Apocalyptic Pirates 4, page 23
“Tarragon,” Letty told me with a knowledgeable air.
“That’s an herb, right?” I guessed.
“It goes great with fish and chicken.” She nodded. “I reckon that’s what’s in this.”
“Well, it certainly tastes great,” I said and waved to Stella to show how much I was enjoying the lunch.
She gave me a grave nod, but she seemed pleased by the praise, all the same.
“So, Drew.” Kemelia scanned the horizon with a wrinkled brow. “What’s next for you after San Andres?”
“Hawaii,” I replied. “Eventually. My parents and daughter are on Niihau. That’s where we’re heading.”
“That’s a long trip.” She raised her eyebrows.
“That’s what everyone tells me,” I said with a chuckle.
“So that must mean you’re headed for the Panama Canal, right?” Kemelia frowned. “I haven’t heard good things about the situation down there.”
“Dragons or humans?” I questioned.
“Dragons,” she replied. “I’ve got family down that way, and from what they say, the Canal is just full of dragons. Panama is basically a jungle down there, so they’ve got plenty of places to hide.”
“That’s a blow,” I said with a frown. “We’ll have to be extra careful when we get there.”
“It’s less than three hundred miles from here,” Kemelia said. “It shouldn’t take you too long.”
“We’re actually taking a detour before we get there,” I explained. “Dia has family in Cartagena, so we’re stopping off there first to try and find them.”
“Oh, wow.” Kemelia raised her eyebrows. “That is quite a detour.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “But it’s Dia’s family. If they’re in Cartagena, we have to try and find them.”
“You’re a good man, Drew.” Kemelia smiled. “First Ray and Valerie, and now you’re helping out Dia. That’s impressive.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” I rubbed the back of my neck and gave an awkward chuckle.
“Don’t let him be modest, Kemelia,” Ally called out. “Drew’s a damn fine man, even if he won’t admit it.”
I could feel my face turning red.
“Anyway,” I hurried on. “Have you heard anything about the situation in Cartagena? Dragons, gangs, violent criminals?”
“Not specifically.” Kemelia shook her head. “But I’m sure you’ll manage whatever you find there.”
“Thanks,” I said with a grin. “It’s always nice to have a vote of confidence.”
“I wouldn’t have thought you’d need one,” she chuckled. “You seem to be managing just fine.”
“Well, thank you,” I replied. “I appreciate that. Honestly, I’m just trying to reach Hawaii in one piece so I can see my daughter again.”
“It must be hard for you to be separated from her,” Kemelia noted.
“Yeah, it is.” I sighed. “We FaceTime a lot, and my parents are with her, so I know she’s being taken care of, and Niihau actually seems to be one of the safest places she could be right now. But still. It’s hard.”
“I can imagine,” Kemelia said in a sympathetic voice. “I don’t have any kids, but my brother does, and I’m really close with them all. They’re in Panama, and it hurts not being able to be with them right now. It’s always hard being apart from family, but especially in the bad times, you know?”
“I know exactly,” I said. “It’s like a physical pain.”
Kemelia nodded. We sat together in companionable silence for a little while.
Then my phone vibrated in my pocket.
I pulled it out and saw that it was a YouTube notification from the same government news channel as before. When I clicked on the YouTube app and waited what seemed like ages for the homepage to load, I saw that a bunch of other news channels that I followed had also just uploaded new videos.
I clicked on the most recent, and once it finally finished buffering, I held the phone up so Kemelia could also see.
“The government strikes against the dragon nests have been a roaring success,” the news anchor announced. “Widespread attacks against the dragons threatening our world were announced yesterday by the White House, and in the wake of this news, we now have exclusive footage of the promised strike action that took place today. Tony, roll the clip.”
Chapter 14
“Let me see.” Shannon reached across the table and grabbed my hand to turn the phone around.
I placed the phone on the table so it was in plain view, and everyone leaned over it so quickly that their heads almost cracked together.
I glanced up at Kemelia’s startled face. Her eyes were wide, and her brow was furrowed in a puzzled expression. But there wasn’t time to say anything to her before the clip started playing.
The video showed the now-familiar sight of a dragon nest. The camera started on a close-up and focused on the collection of dull, bronze-colored eggs in the nest before it slowly began to zoom out. It cut to a wide shot that showed the clawed-up earth and broken-down trees surrounding the nest. There was no sound, and for a moment I wondered if my phone volume had managed to turn itself down.
Then there was a roar from off-screen. A trio of fighter jets screamed through the sky in the background. There was the sound of an explosion, and then the jets screamed by again.
The camera cut to an overhead shot as the jets swooped over the nest, and then we heard another explosion, and the nest disappeared under a cloud of thick black smoke and a ball of orange fire that billowed up from the ground.
The clip ended, and the video cut back to the news anchor in the studio.
“Quite an impressive sight there,” the news anchor remarked. “These military strikes took place across the country and authorities have reported a success rate that is in keeping with the military’s projected result for this event.”
