"Get us to the base," Koran told Stephanie. "I won't be able to adjust the sails so hopefully the wind will last." He glanced at me and tipped his head toward the rear deck. "Let's go."
I followed him outside with my gun clenched tightly. The wind had picked up and a salty mist was spraying into the air. I grabbed the rail to steady myself as the boat leaned to one side.
"Stay on the aft deck, I'm gonna head to the top," Koran shouted over the wind.
"Stay where?"
"Back here, don't let them get close or they'll probably shoot the engines."
I looked at the gun in my hand and then back over the water toward the speeding boat. Koran must've read my mind because he sighed and reached for the gun.
"Here you go," I said and handed it to him.
He looked at it for a moment. Then started pulling things and flipping levers like some magician. After a few moments, he handed me the gun back and grinned.
"Just point and shoot," he said. "You've got twelve bullets. Do you have any more magazines?"
"Any more what?"
"Bullets?"
"Oh, clips. Yeah, I have two more in my pocket."
"Ok, if you pull the trigger and nothing happens, press this button here and the magazine will fall out. Don't lose it. Put it in your pocket and put one of the new ones in then press this button," he pointed.
"I got," I replied.
"Good luck."
With that, Koran headed around the side of the boat toward the front. I walked down the steps toward the water and sat down. I stared at the trail of churning froth behind us and took a deep breath.
The guys on the boat hadn't seen me yet, but they were angling like they planned to broadside us. I could only imagine what they'd do if we let them get on. I just couldn't let that happen.
The whining engine grew louder and louder as it chopped through the water. I could hear the constant splashing of their boat jumping from wave to wave as they closed in behind us.
I took a deep breath, trying to ready myself for whatever was about to happen. Normally I'd be terrified and the threat of death would render me almost useless. But today felt different. I'd stared death in the face too many times, survived too much, and the more I thought about these assholes, the less I feared them.
This was a fight I had to win. There were no uncertainties or ambiguities about it. My family depended on me and I knew I wouldn't let them down.
Over the sound of our own engines two echoing claps thundered. I ducked my head then peeked over the railing. Two sharp snaps answered back and I knew Koran was returning fire.
"What was that?" Alistair asked and pushed the door to the saloon open.
"Stay down!" I shouted at him just before a hail of pellets showered the side of the boat.
He quickly slammed the door and dove back inside. I raised up and pointed my gun toward their boat. I squeezed the trigger and death exploded from the barrel.
The gun nearly leapt from my hand and I fell back to the steps just to catch it. Coiling my fingers, I squeezed the gun tighter. Another clap sounded and I heard a thud near the backside of the boat. Four more snaps rang out from our end in response.
"I'm out of bullets!" Koran yelled.
Jumping to my feet, I aimed again and fired several more shots. I had no clue where any of my bullets went, but they certainly didn't land on my target. Cursing, I took cover back behind the wall.
Koran came running down the side of the boat and dropped to the deck as another shotgun blast sounded. I looked down at him, expecting some kind of game plan, but he seemed to be all out of ideas.
I could hear their engine slowing down and I leaned over the side to get a better look. They were less than twenty yards away and closing quickly.
Koran shouted something to me, but I couldn't make it out. I stood back up and steadied myself on the swaying deck. With one eye closed, I aimed for the center of their boat and squeezed the trigger until there were no bullets left. The dry click of my pistol felt like someone had sucked all of the power out of me.
One of the men on the bow slumped over and groaned. He tumbled over the front rail and splashed into the water. The boat made a loud thump and climbed up the water, then a stream of crimson snaked through the wake behind them.
"Keep shooting," Koran screamed.
I pressed the button he told me and the magazine fell from the bottom of the gun. I tried to catch it, but our boat crested over another wave and it went spiraling into the air.
"Shit!" I grumbled.
I lunged forward just as the boat rose and the railing slammed into my chest. With a mangled grunt, I collapsed onto the side and my gun slipped from my hand. It splashed into the water and vanished beneath the waves.
"Was that the fucking gun?" Koran asked in a scathing voice.
I nodded then ran back for the saloon.
"Where are you going?"
"Flare gun!"
I swung the door open and darted inside. Melinda and Stephanie looked spooked. Like they’d seen death face on. Like they knew we’d come to the end and everything we did was just delaying the inevitable.
I grabbed my bag then turned to them. "We're gonna be fine. Just keep heading toward the base." I grabbed the flare gun and paused before I walked out. "Everything is okay," I said. "I promise."
Once I got back outside the motorboat had already pulled alongside us. Koran was wrestling with one of the twins as he tried to climb aboard. The other twin had his shotgun raised and was trying to get a clear shot.
Without breaking stride, I raised the flare gun and aimed. I pulled the trigger and the flare whistled from the barrel and hit the man with the gun square in the chest.
His face froze in shock and agony. His fingers loosened, and the shotgun fell from his limp hands. Without a sound, he fell backwards and tumbled into the ocean.
"No!" the other twin yelled and swung his hands wildly.
