Alex took a look around the trawling boat for anything that might be of some use. Kris watched with a close eye as he searched. The other Highlanders took to small talk or sleep, but Kris barely winked in the past hour of waiting.
Alex looked up at Gibson and ordered, "poke your head out, see if the water's come in."
Gibson shook his head and crossed his arms in defiance. Kris knew that he didn't talk much, but was it so hard to see if the water had gone up?
"Talkative sod," Alex grumbled with a glare in his eyes.
Tommy stepped up the ladder and opened the hatch to look outside. He sighed and closed it again, sinking back down to the floor.
"Bugger," Tommy mumbled. "Barely come in at all."
"For fuck's sake," Alex growled, clearly upset that the tide wasn't coming in fast enough.
"Calm down," a Highlander said. "What goes out comes back in, right?"
"Yeah, but how long?" Alex shot back, glaring daggers at the Highlander.
His question was met with silence, and Alex dropped it. He sank down the wall of the boat, defeated.
"What do you think of him?" Kris asked her brother quietly, talking about Alex.
"Alex?" Flynn said, receiving a confirming nod from Kris in return. "I don't think anythin' of him."
"So you wouldn't mind him coming home with us?" Kris questioned, her eyes shifting from Alex and to Flynn. He had a hard look in his eyes.
"That's a different question," he mumbled.
"One that you can't answer?" Kris pushed, but Flynn didn't give in.
"He's not comin' with us, Kris," he said firmly.
"But I assume that Johnny is?"
At the sound of his name, Johnny peeked up and looked over at the two siblings. Flynn sat still and stared at the other side of the boat, unblinking.
"I don't know what you're on about," Flynn denied.
"I'm not judging you, Flynn," Kris said softly. "I know about you two. I can see it."
Johnny sunk back into the boat's wall, trying to be as invisible as possible. His face was flushed, but Flynn seemed to be just fine.
"There's nothin' between us," Flynn denied once again. "I barely know him. Sod off."
Kris dropped it once she noticed the broken expression on Johnny's face. She knew that she was right, but it wasn't worth hurting Johnny more than she already did.
Kris turned away from her brother and slumped down onto her side. The exhaustion from the war was quickly catching up to her, and without her knowing, her eyes closed.
—
"Kraut?!"
Kris woke up startled by the sound of men shouting. She sat up quickly, her eyes wide and searching for any type of danger around her.
A man was pinned up with a gun aimed evenly at his head. All the men were stood and on high alert by the newcomer.
"Are you German?" Alex asked the man, his voice dangerously low.
"Dutch! Dutch!" the man exclaimed in fear. "Merchant navy. Here to pick you up. To help you."
The soldiers set the man down, but they did not lose their guard. Kris stood up in case something were to happen and she had to run.
"Why'd you leave your boat?" Alex pestered, not giving up on revealing why the mysterious man suddenly showed up out of nowhere.
"In case German come," the intruder said, breathless. "We wait up the beach with soldiers. Wait for the tide."
"You came back; the tide must be in," a Highlander stated.
"Coming, yes," the Dutchman confirmed. "But more hours till we float."
"Hours?!" Alex shouted, fire in his eyes. "Why'd you come back?"
The Dutchman gestured around the boat, "not so heavy when I left!"
Kris stepped forward, but stopped when a bullet pierced the side of the ship. Everyone fell to the ground as flat as they could get.
No one made a sound. Another gunshot sounded out. Kris jumped as it flew through the boat. Her breathing was erratic as a third bullet came through. She didn't want to die like this; she didn't want to die at all.
Two Highlanders grabbed their rifles and started to make their way to the ladder. Kris wouldn't look – couldn't look.
"No!" Tommy whispered to the two men. "Then they'll know we're in here!"
"Why else are they shooting at us?" one Highlander asked hurriedly, his knuckles white from gripping on his weapon.
"Look at the grouping," Tommy said, turning to look at the three bullet holes. Kris glanced up with her hands held protectively around her head. "Target practice."
Another bullet flew into the boat, causing Kris to take in a sharp breath and get back down. She felt someone grab her and pull her away from the target zone. Her eyes remained closed and her hands stayed over her ears to block out the deathly sound of metal piercing metal.
The man's hands held Kris's tight against her head as if to protect her. As another bullet came through the boat, the man's body shifted to shield hers.
Kris opened her eyes slightly, finding Alex above her with fear in his eyes. It was disguised by anger and urgency, but it was still there. His hands covered her and made her feel safe, but she knew that it wasn't possible to live in a situation like this. They'll die.
Water began to pour into the boat from the bullet holes. A Highlander walked up to attempt to stop the water, but a bullet hit him in an instant. Kris couldn't look away as his comrades pulled him back and tried to quiet his shrieks of pain. Water continued to pour into their hideout.
"We have to plug it!" Alex shouted, panic clear in his voice. Kris didn't know what to do.
"After you, mate!"
Nobody moved. Their eyes were steadily trained on the bullet holes in front of them and no one made any advances towards the target zone. Slowly, Kris pulled herself up. Alex glanced down at her, his eyebrows furrowed just like always, but this time he was afraid.