Another clip began to play. This one showed the fighter jets landing on an airfield before cutting to a group of pilots in an aircraft hangar hugging each other and pumping their fists in the air.
It cut to a close up of one of the pilots who was grinning broadly into the camera.
“Yeah, it was an intense operation,” he said. “But me and the boys did our best, and we’re just so thrilled that we managed to strike back at this threat to our nation’s safety.”
The video went back to the news anchor, who looked a little bored by the whole thing.
“Great news from our troops there,” she said. “We will keep you updated as we receive more updates on the US strikes along the meteorite belt.”
The video ended.
Silence fell over the table. The only sound was the hushing of waves over the sand, and the cry of a seabird overhead.
“I guess they didn’t strike the nests on Providencia, then,” Kemelia finally said.
She didn’t sound convinced, and her brow was still puckered in confusion.
“We surely would have heard something if those jets had flown nearby,” Ray said.
“Maybe they just haven’t got to it yet,” Ally suggested. “They’ve got to be dealing with hundreds of nests. Maybe Providencia is next on the list.”
Her light-green eyes were wide and hopeful, and she looked around the table with an eagerness that made a weird knot in my heart.
Despite everything, Ally was hopeful that the world was a good place. It didn’t make any sense to me, but I knew that when times were hard, people would often either lean into the idea that everyone they met was a total bastard, or develop an unshakeable conviction that somehow everything would turn out alright in the end.
The hopeful light in Ally’s eyes was infectious. Kemelia started to nod, and Ray and Valerie looked at each other and gave a shrug.
“It could be that,” Valerie said.
Dia was biting down on her lower lip, and I got the feeling she was making a huge effort to hold back a disdainful rant about the likelihood of that being the case.
I brushed her knee lightly with my foot under the table, and when she started and looked up at me, I gave her a smile to show that I saw the effort she was making.
She gave me a little smile in return and then took another bite of her sandwich.
“That sounds plausible,” Shannon acknowledged in cautious tones. “We don’t really know for sure how widespread the nests are, and they can’t possibly have logged all of them. Maybe Providencia just slipped through the net. Stuff like that does happen.”
“Yes,” Kemelia agreed.
“Also, as far as we know, there’s no one left on Providencia,” Ally continued. “So maybe they’re concentrating the strikes on the areas that pose the most danger to civilians and targeting the isolated areas last.”
Ally’s eyes met mine. I could see the eager smile hovering around her mouth, and despite everything, I couldn’t bear to snatch that precious gleam of hope away from her.
“That could be it,” I said. “There’s so much that we don’t know about this situation. Anything could be happening behind the scenes.”
Ally nodded, and Kemelia smiled around at all of us.
I took in a quick breath, and as I raised my glass to my mouth for another drink, I felt someone’s foot graze my thigh. I looked up to see Dia watching me with a curious little smile on her face. She raised her eyebrows at me, and I gave her the tiniest shrug in return.
It felt like we were on the same wavelength. We were both skeptical about the video on the news, but neither of us wanted to be assholes about it.
Shannon and Letty probably shared more of my cynicism than they were letting on, but Shannon would want to give the military the benefit of the doubt, and Letty’s Southern courtesy would probably hold her back from being so outspokenly skeptical in front of Kemelia, who was technically our host, and Ray and Valerie, whom she wouldn’t want to discourage.
“You know, Drew,” Kemelia said. “All of this is probably happening because of you.”
“Me?” I asked. “Why on earth would you think that?”
“Your videos,” she said, as though it were obvious. “What’s changed between a week ago and now? Your videos have gone viral. They’re everywhere, and the US government must have advisors keeping tabs on these things. They must be able to guess that you’re not going to stop uploading the truth where everybody can see it.”
“I don’t know.” I was dubious. “That’s a very bold claim to make. There must be plenty of other things going on right now that pushed them into making the strike.”
“Maybe,” Kemelia acknowledged. “But you would have been one of those things. Even if you don’t want to believe that you were the main cause of it, you’ve still helped bring this about.”
“Yeah, Drew,” Letty chimed in. “Seriously, I don’t think you properly understand how important the videos have become to people.”
“I was talking about the videos with some of the hotel staff,” Ray said. “They couldn’t sing your praises loud enough.”
“You’ve really helped make a difference,” Kemelia insisted.
“Aww, he’s blushing,” Shannon teased.
“It just seems ridiculous,” I muttered.
“What’s that thing about butterflies?” Ally said. “You know, small things having a big impact.”
“Chaos theory.” Valerie nodded.
“And a film with Ashton Kutcher,” Letty put in.
“Good film,” Dia noted.
“So you’re saying I’m Ashton Kutcher?” I chuckled. “Gee, thanks.”
“Take it as a compliment,” Letty said with a wink.
“I don’t know anything about the film, but I do know that you’ve helped us a lot.” Kemelia raised her glass. “To Drew, Ally, Shannon, Letty, and Dia. We can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve given us.”
Now it was the women’s turn to blush as everyone at the table raised their glasses in a toast.
And with that, it was soon time to say goodbye to San Andres.
