STRANDED: Box Set: Books 1-6

by Theresa Shaver

  Lisa looked up at her and shaded her eyes against the morning sun. “I’ll do the next laundry day if you don’t mind doing today’s. I just want to stay up here and do some thinking.”

  “No problem, but I’m definitely holding you to that!” she promised. Emily went back down to the cabin, flashing Mason a quick smile as she passed. She had no idea that Lisa was desperately trying to avoid being in the cabin with Mark.

  David was washing the breakfast dishes at the small sink and she asked him about his dirty clothes. She figured if she was going to do a wash she might as well do them all. Tim was still sleeping so his and Mason’s clothes would have to wait until later. As far as she was concerned, Mark could do his own. The guy hadn’t done any work on the boat so she had no problem letting him fend for himself. She ate a quick bowl of oatmeal while David gathered up his clothes and slipped her empty dish into the wash water. Adding David’s clothes to the pile, she hauled it all to the bathroom.

  Tim had a large plastic bucket that she filled with hot water and soap. Setting it in the shower/bathtub in the bathroom, Emily plunged each piece of clothing in and swished it around and tried to rub the fabric together to clean it. It wasn’t the best way to clean clothes but it was all she could think of under the circumstances. After she had wrung the soapy water out of each item, she tossed it to the side. Once everything had been through the soapy water, she emptied out the bucket and filled it back up with clean water. Repeating the whole process with each article of clothing took forever and she had to stand up and stretch her aching back often. Emily let her mind wander while she worked and she flashed back to how much she used to complain when she had to do the laundry at home. Laughing at herself, she could only wish for the easy washing machine and dryer at home. She started to think about home and wondered if the generator they had on the farm still worked or if it was just as fried as everything else. That made her think of different ways they could get electricity and she made a mental note to ask David about a larger version of a science fair project they had done a few years ago in school. It was a simple windmill that they had set up to charge a battery. If they could make a large scale one it could maybe run a few things to make life easier. She was sure her dad had already thought about all these things but she wanted to think of the future and what they could do, not just what they had lost.

  It took over an hour to finish the job and her hands were just as sore as her back from wringing all the clothes out. She dumped the rinse water out and shoved all the wet clothes into the bucket. It was really heavy but she carried it out of the bathroom and into the cabin where she collided with Mark as he came stumbling out of the main bedroom. She dropped the bucket and clean, wet clothes fell out onto the floor with a wet splat. Groaning in frustration, she kneeled down to scoop them back up. Mark didn’t even acknowledge her. He just walked past, stepping on some clothes as he went.

  “Hey, don’t mind me. I just spent over an hour working on getting these clean,” she snapped sarcastically at him.

  Mark spun around and scowled at her. “Watch your mouth, little girl!” and took a menacing step towards her.

  Emily leaned back away from him and felt her back collide with a pair of legs. Looking up she saw that David was standing behind her glaring at Mark. The bully looked from David to Emily and gave his trademark smirk before turning and going into the bathroom and slamming the door.

  Emily let out the breath she didn’t even know she had been holding and reached down to gather up more of the fallen clothes. David squatted down and helped her then picked up the bucket and carried it up onto the deck for her. He set it down near the rail and Emily started to drape the clothes over it. She used the clothespins that she had found under the sink to secure them so they wouldn’t blow away.

  David stepped up to Mason at the wheel and quietly talked to him about Mark.

  “What’s up with your buddy? He gets nastier every day. He just about took Emily’s head off down there and he was sleeping in Lisa’s room last night. I know he likes to play the big mean bully, but this boat’s a little small to have to deal with that,” David told him with concern.

  Mason looked down the stairs but he couldn’t see far into the cabin. Turning to David, he shook his head.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with him. I tried to talk to him last night but he just brushed me off. I’ll talk to him later and see if he’ll lay off.” Mason looked at David thoughtfully. “Truth is, though, I don’t know if he’ll even listen to me. I’m realizing I don’t really even know the guy.” He looked away and sighed before continuing. “I uh, just wanted to, um, say I’m sorry for being such a dick to you before. I’ve made some mistakes and I’m trying to…uh…be better,” he stammered, his face turning red.

