Boondocks

Chapter 29: Passengers

CROC

I'd read about pirates in one of the books Pappy had given me: wooden legs, hooked hands, and eye patches. I'd never considered them real, until Tex showed me the brochure. Black Raven Pirate Adventures. The massive black ship with skull painted sails could fit an army, and that was exactly why Tex wanted to steal it.

Tonight was the night, and they were getting ready to leave. Another hour and the sun would set. I was meant to go with them, but I wasn't convinced I should. It was one thing to risk the gators while under attack. It was something different to put them in danger in order to steal someone else's property.

But Willow wanted them to succeed. She had it in her head that, if Tex got the ship, he wouldn't mind giving up one of the boats. She was convinced we needed to abandon the group and find somewhere to hide, to isolate the children, the same way Pappy had me. I understood her reasoning, but I was torn on which was worse. Pappy's choice had kept me alive, but it hadn't kept the world at bay forever. In the end, it was broken rules that saved us.

"Stay away from the water!"

He'd been so worried a gator would eat me, but if I hadn't learned how to fish, I would have starved. If I hadn't learned to swim, I would have lost my mind. And if I hadn't gotten to know the swamp, we wouldn't have stood a chance against Danny and the Officials.

But I kept my thoughts to myself and listened to what she had to say. Each night, after the kids were fast asleep, she made plans. Most of them weren't sustainable. None of them seemed like good options. After all, what happened if we died? The thought of the kids alone, the way I'd been alone, caused a tightness in my chest that made it hard to breathe. It would be even worse outside of the swamp, where the wildlife couldn't speak, and the quiet ruled over everything.

But who was I to argue? Who was I to have an opinion? Croc protects. I scoffed and shook my head. How many times had I said it? I'd been so large in the swamp, but out here, I was barely a spec. Weak. Clueless. It was my fault Julia was dead. My fault Willow was ready to bolt, and the kids were terrified of losing her. Whatever faith they'd had in me was rightfully gone, and I didn't have the nerve to try and convince them otherwise.

Willow stood by the railing, arms crossed as she watched Merle and a few others load up on guns and ammo. I touched her shoulder, and she jolted. "You scared me."

"I didn't mean to."

She turned and wrapped her arms around my middle, pressing her ear to my heart. "Promise me you'll keep to the water."

I sighed and rubbed her back. "They'll be no one to fight in the water."

"Exactly." She craned her head back, looking up at me.

So beautiful. I touched the pale skin of her cheek, then the silky brown hair resting against it. She deserved to be safe. She deserved to be happy. I wanted to give her that, but I still hadn't figured out how.

"You asked him about the boat?" Her eyes held mine, hopeful.

"Not yet." The truth was, I didn't even know if I wanted the boat. I didn't know if I wanted to leave. Where would we go? How would we live? What difference would it make in the end? "I love you." It was the only thing I knew for certain.

"I love you, too." She hugged me tighter. "Promise me you won't get hurt."

Her delicate hands slid across my back, sending tingles across my skin. I breathed her in, wishing I could make that promise. But I'd lied when I said I would keep them safe, and I never wanted to lie to her again.

A whistle rang out, and I glanced up. Tex stood on the other boat, waving me over. It was time. "I have to go," I whispered.

Willow gripped my neck, pulling my mouth to hers, kissing me with an intensity she never had before. A rumble left my lungs, and I forgot where I was. I cupped her jaw, sealing our connection as I lost myself in the taste of her. What I wouldn't have given to stay there, settle down against her skin, and never eat, sleep, or drink again.

But Tex let out another whistle, and she drew back. "Be careful."

"I will."

I felt her eyes on my back until I'd made it out of sight. The men were ready for a war, their massive guns hung over their backs or ready in front of them. They left the boat and formed a tight unit, moving silently up the river bank. I gave the call, then dipped beneath the surface, and the gators fell into pace all around me. We glided as one through the murky depths, keeping pace with the group on land.  Tex made it clear that the gators were a last resort. He didn't want to risk them any more than I did, and the less they were seen, the better.

When the group drew to a stop, I rose to take in our surroundings. The ship loomed in the distance, larger than the tallest cypress and wider than the canal. How long had it taken to build? Whoever it belonged to wouldn't want to just let it go.

"That's a big boat," Gator said.

"It is."

Tex waved his hand, and the group split into two.

"Come." I let the water swallow me to my nose and waded forward. The larger group of Free Soldiers slid into position,  belly-down beside the dock, guns trained on the building nestled between the trees. I narrowed my eyes, straining to read the sign attached to the roof. Black Raven Pirate Adventures. Ticket Sales and Merchandise.

Reggie hooted like an owl, then Tex, Cecil, Merle, and Fern sprinted across the darkened yard, headed toward it. I swam forward until the ship blocked them all from view. It looked even larger up close, so tall I had to crane my neck back to look at it. I flattened my hand on the wood, feeling the algae and dips as I slowly swam it's length.

The gators heads popped up all around me, their eyes like fireflies suspended above the waves.

"I bet a giant built it," Gator said.

"There's no such thing," I murmured.

"Used to be. They—"

"Shh!" The faintest sound hit my ears, and I froze, listened. Silence. "Did you hear that?" I breathed.

"Hear what?"

I pressed my ear to the ship. It couldn't have come from within, could it? A low vibration echoed through the wood, but that hadn't been what caught my attention. It had almost sounded like a. . .

A sneeze.

It happened again, a squeak so small I almost thought I'd imagined it. But I hadn't.

"Someone's in there," I breathed.

"Do you have to say it like that?" Gator complained. "As if this shit isn't scary enough, with all the black and the skulls and the giants."

I rolled my eyes and gripped his snout, forcing him to be quiet. "Don't be so loud. It isn't a giant. I think—I think it's a child." It'd sounded like one. Like Eric or Eve. But why would a child be on the ship, and if it was a child, how could I justify what we were here to do?

"Fern!" Tex's voice cracked like thunder, jarring my attention.

I swam to the end of the boat and peeked around just in time to watch Tex lower his gun, his attention glued to a solitary stranger. From what I could tell, there was only one man, but for whatever reason, he had total control. My muscles tensed, and I chewed my lip, waiting for the signal that we were needed.

But, in the back of my mind, I thought about the sneeze. What if these were regular people? The man didn't look like an Official. He was aged and heavy and a little unkempt. What if he was a Pappy, and inside this ship was a little boy, hidden from the world? What if we were the world?

I clenched my jaw, then turned away, searching for a way onboard.

"What are you doing?" Gator asked.

"Watch for the signal, but don't attack anyone unless it's absolutely needed."

"What do you mean?"

I dug my nails into the wood and heaved myself up the side.

"Wait!" Gator hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I have to see who made that sound." Images of the man who'd killed Pappy flashed to the front of my mind.

"Say, where do you keep all those vegetables? I don't see any crops."

"It ain't here."

It felt like history was repeating itself, and I was on the wrong side.