Lost and Found

Chapter 4

Yasmine didn't stop stroking Megan's hair. It was as if her repetitive movement would summon Megan back to the land of the living. The land of sanity.

"Ugh," I heard a small wimper. Hastily, I moved to Emma's side. I could she see needed something to keep her alive.

"Yasmine!" I shouted, breaking her from her trance.

"Yes?" 

"Your kit, where is it?" I asked her, pleadingly.

Mathew was still stood, his back against the railings staring in shock. Marlo was on the floor, his face in his hands, occasional dribbles of salty prayer would seep through his murderous skin. I couldn't bring myself to look in Kevin's direction. 

I knew that I was responsible for his death. This bloody gashes in the centre of his chest. I couldn't remember how many shots I actually shot him, just that I did and it was all down to me. 

"LAND!" Robert shouted, through his emotional sobs. He pointed out in the North direction and, so there was, a strip of multicoloured bliss lay in front of us. 

"We need to get there then!" I shouted, "Who knows how to drive the ship?" 

"Me," Marlo spoke. 

"Not you, you.." Robert began before I interrupted him.

"Just do it, Marlo. its the least you could do." I said, sourly. He nodded before leaving for the drivers cabin. 

I resumed my attention on Emma. Her brown hair flowed delicately on her narrow shoulders and inched across the paint-peeling floor. her thin red lips were parched and I suddenly remembered she hadn't eaten or drunk in days. 

"Robert, get some..." I cleared my throat, "water for Emma," I ordered. 

I couldn't see him but heard him continue to cry and wonder the deck. It felt eerie being left with two dead bodies, an uncocnious girl and Mathew. He hadn't said anything since Kevin had been shot and I assumed he was going to continue his allocated silence. 

I remembered Jessica locked down in the cabin, maybe wondering we were all dead due to the various gun shots that had probably seeped through the wooden walls. 

Robert returned with two bottles of water in his hand. He thrust his hand and rolled one forward to me. I wondered what he was doing and shot a glance back at him. My heart felt like it had been hit hard like a gigantic gong, silencing the people from all over.

He was slowly and conscientiously tilting the water bottle back and squeezing the contents into Megan's dry mouth, in hope that she would soon awake from the inevitable. I felt so sorry for him, that he had lost his cousin. I had never experienced a death in my family before and only Darby. But now Megan was lay sprawled across the floor and all I saw was a helpless, young, mindless boy hoping for a loved one to arouse from the dead, and I knew that wasn't going to happen.

I yanked off the lid of the water bottle and pulled the top up with my hand before placing it between Emma's lips and letting the water dribble down her throat and into her system. I continued to do this before I heard her gargle and pulled away. Emma's eyes opened slightly and I held her head away from the uncomfortable, rigid ground.

"Emma, Emma its me," I informed her smiling. I saw the corners of her mouth open slightly. She let loose words slip from her moist tongue and into my ear.

"Gun ... shot ... Kev ..." and that was all I could make out, the rest was a mumble jumble. 

Yasmine returned with a first aid kit, kneeling beside me. She unclipped the green coloured box and took out a brown-tinted bottle, emptying its packing onto her mouth before it went into Emma's. 

We were all startled when Marlo returned in such panic and trepidation that it sent mean shivers spiralling around out spines. "The boat! I can't move it! We're going to crash!" And with that, the boat suddenly tilted at an angle and it began to rumble. I fell to the floor, trying to keep my balance. Luckily, it hadn't tilted at such an angle that we were thrown overboard. 

"HELP!" Jessica shouted from the deck beneath us. 

"JESSICA!" Robert suddenly came to realisation and ran down the steps and to her door. 

"Robert!" She cried, "Robert, what 'appened?" 

"We'll get you out of there!" Robert shouted in no reasonable reply to her pleading question. "Dylan, the crowbar!" He informed me. 

I left Emma in the company of Yasmine and followed Robert up the boat, as it was elevated, and through to the keel. Instantly, I heard the gushing of water pouring through a massive open gap in the side of the boat.

"Where is it?" Robert screamed, splashing around in the deepening water. 

"Robert, let's get her out another way!" I implored, but Robert would not listen. 

Suddenly, I felt my body fly forward down the stairs and into the water at the bottom of the keel. I pushed myself up, noticing the blood trickling from my nose and onto my lip. 

I looked back up the steps where Mathew's face was rather sore with anger.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!" I felt his body push mine up against the wall of the keel. Suddenly, his head parted away from mine, ready to strike. 

He fell to the floor in a crumpled mess and Robert was stood behind him, the crowbar safely in his hands. 

"Robert!" I thanked. We looked back up to the top of the steps when suddenly, the door was slammed shut.

"HELP!" I screamed, instantly. I climbed the steps and began to pound my heavy fists agaisnt the burdened door in declaration. That's when I heard several more boards crack, allowing more water to engulf us. 

Robert was standing beside me at the top of the steps, his face consumed with worry. We, unavoidably, were going to die.