  David studied the football player before responding. “Yeah, you definitely were a dick. But Emily saw something good in you or she wouldn’t have dated you and I trust her, so let’s just leave it in the past and work together to get home.”

  Mason nodded and David turned away to help Emily finish hanging the wet clothes. Lisa was still sitting at the front of the boat and her expression said she was far away in her thoughts. Once all the laundry was hung, the boat looked like a floating clothesline but it was the fastest way to get everything dry. No one wanted to deal with Mark so they all stayed up on deck and enjoyed the sun. They had been very lucky with the weather and had only suffered from mild rain a few times. Emily hoped it would last until they made it to shore. She didn’t want to think about how it would feel to be trapped in the cabin during a storm.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They had been up on deck for hours and Emily’s stomach was growling enough that she knew it was past lunch. A lot of the lighter clothes like tee-shirts and socks and underwear were dry and they had unpinned them and folded them up. The heavier jeans and cargo pants were still damp but in the bright sun and warm wind, it wouldn’t take much longer until they were dry as well.

  Emily was about to ask David if he would go down into the cabin and help her make some lunch when they heard a bellow from below. They looked at each other in confusion before taking a step towards the stairs. Lisa had bolted straight up at the first shout and now she scrambled to her feet. She grabbed Emily’s arm to stop her and frantically shook her head. She was about to ask her why she looked so terrified when she heard Tim cursing as he stomped up the stairs onto the deck. He looked furious and zeroed right in on Mason.

  “You need to get control of your sidekick down there. He’s drunk! He drank my only bottle of Crown Royal and he’s spouting off a bunch of bullshit!” he halfway yelled at Mason.

  Mason looked past Tim and frowned when Mark came up the stairs with an almost empty bottle of whiskey clutched in his meaty hand. Mark stumbled on the last step and fell to one knee. Tim had turned around and scowled down at him.

  “Get back downstairs, you idiot! You’re so drunk you’ll end up overboard,” he said with disgust.

  Mark lifted his head and met Tim’s eyes. With a slurred voice, he muttered, “Fuck you.”

  Tim went still. The anger left his face and he stared down at Mark with contempt. He shook his head and looked away. When he turned back, Mark had gotten to his feet.

  “Listen, kid. This is a big adjustment for all of us but getting trashed is not going to help you and insulting me is really not going to help you. Try to remember that I’m doing you a favor here and this is my boat so show a little respect.” He started to turn away when Mark started to laugh.

  “Thanks for the favor asshole but I don’t think I’ll need your help anymore,” Mark spat out and pulled the gun out from under his shirt and pointed it at him.

  Everyone froze and time seemed to slow. A click sounded in Emily’s mind as she flashed back to the empty box of bullets beside the dead convenience store clerk. At the same time, David stepped in front of her so that he was between her and Mark. Mason threw his hands out in a “stop” motion and Tim just managed to croak
out a single word, “Don’t” before Mark squeezed the trigger.

  It was as if Mark had shot them all. They all flew back away from him. Tim flew back against the rail and blood blossomed on his chest before he flipped back and disappeared over the rail into the ocean. Mason fell back onto his butt in shocked disbelief. David shoved Emily hard and they fell together onto the deck in a heap with him covering her. The only one who didn’t move away from Mark was Lisa.

  Emily watched in shock as Lisa took three quick steps towards Mark, dipped down to the deck and came up with the long-handled paddle that had been resting in its brackets against the outer cabin wall. Two more steps and she lifted the paddle like a baseball bat just as Mark let out a chilling bark of laughter and turned his body to face the front of the boat where David and Emily lay on the deck. As the gun in his hand arched towards them, Lisa swung.

