Travelling With The Enemy | BL

Chapter Fifteen

Ma was busy controlling the ship because of the small valley they would have to travel through to get through the border of Man Country. The crew were all in the dining area relaxing when Ma's shouts came through the speaker, disturbing the calm atmosphere.

"Pou, Nakai and Bao come here! Emergency!"

Everyone went quiet as they watched Pou lead Nakai and Wang Bao to the captain's control room. Inside the control room, Ma had a headset over her ears and was listening intently. The volume was so loud the three men could hear the coast guards' voice from the doorway. Ma suddenly looked stressed once she placed the headset down, and turned around in her chair to talk to the three people in the doorway.

"The royal guards have set up a block at the border and they're searching any boats and ships that are leaving. They will arrest everyone on board if we refuse them."

Pou and Nakai looked at each other then at Wang Bao. Ma stressed how they had to make a decision quickly since the border was coming round the next bend of small islands. Ma had already slowed the ship down but they couldn't come to a complete stop or they would look suspicious. Pou thought quickly before shouting seriously.

"Don't worry Ma, I'll handle it. Keep this speed so we have as much time as possible."

Nakai and Wang Bao followed Pou back to their room where they were told to pack all of their things and carry them. Lani and another crewmate were told to scrub the room while other crew mates were to scrub the dining area to get rid of Nakai's and Wang Bao's scent. Wang Bao was running to keep up with the two Giants in front of him and, he couldn't help but feel guilty since the guards were after him on his Mother's orders. A deep look of guilt and shame was written on his face although he tried to hide it. Pou led Nakai and Wang Bao down the metal staircase leading to the second lower deck, however instead of walking into the large work area, they continued going down another set of steps. When they were close to reaching the landing, Pou started talking.

"I'll be hiding you in the engine room. It will be hot but hopefully they won't take too long to search the ship."

Wang Bao could feel his hands begin to shake while Nakai asked.

"What about our smell?"

Nakai was still clear headed and he already knew how poor Wang Bao's condition had gotten. Before Wang Bao could drop his satchel, Nakai grabbed the strap, carrying both his and Wang Bao's things. The hatch to the engine room took up most of the floor space, while answering Nakai's question, Pou squatted over the circular handle while saying.

"The basement stinks of fuel and smoke, even if the engine is shut off, the smell lingers for days."

Pou spun the thick handle until the door hissed, the warmth in the engine room was felt in the air alone. Despite being so thick the hatch didn't take much effort from Pou to pull open.With the hatch fully open, Pou let Nakai and Wang Bao climb down the ladder first. Wang Bao scrunched his nose and covered the bottom half of his face as soon as they reached the landing. The stench of fuel clung to the air heavily while beads of sweat instantly formed on his body. Suddenly Ma's voice blasted through speakers above their heads, Ma's voice was so loud it was easily heard over the loud grinding of machinery.

"We're coming up to the border, dropping anchor now."

Pou pointed to a set of six large pistons beside the motor in the centre of the hot room. With Nakai and Wang Bao on his heels, Pou lifted a heavy grate from the floor, his thick arms shook from the heavy weight while sweat dripped from his bald head through the gaps in the floor. Nakai crouched down first and threw their bags into the hole before sliding in, there was only millimetres of space between his body and the grates above. Wang Bao tried to move his burning body quickly too and crawled after Nakai. As soon as Pou saw Wang Bao crawl under the floor, he dropped the large floor grate in place with a loud thud. Under the metal floor, Nakai pulled his body through the long shaft under the floor until his body was under the heart of the ship's engine.