Waves of Fate | Book 1 | First Fate

by Talbot, Kendall

  The gun in the back of his jocks was proof a that.

  Zon had no intention of hanging around to see if he was right though. He reached for the rope and secured Zombie’s head between his arm and his neck. Then, as he dragged Zombie across his body, he countered his balance by putting his opposite foot onto the rope. Sykes helped him hook his other boot.

  Hanging upside down, Zon dropped his head back so he could see where he was going, and hand over hand, he dragged his-self and Zombie’s lifeless body toward the cruise ship.

  People began cheering, and Zon couldn’t help the smile bursting onto his face. Nobody had ever cheered for him, not even in his footy days.

  The rope swung like crazy, and next second, the guts fell outta the cargo ship and the cruise ship went the other way. Now he was climbin’ uphill. But it didn’t stay like that long before it slammed back down again.

  Another sonic boom confirmed more containers were goners.

  The cheering got louder.

  “You can do it.”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “Go, Zon.” The fact that they knew his name had him feeling a sensation he’d never had before. Respect.

  “Don’t look down.”

  Of course, that made him look down. He just about died at what he saw. He was right over the gap between the two ships. The ocean below was covered with mattresses, but also boiling with whitewater. If he lost it now, he’d be shark meat.

  “Come on, Zon.” A chick’s voice drifted to him and when he tilted his head back again, he saw Jessie.

  “Go, Zon.”

  His heart skipped a beat. A girl . . . no, not just any girl, a fuckin’ hot chick was actually calling for him. Zon felt like he was the champion quarterback sprinting toward the goal line. The crowd was cheering. Every single muscle burned. His hands hurt. His ankles hurt.

  And Zombie stunk like shit.

  Three feet from the railing, the rope suddenly dropped.

  Zon clung for his life.

  He clenched his jaw.

  The cargo ship halved in size. The cruise ship doubled. The angles were all wrong. With his eyes clamped shut, he could do nothing but cling on.

  One second. Two. It took an eternity for them to change positions. Six. Fifteen.

  It was like waiting for a mountain to move.

  His body trembled. His arms quivered like a stray mutt who’d survived torrential rain.

  His grip began to slip.

  “Zon. You’re nearly here.”

  “Don’t let go.”

  “Go, Zon.”

  “Go, Zon!”

  The crowd’s chanting got louder.

  “Go, Zon.” Jessie’s voice stood out from all of ’em, and he pictured her waiting for him completely naked.

  That was a vision worth hanging on for.

  Way too slowly, the rope’s angle changed, then, as if a monster had picked up the cargo ship, the rope shifted back the other way.

  Zon uncurled his fingers. Every one of them ached and his knuckles felt like they’d tripled in size. He clawed forward. Inch by inch.

  Hands were thrust at him. Reaching for Zombie. Reaching for him. Clapping him on his back like he was a real hero. They lifted him off the rope and lowered him to the deck.

  And then Jessie was there, right above him. Her long, dark hair tickled his chin. “You’re amazing. You’re a hero.” Her grin was spectacular.

  And in that perfect moment, Zon knew what it was like to feel special.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  It took the rest of the afternoon to finish raiding the cabins and once they’d exhausted the supply of mattresses, Gunner met with Sykes at the railing overlooking the cargo ship.

  Gunner waited until Sykes had drunk his allocated share of water and caught his breath before he spoke. “I didn’t get a chance to say it before, but well done with that guy. I’m not sure he’s going to make it, but you did the right thing. Hard to believe the Captain abandoned them and took their supplies.”

  “Yeah.” Sykes rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t me who saved him though; it was Zon.”

  “Yes, I must thank him.”

  Sykes scanned the deck, possibly looking for the big bald guy, but they’d all disappeared inside. After the day they’d had, he wouldn’t be surprised if everyone was already passed out asleep.

  “He’s a bit of an oddball, that one.”

