Page 11 of Pierre
“That would require a savior,” frowned the man. “Look around you. There is no hope here.” He mumbled a few choice profanities to his followers, who all chuckled, and Pierre fired back his own litany of insults.
Henri stared at the man, then at the others seated at the table.
“You’re from here.”
“I just speak French.”
“No. You speak Haitian French. There is a difference, and a man doesn’t casually learn Haitian French without reason.”
“I spent some time here as a boy,” said Pierre, not willing to lie. Henri stared at him, looking him up and down and then at the other men.
“You are hearty for engineers.”
“We work outside all the time, lifting materials, building, it takes a lot of hard work,” said his teammate, Butch. Again, Henri nodded at him.
“Have you seen three young boys? They could be four or five years old.”
“Can’t find your children?” asked Pierre.
“Not me, but someone I know. They’re missing,” said the man hesitantly. Pierre frowned at him. Was he actually looking for these missing boys? Had they received the wrong information?
Just as Pierre was about to speak, an explosion filled the sky with light and debris. The team stood, suddenly more alert than before. The fireball was near the water, probably an explosion of gas, but there would be injuries.
“If you’re who you say you are, come with me and my men and help. There will be injuries,” said Henri. Pierre stared at the man and nodded toward the others.
“We would be happy to help.”
Following the small group through the littered streets, they jogged toward the fireball in the sky. People were screaming, running from the scene, and others seemed to not move at all.
When they arrived, no one could believe what they were seeing.
Least of all, Pierre.
CHAPTER SIX
“It’s been non-stop since we arrived,” said Judy. “Infected cuts, diarrhea, pustules, boils, vaccinations, it never ends.”
“That’s why we’re here,” said Ambry. The other woman looked at her, nodding.
“How are you so young and already a nurse?”
“I finished school early,” she said. “I was very focused. One day, I hope to return to my family’s business and work there.” The woman didn’t say anything, just nodding. They were standing on deck, leaning against the railings.
“It’s quiet tonight. Too quiet,” said Elliott, walking up behind them. “It’s always noisy down here, people selling things, trying to board ships just to get away, or stowaway. There’s no noise.”
“He’s right,” frowned Ambry.
“We hear it too,” said the captain. “I’ve got men walking the docks. I don’t think they can approach the ship, but it might happen just outside the docks.”
“What might happen?” asked Judy.
“I don’t…”
He never finished the statement as fire and pieces of metal and wood filled the sky. There was one large explosion, then several small ones, sending people screaming into the street.
“Shit!” yelled Ambry.
They heard the horns going off on the ship and ran toward the bays to gather their gear. Each nurse was assigned two security guards, although Ambry knew that two might not be enough. All her days of running ensured that she was in great shape and ready for whatever came her way.
