The Fall

by E S Richards

  “Aye aye boss,” Lucas replied with a smile. “How was filming today?”

  “Damn equipment is on the fritz,” Andy rolled his eyes. “Brett and Pablo are working on it now though.”

  “Oh, annoying,” Lucas tucked his book away on the shelf and started pulling out the salmon they’d caught earlier that day. “Let me know if they need any help; I’ll give you a shout when this is ready.”

  “Cheers Lucas, will do.”

  Andy turned and walked out of the small kitchen with a smile. Lucas was an asset to his team. He’d be happy to have the young boy out again when he next brought The Mako out to Australia.

  “Err, Andy?”

  Andy stopped and turned, Lucas’s voice calling him back towards the kitchen.

  “What is it?”

  “The grill won’t start,” Lucas twisted the knobs in front of Andy’s eyes, demonstrating the problem he was having. “None of the power seems to be working.”

  Andy crumpled his brow, reaching over and turning the knob himself to be sure. He’d had his boat for almost five years and had never encountered a problem with the power. Curious he flicked a few other switches, trying each one but to no avail.

  “Weird,” he muttered under his breath, a nervous thought starting to form in his mind. “Put the fish away and join me out on deck,” he said to Lucas. “Leave the others asleep for now.”

  Lucas nodded, following Andy’s orders as The Mako’s captain started making his way back to Brett and Pablo, both still tinkering away with the camera equipment.

  “Anything?” Andy asked with little hope in his voice as he found the two of them still staring at the blank screens.

  Brett shook his head. “Nothing, we’ll start the reboot once we’ve had something to eat though, should be fine for tomorrow morning.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Andy replied, dragging his sentence out as he waited for Lucas to join him on deck. “Dinner’s off and so is all the power by the looks of things. I think the boat might have had a short or something.”

  “Really?” Brett pushed himself up to his feet, an uncertain look on his face. “Surely not the whole boat; have you tried the radio?”

  “Not yet,” Andy shook his head. “In fact—Lucas, go and give that a try will you? It’s strange though, can’t understand what would’ve caused this. Brett, you’re the engineer here; what do you reckon?”

  “We’ll need to do a full systems check,” Brett ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes as the evening breeze rustled through it. “I can do most of it tonight, but if the lights aren’t working we can’t cover everything until morning. Don’t want to get in these waters at night without a safety net.”

  “I agree,” Andy nodded, “I just don’t understand what could’ve caused this. I’m not worried; a few extra days out here can’t hurt anyone. I just want to make sure this old girl’s okay.”

  Andy patted the side of his boat as he spoke, looking out to sea as he contemplated what the source of the problem could be. It was probably just a minor water leak in the engine room; something simple could cause a big problem when you’re out at sea. He’d dealt with similar issues before though, a lifetime of traveling the world’s oceans making him prepared for almost anything.

  “Andy,” Lucas returned to the deck, a worried look on his face. “I checked the radio,” he paused, “it’s not working.”

  “What the—”

  “And it gets worse,” Lucas cut him off, “the engines won’t start either. Tried them a couple of times—nothing. They won’t even turn over.”

  “What about the navigation system?” Brett cut in, the reality of the situation sinking into him faster than it was getting to Andy. “And the anchor, can we get that up if we need to?”

  “Nothing,” Lucas shook his head. “Nothing electronic is working on this boat right now. We’re stuck here. We’re stranded.”

  An eerie silence fell over the deck of the boat as the four crew members let Lucas’s words sink in. Water splashed up against the hull as the world around them faded into a dim light, the sun finally moving down below the horizon. Pretty soon the waters around them would be pitch black, and without any lights on the boat Andy knew that was a dangerous situation to be in, even in waters as familiar as where he was now.

  “Let’s get this stuff inside,” Andy spoke eventually pointing to the equipment. “Pablo, go and wake up Bryan and Cory will you? Let’s get everyone’s heads together to see where we’re at.”

  Pablo dutifully obliged while Andy, Brett and Lucas started hoisting the camera equipment and the millions of dollars’ worth of waterproof housing inside the boat. The light was already fading fast and Andy didn’t want anything left outside and forgotten about in the darkness.

  “Try and find us something to eat,” Brett spoke softly to Lucas once the recording kit was all fastened away. “There must be something on this boat that doesn’t require an electric stove.”

  “Good idea,” Andy smiled at Brett as Lucas left the two of them alone. “I’m not sure I like this, Brett.”

  “It’ll be a freak outage or something man, don’t worry about it.” Brett clapped his oldest friend on the back as they sat down to wait for the rest of the crew to return. They’d done over a hundred expeditions together and the worst thing that had happened was one hospital trip and a missing pinkie finger. Brett wasn’t about to let a loss of power ruin this voyage.

  “What’s going on?”

  Bryan’s voice cut through the tense moment as the middle-aged scientist stumbled into the center cabin, rubbing his eyes and sitting down beside Brett. Cory and Pablo followed, sitting down on the opposite side of the table and leaving space for Lucas, who returned a few minutes later with six PB&J sandwiches clutched in his hands.

