Survival Instinct (Book 3): Fighting Instinct

by Kristal Stittle

  The thought hurt his heart, but not terribly. Maybe because he knew it was for the best. They had tried, but they just weren’t meant to be.

  Jon turned back to the window, listening to Robin teaching Freya letters and numbers to start with, his own hands forming the symbols.

  ***

  The Diana never came into view. When they reached the co-ordinates where she had last been, there was no sign of either cruise ship. Instead, the ocean was littered with bodies. Some were the bodies of Diana residents, some were raiders, some were animals, and some were the bodies of wrecked and ruined boats and life rafts. Jon’s heart squeezed as he looked out the window. A short distance from the mess was the German submarine surrounded by a bright yellow island of life rafts and lifeboats. Danny and Oliver were talking to the submarine right now about what to do. They might have enough gas now to continue on to Texas, but where in Texas? Was that where they still wanted to go?

  Jon was only half listening until the decision was made. That decision made his head snap around and his back straighten.

  “Has that ever been done?” they were supposed to keep quiet during this communication but Jon couldn’t hold his tongue.

  “Someone here says a helicopter once made an emergency landing on a submarine in 1956,” the accented voice of the radioman replied.

  “Yeah, but was it this kind of helicopter?” Now it was Brunt asking, having the same reaction to the idea that Jon had. “And this kind of submarine?”

  “We made the necessary measurements and we’re not moving, it should be fine. We’ve cleared the deck whenever you’re ready,” the radioman informed them.

  “Keep quiet, guys,” Oliver told them, annoyance peppering his voice. “Let’s get this over with. Coming in now.”

  Jon didn’t know whether he wanted to buckle up or not. In the end, he decided not to, figuring that any crash would end in the water, and he’d want to be free to escape if need be. He couldn’t help picturing all the boats and rafts around the sub. If they did crash, they’d hit those before the water, taking people out with them.

  As they descended, Oliver started humming The Ride of the Valkyries. Although it seemed to calm him and even Danny, it did nothing for Jon’s nerves. He gripped the seat between his knees with one hand and grabbed a strap over his head with the other.

  They got closer and closer to the submarine below. All eyes were on them, faces turned up, waiting to see what would happen.

  Jon thought of the airplane that had made a water landing so long ago. He hadn’t been aboard that plane, but he imagined those who were on it felt similar to how he was feeling right now. Once they got close enough for the rotor wash to start buffeting people, Jon looked away from the window. Brunt wasn’t sitting near a window, and like Jon, he was gripping the seat between his knees with his good hand. Robin and Freya were both looking out the window next to them. Freya seemed unbothered by the whole process, whereas Robin’s expression was hidden by the angle and a screen of her hair.

  There was a hollow thump and a slight squall of metal as they touched down, but otherwise it was a normal landing. Oliver and Danny began shutting the Cougar down.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” Brunt commented with a smile as if he hadn’t been deathly pale just a minute ago.

  Jon replied with a non-committal grunt. Once the blades had slowed down enough, he opened the door and slipped out. There wasn’t a massive amount of clearance between the edge of the submarine and the helicopter, but it wasn’t like they were balanced precariously on the edge either. When the blades stopped turning, several sailors, both Russian and German, ran over with heavy ropes. They were going to secure the helicopter to the submarine. Jon went with the others toward the conning tower that stuck up in the middle. He realized at that point that he knew very little about subs.

  “Sorry to say, but there’s no room inside the submarine,” Captain Karsten informed them after complimenting Oliver’s landing. “We’re very tight as it is trying to fit sailors, injured, and doctors.”

  “It’s all right, we can find a life raft or something that has space,” Oliver told him.

  “Have someone pass on word when you do. I’d like to know where you are in case we need you to lift off again.”

  Oliver nodded and tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile. There were several people on the flight team, all of them with a lot of hours in the bird, but Karsten specifically wanted him.