She almost sacrificed herself before a machine gun sounded off and Alex grabbed her to pull her back down. He threw her behind him forcefully and urgently. She wouldn't get hurt.
Alex turned towards the Dutchman, "how do we get off?! Do we need to ditch some ballast?!"
The Dutchman stared at Alex blankly. Realizing that the man didn't understand, Alex clarified, "weight! Do we need to lose weight?!"
"Weight, yes," the Dutchman nodded.
"Well, volunteer," a Highlander stated, but Alex didn't look at him.
"We don't need a volunteer," he said. Alex turned to face Tommy and Gibson, backing away from Kris just slightly. "I know someone who ought to get off."
Alex pointed an accusing finger right at Gibson, "this one. He's a German spy."
"Alex!" Kris gasped, appalled at the very idea of Gibson being a German spy. She stood up, her uniform drenched from the water. She felt like a mother reprimanding a child, but as soon as she thought about it in context, it didn't make much sense.
"Don't be daft," Tommy denied, fighting on behalf of Gibson.
"He's bloody Gerry," Alex spat, sticking to his claim and ignoring Kris and Tommy. "You might not've noticed that he hasn't said a word, but I have. He doesn't speak English, or if he does it's with an accent thicker than sauerkraut sauce."
"You're daft," Tommy said to Alex, then turned to Gibson. "Tell him."
"Yeah, tell me," Alex taunted, waiting for Gibson to speak up. Kris held her breath, because Alex's claim wasn't all too crazy. She didn't want to believe it, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.
When Gibson didn't say a word, Alex held out his hand to one of the Highlanders. Alex was handed a rifle without question, and he immediately pointed it straight at Gibson, looping it under the soldier's dog tags.
"Tell me, Gibson!"
"Tell him, for God's sake!" Tommy yelled, fearing for Gibson's life.
"Jesus, Gibson, say something!" Kris begged, all hope for Gibson draining away. Kristen went to step toward Alex, but Flynn glared at her. She could see that Flynn agreed with Alex to some extent by the look in his eyes.
Alex pressed the tip of the rifle against Gibson's cheek. Gibson shook in fear by the touch of the cold metal, and finally, he broke.
"Français! Je suis françias!"
Even if it wasn't as bad as him being a German, Kris felt dejected. She looked at Gibson sadly.
Gunfire started back up, and Kris got back down. Alex stood in front of Gibson with the rest of her soldiers on the other side. She glanced at Flynn and Johnny, and then at Tommy and Gibson. The water was coming in, fast.
"A frog. A bloody frog. A cowardly, queue-jumping frog," Alex snarled to Gibson's face. "Who's Gibson, huh? A naked, dead Englishman lying out on that sand? Or did you at least have the decency to bury him?"
Gibson said nothing.
"He did," Tommy jumped in, giving Alex a pointed look that told him to stop. "I helped him. I though it was his mate."
"Maybe he killed him," Alex thought.
"He didn't kill him," Tommy denied.
"How do we know?!"
"How hard is it to find a dead Englishman on Dunkirk beach, for God's sake?!" Tommy pointed out, trying to prove something to Alex. "He didn't kill anyone. He was looking for a way off the damned sand like the rest of us!"
"Alex, stop," Kris said, holding her arm up to touch the angry soldier as he pointed the rifle at Gibson. She ignored the look from Flynn; she knew what was right.
Before her fingers could reach Alex, gunshots came raining in through the walls once again. Kris pulled her arm back towards her, fearing for her life.
She knew that Alex was right, but forcing someone to die wasn't. But, God, did she want to go home.
"Hadn't they had enough practice by now?!" a Highlander shouted.
"They're making sure she won't float," another realized, his eyes locked on the water pouring in through the various holes. He turned to the Dutchman, "will she still float?!"
The Dutchman examines the bullet holes before nodding, "float, yes. With less weight, yes."
"And we know who's gettin' off," Alex grumbled, eyes trained on Gibson.
"You can't do that," Tommy panicked. "We're on the same side."
Alex shoves the rifle into Gibson, "go on, up you go."
"As soon as he pokes his head out, they'll slaughter him," Tommy told Alex, trying to change his mind.
"Better him than me," Alex responded. Kris stood silent, watching without anything to do.
"It's not fair," Tommy said, his face angrier than Kris had ever seen it.
"Survival's not fair," Alex shot back, his eyes staying on Gibson. Kris couldn't help but to agree, because all the things she'd done to get to where she was now didn't happen in all fairness.
"No, it's shit," a Highlander agreed. "It's fear and greed. Fate squeezed through the bowels of men. Shit."
"He saved our lives," Tommy rushed, ignoring the Highlanders.
"And he's about to do it again," the Highlander said. "Go on."
Alex began to shove Gibson up the ladder. Kris did nothing. Flynn and Johnny did nothing. The Highlanders did nothing.
"No! Just stop!"
Like a switch, Alex turned to Tommy with pure rage in his eyes. Alex was desperate. He pinned Tommy against the wall of the boat, pushing his forearm into Tommy's chest.