  “Best I could come up with in the time frame,” Lucas shrugged as he handed a sandwich to each person and took the final seat at the table, looking towards Andy and Brett expectantly.

  “Thanks Luc,” Brett smiled at him, “and sorry to wake you guys up but…” Brett paused, “we appear to have a slight problem.” Andy huffed beside Brett at his choice of words but didn’t interrupt, letting his friend continue his explanation.

  “In short, the power has cut out. Engine is out, radio is out, equipment is out, all of it. Nothing much we can do for now but obviously everyone needs to be careful. I don’t want anyone going out on deck while we haven’t got any lights and I don’t want anyone messing about in the engine room either, okay? Cory, seeing as you’re well-rested I’m going to bring you down with me, but other than that I need everyone to stay out of our way. Talk to one another, discuss your research, just stay out of trouble and by morning I’m sure all of this panic will be for nothing, all right boys?”

  The three trainees all nodded on their side of the table, a slight bit of worry present on each of their faces. Andy didn’t say anything; neither did Bryan, though he could see the marine biologist raise an eyebrow at Brett’s words. Andy would speak to him alone later; the old scientist might have some bright ideas.

  “Right then,” Brett continued, clapping his hands together once at the silence that met his little speech. “Cory, why don’t you grab the toolkit and find a couple flashlights, we’ll definitely be needing them down there. Pablo, Lucas, I suggest you boys head to bed. Not much you can do out here I’m afraid.”

  Again no one said anything, though each of the three younger boys moved off in the direction Brett had sent them, Cory grabbing the toolkit and then heading towards the engine room to wait for Brett to join him.

  “Try and relax a bit,” Brett said to Andy with a smile as he turned to follow Cory. “How many years have you been out at sea, Andy? Really, what’s the worst that could happen?”

  Chapter 8

  “What now?”

  Len was doing his best to stop panting, the adrenaline slowly fading from his body as he and Harrison caught their breath behind a large tree trunk. He was really t
rying to regain some sort of composure, the image of the people falling to the ground—dead—in front of his eyes was ingrained in his head.

  It was a strange feeling to have witnessed so much death recently. Before the collapse of Chicago, Len had never seen a dead body; even when his father passed away they had opted for a closed casket, Len never laying eyes on his father’s body. But now all that had changed. Len had not only witnessed hundreds of corpses in the city of Chicago, but he had killed someone too. With the release of that arrow Len’s life had changed in a way he never could have imagined.

  “The only thing we can do,” Harrison shrugged in response to Len’s question. The older man had already regained his composure and was looking back, his eyes wide and alert for more shaved heads. “We keep running. We need to move this way anyway, might as well do it at a bit of a jog.”

  Len took in another deep breath, forcing himself to stand upright and face his companion. He knew they had to keep moving; if anything their situation had just become more dangerous and he didn’t want to run into the faction of shaved heads again.

  “All right,” he readjusted the bow and quiver of arrows against his back, “let’s go.”

  The two men set off at a brisk pace, both pairs of eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Harrison was impressed by how Len had coped during their shootout; he had barely expected him to be able to fire the bow, let alone actually at another human being. Harrison could remember the first time he killed someone and knew it was a memory that would stick with Len for the rest of his life.

  Harrison had barely turned seventeen when he first took a life. Over thirty years had passed since that day and yet he still remembered it like it was yesterday. How glad he was that his life hadn’t continued down that same route….

  ***

  “Come on Harry, hit him.”

  “Yeah, smack him Harry!”

  Harrison danced around in the middle of the circle, the group of boys around him pushing him closer and closer to his adversary. This was their third fight in a month and Harrison had finally had enough. Everyone knew that he and Sophia were an item now. They’d been dating for over a month and all the other boys had finally taken the hint. All except one.

  Alex Santos continued to push every one of Harrison’s buttons. He’d flirt with Sophia in the hallway, drag her away to dance at parties, and even turn up at her house. It was clear he wanted Sophia for himself, but Harrison wasn’t going to let that happen. She’d chosen him and now he was going to fight for her.

  Harrison was roughly the same size as Alex. They both played varsity lacrosse and they both knew their way around the local gym. Alex maybe had a couple of pounds on Harrison, but Harrison knew he was quicker. He’d proved that on the field several times and that was how he managed to win his last fight with Alex, dodging out of his reach until Alex tired. That had made it one apiece; this was the deciding round.

  “Come on, Santos,” Harrison sneered, “afraid I’m going to knock you out like last time?”

  “I still won the first one, Harry,” Alex spat on the floor between them. “You’re just lucky Sophia isn’t here to watch you lose again.”

  Even the mention of Sophia’s name ignited a fresh bout of rage in Harrison, his muscles twitching as he curled his hands into fists. “Oh, she’ll be here,” Harrison replied. “We’ve got a romantic evening planned together once this is over and done with.”

