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“Loritellsmeyou see visions of the future. Did you see my busted arm or the torture she is putting me through right now?” We spread Luke out on our kitchen table. His good hand gripped the side and sweat covered his brow. Lori wrapped his arm in another splint.
“Nah, I saw you burn alive. This sucks, but it’s better.”
“At this exact moment, Row, I’m not so sure.” Luke let out a howl like a wolf, making the boys laugh. He tried anything to distract himself and refused to take the painkillers we had found. His arm took too long to heal, and I was worried, but Luke stayed in good spirits. He doped himself up when we first set the bone, but every splint change after he roughed through with screams and sweat. We had a limited supply, and he was afraid the kids might need them at some point.
Luke was a good man.
“Are you okay here, Lori?” I bellowed over Luke’s animal noises.
“Yes, are you going to check the nets?”
“You know it. Wish me luck.”
It had been five months since we arrived on this island. Every day we checked the weather, worked on our home, gathered food, taught the boys, and loved each other. We were not alone on the island either. There were a few survivors. We kept our distance, and things were cordial enough. The broken homes left plentiful supplies and there was land to farm and fish to catch. With less than two dozen of us, we rarely saw each other. We gave them a navigation device and so far, the storms seemed to stay away from this area. Weather had hit this place hard, and I hoped for the last time.
My stomach stretched outside my top now. This child wanted some sun shining through, anyway. The walk to the nets was peaceful. Sam would finish his current project soon. He had rebuilt homes in months, so everything else seemed like he was tinkering. It felt a bit like Little House on the Prairie, but who needs electricity and hot water? Whatever we went without, I spent my nights wrapped in his arms and that was worth all we gave up.
A rocky pathway stretched out into the water. Our nets swept farther past the coast where more fish could be found. I waded into the shallow beach, bending as best I could to bring in the net. The weight meant the catch was good that day. The ocean thrived without all the people polluting its waters.
I caught sight of Lori waving from the corner of my eye. I raised my free hand back to her. I heaved the net to my feet. A dozen fish flopped inside, blinding me with their silver skin reflecting in the sun. I pulled the rope over my shoulder and started my walk back.
I moved a wet hand to my stomach and spread the water over the growing bump. “Hey, baby. How about a fish dinner? Fish breakfast too, you say? Well, why the hell not?”
Lori still waved in the distance, adding a jump to her greeting. I dropped the rope and raised both hands overhead. Her motions continued and goosebumps covered my body. I rushed out of the water with the rope in hand, pulling the bag behind me. It was too shallow for a shark. Was a storm coming? Did we miss one?
She pointed with both hands in a violent back and forth to the horizon behind me. I turned, frustrated with this game that I was in no position to win.
My blood ran cold at the shadow in the distance. It could have been mistaken for a storm. It was large and foreboding, drifting across the water.
I had seen it before. My dreams for months had their return, but I was selfish. I dreamed of my child and longed to see her. Every meditation pulled me to her smile and giggle. She brought me joy, and I longed for images of her. Despite her overshadowing my premonitions, I knew what this vessel meant.
I had hoped we had years.
When I reached Lori, she had both hands on her head, staring out into the water. “Did you see this?” she uttered.
I nodded. “Some of it. Enough to know we should stay.”
“Stay?” Lori questioned. “What if Dean is alive? We always knew we may have to leave. We need to be smart.”
“Dean may be alive. I don’t know for sure. I haven’t seen that.”
“So, you see my point.”
“What I see, Lori, is The Galene.”
She chuckled and dropped her hands to her sides. “I’m not going to ask how you know that.” She grabbed the bag of fish and we walked back to the houses.
“Then don’t ask why we need to stay, either.”
“Would you tell me if I did?”
I thought about that as we walked in silence for a few minutes. I never gave my sister a warning of her death, and until recently, I held no regrets about that decision. Now that I knew I could change the outcome of things, I would have done it differently.
“I would tell you if you asked. It sets nothing in stone, but yes, I would tell you.”
More minutes passed as we continued down the path we had worn into the brush and sand. It was hot, and I felt the sweat trickle down my back. Patches of wet covered the back of Lori’s shirt.
Sam stood at the end of the trail. He reached out to take the fish from Lori and knew by her face something was wrong.
