Adrift

by Trimboli, TJ

  She may be cold but she wasn’t heartless. “You have two days. Be safe, be mindful, and bring us back some hope.”

  “Anything else?” Morris asked as he took off his shoes and handed them to her. “I’ll want those back, by the way.”

  “Just think, when you come back with more fish than we know what to do with, you’ll be heroes.”

  Morris smiled. He never imagined himself as a hero, a culinary hero, maybe, but not a save your life type. All he wanted to do was eat, keep his people safe, and un-brainwash his best friend. He paused. Maybe I’m more of a hero than I thought. “Hero. I like the sound of that.”

  Valentina smirked which was more of a smile than any man had probably ever gotten from her before. “Well, hero. I hope you can swim.”

  Morris turned to see the escape boat had drifted further out to sea. He had at least half a mile to make up. “Son of a bitch.” He dove into the water after the boat. He slowed down towards the end turning his stride into back strokes. He gave one last wave to Valentina unsure if he would ever step foot on that ship again.

  He climbed into the boat. “Alright boys, let’s go fishing.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  BOBBI

  She watched for as long as humanly possible but the setting sun blinded her from her quest. The escape boat had covered dozens of miles but in the open ocean, she’d been able to keep an eye on them the entire time. She stood at the bow of the ship breathing in the salt air that whipped at her hair as she shut her eyes.

  Four weeks ago, I stood just like this, excited to start my honeymoon. I breathed in the air, felt the cool touch of the breeze, wishing I’d never have to leave. Careful what you wish for Bobbi.

  “Can you give me a hand with this?” a voice spoke.

  Stuart knelt next to a dilapidated escape boat. During the night riot, many of the pods were destroyed. Only two made it through, one Morris now resided in. The other was set out two nights prior to the night riot. Four men tasked with a job of finding an island nearby, not inhabited by man. They had yet to return. All the other escape boats were scrapped for kindling, though none of it was ever used. The nights were as cold as one could get but they feared the chances of burning the ship down were too great, so the kindling was hidden. This boat in front of them was the only one to be spared, and only because Bobbi got to it before it could be destroyed.

  “What do you need me to do?” she asked as she walked over.

  “I need you to hold up the side of the boat, so I can get underneath it. I need to patch this piece in.” Stuart held a piece of the kindling in his hands.

  No one knew, or had yet to figure out, that little by little Bobbi had been stealing the wood.

  She gripped the boat by its edge. “Tell me when.”

  Stuart grabbed a long tube with a spout on the end.

  She stared at him perplexed. “Isn’t that for mouse holes?”

  “Ideally, but it works to insulate gaps and cracks, so it should have the same effect.”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  “Especially when there’s no other alternative.” He looked up at her smiling.

  She wasn’t amused.

  His smirk disappeared. “Here goes nothing. Lift.”

  She lifted the boat. It weighed damn near a ton. At least it felt like it did.

  Stuart slipped underneath the hull placing the piece of wood perfectly into the hole.

  Unable to watch, it took all Bobbi’s attention to hold the boat up. Sweat dampened her face and hands. “How’s it coming?”

  “Just another minute.”

  “We may not have another minute.” Shutting her eyes, she kept clenching her teeth. She pressed her shoulder up against the boat hoping to alleviate some of the weight. “Stuart…”

  “Just another thirty seconds.”

  “I don’t have thirty seconds. This thing weighs a ton!” She labored while trying to think of anything to take her mind off the task at hand. Thinking about the weight was just making it feel heavier. Her hands oozed sweat. She lost her grip and the boat dropped to the floor. The edge of the boat cut her hand open as it fell. “Mother fucker!” She applied pressure to the wound.

  “Stuart!” She turned back towards the boat.

  Stuart sat there completely out of harm’s way.

  Bobbi relaxed. “That was a close one.” She grabbed a towel from his work bench. Before she could use it, she noticed there was already a blood stain on it. She caught him staring at her from the corner of her eye. “What’s this?”