  “Oh.” Gunner frowned at his First Officer. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s strange. He told me to leave that guy to die on the cargo ship.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. He was going on about the natural order of things, and how not everyone should be saved.”

  Gunner frowned and scanned the deck again, but he and Sykes were the only ones out there.

  “I’d be watching out for him if I were you.” Sykes’ tone turned severe.

  What did he mean? Gunner studied the man he’d come to know much better than he’d imagined he would at the start of the fourteen-day cruise. Was he implying Zon might have had something to do with the deaths of those few passengers who had died without an obvious cause? There weren’t many of them—a few each night. But still.

  “Sir, there’s something else.”

  The dire look in Sykes’ eyes had Gunner inhaling a deep breath and mentally preparing for the new hell Sykes was about to unleash.

  “That ship’s wedged onto a reef. The way she’s bucking up and down like that, she’ll be ripped to shreds in no time. Unless the incoming tide is big enough for her to break free, she’ll soon be sitting on top of the reef like a giant black dildo.” Sykes offered an awkward laugh, then swallowed. “Once that happens . . .”

  He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Gunner could already picture the damage. Hardened steel was no match for jagged coral. It was a long pause before he turned his gaze away from the swaying cargo and back to Sykes. “We need to get away before those containers start flinging about.”

  “You read my mind.”

  “Any thoughts on what else we can do?”

  “Not one.”

  Gunner turned toward the Gannila again. The Korean cargo ship was shorter than Rose of the Sea by about thirty feet. Just like Rose, she was without power but now unmanned and completely at the mercy of the elements. Six of the container stacks had already toppled, like giant sets of killer dominoes. Once the towers were off-balance, they’d be stripped from their attachments.

  Once the boat started to break up, they’d be tossed into the ocean.

  Gunner had once seen the damage created by a ship running into a rogue shipping container floating on the surface. It wasn’t pretty.

  He guessed there were about a thousand mattresses still wedged between the two ships. But the wind direction wasn’t behaving and despite their efforts, Rose was still pinned right up alongside the Gannila. With each movement, more and more mattresses popped out the back, and behind the ships were a field of beds that stretched as far as he could see in the diminishing sunlight.

  He took his gaze skyward. It had been a stunning day with a perfect blue sky, but with the onset of dusk, the change from the stillness they’d had earlier that morning was significant. Wind speed had picked up to about forty knots and the swell was now at ten to fifteen feet. Waves crashing port side had white caps and wind spray.

  Out to the horizon, thick cumulous clouds formed in long, gray-topped barrels. The thunderheads were at least fifty miles away, but if the winds kept at it, they’d be upon them in no time. “Any chance this wind will change direction?”

  Sykes followed his gaze out to the horizon. “If it’s like the last three days, it’s possible, yes. But it won’t be for several more hours.”

  “Coinciding with high tide.” Gunner did the math. “That’s our best chance.” A thunderous roar had him looking over at the cargo ship in time to see a tower of containers topple over and slam into the Gannila’s wheelhouse. Glass exploded and a spray of shards glimmered in the diminish
ing sunlight like tiny fireworks. “Well . . . we’ve done everything we can. Now we’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Either that . . .” Sykes’ usual controlled voice unhinged, “. . . or it’s time to abandon ship.”

  Nodding, Gunner stewed over the statement. He’d deliberately delayed abandoning ship for as long as possible, hoping for a miracle. But it hadn’t eventuated. They were now four days overdue and had no idea whether anyone was looking for them.

  On the ship, there was a chance of being spotted.

  In the life rafts, without power and comms, they were at the mercy of the gods. And the weather.

  And that didn’t always cooperate.

  They could be stuck in the bright orange capsules for a very long time.

  Playing the what-ifs through his mind convinced him that staying with his ship for as long as possible was still the best option.