  Jon made his way along the submarine until he came across one of the rope ladders that had been draped along its side. Using it to get down, he carefully boarded the lifeboat below it. That boat was already fairly full, so he crossed it to climb into the next one. Besides, he wanted to find Lauren, Abby, Claire, and Peter. He wanted to be with his family.

  As he crossed from boat to raft to raft to boat, he stumbled several times. He rarely fell though, as most people were willing to help him. Some of them he knew and would stop briefly to chat, and ask if they had seen anyone from his family. The look of devastation on nearly everyone’s face was disheartening. They had lost everything but their lives, and many people had even lost those. Jon tried to keep positive, searching out the good scenes, like those of people who had saved animals and were keeping them calm and safe, or a woman entertaining some kids by telling jokes. There were a few injured out here, but most of them weren’t bad. They were bandaged up, but conscious and mostly functional like he was.

  At last, Jon came across a raft with Riley sitting in it, her arms wrapped protectively around her daughter who was fast asleep. He could see his own family in the next raft over, their backs currently turned to him, but he thought he’d stop here for a moment.

  “Mathias?” Jon knew it couldn’t be good, but he had to ask. Riley’s face wouldn’t look the way it did, and Mathias would be there if things were okay.

  Riley just shook her head, her wide and red rimmed eyes staring off at nothing.

  Misha and Cameron were also in the raft, along with Rifle and Milly and one of Hope’s friends. Jon asked Misha how he was feeling and he said he was fine. After giving each dog a scratch behind the ears, Jon moved on.

  The moment Jon was aboard the next raft, Claire gave him a crushing hug. She had heard his voice in the next raft and had waited patiently for him to join them. Lauren and Abby gave him hugs once Claire released him, and Peter, who looked as tired as Hope, shifted so that he was lying down with his head in Jon’s lap. Claire sat down on his other side, holding his hand and asking him to tell her everything that had happened. Jon obliged, glossing over the details about his stand-off with the grinning man and his urge to press on toward the anchors despite the fire.

  He was just happy to be with his family again, something he never thought would happen while growing up as a foster kid.

  22

  Hope’s Aboard The Flotilla

  Hope woke up when they started moving. She stirred in her mommy’s arms, the lifejacket shifting uncomfortably around her body.

  “Daddy?” she mumbled before blinking open her eyes.

  “Shh.” Mommy stroked her hair. “Daddy’s not here, baby.” Her voice sounded funny.

  Hope sat up in Mommy’s lap, rubbing her eyes. She knew Daddy wasn’t here, but she couldn’t remember why.

  “When’s he coming back?” she asked.

  Mommy didn’t answer. “Go back to sleep, honey. You haven’t gotten enough sleep.”

  Now that Hope had seen the sunshine, however, she wasn’t feeling sleepy. She was tired, but not sleepy.

  Looking around the life raft, Hope saw they shared it with Uncle Misha, Auntie Cameron, Milly—who wasn’t wearing her lifejacket anymore—Rifle, and Dakota. They hadn’t been able to find Dakota’s fake-mommy yet, so she was staying with them. Next, Hope looked toward the ocean. She tried to find the Diana, but couldn’t see it anywhere. It was gone. She had seen it sink, but part of her had been hoping it would rise up again, like the sub did. Right now, the sub was pulling them. Looking all around,
Hope saw that all the lifeboats and life rafts were tied together behind the sub, and that it was taking them somewhere.

  “Where are we going?” Hope asked as she wiggled out of her mommy’s grasp. Some of her clothes were still wet.

  “We’re going to land,” Mommy told her. When Hope looked back at her, she saw that she had been crying. Hope returned to her mommy and gave her a big hug, just like she did when Hope cried.

  “But we’re not off-hippers,” Hope pointed out.

  “Off-shippers,” her mommy corrected her. “And no, we’re not. We have to go to land though, because the Diana sank.”

  “I saw it sink.” Hope tried to get her lifejacket off. Her clothes underneath were especially damp and uncomfortable.