James helped me load up the fuel we’d traded for, and the rest of the islanders gathered on the dock to see us off.
“Now, you remember what I told you about keeping your lines straight,” Valerie told me. “And be patient. Fishing is a waiting game.”
“I’ll remember,” I promised.
She opened her arms and enveloped me in a huge hug.
“Take care, darlin’,” she whispered in my ear.
“You, too,” I told her with a lump in my throat.
I would miss her and Ray. Their warm, quiet wisdom had been such a reassurance, and their lively, loving companionship had been wonderful to see.
“You make sure you let those ribs heal, okay?” I told her in a stern voice. “Listen to Ray when he tells you to slow down.”
“Oh, cheeky,” she retorted. “I’ll slow down when I’m dead, you hear me?”
She smiled at me, even though her eyes were glistening.
Ray pulled me into a hug as well and clapped his hand on my back.
“You be careful now, son,” he said. “I know you’ll take care of the others, but don’t forget to take care of yourself as well.”
“I’ll try,” I assured him.
Kemelia shook my hand with a firm grip.
“Thank you for all your help here, Drew,” she told me.
“You’re welcome,” I replied. “We were really glad to help you guys out.”
“I appreciate it,” she said.
I hesitated for a moment. I was unsure whether to say anything or not, but I didn’t think my conscience would allow me to leave the island without sharing some of my concerns with her. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her or the rest of the islanders when I might have been able to help prevent it.
“I think you should be careful and not trust the news stories,” I said in a low voice. “Ally might be right, and the military strikes might just not have reached Providencia yet. But in case they don’t get here, or if it takes a while before they do… Just be careful.”
Kemelia searched my face intently.
“What do you think is going to happen?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know anything for sure. All I do know is that we have to be very careful about the people and the information that we trust right now.”
“Well, I trust you, Drew,” she said in a firm voice. “Your instincts don’t seem to have led you astray so far. You’ve navigated your crew through some tough times and come out okay on the other side. I’ll keep my eyes open, and I’ll be careful.”
“Thank you.” I nodded. “I’m not saying that you wouldn’t have been careful anyway… I just wanted to say something, that was all.”
“No, I understand,” she replied. “And I appreciate it.”
I stuck out my hand, and we shook again on it.
Then the women and I climbed aboard the yacht. Ally went into the cockpit to start the engine to get us out into the open water, and the rest of us stood on deck and waved to the islanders until they, the dock, and the island of San Andres had faded away into the horizon.
Ally cut the engine, hoisted the sail, and set the autopilot. Then she came out on deck to stand with us by the railing. I put my arm around her, and she leaned her head against my shoulder and heaved a deep sigh.
“I didn’t think I would be so sad to leave them,” Letty said in a soft voice.
“Me, neither,” Dia agreed. “We only knew Ray and Valerie for a little while, but I’ll miss them.”
“So will I,” Shannon said.
“Me, too,” Ally echoed.
“We did the right thing,” I assured them. “They’ll be safer on San Andres than they would have been if they stayed on Providencia. And they wouldn’t have come with us on the yacht. It’s crowded enough in here as it is, and they’d hate to impose or expect anything. You know that.”
“I know.” Ally sighed again.
I squeezed her close to me and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead.
I couldn’t help but turn over Kemelia’s words in my mind.
It was true what I’d told her. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I only had vague suspicions so far about the bigger picture, but I knew for sure that there had to be more going on with this situation than what first seemed obvious.
The fact that we hadn’t seen or heard any sign that there were strikes happening nearby was suspicious. San Andres was around a hundred and twenty miles from the mainland. That wasn’t the shortest distance, but it seemed odd that we hadn’t heard or seen anything from either Providencia or mainland Nicaragua. The sea had been still, and the weather was bright and clear all morning.
There was the possibility that the strikes had happened at night, and that the storm had masked the sound of the jets. But the weather had been terrible, so surely that would have prevented flights in the night.
Unless it was what Ally had theorized, and the storm itself had prevented the strikes from taking place nearby. Maybe they were due to happen today or tomorrow while the weather was clear.
I wondered where the strike that they’d filmed had taken place. I didn’t recognize the location, but that was hardly surprising considering how many nests there must be by now. It had been the most unremarkable stretch of ground, and I figured that most people would have been hard-pressed to locate it.
Was that the point? Had they deliberately chosen the most featureless bit of land they could find and filmed it so that no one could comment on its location and find out the areas that the military were targeting first?
I sighed internally. I was beginning to sound like the users on that forum of Daryl’s. Maybe I should tell the women to make sure I didn’t start defacing posters of The X-Files. Ironically, it seemed that the line between paranoia and cynicism was about as thin as the line between reality and cynicism.
“What are you thinking about, Drew?” Ally asked me in a soft voice.
“Cynicism,” I replied.
Ally made a little “hmm” noise in her throat. She was quiet for a while.
“I know I’m not as cynical as you are,” she said finally in a voice that was almost too soft for me to hear. “I just don’t think it’s in my nature to think about people in the way that you and the others do.”
