Page 74 of Leveling

Chapter 52

Dan was givingBeckett all the wrong kind of information. Like, “Yep, there’s eight,” and, “old guy keeps looking at us,” and, “the young man, second from the left, is staring us down, he’s going to be trouble. He’ll be the splasher.”

Beckett said, “I’ll just read the edict, ask if they need any help, offer—or I don’t have supplies, so I’ll just—”

“They have supplies, look at the boards, they have piles.”

Beckett asked, “Really? Can I see?”

Dan held the binoculars to Beckett’s eyes. There were piles of packs. The packs looked like the packs from his Outpost. The binoculars shifted and he could no longer see.

Beckett looked to the right, following the Nomads’s route. He supposed they could be coming from his Outpost. It was south east of there, and if they had his packs, that meant they had read the edict.

Now he felt stupid demanding that they listen to him. “Um, excuse me. I get that you already grabbed the food and filtration systems and that you’re aware that they’re for helping you get to the mainland, east of here, but I see you’re headed north. So I’m sure you won’t mind if I pull up beside you in my ship and read the edict to you,again.Or better yet, recite it, because that’s how big a dork I am. I’m a dumbass. You can see by my hands. It was heroic, but still, injured hands. I get spoon-fed now.”

The ship approached closer.

Dan said, “Five men, three women.”

Beckett leaned on the railings and watched the group across the distance as they slowly came into focus. Something about the young woman, the person fourth from the left, made his heart stop, and then thud double time.

The figures were still dark, but her shape could almost be...Could it?

The ship slowed. Beckett leaned forward, cocking his head, squinting, “Dan, can I see through the binoculars again?” Using his gauze-covered hands he guided them approximately close.

Anna.

That was Anna. Head down, watching the water. Whoa. Right there.

Anna.

“Anna!”

He pressed against the railing, “Anna!” and, “ANNA!”

He stepped up on the lowest rail and waved his arms, “Anna!”

Dan said, “Shit dude, you know that girl?”

---