  The maniacal smile of triumph was on his face when the edge of the paddle blade struck him in the bridge of his nose. With the same crazy expression on his face, he staggered back and dropped in a heap on the deck.

  No one moved for what seemed to Emily an hour. Lisa stood above Mark’s body with the paddle gripped tightly in her white-knuckled hands. Her chest was heaving and she seemed to be waiting for him to get up. It was her soft whimper that broke the spell and Emily shoved David off of her and struggled to her feet. She rushed to Lisa and put out her hand to touch her but stopped short of the girl’s arm. The whimpering had changed to a keening wail and the sound sliced through Emily’s heart. She stepped past her and stood between Lisa and Mark’s body to block the girl’s view. When Lisa raised her head and met Emily’s, the look was one of such devastation it took her breath away. Emily reached out and gently pulled Lisa’s hands away from the handle of the paddle and handed it off to David, who had stepped up beside her. Lisa looked at her empty hands and seemed to deflate into herself. She wrapped her arms around her body and started to rock back and forth. Emily stepped up to her and pulled her into an embrace and felt tears pouring down her own face.

  She turned Lisa away from Mark as Mason and David crouched down to check on him. It didn’t take long for David to look up at her and shake his head. Emily looked away. Mark and Tim were both dead and they would have to find a way through this nightmare.

  David and Mason moved to the back of the boat and scanned the sea for any sign of Tim’s body but neither boy could see him. They looked back at the girls and both felt lost at what they should do next. Mason’s eyes kept drifting back to Mark’s body and he finally had to speak.

  “I can’t believe this. He shot Tim. He killed him! Where did he even get a gun from?”

  David explained about the convenience store clerk and what Emily and he had suspected. Mason had a fierce frown on his face when he stepped over Mark and looked at Lisa. She had her head buried against Emily’s neck but her crying had quieted.

  “Lisa, it’s okay. You did the right thing. You were just trying to stop him,” he said quietly with compassion.

  The last thing any of them expected from Lisa was her response to his soft words. Her head came up and she pushed Emily away from her. The sorrow-filled eyes had been replaced with ones filled with rage.

  “It’s not okay! I want him to die! Is he dead? Did I kill him?” She half-screamed, half-sobbed. “Don’t tell me it’s okay! It isn’t; nothing is ever going to be okay again! You used me like I was nothing so he thought he could too, except he held a gun to my head while he did it. I will never let anyone take that from me again. Never!”

  Mason stumbled back. His face drained of all colour when the realization of what Lisa said sunk in. He flashed back to what Mark had said the night before about Lisa being back on the market. He remembered his flip words of “good luck”. Mark had raped Lisa and it was all his fault. Mason’s stomach heaved and he rushed to the rail to empty his churning guts into the sea.

  Lisa walked away to the front of the boat and settled down on the deck. Emily’s head ached from her words and what had just happened. David put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She laid her head against his chest and just breathed. She said the only thing in her mind at that moment.

  “I just want to go home.”

  It took a while before anyone moved from their spots. They all were trying to process what had happened and more importantly, what to do next. It was Emily that finally moved first. Standing in David’s embrace had helped but her eyes kept going to Mark’s body and she finally couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped back from David and asked, “Should we put him overboard?”

  David looked from Emily to Mason and then down at the body. He scrubbed at his face and then nodded.

  “Okay, I’ll help you,” Emily started to offer but was interrupted by Mason.

  “No. I’ll do it. This is my fault. I’ll deal with him,” he said firmly.

