The sight in front of him made his breath hitch, confusion all over his features. He was gripping a steering wheel tightly in his hands, but he wasn't sure how he got there in the first place. In front of him was a beautiful sight with the ocean calm and reflective of the tiny stars in the sky and waves splashing around carelessly. This looked familiar.
He turned around, taking his hands off the wheel only to find a little girl in front of him in a pink dress. "Rylie," he gasped, tears already forming in his eyes. "What are you doing here? It isn't safe!" And it wasn't. He could remember this day like it were yesterday. The sad and tragic day that he'd never forget. He may have adopted Rylie but she was nothing less than a daughter in his eyes. They were celebrating her ninth birthday on their small ship. Why the ship? The day that was supposed to be fun and exciting, turned into the worst day of Levi's life and her last day.
"Papa?" Rylie asked, trotting up to him. "Why are you sad?" She looked up at him innocently.
"It's nothing, just enjoy your birthday," Levi responded, forcing a smile. Levi wrapped an arm over her little shoulder and kept it there, wanting to keep this moment just a little longer before he were to wake up.
Levi knew this was all a dream. He'd dream this dream many, many times before. And still did five years later. Enough times to know there was nothing he could do to save his daughter from her tragic fate.
"This is really great!" Rylie exclaimed. "We should do this more often! Please, just like pirates do!" She looked at him with pleading eyes and Levi nodded slightly.
"Sure," was all he said in response.
"Look out into the ocean, isn't it beautiful? I think so!" Rylie giggled to herself and pushed some stray hair away from her brown eyes. "This is the best birthday ever!"
"It was, Rylie. It was. You know I miss you, right?" Levi asked his daughter sadly. His voice was filled with emotion and a tear dripped down his face. Levi planted a kiss on her head before releasing his arms from her little shoulder.
"What do you mean? I'm right here," she asked confused.
The boat suddenly began rocking slightly before Levi could respond. A surprised Rylie yelped as she tumbled to the wooden floor that she wouldn't have met if she were holding onto the railing.
Levi managed to surpass it however. With one hand gripping onto the railing he used the other to reach out for her. Rylie was in reaching zone. She would be able to grab his hand if she would just hurry before the boat were to shake again.
"Rylie!" He watched her attempt to reach her shaky feet. But she had to skip that step. She needed to get a hold of his hand first before the next one would come. "Get over here!"
He was going to do everything in his power to save her. Even if he'd never succeeded before. Yet. He was once again ignoring the fact that her death was going to happen. Every time he had this dream, he'd always found himself trying to save her in the end even if in the beginning of the dream he would tell himself that it was impossible. But he tried each time, only to wake up and feel foolish.
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"Levi? Levi? Are you okay?" Someone was shaking his shoulders urgently, trying to wake him up. "Hey!" The voice sounded like Harry's and it was concerned.
Levi creaked his eyes opened slowly, confused, and saw Harry kneeled down in front of his laying form. He felt sweat covering his body and mixed into his short, brown hair. Quick, shallow breaths were coming from himself as he stared at Harry.
"What?" Levi asked him, wiping sweat from his face. Levi made out his binoculars in the dimness of the downstairs, and grabbed it.
"Y-you were whimpering in your sleep," he replied. "You were having a nightmare." He moved into a criss-cross position in front of him. He continued to look at him concerned and Levi knew he wanted to talk about this.
Levi stood up before this conversation could even begin and took a glance around the downstairs in case of any witnesses but there was no one else. He stepped passed the bags of bread and the bags of water bottles.
As he hurried up the steps, he heard Harry say, "I came to wake you! The sun's rising so you can see again!"
He squinted his eyes against the sun's reappearance, taking his time to his post on the flagpole. He saw Paul prepped at a cannon, waiting, and Captain Drake had his hands on the steering wheel ready to go. He heard footsteps behind him belonging to Harry who was to go to the front of the ship by the wheel.
Before climbing up he inched a hand down his face, sighing, wishing for some rain. This was unusual. Normally there would be rain after rain after rain. But that wasn't the case.