  Mommy stopped her from removing her lifejacket. “You have to keep that on.”

  “But it’s wet.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You have to keep it on while we’re on the life raft.”

  “What if we go to a lifeboat, or the sub?”

  “You’d have to keep it on there, too.”

  “When can I take it off?”

  “When we reach land.”

  “When will that be?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Hope crossed her arms in a huff. Other than her and her mommy, everyone else on their raft was asleep. In fact, looking at the other rafts and boats, lots of people were asleep.

  “Why’s everyone sleeping?” she wondered.

  “Because they were up all night, like you were. You should be sleeping too.”

  “But it’s sunny.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you going to sleep?”

  “They’re looking for things to protect us from the sun. I’m waiting for someone to come by our raft with something. I’ll sleep then.”

  Hope looked briefly up at the sun. She remembered being told in school that they should never play in the sunshine for more than a few minutes at a time.

  “What will the sun do to us?” Hope returned to her mommy’s lap because there was more shade there. She had probably been told the answer before, but couldn’t remember.

  “Well, when you’re in the sun too long, you get what’s called a sunburn.”

  “What’s a burn?”

  “That’s an injury you get when you touch something really hot.”

  “Like when I touched that metal pole?” Hope remembered she had once touched a metal pole in one of the rear gardens, and had to pull her hand away really fast because it hurt.

  “Yes. If you had held onto that pole longer, you would have been burned.”

  “And the sun can burn you.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why were we allowed to play in the sun when we wore hats and shirts?”

  “Because your skin was covered. The sun only burns your skin, not your clothes. Sunscreen also protects your skin. You know all this.”

  “There’s no shade out here,” Hope noticed.

  “There will be.” Mommy stroked her hair again. “Why don’t you try to sleep? I’ll wake you up if Dakota wakes up, or when food comes. What do you say?”

  “Will you try to sleep?” Hope looked straight up, trying to see her mommy’s face above and behind her.

  “As soon as the shade comes.”

  “Okay.”

  Hope wiggled and scooted until she was lying down in her mommy’s lap again, being cradled by her arms. She still wasn’t sleepy, but she was tired. Maybe she could sleep if she kept her eyes closed.

  “Mommy?” she asked without opening her eyes.

  “Yes, Hope?”

  “Daddy’s not coming back is he?”

  “No.” Mommy’s voice sounded strange again. “Now go to sleep, sweet pea.”

  Surprisingly, Hope did.

  ***

  The next time Hope woke up, she was no longer in her mommy’s lap. She was lying on the rubbery surface of the life raft, with her head on Milly’s side.

  “Mommy!” she called out as her eyes opened.

  “I’m right here, baby.”

  Mommy’s voice had come from behind her. Hope turned around and saw that she was in a different raft tied right next to hers.

  “Why are you over there?” Hope wondered.

  “Because we couldn’t make shade for all the rafts, so we moved all the nearby kids to one, which includes you.” Mommy made a gesture for her to look around.

  Hope looked up first to see what was causing the shade. Several pieces of cloth had been tied and strapped together, and then held up on the ends of paddles that were now tied to the raft’s sides. The middle part was the lowest, where nothing held it up, but even that part was almost high enough for Hope to walk under without touching it. It was like that time Ms. Lauren had set up tents and they got to play camping. Looking around the raft, she saw her friends. Dakota and Peter were still sleeping, huddled together next to Rifle. Becky was sitting on Milly’s other side, petting her dog Maggie’s head who was next to her, while Adam sat next to Thomas, an older boy from their class.

  “What about your shade?” Hope turned back to her mommy. Her raft didn’t have a tent.

  “We’ll be all right. We have some hats and a few towels and blankets. We can keep ourselves shaded.” While she spoke, Mommy pulled a towel up over her head so that her face was in the shade. “See?”

