8 - Below The Black Water

429 4 2
                                        

"You all ready? All aboard!" JJ calls out as John B and I walk down the deck

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.





"You all ready? All aboard!" JJ calls out as John B and I walk down the deck.

"Let's do it," I mumble, nerves already rising.

Not fear exactly — just that old pressure behind my ribs, the same one that crept up anytime things got too quiet, too dark, or too close to the waterline.

"All right guys listen up. We got the nav points and we've got the gear. We're in and out alright. This is one night only. We slip down under. We stay under the radar. All right? Star you're going down, much to my displeasure but—" John B starts.

"Uh, I'm actually going down too. Yeah, me and Ella," JJ cuts in quickly.

John B gives him a look.
"Okay...uh JJ and Star go down. Me and Pope stay up. Kie and Cleo you guys drive out to the lighthouse by the Coast Guard base. Stand watch. Do this right, we're home by midnight."

"Clock's ticking," JJ grins.

"Fun fun, just like old times," Pope grumbles.

Cleo and Kie watch us load into the boat.

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do," Cleo calls.

I give her a look. With these three? Yeah. No promises.














"Yo guys, lighten up. All right? You're making me nervous. We're gonna slide down there take a peek. Worst that can happen, it's not there. Old farts disappointed, we go home. Pogues win ok? That's the worst. Meantime though who wants to crack one with me?" JJ asks, opening a drink.

John B snatches it from him.
"No hey hey no. No drinking."

"It just takes off the edge," JJ muttered.

We ride out into the dark. The water is black, flat. Too flat. And every churn of the engine feels louder than it should — like noise is scraping the inside of my skull. I shake it off, forcing my breath to stay even.

"John B we're in Coast Guard territory now," Pope said.

"Should be about 20 yards. One o'clock," John B murmurs.

"Hey slow her down. We're at the drop site now."

JJ eases the boat to a stop.

"JJ what's our depth?" John B asks.

"78."

"Okay, ready?" I ask, exhaling, my pulse already climbing.

"Here we go. Switch out. You guys get ready," Pope said.

"John B keep us in position." JJ said











JJ starts getting our gear on, and of course, JJ rambles.
"Honestly it's kind of like surfing The Point you know? We're upstream, and then the rip is just gonna.... Take us out."

✯ North Star ✯Stories to obsess over. Discover now