship. Hollister’s beginning to see Amanda everywhere. Men, women, and even children transform to look like Amanda. As each individual would look back at Hollister, they’d transform from looking like Amanda back to who they really look like. Like an intoxicating drug, the sight of them transforming back to who they are makes Hollister nauseous. The feeling causes him to lie down in the back of the limo and sleep until they arrive at what was once William Peak’s mansion.
Jimmy nudges my shoulder as he speaks,
“Hollister wake up, you’re home. It’s time to go inside.”
Waking up from a bad dream where trees are killing people, I scream loudly,
“RUNNNNNN! They’re going to branch us to death.”
I snap out of it. Realizing that I’m still kicking and screaming, I look down and see Jimmy holding his mouth. Saying in remorse,
“I’m so sorry Jimmy. Did I kick you or something?”
Laughing at me,
“Oh… oh, oh,”
Jimmy coughs,
“No you didn’t kick me Mr. Wolf. All I have to say, you’re full of surprises. Now don’t tell me you’re scared of trees too. Ha, ha, ha,”
I speak in a tired, but sad tone,
“Ugh, no, it’s just a dream. Even my dreams are trying to kill me Jimmy.”
Jimmy quickly sucks in his now light giggles,
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings Mr. Wolf.”
Still speaking in a sad tone,
“You didn’t Jimmy. It just feels like even God is against me right now. Everyone I’ve ever cared for is either dead or doesn’t exist.”
Jimmy now speaks remorsefully,
“Oh no… I had no idea. I didn’t mean anything bad by what I said Mr. Wolf.”
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Sadness left my voice to let exhaustion take over,
“I’ve been getting this a lot lately Jimmy. Its okay, I’m not upset. I’d like just one day in my life where I can be a child. I don’t know what it’s like. Well… I do, but even she was taken away from me. I’m sorry Jimmy, I’d like to talk more, but I’m really tired now.”
Annie is at the door waiting to greet me. She’s William’s butler or housekeeper. Annie’s duties are the same as a male butler. Really she’s better than a male butler because she adds a little extra care to her duties. I’m not going to say that all male butlers lack the motherly care that Annie shows, but this is something that doesn’t come naturally to a male as it does for females. Not all families need that type of care. This is something I think William missed as well. I believe he intentionally hired a female butler for that reason.
Annie speaks softly and caringly to me,
“Awe hun, come here and give me a hug.”
Her voice has the southern twain though her complexion is dark like mine or that of an islander. Still speaking sadly,
“Annie, I’m not sure if I can handle this. I’m all alone now.”
Her motherly tone, expressions, and actions is exactly what I need right now. Annie speaks firmly as if trying to pull me together,
“Hollister never let me hear that again. You’re not alone child as long as I am here. Now come inside and let me get you fed.”
Graciously saying while holding my stomach,
“Thank you Annie, I’m starved.”
Walking to the kitchen, the first available chair becomes my life sucking seat. Not because of fake vampire stuff, it’s because I want to sit here until I die. Yeah, I’m sure someone out there would say,
“You’re better than that.”
How many of them have nothing left to care for? I know I have money, but what’s it really worth if you have no one truly special to share it with. I can’t marry myself. Sure I can adopt children some day, but everything that has happened to me leaves me feeling less than special. I place my head on the table, like I’m back to sleeping in class. Barely making the plate of Angelic Shrimp and Lobster to the table, Annie burst into tears at the loss of William.