Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
“They threw it out,” Adrian responds, matter-of-fact, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I found it in the garbage heap below deck, right next to what I’m convinced was a composting toilet that nobody ever actually emptied. It’s not broken. Or, well, it is. But it’s fixable, I’m pretty sure. These guys just didn’t know what they were doing.”
I stare at him for a second. “So these idiots had a communication device, but because it was broken they just tossed it and decided to fucking sail these waters without a single way of communication.”
Adrian stares at me, like I just said something completely stupid. “They’re pirates, Grace, not geniuses. They were probably going to get another one when they next docked.”
Kellen snorts.
I roll my eyes.
“What’s wrong with it, then?” I ask.
Adrian doesn’t look up, his hands are already pulling at wires. “I’m not certain. Looks like someone tried to ‘fix’ it with duct tape and leftover copper wire. Which would have worked, if they had any idea what they were actually doing.”
Ace leans over with his arms folded. “How long do you think before you can get it working?”
“That, my friend, depends on your willingness to scavenge,” Adrian says, shoving his glasses back up on his nose as he stares up at Ace. “I need wires. Metal. A battery that holds a charge. Actually, anything with a charge. Basically anything electronic on this ship needs to be brought to me, because I need a miracle.”
Zeke claps his hands together. “Alright, Kellen, you and me, we’re hitting the engine room. Everything that looks like a wire or a battery, we’re bringing it up here. Don’t care how fucked it is, just bring it.”
Kellen nods, and I see just a smidge of hope in his eyes. Adrian continues. “Aggie, Kaylee, see if there’s anything in the captain’s station that even vaguely connects to power. Anything. A light, a bulb, a fan, I don’t care. That woman here was nothing if not a hoarder, so maybe luck will be on our side.”
Aggie swipes away the remnants of tears, straightens her shoulders, a new burst of life. She has a new mission. She doesn’t hesitate. “Okay, come on Kaylee, let’s go.”
Kaylee gives a nervous nod and follows her lead. And then it’s just me, Ace, Rachel, and a girl dying in a dark room.
“What do I do?” Rachel asks, her voice barely a whisper.
Ace looks over at her. “See if you can wash any of the towels and bedding that we used, as we are going to need more.”
She nods, without a word, turns and leaves.
I turn to Ace. “What can I do?”
He looks at the back of my hand, still tinged with dried blood, then runs a thumb over my knuckles as if it bothers him more than it bothers me. “You sit with Tati,” he murmurs. “Keep her warm, hydrated and safe.”
I clear my throat, try to be tough. “On it. If anything changes, yell for me, okay?”
He nods and is gone, taking the longest, slowest look at my face before turning. I step back into the room we put Tati in. She is awake, but as still as a corpse. The only thing that tells me she is breathing still, is the slow rise and fall of her chest. I have to swallow twice before I can speak. “Hey,” I say, offering a small smile.
She doesn’t answer, but she gives me the smallest, weakest smile.
I go and sit down beside her, crossing my legs. “You’re going to be okay, you know that, right? We’re all going to make it. Adrian found a radio...”
She shifts, slow and heavy. “Bullshit,” she grates, but there is a soft smile playing around her lips. “If I die... can you tell everyone I got taken down by a mob of angry pirates fighting for my life. Don’t tell them I slipped and impaled myself. That is a horrible ending.”
I try to laugh, but it comes out as a sob, tight and painful. “You’re not going anywhere. I’ll glue you together if I have to.”
Her hand finds mine, it’s warm, but clammy. “How does something like this even happen?” she asks, voice trembling. “Like, how dumb am I. I impaled myself. Has that even happened to someone before?”
I smile, even though it feels as though the entirety of my insides are shaking. “I honestly have no idea. But it wasn’t anyone’s fault. You were just trying to fix things.”
She snorts. “Some fixer. Can’t even keep myself together.”
“Hey, shush,” I say. “You’re the only person I know who could survive a splinter the size of a baseball bat through your gut. Just hang in there, yeah? Adrian’s going to fix that radio, and everything will be okay.”
She licks her lips and looks at me with something like awe. “Somehow, Grace, you always make it sound like things aren’t fucked. Even when they are.”