Page 39
As we make our way toward Paradise Cove, I begin overhearing voices—not just a few individuals, but a lively crowd. It’s a clear sign that maybe we’ve found Chris and his group. Quietly, Tyler and I head toward the entrance of the lounge. Before reaching it, we pause, standing about twenty-five feet away to observe our surroundings. Two guards stand at the entrance. They’re deep in conversation, both oblivious to us sneaking up on them. As Tyler and I start to head over to make contact, someone suddenly ambushes us from behind. They must be men because the arm that has me in a chokehold is hairy and muscular.
“We’re looking for Chris. We’re not here to fight!” I shout, hoping that they realize we are not with Logan's group. I hope they’re not with Logan's group.
Seconds later, the attackers release us, and Tyler and I are both pushed to the ground. I was right — the attackers are men.
“We know who you are. Why do you want to see Chris?” asks one of the men. His face is familiar, but I can't put a name to it.
“We want to join Chris’s group,” I say, quickly rising to my feet. “We have supplies and crucial information he’ll want to hear.”
“You can just tell us and we'll let our leader know. How can we be sure you're not with Logan’s camp?”
“It's about Logan, but I’m not telling anyone except Chris. He's the one in charge here, right?” I ask.
Tyler is on the ground, an arm's length away, with one of the guards standing above him. There is an audible clicking sound when the doors to Paradise Cove open. A tall woman with long brown hair steps out. I can’t make out her face until she steps closer and the two guards step aside.
“Actually, Chris isn't the leader of this group; I just allow Logan to believe he is. I'm the leader here. What information do you have?” She walks towards us. When she gets closer to us and is able to make out who we are, she lets out a sigh of relief. “Theo, Tyler. It's nice to see you two.”
“Sara!” Tyler jumps up and holds his arms out wide.
“Let them go, they’re not with Logan.”
“Man, I’m so glad to see you. Kelly has been worried sick about you,” Tyler says, offering Sara a hug. She smiles and accepts.
“Oh God, I'm glad she's okay. Where is she? And what do you all know about Logan? That narcissistic asshole started killing people who wouldn't listen to him right after that girl died in the med center. At first, the rumors blamed John for those deaths, then claimed Logan and John were working together. Then Logan went around telling everyone it was you. Anyone who questioned him was killed. Logan is fucking bat shit cra– I’m sorry I don't like to use that word.”
“What word?” Tyler asks.
“Crazy,” she whispers, going silent for a moment, lost in thought. “That word hurts people.” Then her eyes snap back to me. “Chris and I had a feeling that Logan and John were up to something, because before that stuff with Soph– uh, Kelly.” Sara pauses, then she runs her fingers through her hair, letting out a deep breath.
“Anyway,” she continues, “we kept seeing the two of them whispering when they thought no one was watching. So when the shit started hitting the fan that day, Chris and I grabbed all the water and whatever food we could muster up, and we rushed to anywhere we could find to hide. That's how we ended up here in this little hideout. We heard you're all in the medical center with that nurse, and no one has been able to get in.”
I study Sara for a moment before speaking. I can't stop thinking about that little hiccup with the name a second ago. Not wanting to make her suspicious of trusting me, I nod and go on like it hadn't happened.
“Yeah, that’s true.” I glance over at Tyler, who isn't saying much, then back to Sara. “Logan killed that girl, Beatrice, and her friends.”
“How do you know?” Sara asks, her eyes locked on mine.
“He told me.” Her eyes go wide in surprise.
“What? He just came out and said, ‘I killed them’?”
“Without so many words, yes. Said he should have put rat poison in my food too.” I look around, getting nervous because we are standing out in the open. “Can we come in?”
“Yeah, sorry, come inside before anyone else sees us.”
Once inside, the guards quickly shut the doors and put their makeshift barricade back in place. It's similar to ours with a bunch of random things. My eyes widen when I see a large group of people silently staring at Tyler and me.
“Holy shit,” Tyler murmurs beside me.
“We have seventy-eight people in here, so it's a little cramped; this is the only place we could all get to without worrying about Logan and his group getting inside,” explains Sara as Chris walks up and stands beside her.
“Thank you for trusting us and letting us in,” I say, extending my hand out to shake hers. She doesn't take it; instead, she looks at Chris, then back to me.
“You’re welcome, but I never said I trusted you.” She lets her words hang in the air while she stares at me. I don't protest. I look past her and get a good look at the area.
The room is dark, with only a faint glow in the distance from a small flashlight in a metal bowl illuminating the space. Paradise Cove is at the back of the ship and offers very little natural light from outside. There are a few small porthole windows in the back of the room that only let in daylight. This lounge was originally created to be dark and intimate, like an old piano bar. The air here is stale and musty, with no airflow. The smell of urine and feces lingers; it’s clear these people have been confined in this room without water to wash themselves.
Before the ship was divided, there were designated areas for people to use the bathroom and wash up. Along with those areas, there were assigned jobs for gathering water from the ocean for washing, as well as cleaning the buckets used as toilets. With no access to the outdoors, it’s evident they can’t do that here. Suddenly, I'm grateful that Mary was smart enough to have her crew gather multiple containers of saltwater for her patients to give them sponge baths. If she hadn't, I assume this is what we would look and smell like. Sara starts walking towards the center of the room, and Tyler and I follow close behind.
