he answered. “A freighter just south of Canada.”
“Wh-what?”
“Like I said, Wallace was ‘bout to kill you when I came in. I did all but rip his arms off but Ben and Reid had me back long enough that he crawled out the back.”
I covered my ears with my hands. My head was pounding and I didn’t want to hear anymore, but he kept on talking. If I didn’t hear, then maybe I could make it untrue; maybe I could make it go away.
“You wouldn’t wake up and we had port to make…” His voice trailed off, but it still stayed tight; rough along the edges.
“Then why didn’t you just leave me there?” I screamed. “Or just leave me at a hospital somewhere?”
He shrugged. “‘Cause we all kinda figured you’d die, and nobody wanted a murder charge.”
I stifled a gasp. I didn’t want to think of myself with murder, particularly as a murder victim. The entire concept made me shudder.
“No,” I said firmly. “This is not happening. No, no, no, no, no.”
He laughed. Again I couldn’t believe it, thought I must have misheard the sound, but when I looked up, he was smiling.
“That’s a real funny way to say ‘thank you.’”
I took my hands from my head. In the moment, the anger steadied me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to strike him down by sheer force of will.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I did save your life and all.” His smile widened.
My initial analysis had been incorrect. Here I was thinking that I was crazy for finding this person attractive, and then arguing with him, and even willingly conversing with him, suffering from the early stages of some madness. It was made clear to me now that I was the only sane person in the room.
“Are you kidding?”
He laughed. I still liked the sound and hated myself instantly. “You would be dead if it wasn’t for me.”
“I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for you.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
I shuddered. “You’re disgusting.”
Charlie glared at me, but said nothing and only broke his stare when he saw me stand up.
I immediately went for the door. I was surprised to find it unlocked, but outside it only led to a narrow hallway with metal white pipes and linoleum floors. I considered that may have been some sort of elaborate prison constructed for their victims, but then shook my head. I needed to find an exit. I looked left and right, but neither direction offered anything different.
Taking a guess, I ran to the right and kept right on running. I passed a series of simple doors that were unlabeled, but I threw my fists on them anyway, hoping someone would come out and help. Below me the floor shifted and swelled, knocking me over.
“Guess you ain’t got your sea legs yet, huh?” Charlie was standing above me then. I guess I hadn’t gotten as far as I had hoped. My breath heaved with anger and my head pulsed with pain.
“Take. Me. Home,” I demanded.
“I. Can’t.” He seemed amused and held out a hand to help me up. Only this time I didn’t accept it and picked myself back up. I glared at him with all of the mental daggers I could throw and continued walking down the hall. He followed at a distance he deemed safe.
“Fine, but you or one of your thieving friends will have to shoot me if you expect me to cooperate. I’ll find my own way out of here.”
He laughed. “What part of ‘in the middle of the Atlantic’ don’t you understand?”
“I don’t believe you.” That wasn’t entirely true. It was more like I didn’t want to believe him, but as my senses tuned in to the sounds of calamity above us and the floor continued to sway ever so slightly, I was beginning to fear it was true.
He stopped laughing and became serious again. “Wait here a second.” He then ran back in the direction we had come from. Or at least I think it was the same direction. I reached up and grabbed a long strip of piping that had some kind of meshing attached around it. When I let go, my fingers were covered with grease
“Wh-what?”
“Like I said, Wallace was ‘bout to kill you when I came in. I did all but rip his arms off but Ben and Reid had me back long enough that he crawled out the back.”
I covered my ears with my hands. My head was pounding and I didn’t want to hear anymore, but he kept on talking. If I didn’t hear, then maybe I could make it untrue; maybe I could make it go away.
“You wouldn’t wake up and we had port to make…” His voice trailed off, but it still stayed tight; rough along the edges.
“Then why didn’t you just leave me there?” I screamed. “Or just leave me at a hospital somewhere?”
He shrugged. “‘Cause we all kinda figured you’d die, and nobody wanted a murder charge.”
I stifled a gasp. I didn’t want to think of myself with murder, particularly as a murder victim. The entire concept made me shudder.
“No,” I said firmly. “This is not happening. No, no, no, no, no.”
He laughed. Again I couldn’t believe it, thought I must have misheard the sound, but when I looked up, he was smiling.
“That’s a real funny way to say ‘thank you.’”
I took my hands from my head. In the moment, the anger steadied me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to strike him down by sheer force of will.
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I did save your life and all.” His smile widened.
My initial analysis had been incorrect. Here I was thinking that I was crazy for finding this person attractive, and then arguing with him, and even willingly conversing with him, suffering from the early stages of some madness. It was made clear to me now that I was the only sane person in the room.
“Are you kidding?”
He laughed. I still liked the sound and hated myself instantly. “You would be dead if it wasn’t for me.”
“I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for you.”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
I shuddered. “You’re disgusting.”
Charlie glared at me, but said nothing and only broke his stare when he saw me stand up.
I immediately went for the door. I was surprised to find it unlocked, but outside it only led to a narrow hallway with metal white pipes and linoleum floors. I considered that may have been some sort of elaborate prison constructed for their victims, but then shook my head. I needed to find an exit. I looked left and right, but neither direction offered anything different.
Taking a guess, I ran to the right and kept right on running. I passed a series of simple doors that were unlabeled, but I threw my fists on them anyway, hoping someone would come out and help. Below me the floor shifted and swelled, knocking me over.
“Guess you ain’t got your sea legs yet, huh?” Charlie was standing above me then. I guess I hadn’t gotten as far as I had hoped. My breath heaved with anger and my head pulsed with pain.
“Take. Me. Home,” I demanded.
“I. Can’t.” He seemed amused and held out a hand to help me up. Only this time I didn’t accept it and picked myself back up. I glared at him with all of the mental daggers I could throw and continued walking down the hall. He followed at a distance he deemed safe.
“Fine, but you or one of your thieving friends will have to shoot me if you expect me to cooperate. I’ll find my own way out of here.”
He laughed. “What part of ‘in the middle of the Atlantic’ don’t you understand?”
“I don’t believe you.” That wasn’t entirely true. It was more like I didn’t want to believe him, but as my senses tuned in to the sounds of calamity above us and the floor continued to sway ever so slightly, I was beginning to fear it was true.
He stopped laughing and became serious again. “Wait here a second.” He then ran back in the direction we had come from. Or at least I think it was the same direction. I reached up and grabbed a long strip of piping that had some kind of meshing attached around it. When I let go, my fingers were covered with grease
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