Read Online Anthology of Ichor III: Gears of Damnation by Kevin Breaux, Erik Johnson, Cynthia Ray, Jeffrey Hale, Bill Albert, Amanda Auverigne, Marc Sorondo, Gerry Huntman, AJ French - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kevin Breaux, Erik Johnson, Cynthia Ray, Jeffrey Hale, Bill Albert, Amanda Auverigne, Marc Sorondo, Gerry Huntman, AJ French
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Trevor.
"I know of no such thing," Trevor said. "I only know what you say about your ship going down but you never tell me where or when."
I froze as it hit me like a sucker punch in the gut. The anger drained from my features, and I couldn’t look him in the face any more.
Jason sounded the foghorn and I felt the rain start again.
I went downstairs and spent the next half hour taking care of the boiler. Other than Jason regularly sounding the foghorn all I could hear was the storm outside.
I sat down on the top step of the room to watch it churn a while and Steven joined me from above.
"You were the one who told me I would get used to him sooner or later. Seems like it is later for you."
"Yeah, well, he just hit me pretty hard up there. I haven't thought about that storm for months."
"He didn't mean to do that."
"I know he didn't mean nothing. I just wasn't ready for it, that's all."
"I am sorry," he said looking at me earnestly.
"Lost some good people in that storm. Two whole ships went down, maybe two or three dozen of us made it out."
The foghorn sounded.
On the days he cooked Steven set a fine table. The plates, forks, spoons, and knives were in their proper positions. None of us used them the right way but it felt kind of fancy anyway.
“ Almost like a real palace,” Jason had declared the first time they had sat down. Before it had been taken over by the army for the war this had actually been a privately owned islet. Some business man who had made a fortune at the turn of the century had named it Jessica’s Palace after his daughter. Of course, Trevor claimed to have seen her at one point and swore she was a looker. These days it was still referred to as The Palace.
Jason came in and sat down followed by Trevor. I couldn’t look at him and just stared at the plates.
Just as I was about to sit down thunder, very close this time, shook the lighthouse.
"That was too close," Steven said as Jason ran to the window and slammed shut the wooden cover.
"Shouldn't someone be up there, Trevor?" Jason asked.
"It be all right. The rain has stopped and we won't be eating for long."
"Let's eat this stuff before it goes bad on us," Steven said as he passed around the food.
“ This stuff is always bad on us," I laughed and immediately wished I hadn’t by the way Steven rolled his eyes in frustration. I forced a smile, taking a full fork into my mouth and chewing boldly. With everything he’d added to it almost didn’t taste completely like potatoes.
"The doors closed?" Trevor asked looking at his meal.
"And locked, Trevor." Steven said.
We ate quietly without saying a word and, just as the last of the food had been passed around the table as an extremely loud crack of thunder was heard, this time even closer than the one before. We froze as we sat. There was yet another crack of thunder as rain could be heard falling against the lighthouse. The sound of the storm stopped suddenly and there was silence.
"What was that? What happened to it all?" Jason said quickly.
Steven and I both turned to Trevor.
"Everyone downstairs, we'll sound the horn as we should," Trevor ordered.
We didn’t bother with the rest of the meal and were downstairs as fast as we could. Jason was nervous and Steven paced while I watched the pressure gauge on the boiler. Trevor stood near the door, listening for awhile, then walked across the room and sat on the bench beside me.
"I ain't sure I know what be happening out there," he whispered so only I could hear him.
"Me neither. What do you--?"
"I'm sorry, Fletcher. You know, about what I said before,” he said with an honesty on his face I’d never seen before. “I didn't know what happened to you two years ago, or where it happened. There weren’t no boat like I said out there."
I was so surprised by his confession I just nodded at him.
"You youngsters, many of you just don't listen to the old folks like me. You all just think we should be pushed out of the service.
"I know of no such thing," Trevor said. "I only know what you say about your ship going down but you never tell me where or when."
I froze as it hit me like a sucker punch in the gut. The anger drained from my features, and I couldn’t look him in the face any more.
Jason sounded the foghorn and I felt the rain start again.
I went downstairs and spent the next half hour taking care of the boiler. Other than Jason regularly sounding the foghorn all I could hear was the storm outside.
I sat down on the top step of the room to watch it churn a while and Steven joined me from above.
"You were the one who told me I would get used to him sooner or later. Seems like it is later for you."
"Yeah, well, he just hit me pretty hard up there. I haven't thought about that storm for months."
"He didn't mean to do that."
"I know he didn't mean nothing. I just wasn't ready for it, that's all."
"I am sorry," he said looking at me earnestly.
"Lost some good people in that storm. Two whole ships went down, maybe two or three dozen of us made it out."
The foghorn sounded.
On the days he cooked Steven set a fine table. The plates, forks, spoons, and knives were in their proper positions. None of us used them the right way but it felt kind of fancy anyway.
“ Almost like a real palace,” Jason had declared the first time they had sat down. Before it had been taken over by the army for the war this had actually been a privately owned islet. Some business man who had made a fortune at the turn of the century had named it Jessica’s Palace after his daughter. Of course, Trevor claimed to have seen her at one point and swore she was a looker. These days it was still referred to as The Palace.
Jason came in and sat down followed by Trevor. I couldn’t look at him and just stared at the plates.
Just as I was about to sit down thunder, very close this time, shook the lighthouse.
"That was too close," Steven said as Jason ran to the window and slammed shut the wooden cover.
"Shouldn't someone be up there, Trevor?" Jason asked.
"It be all right. The rain has stopped and we won't be eating for long."
"Let's eat this stuff before it goes bad on us," Steven said as he passed around the food.
“ This stuff is always bad on us," I laughed and immediately wished I hadn’t by the way Steven rolled his eyes in frustration. I forced a smile, taking a full fork into my mouth and chewing boldly. With everything he’d added to it almost didn’t taste completely like potatoes.
"The doors closed?" Trevor asked looking at his meal.
"And locked, Trevor." Steven said.
We ate quietly without saying a word and, just as the last of the food had been passed around the table as an extremely loud crack of thunder was heard, this time even closer than the one before. We froze as we sat. There was yet another crack of thunder as rain could be heard falling against the lighthouse. The sound of the storm stopped suddenly and there was silence.
"What was that? What happened to it all?" Jason said quickly.
Steven and I both turned to Trevor.
"Everyone downstairs, we'll sound the horn as we should," Trevor ordered.
We didn’t bother with the rest of the meal and were downstairs as fast as we could. Jason was nervous and Steven paced while I watched the pressure gauge on the boiler. Trevor stood near the door, listening for awhile, then walked across the room and sat on the bench beside me.
"I ain't sure I know what be happening out there," he whispered so only I could hear him.
"Me neither. What do you--?"
"I'm sorry, Fletcher. You know, about what I said before,” he said with an honesty on his face I’d never seen before. “I didn't know what happened to you two years ago, or where it happened. There weren’t no boat like I said out there."
I was so surprised by his confession I just nodded at him.
"You youngsters, many of you just don't listen to the old folks like me. You all just think we should be pushed out of the service.
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