  “What? Oh, that. I don’t know. Must have cut myself on something earlier.”

  “Have you been coughing again?”

  “Bobbi, I’m fine.”

  “Show me the cut.”

  “What?”

  “You said you must have cut yourself. This blood is still fresh, it had to have happened today. Let’s see the cut.”

  He stared at her refusing to make a move.

  “Stuart.”

  “Stop. Bobbi, trust me I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor, or anyone to take a look at me. It’s a cough I’ve had a hundred times over in my life.”

  She knelt down next to him showing him the splotch of blood. “Ones that spit up blood?” He gazed at the ship too embarrassed to make eye contact with her.

  “Stuart, if this gets any worse—”

  “Oh, it has. Look.”

  She gazed at the boat to see it had crushed the tube of sealant. It would be useless to them now. She sat back against a stack of boxes knocking her head against them. “Just once, can’t something work out in our favor?”

  “Bobbi?” Richard called out. He appeared from next to the boat.

  Stuart was up in a heartbeat grabbing the tarp beside him and hoisting it over the boat.

  Bobbi jumped up next to him. “Stuart! Stuart! It’s okay. He’s a friend.” Stuart relaxed but he continued to cover the boat.

  Richard approached them. “Bobbi, what’re you doing here?”

  “Richard, I need you to promise me what I’m about to tell you stays between us.”

  “I can’t promise that Bobbi. We have an obligation to the council. If it’s something they need to know, I can’t hide it from them.”

  “Well, this one you’re going to have to. Please?” He simply nodded his head.

  She made introductions, “This is Stuart—” “Hey.” He chimed in.

  “He’s been helping me fix up this boat. I plan to use it to find out for certain what’s happening on land and I’m going to use Trent to do it.”

  Richard said nothing for a few moments. He simply surveyed the scene before him. “Bobbi.

  Is this about your dream still?”

  “I’m never going to get past it, Richard. Not until I know for sure. We all need to know for sure.”

  “But we do know Bobbi. We’ve been over this.”

  “I know. Which is why I didn’t try to convince you, but now you know my secret. I’m doing this with or without you and if you can’t find it within you to get on my side, then at least give me time before you tell Valentina.”

  He stroked his beard. “We have to be very careful about how we are to proceed. We took great strides putting our rules into effect and now we’re setting out to break them. This is treason and if Valentina gets wind of it, we’ll be joining Trent in that cell.”

  “Thank you, Richard.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We still have to break Trent out of jail and sneak him off in the middle of the night in a boat that we’re not supposed to have.”

  “We don’t need to break him out, if we can just prove his innocence.”

  “Easier said than done, my dear.”

  “I know Kendra had a hand in it, I just need to get her to give up the person who did it.” “Let’s go pay her a visit then. If we can get her alone, can you crack her?” he asked.

  “Trent was always the better interrogator.”

  “We’ll just see about that.”

  CHAP
TER TWELVE

  MORRIS

  Morris sat fashioning his spear. Using a skimmer pole, he’d taken from the pool closet, he attached a kitchen knife to the end. He used his belt as a tourniquet of sorts to fasten the knife to the edge. No one around him uttered a word.

  Jamal sat with his back to him, attempting to attach a sharpened paperclip to a line of floss.

  His work progressed rather slowly.

  Hector was too focused on the task at hand to speak, lowering the net to the bottom of the ocean.

  They had no idea how deep it went. The water was the darkest blue he’d ever seen it. From the top deck of the cruise ship, the ocean seemed a world away but sitting here in the tiniest boat he’d ever been in, the waves felt engulfing, as if they would swallow him whole with a large enough ripple. He stared into its depths. The waves had a hypnotic effect on him, lost in the constant shuffle of the surf. He expected souls to rise from the deep, latching their ghostly fingertips upon his leg, dragging him down to Hades himself. It took all his might to force his gaze from the water.

