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I took my own milkshake, spinning it on the table as I considered how best to tell her this next part.
“It was no ordinary vessel. I knew that much as soon as I got on board. The men…they stared at me cautiously, like I was an outsider. At first, I thought it was just nerves about having someone new on the ship. After all, I could be there to rob them. The only reason I got passage was because I promised to earn my way across the stormy seas. As it turns out, I might have been better off taking my chances in Russia.”
22
FNG
On a ship.
Approximately 5 months, 6 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes, and 45 seconds after FNG-Day…
I wascareful not to look anyone in the eye as I got to work on the captain’s orders. The air was thick with tension as the men continued to watch me. I kept a knife strapped to my ankle at all times, afraid these men were after something more dangerous than transporting cargo from one port to another.
“You’re done,” one man said, walking over to me with his muscles bulging.
He was trying to intimidate me, to show his authority over me. I had no problem with this, though. I needed some space to figure out my next move. All I had to do was make it to Mexico, but I had the feeling this wouldn’t be a simple journey.
I heard the whispers as I walked to my bunk room. Normally, I would be in with the rest of the crew, but they didn’t trust me. They stuck me in some small cargo hold. I didn’t even have a cot or hammock to sleep in. And apparently, it didn’t matter to them. They weren’t here to make my accommodations more comfortable.
I looked around my small quarters and sighed. Aside from a few barrels and some boxes, there wasn’t much in my quarters to sleep on. And a crate didn’t sound very comfortable. There had to be something on this ship that I could use, maybe a blanket or some netting. I quietly opened my door and peeked out into the darkness. Not a soul moved, but there were supposed to be others that came down at the same time as me.
I snuck out, tiptoeing across the wood floors until I heard voices coming from just around the corner. I pressed myself against the wall, hoping no one heard me. The last thing I wanted was to be thrown overboard.
“How can we be sure about this information?”
“I have studied this for years. Trust me, if we stay on this course, we’ll never get there in time.”
“And how do you expect to get to Spain? This ship is not headed in that direction.”
“Then we force the captain’s hand. I have the coordinates. We just need someone to get us to the dig site.”
“Wait, you’re saying someone is already looking for the gold?”
“Yes, but they don’t know where to look. I’ve got it all figured out. Now we just have to get in and find it before they do.”
“And the captain?”
Silence stretched the conversation leaving an ominous feel. “If we can’t bribe him, then he needs to go.”
That was enough for me to know that I had to hightail it out of there. I was on the wrong ship, and if I didn’t find a way off, I was going to get caught up in a murder plot, along with some kind of thievery. This was not going to help me get back to my life.
I turned to leave when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I was spun around and shoved up against the wall as a gun was pressed to my head. The man who stood in front of me was taller than me, with a thick frame that rivaled some of the men I worked with. That, however, was where the similarities ended. With foul breath and rotting teeth, I knew this man didn’t have a regular dental routine.
“You shouldn’t be listening in on private conversations.”
“I…no, I wasn’t. I?—”
He dug the gun into my temple, effectively shutting me up. “What exactly did you hear?”
“Nothing,” I said, but that wasn’t the truth. “Okay, I heard something about gold and going to the wrong country. But that was it. Oh, and how you plan to get the captain to either go along with the plan or murder him. Personally, I’m not for unnecessary violence, but that’s me.”
His eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “Are you an idiot?”
I thought about that for a moment. Given my current circumstances, there was every possibility that I was. However, I saw a way out of this.
“Not at all. Just a guy looking to make a little money.” And not die mysteriously at sea. “What you don’t realize is that if you get rid of the captain, you still need someone to get you to Spain.”
“You’re saying you can get us there?”
