𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛

five

Billy took a tentative step into the dark container, deliberating calling out to the woman when his hard boots crunched the hay beneath him and stole away all his stealth.

Her head snapped up like a whip, eyes wide in surprise like those of an animal caught in a corner. She met his grassy gaze harshly and her lips parted without speaking.

Almost immediately, Tara sprung to her feet. She wobbled with the sway of the ship, hands going out to press against the cool metal of the container. 

The panicked pitter-patter in her chest made her feel jittery and wild. She felt she could run a mile away from this man if she had to, if not for the blatant hindrance of being stranded on a boat with him.

Billy halted his approach at Tara's defensive reaction. The light of outside streamed in from behind his back and his height cast a tall shadow over most of her pale face. He put his hands up, palms towards her.

"Now hold on, calm down Miss." He began. His back was slightly hunched as he attempted to make himself smaller in the silence of the stowaway's scrutinising gaze.

He took one further step forward. "Stop." It was a hair louder than a whisper. He either didn't hear or was simply ignoring her, his hands still up like it would make her feel any more secure about his unwelcome arrival. 

Her feet begged to inch away from him, but she knew without looking back that there was only so much room between her and the wall. He risked another step closer. "I said stop." Her voice came out stronger this time, croaking a little from days of disuse. 

His entire body froze this time and his hands raised a little higher. Tara looked him up and down quickly, and then once more for good measure. "Stay exactly where you are, don't come any closer." Her rapid breaths were masked by the sound of the thrashing ocean outside. Her hand was still pressed to the container wall to keep her balanced, but the cool feeling under her already freezing fingers was a tremendous help in keeping her collected and concentrated.

"Okay." He conceded to her command. She noticed his nose was crooked, recently broken perhaps, attributing to the nasally edge of his voice.

Tara didn't like what he was trying to do. His attempt to diminish her wary vigilance and shut away her alarm wasn't lost to her. He was complacent to her wishes and his grassy eyes looked of the compassionate sort, but she would be an idiot to let his looks trick her into thinking he wouldn't stab her in the back the first chance he got.

She forced her shoulders to unlock an inch, letting the sailor think she was a beginning to become at ease around him. Of course it was a ploy to get his guard down while she figured out what to do, but the brief, sincere smile he'd flashed at their fake progress made her hesitate.

He had to have had a glimpse at yesterday's paper, there was no way he'd have been so amiable if he knew what she'd done. He couldn't have been.

Maybe he hadn't read it.

"I know you probably don't trust me." He shrugged his features, hands lowering slowly as he spoke. "That's fine. I wouldn't trust me neither." He almost looked like he was about to inch another step forward, but thought better of it.

He dropped his hands fully, taking a careful glance behind him out of the container door.

Tara tried to steady her breathing again before she spoke, gesturing behind the sailor. "Anyone outside with you?" 

He shook his head once, keeping his eyes as firmly latched to hers as she was his. "I'm the only one who knows you're here, Miss." A glint of a grin peaked at the corner of his lips then. "So I suppose if you killed me right here, no one would know."