In The End Box Set , Stevens, GJ [motivational novels .txt] 📗

a heap at its front. With nothing to give perspective to the size, it was as Thompson spoke the figure rose, standing tall to glare at us from across the water.

“Watch for contacts on the bridge.”

I turned away as it walked into the water, then as it tripped over, falling headfirst when the water reached its knees.

Could a life on the water solve our predicament?

Thompson repeated his words and I followed his instructions, looking up toward the great concrete bridge looming in front of us.

I left the shotgun cradled in my arms as Thompson and the others pointed their weapons upward. The percussive hum of the engine magnified as we passed the concrete edge, giving a brief respite from the danger of the unwanted falling on top of us.

With the bridge soon at our backs as we continued downstream, a splash from behind called us to turn and scour the deck for who’d fallen overboard. Instead of finding someone missing, we turned up to the small crowd at the edge of the bridge who noiselessly called for our blood and proved Thompson had been right with his caution.

With the bridge shrinking from my view, I turned to a boatyard on the other side of the river standing empty as we passed. I imagined the river filled with tourists and pleasure seekers on a sunny day; the water teeming with traffic. In my daydream, families clustered on the banks with food laid out across their blankets.

Our course changed and the sweep of our journey heading to the left of the narrow channel drew my thoughts away. Taking the few steps, I climbed up to the small wheelhouse where Cassie didn’t look from the water ahead.

About to question the turn, I caught sight of the white of an upturned hull in the centre of the canal, silencing my question.

With her right hand dropping the throttle, we slowed as Cassie leaned forward, concentrating ahead as if trying to look below the surface of the water. With a deft touch to the controls, adjusting the turn of the wheel and the throttle, she seemed as if she’d piloted a boat for much of her life.

Perhaps she had. I had, after all, only known her for such a brief time.

“Shit,” she said, sending my eyes wide, the boat lurching to the left so violently as I rushed to grab at anything solid. A great boom reverberated from the hull as white water splashed high and we lurched to the side.

68

JESSICA

Searching the small cabin with the door swinging closed at my back, I heard Alex’s chattering teeth as I pulled up the tops of the bench seats, but found nothing warm to wrap her in, just space where the provisions should have been.

Shadow had followed us and sniffed around as I searched the cupboards on one side by the entrance and the other, a simple toilet, but they were empty too. Cursing the owners of the craft, I turned back to Alex with her arms wrapped around herself and took a chance.

Despite fearing how she would react, I took a long step toward her. When she didn’t reel back in horror, I wrapped my arms around her and gripped her hard against her shakes. And there we held, the shivers slowing and we were at peace, despite the raised voices the other side of the door. Nothing could end that time where we were the only two people alive.

“The camera,” Alex said, pulling away.

Still shaking, she pulled the rucksack from her shoulders and laid it to the seat, unclipping the clasps and pulling it open. She turned my way, smiling when inside she saw no water had got it and the camera sat safe and well, still nestled in the grey foam.

Clipping the case closed, she launched back into my arms, but the lurch of the boat to the side threw me backwards with Alex landing on top of me.

69

LOGAN

As I slammed into Cassie’s side, the motion sent the shotgun clattering to the deck, the boat groaning as the hull scraped over what lay just under the water. Trying to steady myself and grabbing for any handle, I paused beside Cassie with her warmth radiating through her clothes.

Reaching out with her right hand as the other held on to the boat, she pushed at my chest and I turned, gripping at the other side of the wheelhouse to pull away, despite the steep angle.

As quick as the change of direction came, we lurched the other way, violently coming upright with the motion sending us in the opposite direction. Cassie recovered before stumbling into my side and hit the throttle to hush the engine when the sound of a sudden splash in the water came from behind.

Turning to the sound, Cassie’s eyes widened with concern over who had fallen. When I didn’t see Alex or Jess, I tried to remember if they’d been on the deck moments before, just as Shadow bounded up from below where we stood, followed by the two women.

Looking back to the deck, I saw only two soldiers steadying themselves against the handrails.

“Man overboard,” they called in a well-drilled unison. Gibson had vanished.

“What happened?” Alex shouted as she rushed to the soldier’s side.

“We hit a sunken boat,” I said, as I leapt down the steps to scour the water, joined by Thompson, Sherlock and Alex.

My search caught on the white of the upturned hull disappearing from view in the murky water as we drifted away.

“There,” I called, pointing to a mop of long blonde hair near the edge of the canal, despite knowing the figure couldn’t have been Gibson with his close crop. A sudden fresh fear gripped tight in my stomach when I realised there were creatures under the water, even though we’d travelled far from where we’d taken the