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When our stomachs were full and the boys couldn’t sit still any longer, we cleaned up and headed out. More stairwells, but at least I would have an amazing ass after taking the stairs everywhere I went for a year.
Lori shoved open a large door that squeaked like a cattle gate. It thudded as it slammed to the side, and we stepped out into the sun. If I had known this woman better, I would have stripped down to my underwear and run around the deck, letting the rays touch every inch of my skin. As thankful as I was for a bed, food, and safety, the darkness was hard to ignore. It sucked me into a void, but the sun awakened my senses again.
I was right about the movement of the ship. The wind whipped around us as the vessel sped along the water. “Do you know where we’re going, or where we are?” I asked.
Lori shrugged her shoulders. “Not a damn clue,” she responded. “We’re getting somewhere fast.”
I thought for a moment. “They have to outrun the line of storms and any other boats. We are either going far out to the middle of nowhere or hauling it to the Panama Canal.”
Lori shot her head towards me, and her eyes squinted. “That’s intuitive. Or do you have some inside information?”
“Those are just my thoughts. I know far less than you could imagine about this ship.”
“Oh, I can imagine quite a bit. You’re connected to Lieutenant Riggs somehow. Care to share?”
I should have known part of this stroll would be a fact-finding mission. The boys were running in circles, enthralled with an energetic game of tag. “I’ve known him my entire life,” I admitted.
Lori gave a small grunt. “So sorry to hear that, dear,” and we both laughed. “I’ve worked with Riggs for the past eight years. He’s something else.”
“He has a way of getting what he wants.”
Most of the decks were open, with occasional stairs leading you up or down a few levels. The end of the ship was nowhere in sight. Its size was still a mystery. We stopped in front of ten-foot-high gates wrapped in barbed wire. Armed soldiers stood on either side of a wide steel door.
“This is foreboding,” I sputtered.
Lori moved closer to my side. “This is the agriculture department.”
“What?” I muttered under my breath. Several cameras were lining the gates and murky plastic covered the walls from top to bottom. I couldn’t see through, but beyond the top of the barbed wire, I could make out the roofs of greenhouses. The place gave me the creeps, and I had to work there.
Lori crossed her arms and kept walking. I shuffled behind her, craning my neck to spot a view of the inside. “You’ll be in there soon enough, right?” she said.
“Oh, did I tell you my assignment?” I asked, knowing damn well I didn’t.
“No, but I know Riggs runs the ag unit. I’ll get all my produce through him.”
“Okay,” I responded. That wasn’t an explanation of how she knew my assignment, but I always found it best to let people sit in their silence - a trick learned from my dear Dean. They usually spat out more than they intended.
We walked in peace for a moment, watching the boys continue to sprint around, unaffected by the wire and guns and strangeness of it all.
“I like you,” Lori admitted. “There’s something about you. We’re going to be friends.”
“I’d like that,” I said. That was true. We were similar in age and both had young children to care for, but it was more than that. I felt at ease with Lori. Maybe I didn’t trust her yet, but I saw myself getting there.
“You know, maybe it’s the fact that you look at Riggs like I do. You respect him, but you despise him a little too. I watched you the other day. You’re careful when you speak to him because you know what he is. You know what he’s capable of. When he came into the kitchen, he said you’ve known each other since you were children. I take it you saw him become what he is today.”
“And what is that?”
“Someone who is running agriculture, but spent his whole military career with drones. Someone who has lined up every person he has any connection to in that agriculture unit, even if their experience was puppetry or underwater basket weaving.”
“Well, we are all learning new things to survive. We have to get back to basics to have things like food. He’s chipping in.”
“He has automatic weapons by tents of seeds and soil – armed guards and cameras over lettuce.”
“What are you saying?” I grumbled. Lori had a point, and I needed her to get to it.
“I’m saying they aren’t growing just vegetables in there. But you’re a smart girl, right? You’ll take care of yourself, stay out of his way. Keep those boys out of his way.”
I bit my bottom lip and stared off into the distance. There was nothing but a vast ocean as far as I could see. That would be my view for months to come. There was no escape from this boat and Dean Riggs. The realization hit my gut, giving me pause about my decision to come here. What other choice did I have, though?
Lori could be a friend, or she could be another set of eyes on me, another test.
A clamped my jaw tight and turned to her, giving a tight smile. “I’m sure he’s just being overly cautious. Scarcity is terrifying. Dean has his reasons for protecting the food supply.”
Lori let out a sarcastic chuckle and clapped her hands together. “Sure, he does, but hey, at least he’s still using that drone knowledge.” She looked upward, and I followed her gaze. A black drone hovered maybe twenty feet above our heads. It was completely silent, and if she hadn’t said anything, I never would have known its existence. It swayed left to right, then sped off towards the agriculture gates.
Lori touched a gentle finger to my chin and turned me eye to eye with her. “Be smart, Rowan. He’s always watching.”
