Chapter 26
Big John leaned heavily against the rail of the ship while waves of nausea swept over him. He heaved. Yet nothing came. I’m a fisherman for God’s sake, he thought to himself, I’ve been on boats before on the lake and never been sick.
It had been four days since they had boarded the ship for America so he figured the seasickness would have passed, but it hadn’t. The faint smell of death that seemed to be everywhere didn’t help matters either.
A cool misty ocean breeze blew lightly bringing a slight ease to his stomach as his mind wondered back on the last few weeks. His thoughts went to Treyson and the day he came into his hotels country pub. Just by looking at him he could tell that he was Scottish and a dead ringer for a Macalister. He thought it odd that an American would be here this time of the year and wanting to search all the caves looking for a sword mythed by his Grandfather. But he went with him anyways searching the caves and finding the sword together. His thoughts went to the morning when he awoke to find his wife Sally dead, feeling his pulse quicken as even now it still angers him. He blamed Treyson at that time, sure that he was responsible, him and that witch from the lake. He would have killed him if fate would have allowed it.
After Treyson left he buried his wife and his friends. He even considered killing himself. What did he have to live for, all he loved was gone. All except fishing, so he decided that’s what he would do. He would go back to the old castle and fish. For two weeks he did nothing but fish taking little time to sleep and even less to eat. Until the morning he woke from a sleep or maybe passing out from lack of one of the other. He had dreamt or it had been real he wasn’t sure, but he saw Treyson in a battle against an army that was emerging from a huge dark hole. Treyson and the few that were with him stood no chance making him feel sad. Somehow in the dream it was conveyed to him that Treyson fought for the people of Earth. Before he awoke or maybe he was already awake, he saw a woman come up from the lake dressed in blue with not a drop of water on her. She spoke telling him to gather men and go to a place in America called Nevada. There you will find Treyson.
So here he was him and thirty six other men from the United Kingdom that he had convinced to come. Telling them of his dream and that the Earth was in trouble unless an army could be formed to repel an Alien attack. Most of those he talked to had some kind of dream themselves, not always about a battle but going to Nevada nonetheless. The few that he had found including the ship’s captain seemed to believe him, plus they like him had nothing to live for, everything had been ripped from their lives.
For a moment as he thought on these things he had forgotten about the sea-sickness and felt somewhat ok, maybe even a little hungry. He laughed.
The sun had partially slipped above the horizon so he decided he would try a little ale. Start his morning out right and hopefully the ship’s captain would be awake also, they needed to talk.
Big John hobbled his way below deck to the galley, occasional whiffs of his own breath bringing back memories of the nausea. He would have to get something to cover it or he would have to return to the rail, a couple liters of ale should do the trick, he thought. The Captain was sitting at his table hunched over a mug as worry and insomnia seemed to line his face. Looking up as Big John entered he smiled as he watched him as he approach his table.
“You look like you haven’t slept for a while,” the captain said somberly.
“Too much time at the rail, just when I think it is subsiding and I start to doze, it returns.”
“Then what are you doing here my friend,” The captain asked smiling?
“I need something in my stomach, I hate dry heaves, Big John said with a forced laugh, “plus we need to talk.” He pours a mug of ale then sits across from the captain.
The captained smirked, “I know what you’re going to say, but we are going to need all the help we can get to stop the alien attack. It doesn’t matter the background we need every human now.”
“But he was a known terrorist bringing harm to people on the Earth for years and responsible for one of the cruelest mass killings in history,” Big John spoke with a hint of anger.
“Listen John, he knows how to fight and to kill, we need that. He says he has a device that can bring down their gate or portal whatever it’s called. He may be the last chance to save the planet,” he spoke with his eyes glaring.
“The device you speak of is no doubt nuclear and we have no way knowing if it will even have an effect on their technology, but we do know it will kill a lot of us engaged in battle,” Big John said then draining his mug of ale.
“Look, our main objective is to close their portal,” the captain said while standing to his feet. A big man, almost seven feet tall with a face full of hair. With my dream and what you told of your encounter with the ghost woman, the closing of the portal should be our main goal.”
“I say that if we are going to explode a nuclear device it should be on the alien side of the portal. At least try to put it there,” Big John spoke as he arose to fill his mug again, noticing the nausea had completely subsided.
“I agree with that so I will talk with Leon and convince him of the same. You should try to get some sleep we will arrive in San Francisco bay in a few hours,” the Captain spoke while putting his hand on Big Johns shoulder.
“I will try but I don’t think I will be able to sleep until my feet touch dry ground,” he said while refilling his mug. “I think I will drink a couple more to help me sleep,” he added as he sat back down.
The captain left leaving him in the galley alone sipping the ale and staring down at the table, his mind lost in thought. He was alone for what he thought was just moments when he heard the door open and someone walk in poor himself a drink then sit down somewhere behind him. Curiosity with the need to talk caused him to turn around and look. Leon was sitting back turned, off to the left of him drinking what he thought to be coffee. The captain might be afraid to talk to him but he wasn’t, Big John thought as he stood up.
Leon didn’t budge as Big John walked towards him, he didn’t even look up when Big John sat in front of him. “We need to talk,” Big John said.
Looking up Leon spoke with Spanish accent but understandable English, “I know you know who I am and what I’m capable of. What do we have to talk about?”
“The captain said you have a device to take down the portal. I figure it must be some type of nuclear device so I want to be clear about detonating it on this side of the portal. This planet cannot sustain anymore unnecessary loss so can we detonate it on their side.
Leon looked slyly at him with a partial smirk, “I am good with explosives and usually a good judge on the amount of TNT needed to make things or people disappear. I will let you know once I see the target. I must eliminate the target whatever the casualties may be.”
The Renewal Page 26