  Emily was going to argue that but David shook his head at her. Mason stepped over to the body and leaned down to hook his arms under Mark’s armpits. He got him a foot off the deck but couldn’t do more than drag him towards the rail. David stepped in and grabbed Mark’s trailing feet and together they lifted him up and got him over the rail and dropped him over the side. All three of them stood there for a few minutes, each trying to come to terms in their own minds with what they had just seen. Emily sighed and turned away from the empty sea. She looked towards the front of the boat and realized that Lisa was gone. The girl must have gone below while they were dealing with Mark’s body. Looking down at the deck, it took a few more seconds for Emily to understand that it wasn’t only Lisa that was gone. The gun was gone too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mason moved back to the wheel, unlocked it and checked their heading. He was trying hard to suppress the panic he was feeling about being the only one on board with any knowledge of sailing. Tim had done all the hard work. He had shown and explained everything to Mason but that didn’t make him confident to do it all himself. What Mason really wanted to do was heave to and just sit for a few hours to think things through, but stopping the boat was a lot of work in itself and he knew he would have to do it before dark anyway. They were underway with a good wind and except for trimming the sails, he knew that they could continue this way for a while. It was all the other things that were filling his mind. Tacking was a lot of work and the others had always been sent down to the cabin when Tim was doing this so they would be out of the way and not get conked in the head by the boom. Mason knew he could do it but was scared out of his mind at the prospect.

  David came to stand by him and looked back at the way they had come. He put his hands on the rail and stared over the side down at the water.

  “Do you think we should go back and try to find Tim?”

  Mason shook his head sadly. “I think he was dead before he even went over. The shot took him right in the chest. He wouldn’t have made it.”

  David nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought but it just feels so wrong to not try. He was a really good guy. He took on a bunch of strangers and tried to help get us home. He didn’t deserve to die like that especially so close to land.” David lowered his head in grief but it was quickly replaced by anger. “What the hell was wrong with Mark? Why did he do that?” he asked fiercely.

  Mason met his angry look with sorrow. “I don’t know. I don’t think I ever knew him. He was just a guy on the team. We never really talked about much except the game or going to parties. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how little I knew him.” Mason looked away but not before David saw the shame fill his eyes.

  David studied Mason, trying to understand him. The cocky, selfish quarterback he had always been was no more. Everything that had made up the guy’s life was gone. No more football, no girlfriend, no Lisa and now his “best friend” had turned into a monster and was dead. David felt sympathy for Mason but also knew that some of those losses were his own fault.

  “Had Mark said anything to you about Tim?” David asked.

 
Mason couldn’t meet David’s eyes as he told him their plans. “We had talked about taking the boat. After, I mean. Once we hit land and Tim left, we were going to come back and take it and sail it up the coast to get closer to home. You have to believe me! We never planned to do this! I didn’t know he was a psychopath. I knew he was a bully but he had never hurt anyone before. It was always just funny. Ever since we got on the boat he had taken it to the extreme. I mean, we talked about taking the boat after Tim was gone so he goes and kills him? He asked me if Lisa was back on the market last night and I was being sarcastic when I said, “good luck with that” so he rapes her. I didn’t know any of this would happen! I didn’t know!” He ended with a wail.

  David closed his eyes in exhaustion. There was a load of grief and guilt on Mason’s shoulders. Some of it was deserved, but not the horrific acts that Mark had committed. There was nothing he could say right now to help him. It was something they would all need to talk about down the road but right now they had to make plans for how to proceed. David awkwardly reached out and patted the guy on the arm.

  “We need to figure out what we are going to do. I know Tim was teaching you a lot about sailing but do you think you can handle it?” At Mason’s sharp nod, he continued, “We all need to sit down and talk about what we are going to do. I know this will sound harsh but with Tim gone, we don’t need to sail to Washington, do we? Can we change course and head to British Columbia? Is that something you know how to do?” At another brisk nod from Mason, David sighed and went on. “Okay, I’m here to help Mason. Just tell me what to do. Tim said we would be stopping at night from now on so why don’t we plan to all eat supper together and we can go over everything.” When Mason didn’t respond, David blurted out, “It’s not your fault! You couldn’t have known what Mark was going to do. Let it go for now, Mason. We need to focus on right now and getting to land.”