  If I get out of this, I’m never going into the water again.

  Morris looked back the way they came. At least, he thought it was the way. He pulled the compass out to make sure. He faced south. They planned to always have the ship in sight but as the day progressed and they spent more time below fishing, the ship slipped from view.

  As long as we always know which way south is.

  He put the compass down, returning to his spear. They started with three and were down to their last one. One spear left and no fish. This was their last attempt before nightfall.

  If we don’t come up with fish soon, we never will.

  Hector dove into the water.

  Jamal fell back frightened by the sudden burst of energy.

  Morris peered over the edge grabbing hold of the rope. The water was too choppy for him to see below. The line tightened. Morris wasted little time grabbing his spear. “Watch the rope!” He dove in.

  Grabbing the rope, he used it as leverage for his journey. The water stung at his pupils but he forced himself to keep them open. It seemed uncomfortably calm beneath the surf. He searched for Hector. The surrounding ocean looked barren. There were no fish, no coral, no life of any kind. Morris had two realizations.

  One, that they would find no food source of any kind out here and two, they were royally fucked.

  Bubbles drifted to the surface next to Morris. He looked down to see the bottom of the ocean fifteen feet below him. There Hector swam, pulling close the net, fastening it shut. Blood seeped out of his leg. Morris swam as fast as he could. He was a good swimmer in his teens but he never once dreamed he would have to hold his breath for such a long period of time. He needed to be quick. He grabbed Hector and was amazed to see the net was full of crabs.

  Holy shit! It worked.

  It wasn’t nearly enough to feed everyone but it was a start and that was all Morris needed as hope. He tugged on the rope staring up above at the bottom of the boat. C’mon Jamal. Pull.

  PULL!

  Hector kicked him off of the rope, the spear slipping from his hand. He flipped himself over to see a great white shark passing by him.

  Morris was never quite sure but he felt like the shark went on for miles before it fully passed him. The tail ricocheted off his face. He could do nothing but watch as the shark sank its teeth into Hector’s leg. It tore him away from the rope.

  Hector slammed his fists as fast as the water would let him but the shark just latched on harder.

  If Morris didn’t do something soon, the shark would disappear with Hector. Morris never found out what happened next but for some strange reason the shark spit Hector out. He fell to the sandy shore below bleeding like a pig. The shark shook its head.

  Maybe he poked it in the eye…Wait…Be serious.

  The shark banked left coming back around the rope. The shark made a B line for him.

  Morris saw the spear resting a few yards away.

  I can make it.

  He took off swimming faster than he ever had before. Panic had set in and he found himself gasping for breath.

  Hold on you bastard.

  Tunnel vision enveloped his eyes, and he felt himself slipping away. Just a few seconds more. He turned his head to see the shark heading straight for him. It opened its mouth, razor sharp teeth lusting for flesh. Morris reached out his hand. He could feel the shark take a swipe at him. He wouldn’t have another chance. His eyes went white, blind to the world around him but he felt the spear. He gripped it as hard as he could, swinging around. The shark collided into him at full speed and his mind went blank.

  The next thing he remembered was retching. His eyesight came back to him and he saw the clouds up above. He arched onto his side vomiting the sea onto the boat.

  Jamal sat over him. “That’s it Morris. Good. Let it out,” he said patting him on the back.

  Gasping for breath, his sanity was coming back to him. He pushed Jamal’s hand away.

  Hector sat at the end of the boat cutting into the shark.

  Morris forced himself to sit up. His ribs ached. He gritted his teeth pushing the pain out of his mind.

  Hector smiled upon seeing him stir. “There he is. The shark killer.” He held a knife out dripping with blood.

  The sight made him queasy. “What happened?”

  “You speared him right in the gut. Shark was dead before he knew it.”

  “I think I broke a rib.”

