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Milo scoffed. “God, no. If I have to hear that one again, I’ll lose it. What about ‘Santiana?’”
“Maybe if I remembered the words. It’s been a hell of a while for me. Best I can do is ‘Leave Her Johnny.’” I shrugged.
“Aye, yeah, that’s a good one. Allright.” Milo straightened his shoulders and smacked his fist against the wood of the cabin bunks to create the beat and we threw out the lyrics to our shanty. I’d only get so many words in before laughing and fumbling with the whole thing, but of course kiss-ass Milo would leave me hanging and keep going. I caught up and then we sang the chorus as the girls laughed at our god-awful voices.
They applauded as we finished. “See? That was amazing.” Katrina laughed, pulling her hair off her shoulders. “One more!”
“I was hoping the thunder outside would drown us out.” Milo chuckled, tossing the bottle cap into the floor.
The girls begged again relentlessly. Maybe they used their siren powers to control us, because I agreed to another one.
“Allright, fine, but only if I get to pick the next song and it’s not a shanty.” I laid out my conditions with a grin. “Milo, I don’t know if you’ll recognize this one.”
Silence fell as Milo gave me a curious look and the girls leaned in. I wiped my mouth after a mouthful of beer and began my serenade. I’d only gotten a couple of lines in when a huge smile spread across Katrina’s face. “Oh my gosh...Please tell me where you learned ‘Carry on Wayward Son!’”
“The ship radio and lots of hours at the wheel.” I stomped my feet, continuing the song and dragging Milo into the next chorus with a nudge. He always picked up lyrics fast. Something about that weird memory of his served more purpose than just navigation. As we belted out the words, I added in the stomp of my boot. The sea tossed us around, but we kept singing, and before long the girls joined in, all of us arm-in-arm in our small circle on the floor.
By the time we’d finished the song, the sounds of the storm outside were raging, the waves clawing at the sides of the ship like vicious monsters.
I looked up, my tone turned serious. “I’d say there’s another hour and a half of this at least.”
“This little thing isn’t meant to be in winds like this.” Milo uttered. “I hope she holds out.”
“You and me both.” Katrina shuddered and closed a blanket around her and Milo.
And then a crash sent us tumbling to the floor. The lanterns toppled over, getting snuffed out, and chaos broke loose as we were slammed around every which way in the cabin. I reached for Serena, holding onto her as best I could and shielding her head. A crack of thunder shook the cabin and then all the movement stopped. I shook myself off and then felt around in the dark, calling out the names of my friends.
“We’re here.” Katrina said. I followed her voice, and we huddled together in the dark.
“I think she’s capsized,” Milo said.
“But we’re not moving.” Serena added.
I felt around for the hatch. It wasn’t above us, and when I found the handle on the wall, I knew we’d been tipped over. “Right here.” I ushered them over, opening the hatch to the sight of an empty shore, the storm still overhead. But we were ran aground. Sideways.
“Shitty anchor.” I climbed out the hatch and examined the damage. Milo followed, and we looked at each other as the rain whipped our faces. We’d at least crashed on a small isle, with a small line of trees helping to barricade us from the wind.
“She doesn’t look too damaged. We can tip her back over once the skies clear!” He shouted over the gusts and thunder.
We nodded, and then reentered the boat cabin. I didn’t realize quite how tired I was. As I sat with Serena to the sound of the rain through the open hatch, my eyes found themselves heavy.
35
Until the End
Bellamy
Serena’s voice gently woke me. “The storm is gone.”
“Fantastic.” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “How long was I asleep?”
“A couple of hours. I didn’t want to wake you. You looked like you needed the rest.”
The cabin was aglow now, lit up the color of fire as the light of sunset beamed in through the hatch against the cabin’s cherry wood stain. “Where are Katrina and Milo?”
“They went to find food. They won’t be gone long.”
I tousled my hands through my hair. “They’re finally getting some alone time after Milo spent two years at sea. They’ll be gone a while.”
