Innocent Guilt

Chapter Fifteen- Drowned yet Shallow Hope

It was just sunrise as Jennifer found a ship graveyard full of rusty and half submerged boats. Most were not full ships and just pieces or turned upon their side. As she made her way on the first boat, she felt weak as if her entire soul was ripped from her. She was unsure why. With each step her foot creaked on the hard metal.

"Colin?" She asked at a normal tone-in case she was not alone or they weren't. Eventually as she called his name she did not care who heard. By the time she was screaming his name, she was on the fourth boat out of about twenty. Searching underneath, stomping on the metal, and calling for him. She decided to call his phone in case it were to be on in hopes of limiting the search.

She heard something buzz against a piece of metal and continued calling until she located it near the shoreline. She feared the worst. What if he was already dead? What if this was Cynthia's final revenge?

As she jumped back on one of the ships, she wiped away tears and decided not to accept that outcome. She needed something more to tell her the truth. And if it were to be proven true of her husband's demise-she would stop at nothing to ruin them as well.

Walking further and further down, she came across the twelfth ship. It was branded differently and was more clean then the others. This was a nice sized ship that was only slightly submerged in the water and was almost completely level. Going below deck she was unaware of what was to come.

Turning each corner as if someone was waiting to assassinate her, she slowly curved each angle before making it almost completely through the ship. Her heart felt heavy as she found the boiler room was almost submerged completely underwater. Something in her gut told her to enter the freezing water. Removing her jacket, she tossed it behind her and held onto the latches on the side of the ship that used to hold pictures or paintings. Making it around another corner she saw something astonishing.

"Colin!" She yelled, her voice echoing outside. Swimming as fast as she could, she pulled him from his hanging position as his chin was just submerged in the water. As she had his arm hanging over her shoulder, she pushed through the water and made it back to the dry part of the ship but found it to be tipping. It made no since before until she heard more voices above.

"I said find her you idiots!" A voice said as the footsteps were heard on deck. She thought anxiously of what to do. There were no rooms she could hide in and only an axe beside her for protection. Grasping in tight in her grasp as Colin was in the other one she hid behind the corner. In the reflection of broken glass on the wall she saw a figure that made her nearly shriek.

"Cynthia?" She whispered to herself.

*Update at 380! Shiz is about to get real! No this is no typo ;)