  “I’m sure you broke a few. If a shark wants to eat, it can turn on the heat swimming as fast as fifty miles. It collided full speed with you. I’m surprised he didn’t break more bones.” He dug a knife into the shark’s belly cutting small square pieces that he placed in a bucket. He left one piece of flesh on Jamal’s leg before passing the bucket to him.

  Jamal stared at it querulously. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “Take a piece and pass the bucket to Morris. We need to eat if we’re to have enough strength to row back. We must have drifted over forty miles if we can’t see the boat any longer.”

  “Ain’t we gonna cook it or something? That shit’s raw!” He looked it over, obviously nervous to the thought of eating it then passed the bucket to Morris.

  He grabbed a piece out. “Hector’s right,” Morris said. He dug in. It was rough to chew, leathery, and felt like what it would be like to eat a tire but he soldiered through it. As he ate, he caught a glimpse of Hector’s leg. It had been chewed up and spit out. Large gashes left his thigh maimed. If we don’t get back soon, he’s going to die. “Hector—”

  “I know what you’re going to say. Save it. I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse than this sucker here. You boys just paddle us home and I’ll worry about my leg. We got more important things to worry about anyway,” Hector said looking past Morris.

  He turned to see what he was staring at, his heart sinking when he did. “Tell me that way is

  South.”

  Hector never said anything. He didn’t have to.

  Morris knew this was the course in which they had to row. He stared ahead uncertain if he would ever make it back to the ship. The clouds were pitch black stretching across the horizon as far as his eyes could take him. Off in the distance, the rain fell. The kind of rain he knew would feel like bullets hailing down on them. The water was growing choppier by the minute. The clouds lit up, showering lightening down upon the ocean. Morris grabbed Kendra’s umbrella, shielding himself.

  God help us.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  BOBBI

  She struggled to keep the pace set by Ahmed and Richard. They traversed down the slim halls towards what she hoped was Kendra’s room, or sanctuary as Ahmed referred to it. Dozens of her followers were packed like sardines down the length of the corridor causing a foul stench to plague the air like a sulfur smog over Los Angeles. Children lay at the feet of their parents, covered in soot, looking like a man fresh off a day in the coal mines. It made her shud
der.

  These poor souls.

  She struggled to maintain her focus on the task at hand but the sight of so many denizens living in such squalor in these halls blindsided her to the fact they were fast approaching Kendra’s quarters.

  “Bobbi,” Richard said as he shook her out of her trance. “Do you know how you’re going to tackle this?”

  If truth be told, no, she didn’t. She had no idea how she was going to trick Kendra into revealing the murderer. She wasn’t even a hundred percent sure Kendra knew who the killer was if it wasn’t her herself. None of that mattered though, she had a job to do if Trent was to make it out of this unharmed. She would find a way.

  Game face. She pushed past Richard and Ahmed to take the lead. If this is gonna work, she needs to see me out front, leading. I need to show her who she’s dealing with.

  Bobbi opened the door revealing the library, a space she’d completely forgotten still existed.

  A small but modest room complete with three large shelves of books ranging from classic Shakespeare, all the way to more erotic fares like Fifty Shades of Gray. It was almost enough to make her laugh.

  What’s left of the world’s books, are right here and three of them are the Fifty Shades trilogy.

  Typical.

  Candles were lit throughout giving off a holy vibe. No doubt, just like Kendra wanted it.

  Kendra sat in the corner of the room reading from the New Testament, seeming to be completely oblivious to their entrance.

  Bobbi cleared her throat.

  Kendra simply lifted a finger up at her.

  The nerve of this cunt.

  Bobbi wanted desperately to rip the book from her filthy mitts and beat her with it but she could see in Richard’s eyes he was pleading with her to be calm and remain civil. She would do the best she could.

  Kendra shut her book turning her attention to her guests.

  Ahmed approached her then bowed. “These two would have a word with you if it pleases you.”

  Kendra looked her up and down smiling. “It pleases me very much so. Thank you Ahmed, you may retire.”