  Hope looked at the others in the raft and saw that they were wearing similar hood-like things, or in Uncle Misha’s case, a hat with a brim all the way around.

  “Dakota has a hat,” Hope pointed out.

  Her mommy just smiled at her.

  Hope looked around at all the rafts tied to theirs. They were full of adults, mostly people Hope knew. Along with her own family were the families of the kids in the raft with her. Except for Dakota’s fake-mommy. They must not have found her yet.

  “How did you get off the ship?” Hope asked Becky. She was wearing a lifejacket like Hope’s. All the kids were.

  “I had to climb down a ladder with a rope tied to me in case I fell,” Becky told her.

  “My daddy and I jumped off the side. He threw Dakota and Peter and Milly first.”

  “Why’d he do that?”

  “We couldn’t get down to the boats. There was a fire, and a man with a sword.”

  “You’re a liar,” Adam frowned at her.

  “Am not,” Hope snapped at him. “My lifejacket is still wet from when we had to swim. Come feel it.”

  Adam did just that, crawling across the rubbery floor to reach her. Hope made him touch the bottom of the lifejacket, which was the wettest part.

  “Just because your lifejacket is wet, doesn’t mean you’re not a liar.”

  “Wait until Peter and Dakota wake up. They’ll tell you. They were thrown off the ship, and then my daddy jumped in with me before the sword man could get us.”

  Adam looked over at the two kids still sleeping, wondering if Hope was right.

  Hope’s eyes widened and she quickly spun around to face her mommy to tell her something. Then, remembering that Adam was next to her, quickly shut her mouth.

  “Hope? What is it?” Her mommy had seen her turn.

  Hope looked at Adam, not wanting him to hear. Her mommy saw the look and got up to lean over to her. Cupping her hands around her mommy’s ear, Hope whispered to her.

  “I have to pee.”

  “Okay, come here.” Mommy wrapped her arms around Hope and lifted her over to her raft. Mommy was sharing her raft with Uncle Danny and Uncle Josh now, as well as Uncle Misha and Auntie Cameron.

  “There’s no bathroom,” Hope whispered to her mommy.

  “You’ll have to go in the ocean,” Mommy told her.

  “With people watching?” Hope squawked.

  “No one’s going to watch.”

  “They’re going to see, and I’m going to get all wet.”

  “No one’s going to see.” Mommy walked her over to the side. Her raft didn’t have another one tied to this side of it; it was just ocean
that way. “Besides, since you’re going to get soaked anyway, there’s no point in taking off your underwear. I’m going to dunk you in, and you’re going to go. You don’t have to poo do you?”

  “No.” Hope felt her face get warm, and not because of the sun. Her mommy hadn’t spoken in a whisper.

  “Then you’ll be fine.”

  “Is this how other people have to go to the bathroom too?”

  “Yes. Everyone has to go this way.”

  That made Hope feel a little better.

  “Are you ready?” Mommy asked, now that they were at the raft’s side.

  “Make them turn around,” Hope whispered to her mommy, pointing to her uncles.

  Mommy turned and looked at everyone in her raft. “Could you all face the other way please?”

  They did as she asked.

  “Now are you ready?” Mommy asked her again.

  “What if there are sharks?” Hope looked over the side of the raft at the water.

  Mommy paused before answering. “There are no sharks. We’re moving too fast for them and they have no reason to come around here.” She had that funny sounding voice again.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Okay. I’m ready then.”

  Mommy lifted Hope by her lifejacket, and dunked her into the water up to her waist. It was uncomfortable, but Hope really had to go. Still, she looked up and down the line of rafts and boats to make sure no one was watching. When she was sure no one was, she peed through her pyjamas.

  “I’m done,” she told her mommy when she stopped peeing.

  Mommy lifted her back into the raft.

  “Now my pyjamas are all wet again,” Hope frowned down at them.

  “That’s okay. They’ll help keep you cool. If you get too cold though, we’ll do something about it.”

  “I’m hungry.”