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“This is more than you will see tonight,” she boasted. “So, get it while you can.”
Luke licked his lips and turned to me. “Did you know Lori is making me a Michelin quality meal tonight after we get some chores done?” He made air quotations with his hands when he said chores. I knew he meant help with the lower decks.
“Oh, well, should I bow out then? I was going to help with said chores,” I replied.
Luke waved his hand at me. “No, please help. The faster we get done, the faster I can prove Lori wrong.”
“Wrong about what?” we said in unison.
“That this view right now is the most I’ll see from you.” He leaned down and whispered something dirty in her ear. Her body flushed, and her cheeks turned a neon hue.
“Why are you working?” I interrupted. “It looks like everyone has today off. Lori and I were just talking about how odd it is. You’re in uniform, with guns.”
My eyes darted to his sides. He had two firearms holstered to his sides, something I was sure I had never seen before. Luke’s back became rigid, and he stood back up. “I’m essential. They didn’t grant my department the day off.”
“The kitchen is fucking closed. We had people take food with them after dinner for today. The clinics just opened and people have done fine without them,” Lori commented. “And why the guns, Rambo?”
Something didn’t add up. Lori had the same line of thinking, and she shot me a sideways glance, but something else caught her eye. I followed her line of vision to see a pack of boys running our way with frantic expressions.
“Maybe it’s to help you with that stampede,” Luke joked.
BeLew skidded to either side of me, their hands on their knees as they gasped for breath. “Mama,” Lewis heaved. “Look, it’s coming.”
I stood up, as did Lori. We began looking around, but all I could see was a ship deck and the ocean.
“What?” I demanded. Other kids jumped and pointed with confused looking parents. Their arms flew all different directions, desperate to make us see. I grabbed my clothes and started shoving them onto my body. “What’s coming, BeLew?”
Lori raised her hands in exasperation. “What the hell?” she griped. Clearly, she had gotten nowhere like the rest of us.
“Up,” Beau shrieked. “Look up.” His little hand pointed behind me and towards the sky.
I watched the horizon for a solid minute. Did these kids see a weird bird or something?
“Oh, shit,” Lori’s voice came from behind me. She grabbed my face and pointed it more to the left. And there it was.
“Is that a….” I couldn’t even get the word out.
“That’s a helicopter,” she finished my sentence. “That’s four helicopters. Luke, what is this? What is going on? Luke!”
Luke had left, taking his opportunity to exit the line of questioning.
“Oh, that asshole,” she whined. “We need to stay on deck, but I think we should take shelter. Can you get into the ag building?”
“Yes, I think so. Are you sure we shouldn’t go below? These helicopters are landing on this deck, not in our bunks.”
“I’m the one with the real military background, so trust me,” Lori snapped, grabbing our things and starting towards the agriculture gates. My stomach dropped at her words.
Real military background.
She had little concern for my reaction. Her only focus was to get us moving. “Let’s go!” she yelled back at me. Drones darted overhead. The boys made headway in front of us, now understanding the plan.
“I won’t even get into what that’s supposed to mean,” I grumbled, chasing after her.
“It means I’m a friend you can trust with your secrets. It means whatever happens next, let me make the orders and do the talking.”
I kept my mouth shut as directed. She knew something. She always had. That worried me, but not as much as the question that spun in my head as we approached the agriculture gates.
What happens next?