  He just hoped that when they were finally located, their rescuers would have someone to save.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The adrenalin that’d been pumping through Madeline’s veins that morning was long gone, replaced instead with utter exhaustion. Every muscle ached. Her hands hurt from scratching through debris. Her eyes stung with grit from the never-ending dust. Her brain hurt from her thoughts slamming between ‘we’re going to make it’ to ‘we’re going to die right here next to charred and poisoned bodies, and mutilated wreckage, and in a disaster zone that rattles and squeals like it’s the devil.’

  As the sun disappeared somewhere over the ship creating a brilliant orange glow, her thoughts fixated more on the latter.

  For nearly every day-lit hour, she and Sterling had scoured the section of fourth deck they were trapped in, searching for a way out. But it was impossible. The elevator they’d escaped from wasn’t an option; nor was the stairwell that now consisted of mangled chunks of concrete and twisted railings. And there was no way she was returning to that water-filled hull below. Not with the ship rolling about like it was. The cut on her hip stung as if reliving that debris-peppered wave that’d smashed her into a wall over and over.

  With each hour that’d passed and each dead end they had encountered, Madeline’s need to escape became palpable. And with the diminishing daylight, the idea of spending another night in the dark, with a groaning ship that shifted beneath her feet non-stop, had her desperation hitting tipping point.

  Searching for a possible climbing route, she studied the devastation, focusing on the area where the plane’s wing had carved a gash through two decks. Squinting into the darkness, she peered up to the highest point of the demolished area and spied an angular corner that looked like the top of a passageway door. It could be a way out. Climbing up that wreckage wasn’t going to be easy. But climbing was her thing. If anyone could do it, she could.

  She strode toward the base of the rubble.

  “Madeline, what’re you up to?” The pleading tone in Sterling’s voice indicated he knew exactly what she was doing.

  Using that top corner as a target, she examined the twisted pipes and mangled wreckage, assessing a potential climbing route. Once she’d identified a direction, she rehearsed the route in her mind twice, just like when she visualized her choreography before a dance, and by the third time through the sequence, she was convinced she could do it. “Don’t worry.” Ignoring Sterling’s objections, she stepped up to a toppled pipe with a circumference greater than her waist. “I’ll be careful.”

  “But we stick together, remember?”

  “I know, but climbing is what I do for a living, not you. Don’t worry; the second I get to the top, I’ll find help.”

  “I’m not worried about that, Madeline.”

  She turned from the pipe and met his gaze. The intensity in his expression took her breath away.

  “I’m worried about you.”

  A delightful flutter threaded through her, and in that brief, invigorating moment as she gazed into Sterling’s stunning blue eyes, she felt both warmth and peace at how much he cared for her. She also felt invincible. It was her job to save them. And with the absolute notion that she would not fail, she smiled at him. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” Flicking her ponytail over her shoulder, she turned back to the rubble and reached up, wrapped her hand around a twisted piece of metal, and hauled herself onto the giant pipe.

  But with the boat’s unpredictable swaying and unstable rubble becoming dislodged with every foot she climbed, the invincible feeling dwindled away. The boat shook like a timid dog and deafening groans came from deep down in its bowels. The sound of tearing metal shrieking across every wall had Madeline torn between scrambling upward as quickly as possible and climbing down to the deceiving safety by Sterling’s side.

  Gritting her teeth as she held onto a shattered piece of wall, she reached up with her foot and an entire section caved in. She screamed as her feet fell out from beneath her.

  The cut in her side that was only just beginning to heal split open again.

  She dangled by just one hand. A cloud of dust billowed around her.

  “Madeline! Madeline!” Sterling’s panicked cries reached her.

  “I’m okay.” Gasping at the chalky air burning her throat, she clawed with her other hand and prodded with her feet, desperate to find a foothold. “I’m okay.”

  “Jesus, Madeline, please stop.”

  As the cloud of dust settled, she spied a shattered plumbing pipe sticking out of the wall, and reaching forward, she was able to place the toe of her sneaker onto it for support. When she was finally able to see upward, her heart sank. The climbing route she’d been following had been obliterated. Every foot and handhold she’d identified were gone.

