Page 20 of One Last Chance

The family huddled together, the father, early forties, his arms around a little girl, maybe ten, skinny, her blonde braids sodden. The boy seemed older, maybe twelve, trying to look brave, jaw set. He held his mother’s hand.

The father wore a makeshift splint on his leg, a paddle roped to his shin. The woman, too, appeared bloodied, her arm wrapped in a towel, saturated.

“What happened?” He braced himself at the door.

“We were trying to loosen the lifeboat, and it slammed into us!” This from the woman, who looked at the captain with no small amount of anger.

“Okay, everyone calm down. We’re going to take you up, one by one?—”

“We don’t have time for that,” shouted the captain. Axel had gotten his name on the ride over—Captain Russell. Midthirties, a Kodiak local. Grew up on the sea.

Axel agreed with him. “Shep, I’m going to unclip—send down a basket. We need to get these kids up, ASAP.”

“I’m not going without my mom,” shouted the boy, and Axel held up his hand even as he unclipped.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you all out.” Promises. But he meant to keep them.

The line fell away, Shep hoisting it up even as the boat pitched hard. Axel grabbed the doorframe of the tiny cabin, the water drenching him. His dry suit helped, but the family had to be slowly sinking into hypothermia.

“What’s your name, kid?”

“Aiden. And that’s Sophie.”

“Okay, Aiden. I’m putting you in charge of your sister. You hold on to her when you go up, okay?” Protocol said that he should ride up with them, but Aiden gave him a nod, and the ocean wasn’t playing fair.

A basket came down, swinging in the wind, and Axel stayed away until it hit the deck, then grabbed it in. Russell helped, and they dragged it to the door.

“Aiden, you’re up.”

He stood, looked at his mom, and she nodded. Aiden ran over, ducked into the basket.

Sophie was crying, but her father pushed her away, met eyes with her brother.

The look in his eyes shook through Axel, right down to his bone. He hardened his jaw, then grabbed the girl and helped her inside, strapped them in with a safety line, then radioed for the pull up.

The basket swung as it lifted off the boat, a wave right behind it, as if hoping to steal them back to the sea.

He let out a breath when Shep reeled them in, then sent the basket down again. Axel had gotten the names of the couple—Brian and Danae—and Axel set up Danae.

She disappeared into the chopper.

“How’re you doing, Moose?”

“We’re nearly at Bingo, Axe. Hurry up. And don’t die!”

Right. “Shep, send down a sling with the basket.”

Water crashed over the boat, slamming Axel into the cabin wall. The boat moaned.

“We’re taking on water!” Russell said.

“Yep.” He braced himself, then headed out to grab the basket.

“What are you doing?” Russell said as the basket came down, a sling attached.

Another wave hit, skidding the basket to the rail, nearly engulfing the cabin with water. Axel held on and the boat righted itself, but not before it had sucked out the fight from Brian, and maybe even Captain Russell. They shivered openly, both of them wan, fear in their eyes.

“We’re running out of time!” He grabbed Russell by the arm. “Help me get Brian in the basket.”

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