Lifeboat

Chapter Three

Frozen in motion, unsure what to believe, wondering whether he'd heard right. The deafening roar of snarling and guttural slobbering filled the air. Alexander couldn't remember the precise moment Gwen had clung to him, uncertain and shaken by the way Kade had been effected by whatever it was he had seen.

"Dead men, dead women... and children... an army of the dead," Alexander could hear the older boy unhinging with every new wave of bestial growling.

There was a splash and a thud against the port bow and Alexander turned in disbelief as a two wet hands followed by a mass of dripping dark hair atop a pale face pulled itself up, over the rail and down onto the deck like a landed eel. A man in tattered clothing, his eyes bulging before they focused on the cringing quartet and focused. "Well you've got yourself into a bit of a pickle I see," Scandinavian and very clearly alive.

Alexander went to rise but the dripping arrival gestured with his hands for him to keep low, "You don't want them to see you." He added in a low voice, "they might have your scent but they won't know you're here unless they see you."

Alexander didn't know what to say to that so he said nothing. Gwen was still holding onto him, her eyes locked upon the newcomer. Tom was nearby looking anxiously up at the crows nest where they could now hear Albert openly sobbing. It was at this moment Alexander realised Kade was gone. He hadn't even heard the hatch open or shut.

"If they see you they'll hunt you until they get you," he added crawling on his knees and elbows slowly toward them. Alexander pulled his sister behind him, his dagger now in his hand. "Now what would you be doing with that?" It was an accusation clearly enough. "I've not done anything to you... yet"

Now why had he thought the 'yet' was necessary?

"You are trespassing sir," Alexander did his best to try and sound commanding, a difficult task when you're sprawled on the ground hiding behind roll of sail cloth.

"You're the Captain then?" He wasn't sneering but Alexander didn't like his tone just the same. Thinking about it though he'd met very few Scandinavian's and realised he wouldn't know if the man was actually taking a tone with him.

"The ship is at my command," it was mostly true. All senior crew presently unaccounted for.

"See now what you should have said was something like 'the rest of the crew will be back soon' or something like that," now Alexander knew he was sneering at him. The squeeze on his arm from Gwen suggested she knew it too. He'd made a terrible mistake. "If you're in charge it wouldn't take much to alter that,"

Alexander shifted the weight of the dagger in his hand in a gesture he hoped was threatening.

"Put it away boy," the Scandinavian hedged, "you need me right now more than you need this ship, or rather if you want to keep it,"

"What are you talking about?" Alexander held the dagger firmly, "what are those things?"

"Let me below and I'll explain it to you,"

"I've the advantage here," he felt the need to say it out loud.

"And you feel the need to say it out loud enough to convince whom?" That made Alexander flinch.

The Scandinavian was actually smiling now, "hear me boy, you can keep your advantage, you can keep your knife. The only thing I want from you is way out of the accursed land."

Alexander was unconvinced.

"A beautiful vessel you have here most certainly," he added sincerely, "I couldn't crew it by myself if I wanted to,"

"What is your request?" Remaining the captains son to the last Alexander hoped he'd paid enough attention to his father in the last month.

"In an hour or so the tide is going to come in." He started holding both hands out in supplication, "when that happens your boat here is going to be lifted from the mud and pushed right up to the bank, at which point you're about to get somewhat more than just one unwelcome guest, and I don't bite."