He nodded at the captain that he was ready. He rose the binoculars when the ship started again, but instead of looking out for any danger in the seas he thought about his daughter. Rylie.
He reached into his pocket and took out the photo. The last photo he had of her. She smiled brightly in the photo, her hair sitting on one of her shoulders. She sat on the safa by herself and her toy barbie was in her hands.
He had done as she asked. He had become a sailor and now was part of a crew. He was something that he would never had even considered being if it weren't for her. His lips turned into a deep frown and a tear sprinkled down his face. Levi thumbed it away angrily, shaking his head, then got back to the seas.
It wasn't until about an hour later that something eventful happened. Something other than the sound of waves splashing around in the ocean and the sound of seagulls soaring in the sky. And something other than Levi occasionally rearranging himself up high on the flagpole.
A strange voice suddenly spoke over the noisy seas. Levi and the crew shifted their attention on the noise and saw that it came from the radio that was halfway in Captain Drake's pocket.
The captain captured it in a hand, needing the other to steer accordingly to Harry's compass reading. "Captain Drake here," he answered, as Paul carefully walked in on the scene and away from his cannon.
"That the survivors?" Paul questioned, watching him.
Captain Drake didn't answer him. "Is everyone okay?" he asked to whoever was on the other end of the radio. A few seconds later he said, "Answer me!"
Levi stayed put where he was, frozen. He eyed the captain, studying his expressions. When his frozen spell surpassed he scrambled down the flagpole and over to the commotion.
"Bitten?" the captain pressed, lifting the radio against his ear with an alerted frown on his face. "Are the bites fatal? He look bad?"
Levi, Paul, and Harry all exchanged confused looks, anxious to hear what the captain had to say. Paul took a step forward, expressing his hands out in front of him in a questioning manner.
Finally the captain dismissed the radio back in his pocket, and glimpsed at his crew. His eyes were hard as he looked out into the seas in front of him.
"One of the three survivors have been bitten. Now apparently that's what happens when you step outside that hut of there's," Captain Drake explained. "Them survivors are low-"
"Wait, wait," Paul interrupted impatiently. "Hut? They got a hut now? What are you talkin' about?"
Levi gasped along with everyone else when the ship suddenly made a hard shake, crashing Harry and Captain Drake to the ground. Levi's heart raced as he looked around for something to grab onto.
"Hey, are you guys okay?" Harry cried throughout the ship, and Levi saw that he had pinned himself up against the side of the ship. He looked terrified.
Levi was knocked off his feet before he could reach his pole to hold onto.
A loud, shriek came from where Harry had sat but looking around Levi realized that he was not in sight. He had fallen off the ship.
Levi wore a pained expression from falling on his knees as he scrambled to the railing where Harry was. As he did this he saw two sets of fingers gripping the side of the ship and the person's groaning and heavy breaths could be heard.
"Harry!" Levi cried. "I'll coming! J-just hold on!"
"I-I can't!" Harry responded, and continued to pant. His fingers began slipping.
Levi hurried to his feet and transferred one of Harry's hands into his own. Levi grunted heavily as he desperately tried to pull his fellow crew member back on board. He needed to hurry up before the coming tilt.
His shaking body slowly inched back on board, until finally he dropped on the wooden floor inside the ship. He said, "T-thanks, Levi," in between pants.
Levi looked around desperately for something he and Harry could grab onto and saw Captain Drake. He was squared against the side of the ship much like Harry was. But where was Paul?
"Come one!" Levi demanded, gesturing for him to follow as he hurried for the steps downstairs. "Captain!" he called, earning him attention. "Downstairs!" Levi hurried down the steps and saw Paul. He held onto a side of the stairs, his eyes wide with terror. Harry and Captain Drake followed.
As they all waited for the next wave, it didn't come. After about five minutes of waiting expectantly, they realized that it must be over.
Captain Drake was the first to venture upstairs because he knew that he needed to get to the steering wheel. His hurried trots were followed by Paul, and then Harry. Before Levi followed suit he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, and then he marched up as well to get to the flagpole.