  When she looked down, a chill raced over her spine. She had come very close to being buried beneath a mountain of rubble.

  Conceding that she’d failed didn’t come easily. For more than a decade, Madeline had dedicated her life to proving herself. But now she’d not only failed herself, she’d failed Sterling as well.

  The ship jolted sideways. A groan emanating through the walls was much louder and more violent than the previous ones. Everything around her shifted and moved, like they were living through an earthquake. The tremors were getting worse.

  “Madeline, are you okay?” The distress in Sterling’s voice pierced her tumbling thoughts.

  “Yes. I’m coming down.”

  “Thank God.”

  When she finally lowered her feet to the deck, Sterling pulled her to his chest. “Please don’t do that again.”

  As they wrapped their arms around each other, she melted into his embrace and listened to his thumping heart. Despite the ship convulsing beneath them, and chunks of concrete and splintered wood tumbling all over the place, and the terrifying sounds becoming so loud she could barely think, Madeline felt their brutal reality melt away. It was just her and Sterling sharing a united need to hold each other.

  After a long moment, they parted. She looked into his eyes. They’d crossed an invisible boundary. They were no longer strangers sharing a life-threatening situation; they were a couple on the verge of a new relationship. A relationship that offered the promise of love like she’d never had before. Her heart swelled. Sterling offered her a knowing smile that lit his eyes, and she knew he felt exactly the same.

  A deafening screech shuddered through the walls.

  “Jesus, what’s happening?” Her eyes darted from one corner of the area to the next.

  “I don’t know.”

  The violent tremor lasted a long time, a good ten or so seconds, and had a new level of fear inching into her belly. When it finally stopped, the silence was just as scary. Like the ship was getting ready for the next onslaught.

  It came just moments later, equally as loud, and just as terrifying.

  “I think we’ve hit something,” Madeline yelled with her hands over her ears. “Do you think it’s a reef?”

  Sterling shook his head. “No idea. But it’s not good.” Deep concern rip
pled his handsome features. He reached for her hand, but halted, gasping. “Madeline, you’re bleeding.”

  “Oh.” She groaned; she’d forgotten about her wound. A stream of blood was dribbling down her leg. “It’s nothing.”

  “That’s not nothing.” He clasped her hand in his. “Come on. Let’s go see if the doctor is available.”

  “Very funny.”

  Back in the medical center, Sterling lowered a deceased middle-aged woman off a bed and onto a chair with great care, then helped Madeline onto the mattress. He disappeared into the doctor’s office and returned with two bottles of water. They’d discovered the crate of water bottles in the staff room yesterday, along with a supply of muesli bars and crackers, peanut butter and Nutella.

  She took a full swig of water and swilled it around her mouth, hoping to get rid of the dust she’d been tasting all day.

  “Now, let’s take a look at this, shall we?” Sterling’s mock British accent had her giggling.

  He peeled back a section of her bloody, shredded jumpsuit and winced. “Why didn’t you tell me this was so bad?”

  She shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

  He cocked his head, pouting, and she imagined it was a look he gave to many naughty students in his class. “Don’t move.”

  She saluted. “Yes, boss.”

  He returned to the doctor’s office and as he rummaged around, she glanced down at the jagged gash. It wasn’t the most painful wound she’d ever had, but it was the most gruesome-looking. She shifted her gaze to outside the porthole. The sky had morphed into a stunning array of citrus colors that fanned up from the dark blue ocean like a rooster tail. The beautiful scene was picture perfect and a dramatic contrast to everything else around her.

  Sterling returned with a tray of bits and pieces and a medical mask over his face.

  “Ha ha, very funny.”

  The delicate wrinkles beside his eyes deepened and his eyes sparkled. Even with half his face covered, his smile was spectacular.

  He removed the mask, and when he returned his gaze to her hip, his expression grew serious. “I’ll have to cut away some of your clothing.”