I quickly descended the steps to help Koran. The man had his shirt and was pulling at him while punching him in the head with the other hand.
"Get off!" I shouted and threw a punch of my own.
It connected with a thud to the side of his head and he roared. Straining, I tried to pry his hands off of Koran. He twisted and grabbed me by the collar instead.
I lost my balance as our boat crashed into another wave then slammed into the side of his. The momentum carried me up and before I knew it, me and the burly twin plummeted over the side and into the freezing water.
CHAPTER 20
WE FIGHT AND THEN WE FIGHT SOME MORE
For the second time in less than two days I found myself fighting against an icy, cold death. I was convinced that the sea wanted nothing more but to kill me and now they'd sent a stocky, murdering rapist to help.
I pulled myself to the surface and breathed like a newborn baby. I had a split second to look around before I felt the sting of the twin's fist smash into the back of my head. It was a jarring blow that almost rendered me unconscious. A glimpse of the sailboat motoring away was the last thing I saw.
I let out a whimper before my head plunged back under the water. The frothy slop spun me around and twisted me into knots. The cold black sea was winning and the rapist twin was doing his part to ensure a victory.
Darkness surrounded me, wrapped me up like a blanket and pulled me to its chest. Like an ominous lullaby the current swayed me back and forth. The slap of salty tears caressed my face as the lack of oxygen spurred delirium.
It was really amazing how the brain worked. Just when you think all is lost, it finds a way to push just a little more. The cold water was likely to freeze me to death before I drowned, but my mind had decided it wanted no part of that.
I was faintly aware that I was still in the ocean, but the only thing I could think of was the birth of Alistair. The memory was vivid, like I'd been transported back there to witness it all over again.
The smell of the hospital room flooded my nostrils even though I was subm
erged in the sea. It was so real, so lucid. I could feel the apprehension and fear of what we'd created. The excitement mixed with trepidation of the unknown.
We'd made a person. Somehow, through the wonders of nature the two of us had created our very own human. And it felt like I was right there, watching my first child take his first breath.
My heart thundered, beating enough for a million lifetimes. I felt complete. My life had finally been given purpose and there would be no greater accomplishment than being a father. It was the happiest day of my life, then it suddenly faded.
It was a shock to my system to watch the image vanish. I felt rage and anger that I couldn't see it, I couldn't pull it back. Then I realized something. That memory, that fleeting vision that sprung into my mind before I succumbed to the nebulous abyss was my brain fighting back. So, I let it.
"Kick you stupid bastard," a voice echoed inside of my head.
I snapped my legs once, then twice, then three times. I pulled at the water in desperation, the urge for oxygen fueling my arms. Over and over I crawled up, I pulled toward the air, toward life, toward my family.
I felt my head break the surface as the cold wind slammed into me. I gasped and swallowed the air in giant gulps. My lungs burned as they expanded and pushed out the gallons of salt water. I vomited into the sea then spun around to get my bearings.
The sun had broken through the clouds and the gray water glared like liquid silver. Not too far away, the red and white motor boat bobbed around in the jostling tide.
I wiped the water from my eyes and smiled at the sailboat that gleamed like a shinning beacon of hope. Koran had turned the boat around and was heading back for me. The wide catamaran smashed over the waves as it fought against the wind. I wasn't dead yet.
Neither was the man that tried to kill me. The surviving twin was swimming toward his own boat, but he hadn't gone far.
"Asshole," I grumbled.
With a deep breath, I kicked my legs and took off after him. Every stroke I took I felt more powerful. I was pulling the sea toward me, dragging him back into my grasp and this time I wouldn't lose.
He must've felt my presence, or heard me splashing in the water because he paused and turned around. His face lit up when he saw me and he started to paddle my way.
When he got within arms reached I lunged forward and grabbed his shirt. I swung my other hand into his face and smashed his nose with my palm.
His head lurched backwards and blood squirted into the water. He yelped then grabbed me around the neck and pulled me under.
Instead of fighting to get back to the surface, I decided to swim deeper. Wrapping my arms around him, I kicked hard and torpedoed toward the sea floor.
More saltwater funneled down my throat and I fought the urge to head back up. This had to be done. He was going to die, even if that meant I died with him.
I squeezed him tighter and flailed my legs like a frog. Like an anchor, we plunged into the unknown. The light faded and the water cooled as we sank deeper and deeper.
He tried to fight back, but it was useless, his fate had been sealed. The more he strained the more oxygen he burned, which only made my job easier. With my hands locked around him, we plummeted into the shadows.
My ears popped and my legs cramped from the cold. Clenching in pain, I kicked again and blew out the last bit of air in my lungs. Like a lead weight, I careened into the blackness, headfirst into a watery grave.
The twin gulped the ocean like a dying fish and his resistance started to fade. He gasped one last time then stopped moving. His body fell limp so I relaxed my arms and let him go.
He was suspended for a moment in the water. His pale skin almost glowing in the murky depths. With blank eyes, he started to float away, slowly drifting to his final resting place. Better than he deserved.
