Page 21

The three of us step out onto the 12th deck. Tyler and I have already seen the devastation from the explosion, but Blake is seeing it for the first time. The rain is still falling, but not nearly like the torrential downpour it was earlier. The night sky is dark, and the clouds have cleared enough to let the moon's glow shine through.

I watch Blake's eyes widen in shock as he takes in the disaster around him.

“This looks like a war zone or a movie set,” he says. I look around the deck and see that the rain has mostly washed away the blood, leaving only thin crimson streams flowing down the drains. Several bodies still lie scattered, their limbs torn apart. I notice right away that the place looks less chaotic than it did just hours earlier when it was engulfed in flames.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blake suddenly stop, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. I follow his line of sight and see several bodies on the ground. I’m not sure which one has caught Blake's attention, but I’m certain the only thing that would make him act like this is seeing his sister’s body. Before I can ask him which body is Morgan’s, Blake takes off running. I watch, frozen by his reaction, as Blake sprints across the deck. When he reaches the body that caught his attention, he drops to his knees and leans over her.

From across the deck, I make out the woman’s long blonde hair, washed-out pink from the bloody water on the wet deck. Blake gently pushes the woman's hair aside and lifts her head. My breath is stolen at the sight of her face. A thick shard of shattered glass is embedded deep between her eyes. My eyes well up with tears. I understand how heartbreaking this moment must be for Blake. The deck remains silent, except for the relentless rain pounding on it. I’m startled when Blake lets out a scream. I don’t interrupt him and let him have this moment to himself. It’s not until after Blake has finished screaming that I walk over. Tyler, who is standing beside me, is motionless. I motion for him to stay back while I slowly walk over and place my hand on Blake's shoulder.

“I'm really sorry for your loss,” I whisper. Blake doesn’t move or acknowledge my presence. I stand there, watching his shoulders rise and fall as he breathes fast and hard. Before I can say anything else, Blake turns to face me with a look that tells me he is furious and filled with hatred. He quickly stands and throws a punch. I feel a sharp pain in my forehead, then blood gushes from my face, and I stumble backward, completely shocked. What the fuck? Blake immediately climbs on top of me, pinning me to the wet deck. I do my best to raise my arms to shield my face. Blake grabs my arm, locking it under his leg. I shout to stop him just as his fist slams down on my mouth.

“It's all your damn fault,” he shouts repeatedly. Just when I’ve lost all my energy to fight, Tyler tackles Blake. Their bodies land on the deck and slide in the rain. This time, Blake is the one pinned to the ground. I watch in horror as Tyler's fists pummel Blake's face. Frozen in shock, I can’t turn away.

Tyler doesn’t stop. He raises his bloodied hand again, slamming it down with each punch. “Don't...you…ever…touch…my…brother...again,” he growls, each word punctuated with a punch. Tyler keeps punching, and I notice that Blake has stopped fighting back. I rush over and pull Tyler off. All the while, Tyler keeps shouting at Blake. This is a side of my brother I’ve never seen.

I do my best to calm him. “Okay, okay, he gets it, Tyler. You can stop now.”

When Tyler finally gives up on going after Blake, we both glance over to see Blake slowly getting up. His face is badly beaten, one eye nearly swollen shut, his lip busted, and his brow bleeding. Blake slowly makes his way back to where we're standing, and Tyler starts shouting again, but I quickly shut him down, realizing Blake only reacted that way because of his discovery of his sister.

Blake slowly approaches Tyler and me. “I'm really sorry. I know it's not your fault. I just lost control. Morgan was my only family and my little sister; I was supposed to protect her,” he says, dropping to the ground and sobbing.

I kneel beside him and rest my hand on his back. “I know there's nothing I can say that will bring your sister back, but I want you to know I'm truly sorry. I'm sorry this happened at all. I promise you I'll do everything I can to get us home.”

After a moment of silence, Blake lifts a hand to wipe away his tears. He looks over at me, then at Tyler, his face a mask of sorrow.

“I know you mean that, and like I said, I'm sorry for lashing out. It's not going to help anyone if we start fighting.”

As he speaks, Tyler steps in and stands beside me. “I'm sorry too. Just like you'd protect your sister, I had to protect my brother. I agree that fighting won't help anyone. Let's work together to figure out how to get off this damn ship. And when we do, I swear I'm never setting foot on anything that floats on water again.”

We all stand silently, staring at each other as the rain pours down. Then, out of nowhere, Blake bursts into uncontrollable laughter. I look over at Tyler, and we exchange a confused look.

Tyler leans in and whispers, “He must be out of his mind. Who laughs in a situation like this?”

“Maybe this is how he copes with loss.”

Blake suddenly stops laughing and turns to face Tyler and me. “This must be some sick joke, right? Everyone can come out now. It's not funny anymore. I'm ready to go home,” he shouts, looking around as if waiting for a production crew to walk in and tell him this is all a big prank. I turn back to Tyler, giving him a concerned look. Tyler must know exactly what I’m thinking. We both slowly walk toward Blake, trying our best not to make any sudden movements, knowing that anything could set him off.

I reach out and place a hand on Blake's shoulder. “Hey, let's go back inside and get some sleep.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, Blake’s entire mood shifts. He stiffens and stares at Tyler and me. He stands in the pouring rain, as if he doesn't understand what I just said. Tyler and I stand motionless, watching him. Blake slowly turns to see his dead sister lying on the ground just a few feet away. The realization that his sister is not coming back must be unfolding in his mind. He begins to walk toward Morgan’s body and Tyler, and I stand there, watching Blake as if he were a wild animal, unsure of what his next move will be.

Blake turns to face Tyler and me, defeat and sadness evident on his face. “She was all I had. No one else in our family is alive. I promised her I'd always protect her, and I didn’t.”

Before I can understand what's happening, Blake reaches down, pulls the shard of shattered glass from Morgan's face, and in one quick motion jabs it into his own throat, then slides it across his neck. Blood sprays out, covering our faces and clothes. Blake's body instantly drops to the ground, landing right beside Morgan. Tyler and I are in complete shock, my mouth open in disbelief, Tyler staring at the blood covering his shirt, eyes wide, and his head shaking. We face each other, both of us speechless. Stunned.

A moment later, Tyler breaks the silence. “We need to get the fuck off this ship.”

PART 2

OCTOBER 2012

FIVE MONTHS DRIFTING

13

THEO

The crisp October air fills my lungs as a gentle breeze blows through my hair. Leaning against the railing on the top deck, I stare off into the vast open ocean and take in the beautiful setting sun about to dip below the horizon. The scene is so stunning, it looks like a watercolor painting in shades of pink, purple, and orange.