A Sinking Ship

The Lake and The Cabin

Jacob brought me to one of his small cabins deep in the woods after I had packed my clothes. I had insisted on finding my own place, but he ignored me. It was nice though. It was near a lake as well.

"Thank you so much," I said as he stopped outside the cabin. It's shadow absorbed most of the land in front of it. A small fire pit lay in the yard with a few metal chairs surrounding it. I don't think Jacob ever expects thanks because he becomes flustered every time I say it.

"No problem." He muttered as I pushed the car door open and hit the dirt path with a thud. I dragged my backpack out of the back seat. A plume of dirt flew up with every step I took toward my new, temporary home. Jacob followed me out of the car, staying a good ten feet behind.

Inside the cabin was a large brick fireplace with a soft, plump leather couch. Along the wall was a small kitchen with a few dirty dishes in the sink. A bathroom and two bedrooms made up the rest of the house.

"You've come here much?" I asked curiously. The dirty dishes seemed to signify him being here recently.

"Yeah. I spend most of my free time here."

"Hunting?" I asked.

He nodded, leaning against the doorway. There he was, smiling again. I blushed deeply, and he seemed to notice. It only made him smile even more, but his mask was back on quicker than it had fallen off.

"Well...um...I'll see you later," I said, stuttering in embarrassment. He chuckled when he turned away.

"See ya." He walked away, leaving the front door open. I watched him as he got in the car, waved goodbye, and drove away. I put my hands on my head and sighed.

"Shit." I started to pace, feeling like an absolute fool. How could this be happening? Could I be-

No. I am not even going to go there. I slammed the door shut and fell onto the couch. I needed to get my mind off of things. I stood up and dug through my backpack until I found...Shit. I forgot my bathing suit. I dug out a pair of shorts instead and changed into them.

When I reached the lake, it was about mid-day. The sun was beaming down and it was a nice, moderate warmth. I sat down on the rocks and watched the sunlight reflect off of the surface. It was tranquil near the lake. The birds chirped and flew across the sky. The trees danced in the occasional breeze. I started to think about Simon. His bright blonde hair and hazel eyes. The way they shined when he had been drinking for a while...the way the shined when he hadn't. He was so brutally honest. Shit, he was cutthroat. But it was charming. One time, I had worn a long, lilac dress. Simple and comfortable. I showed up to the ball and he straight up said it didn't look good on me. In a playful tone, but I knew he really thought that. But, again, in a playful tone. So I told him his tattoo was not attractive, and he was very proud of his tattoo.

 If only he was here. He would have loved the mountains. Maybe less of the cult, but he would have loved it. You would have loved it too.

I screamed Simon's name as he collapsed to the ground as blood pooled around him and drained into the ducts below. The shooter looked at me and smiled. A truly evil smile it was. He laughed and nodded the gun toward me.

"Too late princess. If only you had come a tad bit sooner, he might have lived. The stubborn bastard." He said, his voice quiet and deep. "Now, come over here or you'll end up just like your boyfriend here."

Tears were already pouring down my face and I couldn't take my eyes off of Simon. Oh fuck, this is all my fault. I took a step forward and then another one until I reached the shooter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw metal gleaming on his belt. A knife. I put my hands up and he approached me. I would not let Simon's sacrifice be in vain.

In one quick motion, I grabbed his knife and had the tip on his neck before he could lift his weapon. With the other hand, I snatched the gun away from him and pulled him close.

"You're going to pay for that," I whispered in his ear. I put the gun to his temple and turned him around so the other terrorists could see.

"Let them go or this one will won't be calling my princess anymore." I breathed. I felt anger and sadness pull on me like I was a puppet on strings. Both emotions fueling me to kill every last one of them. The murderer I was holding hostage nodded and one of his men went to the closest hostage and picked them up. I breathed but I didn't let go.

Panic set in when the man pulled the hostage close and held his own gun to the crew member's head.

"Or...you let go of him and we won't kill this one. Each time you refuse, another one will die. Your choice." I was sweating bullets at this point, and with the tears gleaming on my face, the makeup that I had forgotten to take off the previous night must have looked like utter shit. I let go of the man and dropped my weapons. When the man didn't let go of the hostage I knew something was wrong.

"I guess we can afford-" Before he could finish, I pushed past the princess guy and leaped for him. I managed to push his arm just a bit for him to miss the crew member. The bullet strayed off its path and relief flooded me. But when the bullet struck something hard and made a loud repeating thud sounded out, I knew it had hit something much, much more detrimental.

And then the first blast went off.

I hit the hardwood ground knee first and groaned in pain. I rolled over and looked up at the ceiling of the cabin, feeling like I was absorbing the darkness around me. I had saved one life just to kill thousands of others. I didn't mean to, but in the end, it was my fault. No one can tell me otherwise. But after telling Jacob my story, I felt a bit better. He was right. If I kept thinking like that, the darkness would truly consume me.

I stood up and stumbled to the end table and opened the drawer. Inside were a few dusty books. I pushed them aside and grabbed a flashlight buried underneath. I flicked it on, and thankfully, it turned on. A bright beam of light flew out and washed the room. I hadn't really been paying attention to much of the room. I fell on the bed and fell asleep immediately after the trip to the lake.

Above the bed was a framed photo of the Seeds. Joseph, whom I have never met, sat in the middle, with Faith kneeling beside him and John and Jacob on either side. The glass was dusty, making it hard to see. I had never met Faith either. She was a weird one.

I left the bedroom and opened the front door. The cool night air washed over me, and I felt instantly refreshed. My breathing slowed and my heart rate stabilized. I went down a step and sat down, looking up at the shining stars and moon. I pulled out the photo I had grabbed from my house and stared at it for a while. It was of Miller and I. He was standing beside me with his arm around my shoulder. His freshly buzzed off hair was the only hint of his new recruitment. His eyes were a pale blue, but they were shaped like mine. He had the same brown hair and a small nose. He was smiling happily, and I was too. But you could tell that I was sad he was leaving. I stared at the photo for a while before putting it back in my pocket. I wish he was here now. You and Miller would have gotten on like a house on fire. He was just like you.