"We need someone to get off so the rest of us can live," Alex grumbled in Tommy's face, his voice low. "You want to volunteer?"
Tommy paused before replying, "fuck no. I'm going home."
"And if this is the price?"
Tommy glanced over Alex's shoulder at Gibson. "I'll live with it, but it's wrong."
Alex shoved Gibson up another step before Tommy stopped him again, "Alex, one man's not gonna make enough difference."
"You'd best hope it does," a Highlander snarled, "'cause you'd be volunteerin' next."
"Hey, piss off," Kris spat, glaring at the group of Highlanders. They snickered at the sight of her, one shaking his head at Kris.
Gibson jumped at the rifle in Alex's hands, Tommy quick to help him. The three fell into the gathering water and knocked against the wall of the boat. The ship shifted from all the movement, causing everyone to still.
"Float! We float!" the Dutchman exclaimed.
"Start the bloody engine!" a Highlander ordered the Dutchman. He obliged and scurried up the hatch and reached to start the engine.
As soon as the engine roared to life, a machine gun was fired again. Kris was pulled under the water by Tommy as bullets continued to penetrate the metal ship.
The trawler creaked as it was put into gear. Kris was pushed against the wall of the ship, air quickly leaving her lungs. Without any choice, Kris broke from Tommy's hold and gasped for air above the waterline.
Alex came up with Gibson in arm, spluttering, "we're off!"
Kris watched as Alex snuck up the ladder to see where they were going. The water was up to her chest, and she felt like she was trapped in a coffin. She wanted desperately to leave the sinking ship, but she couldn't without getting her head blown off by Germans.
Alex falls back down the ladder, shouting, "plug the holes!"
Everyone grabbed whatever they could and began to stuff the holes. Kris grunted as she shoved a piece of cloth into a bullet hole, but it wouldn't fit.
"Here."
Kris glanced behind her at Johnny. His hair was soaked and his eyes were determined as he leaned over Kris. He looked different than his first impression she had of him. He didn't look young and afraid. He was brave, and whether he was brave for Kris, for Flynn, or even for himself, no one would ever know.
A single bullet flew through the ship's wall, unexpectedly skimming Kris's shoulder. She yelped, her hand immediately going to her injury.
"God damnit!" she huffed, her teeth gritting in pain.
"Hey, hey, hey," Alex said , wading over to where Kris stood. "Are you okay? Did you get hit?"
Kris shook her head as her eyes went up to Johnny. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape. Noticing his silence, Flynn swam up to him with concern.
"Johnny? Johnny!"
Johnny touched his chest with the tips of his fingertips, pulling them away to reveal crimson blood already staining his fingernails. Kris watched as Johnny fell back into Flynn's arms. Alex was intent on tying up her arm with a piece of his uniform, but all she could do was watch as Johnny bled out.
It was like slow motion. Johnny had his eyes trained on Flynn's distraught face. He didn't say anything, even while Flynn screamed to his face. Johnny didn't even blink when Flynn shook him by the shoulders. Kris felt numb. It wasn't because she just witnessed someone else die. No, she almost died. Even if that sounded terrible, it was true. Just an inch to her right and she would have been in Johnny's position.
"Damnit, it's no use!" a Highlander growled, trying to stuff the holes as they kept on coming open. No one else was stopping to help Johnny; he was already gone.
Flynn didn't bother stuffing the holes. Kris watched as he cried over Johnny's now dead body. Maybe Flynn loved the lad, or maybe it was less than that, but Kris wouldn't know.
She blinked once, twice. Then she turned away from her brother and his lover, her hands pressing against the holes. The ocean continued to spray through her fingers. Their efforts were futile.
The water was nearly to Kris's chin. She struggled to stay above water, but she knew that they had to leave now. The Highlanders were the first out of the ship, so Kris took to warning the others.
"Tommy, the ladder!" Kris shouted, water sneaking into her mouth as she spoke. Tommy nodded and made his way to the ladder. Kris turned to her brother, whom was still mourning over Johnny's body. "Flynn, we have to leave!"
Flynn nodded and drifted away from Johnny's body. Before he could get too far away, Flynn ripped Johnny's dog tags from around his neck and held them tightly. She couldn't tell if the droplets on Flynn's face were tears or salt water, but it didn't matter. The ocean was taking hold of the ship.
She took a deep breath as the waterline filled up the rest of the ship. Her eyes stung as she opened them under the water. It was dark, but she felt someone grab her leg. Leaning down, she took their hand and pulled them up with her, abandoning the sinking ship.
Kris pulled Alex up onto the deck with the rest of the soldiers. Tommy was already swimming towards a rescue ship, followed by the Highlanders and Flynn.
Kris almost jumped off of the deck when she was stopped by Alex. She looked at him, finding that his eyes were red and he was breathing hard.
"I killed him, didn't I?"
Kris knew that Alex was talking about Gibson. The French soldier was the only one missing besides Johnny, but there wasn't anything they could do to save him.
"No, Alex," Kris denied, taking his shaking hand. "The war did."