I watched him for a moment. Sailing further into the deep blue until I could no longer see him. He would never hurt anyone else.
With my last bit of strength, I turned and swam for the surface. The only thing that kept me going was the promise of life that existed on the other side. Every meter I moved was another tomorrow that I might be able to see.
The water warmed just a bit and I could feel life within my grasp. It urged me to kick harder, to fight more than I'd ever fought before. That's all life was now, fighting and then fighting some more.
I burst out of the water and inhaled a lungful of air. Leaning my head back, I gulped until my mind stopped spinning and my senses started to return.
"Over here," Koran yelled.
I shifted until I could see the boat chopping against the waves. Koran threw out a life preserver and I clung to it like a leech. I laid my head against my arm and held tightly as he pulled me toward the boat.
"You're alive," he said in shock and held out his arm.
"Looks that way," I replied. Reaching forward, I grabbed his hand and pulled myself onto the back deck. I flopped to the floor and stared up to the sky in relief. For a brief moment, I relaxed, for a brief moment I was safe.
"Is everyone okay?" I asked instinctively.
"We're all good," Melinda said as she fell next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
I leaned my head into her and took a deep breath. I was alive, we all were and that brought me more joy than I'd felt in my whole life. It was the little things.
I could feel the boat start moving again and I slowly sat up. The engines groaned as we headed through the choppy waves. The bright yellow sails flapped about uselessly, riddled with holes from the shotgun pellets.
"You saved my life man," Koran said and poked his head out of the saloon. "I thought I was a goner."
I smiled at him and shrugged. "Don't mention it. I figured I owed you anyway."
"If you're feeling alright, you should come take a look," he said and held out the binoculars.
"What is it?"
"The base...you'll want to see this."
CHAPTER 21
SKELETON CREW
The boat rocked gently back and forth. Water gurgled underneath the bow with a low rumble that sounded like a drowning dog. The glow from the moon glistened over the water and I rubbed my hands together to keep warm.
"Anything? Koran asked.
He walked out of the saloon with two cups of coffee and handed me one. Steam floated from the surface and faded into the night.
"Thanks," I said.
"I don't know if coffee has an expiration date, but I figured it was something."
I nodded. "I haven't seen a single soul."
Koran took a seat next to me and groaned. I'd been out there for hours on the back deck, staring at the base. The boat bobbed back and forth at anchor, a reflection of our current situation as we mulled over what our next move would be.
I'd chosen the base because I thought we'd find answers. I thought we'd find the civilization that seemed to have vanished. But what we found was nothing close to that.
The base looked deserted. Every tower, every guard station we could see was empty. The wooden dock that lead up to the park was splintered and broken. Evidence of earthquakes and storms were everywhere, but amidst the destruction there were no people.
Sighing, I stared through the binoculars and scratched my head. All around the edge of the sea wall there were abandoned military vehicles. Humvees, large, cargo trucks, even a few APCs.
They were parked there with the doors wide open. Like everyone had just run away or something. It was a strange sight.
"So what do you think?" I asked Koran. He was the military expert so I was gonna defer to him.
"What choice do we have? We watched this shit for two days, we might as well head ashore."
"Let's go then," I replied.
That was it, we were heading back into the unknown. Aside from our skirmish a few days ago, I felt pretty safe at sea. We hadn't seen another person and I'd accepted that it was a good thing, but being back on land scared me.
It was more than the earthquakes and
fires. It was more than the storms and deadly weather. It was people, they were our biggest threat now. I still didn't trust Koran and he'd saved my life. Who knew what we'd find back in the city?
We motored toward the base under the moonlight in silence. There was only the sound of the water against our bow. The soft whoosh was an eerie soundtrack to a deadly adventure.
"What's the plan when we get there?" Koran asked.
"I honestly thought this would've all taken care of itself. You know, I expected people here or...or something. I guess at this point we just take a look around and see what we see."
"And if we don't see anything?"
"We have to find someone, we have to find out what's going on."
I looked away from him and stared down at the water. How much of that did I believe? How much longer could I go on being the optimistic when everything I saw told me we'd never be safe again?
We slowed down as we approached the wooden deck. Pieces of it looked stable enough to stand on so we headed toward the largest block and pulled alongside it. Quietly, I hopped out and tied a line to one of the few remaining cleats.
"So are we all going ashore or what?" Koran asked as he scanned the darkness.
"I think we should check it out first, just the two of us."
"You should bring your boy."
"Why?"
"The commissary isn't far from here. There's a good chance they still have food and supplies. The more we can carry the better."
I considered it for a moment. The base was a ghost town and Alistair had proven himself. If it'd make our trip easier it didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Fine," I replied.
"You see anything?" Melinda asked as she crept up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
"Nope, I thought you were still sleeping."
"Couldn't...too much going on."
I nodded. "We're gonna head ashore and take Alistair."
"For what?"
"To look for answers, or worst case find more food. We may be on our own for a lot longer."
I bent down and reached into a small box I'd found in the cockpit. There was a tiny, silver revolver inside and I handed it to Melinda.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 12