Receeding Tides (mcyt)

Chapter 15

The air left Tommy's lungs as he watched the wave of water drench Dream. He hadn't even realised his lack of oxygen, but by the time his breath returned, the English coast was too far in the distance for him to swim back. The boat came to a stop, and Tommy still tried to jump overboard.

"Tommy, no! The water isn't safe," Fundy grabbed his upper arm. "Dream will be fine. Trust him."

Tommy still wiggled in Fundy's grasp. Frustrated beyond belief, Fundy snapped at the boy shouting over his protests.

"Do you know who's in France? Right fucking now?" he yanked Tommy back onto the floor of the boat. "Wilbur Soot."

Tommy stilled at the sound of Wilbur's name, "But Dream's..."

Fundy wrapped his arm around him like a seatbelt keeping him from crashing, "I know. You guys are close but trust me, he'll be okay. Trust him."

Tommy gave him a despondent nod, and Fundy handed him a kayak paddle and pointed to the shoreline on the horizon.

"Wilbur's right over there. He's waiting. Do you really..."

Fundy's voice faded from Tommy's hearing, and he pounded at the floor of the boat with the kayak's flat end. Over and over again. He screamed profanities and swears until his throat was raw. Every last pent-up emotion waging war within him spewed forth. Fundy groaned waiting for Tommy to calm down.

Resentment towards Dream for treating him like a kid came in incoherent sobs, and the terror of this current world shook Tommy's entire body. He was angry that Dream pushed him away again. He was angry at himself for not staying. He could be dead for all Tommy knew. That fear overtook his fear of what lurked in the water below his feet.

Fundy sat back watching the boy break down. Nothing about him showed any reaction, but Tommy's screams struck a chord deep within himself. The chord tugged at their past friendship peer pressuring Fundy to give Tommy the sympathy he was begging for, but Fundy wasn't the person for that.

He'd seen countless people go through every emotional hell and back. People could scream and cry. Sometimes they would stay numbed for hours. As if they couldn't cry any more tears. Sometimes a strange mixture of all three and more. Like Tommy. They often searched for a shoulder to cry on, but Fundy wasn't a therapist. He wanted this to be over.

"Are you done?" he icily asked.

Tommy sniffed wiping his now swollen eyes, "I think so. Sorry, Fundy."

"S'alright," Fundy replied refusing to face him. "I've seen worse."

The pair rowed silently as night fell until they reached the shore. Tommy grabbed his and Dream's bag and hopped out of the boat into the water. He landed in the ankle-deep acidic waters and watched his reflection flicker in the waves. The water wasn't too painful but would probably be excruciating to swim in. Tommy turned to Fundy, the moon and star-speckled sky illuminating his friend's emotionless features.

"Where will you go now?"

"Who knows? But I'm done with this ferry business," Fundy shrugged, "Jack Manifold said there was a community built on the water with people living off fish. Some place called 'Sealand' I think."

"Why not come with me and Dream?" Tommy asked hopeful. "We're going to America once we find Wilbur and George."

"You're so idealistic, it almost hurts," Fundy shook his head, "They know I'm alive and we've gone our own ways. I wanted to help others. Wilbur wanted to find our friends."

"Didn't you want to find people too?"

"I didn't want to know. Why be permanently disappointed when you could be pleasantly surprised?"

Okay, that was a fair point. Even Tommy had to admit it. But the curiosity that killed him didn't touch Fundy for some reason.

"Didn't you and Wilbur stay together?"

"No. I promised I would do my damn hardest to not die so we left it there."

"Oh," Tommy didn't bother to hide his disappointment.

"When you find him," Fundy added, "Tell him I said hello. And tell George I wish him well."

"I'll be sure to tell them."

He started rowing, but Tommy called out to him one last time.

"Fundy! If you find Dream, please send him this way! I'll be here in the morning!"

Fundy pretended not to be able to hear the boy. He wasn't the most emotional person, but even he could take pity on others. Especially people too optimistic for their own good. Fundy didn't have the heart to tell Tommy that Dream was, more likely dead or almost dead than not.

Word count: 772