Page 59 of Leveling

Chapter 40

Eventually the restof the crew came down to the bunk room. The boat lurched up and down and back and forth. Beckett asked, “Should we go up to make sure our ship isn’t going down?”

Dan said, “What you going to do about it? Leave the bridge to Captain and be ready to hit the lifeboats if the alarm sounds.”

Beckett’s face broke out in a cold sweat. “Lifeboats, yeah, how many lifeboats are there?”

Dan said, “Enough.”

Thunder boomed.

“If lifeboats are needed who’s driving them?”

Dan said, “If you find your army ass in a lifeboat this night, you better hope me, or one of those guys on the bridge are in there with you.”

Beckett gulped.

Jeffrey asked, “Hey! What about me?”

“Have you ever been in charge of a watercraft of any kind during a storm?”

“True, but it’s like you think I’m incapable.”

Rebecca said, “I want to go on the record—I’m not capable. I fully need a captain on my lifeboat. One hundred percent.”

Beckett was worried he was about to have another panic attack. He had only just met these people, and so far none of them seemed very impressed. Clutching his chest and dropping to the ground would likely lower him in their estimation. If it was possible to go lower. He was out here on the high seas with them and had joined the crew under false pretenses. He needed to be liked so they would help and not hurt. He tried not to think about Captain Aria ordering him into a lifeboat and setting him out to sea because he had lied and pretended to be passionate about fish health.

He returned to the conversation as Rebecca said, “...I wish we would see a whale. It’s been forever.”

Sarah said, “I agree. We did see the school of dolphins—”

Starboard kicked up abruptly, Rebecca flew out of her bunk with a crash. Beckett banged into the wall. Jeffrey landed on his back between the bunks “Shit!”

Thunder rolled. Beckett pressed the heel of his hands into his eyes.

Dan stalked down the passage and up the stairs. “I’m going to the bridge to find out how they’re doing.”

The rest were quiet. Then Sarah said, “Speaking of no whales, I also haven’t seen any Nomads in a long time.”

“On the Outpost I read them an edict telling them to move to the Mainland, the settlements. It’s not safe. So maybe they’re all there now.”

The ship pitched and rolled.

Rebecca said, “They’re smart, this is scary.”

Jeffrey turned off his light and then Dr. Mags.

Rebecca asked Beckett in a whisper, “Have you ever been in a boat during a storm?”

“On an Outpost, but never with this pitch and—”

The ship banked hard.

Beckett flung a leg out to keep from falling off the bunk. He groaned, pulled back, flipped to his stomach, and buried his face in his pillow. He turned out his light.

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