  Alex scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Romantic? Come on Harry, half the guys in our class have had her, there’s nothing romantic about that.”

  Harrison’s teeth ground together at Alex’s words, unable to hold back his anger any longer. In a split second he rushed forward, his right fist swinging in a wide arc and catching Alex on the temple, forcing him to stagger backwards in surprise. As soon as the first punch was thrown the rest of the boys in the surrounding circle stepped back slightly, each one of them cheering for one of the fighters.

  Alex Santos rolled his shoulders back and pressed his palm to his temple. “That’s the only free hit you’re getting.”

  “Bring it on,” Harrison grinned and enticed the boy forward, his eyes carefully watching for a sudden burst of speed or movement. He’d been in plenty of fights before, his short temper and possessive nature often getting him in trouble. But Harrison wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, no matter who he squared up against; he wasn’t the type of person to back down.

  Alex’s fists came screaming towards his face, forcing Harrison to go on the defensive as he brought his own fists up to block the punches, shuffling backwards slightly and trying to maintain his balance. Alex was strong, there was no doubt about that, and Harrison struggled to keep the boy from overpowering him.

  In a rapid motion he spun around on his heel, dragging his left leg behind him and hooking his foot around Alex’s ankles. The boy stumbled, but somehow stopped himself from falling to the floor.

  “Going to play dirty are you?” Alex huffed as he moved slightly away from Harrison, giving both of them a second to catch their breath. “I guess your new girlfriend taught you that.”

  Blood rushed to Harrison’s cheeks at the mention of Sophia. It was true they hadn’t been together that long, but Harrison was already completely and utterly infatuated with the girl. He wouldn’t let anyone say a mean word about her and even though he knew Alex was only doing it to wind him up, he couldn’t stop the anger that was leaking out from his body.

  Rushing forward again, Harrison let his fists do the talking for him. He somehow managed to grab Alex by the collar of his shirt, landing several brutal punches before the boy wriggled free. Blood was pouring from Alex’s nose now, his breathing coming thick and fast against the cheering and jeering of the crowd. The circle had widened even more, giving both boys more space.

  Alex went on the offensive next, trapping Harrison in a headlock and squeezing his neck while jabbing a fist at his ribs. Harrison flung his head backwards, making a solid connection with Alex’s nose that culminated in a cracking sound as the boy let out a cry and released Harrison’s neck.

  Half holding onto his nose, Alex squared up to Harrison again, spitting blood on the floor by his feet. More profanities left his mouth about Sophia, each one crueler and more unjustified than the last. Some of the boys in the crowd cheered Alex on, only encouraging him to keep talking. The words slowly started to blur together in Harrison’s head and his ears started ringing—a culmination of the punches he’d received, the roar of the crowd, and the words Alex Santos was saying.

  Then Harrison saw red. He lurched forward, taking Alex by surprise once more and this time managing to knock the boy to the floor. Immediately Harrison climbed on top of him, slamming his fists again and again into the boy’s head. Blood stained his knuckles and splashed onto his shirt, but still Harrison didn’t stop. He couldn’t get Alex’s words out of his ears or the picture of Sophia’s face out of his mind. So he just kept punching, bringing one fist down after the other, until a metal glint caught his eye. Someone had brought a weapon to the party and in a moment of uncontrollable rage Harrison reached forward to use it.

  ***

  “Look!”

  Len’s voice snapped Harrison from his memories, his eyes slightly glazed over as he remembered that one fateful day from his youth. A day that had changed him forever. Slowing to a stop and shaking his head slightly Harrison focused on Len, following his outstretched arm as it pointed off into the distance. There, about five hundred meters away was an unattended powerboat, bobbing lazily against the shore of Lake Michigan.

  “There’s no one around,” Len continued as Harrison started to scan their surroundings. “We should try and take it.”

  Harrison paused for a moment, trying to work out how much ground they had covered and how far away from the group with shaven heads they were now. He found it very unlikely that they would set up a base a little way further down the lake and simply leave this boat unattended only an hour’s walk away. It seemed suspicious to him,
but as he confirmed Len’s statement Harrison realized it would be too good of an opportunity for them to pass up.

  “Okay,” he spoke slowly, his eyes still searching the shoreline for any other signs of life. “But we need to move quickly. They might still be following us.”

  “Yes!” Len cheered quietly and clenched his hand into a celebratory fist. Looking at the man, Harrison could see the jog they’d been moving at was hard for him to maintain. His breathable shirt was drenched in sweat and his cheeks were red from exertion. Being able to sit back in a boat would definitely be a welcome relief for him.

  “Come on,” Harrison started moving forward, “you keep watch that way”—he pointed in the direction they’d just been moving—“and shout if you see anything.”

  Len nodded and focused his gaze. The sight of a powerboat overjoyed him, knowing it would cut their journey almost in half providing it had enough fuel. He didn’t want to think about the prospect of the gasoline being drained or used up, something was telling Len to be positive and he wouldn’t let his mind entertain the thought of failure.