Fracted (Book #2)

Chapter 31: Murderous Thought

A wooden plank has scratched the soles of my running shoes as we flashed in. Green smoke drowned us. The ground we were standing on rocked us. I hear splashes of the flexible waters around us. It was dark of course. Like a merged color of black, purple, and indigo. The clouds above hovered like bad apparitions.
"Where are we?" Patrick asked.
"What is this place?" Eiffel added.
I gaze at the wooden barrier that separated us from the ocean. Foam with bubbles come out from below it. We're still moving. And we might be at the very back.
"Looks like we're in a boat." Jason said.
"Boat heading to where?" I asked this time.
"I don't know--Think it's still New York?"
"I hope so."
The three of us still held on to the dizzy Jason. We rocked side to side, almost falling back into the water.
"There's a door right there," Patrick pointed out infront of us. "Let's go in?"
"We don't even know who's steering the boat." I said.
"Let's find out then?" He sounds persistent. Annoying.
I click my tongue in disagreement. I pulled him back when he walked towards the white door. But his pull was stronger than mine. His arms are more rippled than mine.
"C'mon, I'm sure it's not so bad." Eiffel said. Someone can just pop out of nowhere and point humongous guns at us. But was there a reason? No. It depends on what the passengers' intentions are and where they're heading. I gulped a huge batch and breathed hard.
"Here it goes," Patrick grinned.
He twists the knob and backs away, hiding behind the door, leaving the three of us to see what's inside. I hope there's not as much Innates in there. I want to be surrounded by Zips for a change. I kind of want things to stay like that for a while. Just a quick break. But I realized that if I want things quick, it means it'll last longer. That's how my life works, the opposite happens and I just have to move along with it.
I see red brightness. Close to orange sunset. But it's still dark to look through.
A voice suddenly came out before one of us said a word. "We weren't expecting intruders on our boat."
We all looked up at the roof in surprise. His voice sounded young, but too mature. I could barely recognize the man's figure; it was blending in with the darkness of the sky.
"Sorry if we..." Eiffel couldn't find the right words, making us look like vandals. Or worse, criminals.
"What's the use of your apology if you already did it?" The man said.
"Did what?" I asked. Patrick retreated. "You criminals need somethin' do ya?" He jumped down effortlessly and walked toward us.
The lightning tattoo next to his right eye was the first thing I saw in his face. He has a sharp nose, sea green eyes, and the top part of his hair is reserved while the rest is shaved. He carried a long metal that reached his shins. A gun. The biggest reveal was, he wasn't a man. It was a kid. A middle schooler that's a lot shorter than me if you look closely.
"Where's this boat heading?" Jason asked weakly. The blood on his head dried up in his scalp.
"North Brother Island."
"What does this boat contain?" I ask from the top of my head.
"Apparently, four criminals looking for something valuable."
"We're not criminals!" Patrick yelled.
"You shut up!" The kid shouted back, more fierce and powerful. He didn't even need his gun. "You dared to trespass without any knowledge about what's going on inside. I bet you're that burlap of yours contains something that belongs to us. Hand it over."
"Kid," Patrick feels powerful. "This bag has only our riches."
"You don't call weapons riches."
"Wait, how do you know it's--"
"Can't you see those lumps?"
"Okay...you got us." He said arrogantly. I elbow his rib.
"What the heck was that, Patrick?!" Eiffel whispered.
The kid raised his gun and grinned.
"Confess right this second what your motives are and no one gets hurt!" He shouted with more power.
Jason seemed to have awakened after the kid's command. He stood up on both feet and shook himself awake. The four of us huddled in a circle and whispered to each other. We had no other choice but to lie. But I think whispering to each other made things worse. Made us look suspicious.
"Is it really that hard to tell someone your intentions?" He said impatiently. He gave us a moment of silence. Then stopped after fifteen seconds.
"That's it!" He yelled furiously.
"Wait, kid!" Jason yelled back.
He tapped his left ear and kept his gun raised and spoke through an earpiece. "I need backup," He said calmly.
"Put your hands up in the air and don't move!" He gestured his gun to scare us. I wasn't scared, but I did it anyway. I think I just lied to myself.
Footsteps thudding against the floorboards. The sounds were scattered, they were surely all over the place. This is too much backup for one kid. How dangerous can he really be?
"You gotta be kidding me..." Patrick complained.
I stood infront of Eiffel and looked into her eyes. She's scared, I know. I felt sorry for getting her into this mess.
"Stay close." I said to her.
These men, more than nine dozens of them, pointed larger guns at us. A memory flashed back. All the clones back at the academy, about to shoot us. Did we escape, or have we just started a new wound? A boundless wound?
The thought kills me.