Apocalyptic pirates 4, p.33
Apocalyptic Pirates 4, page 33
“How the fuck did you survive?” I asked in amazement.
“With difficulty.” Fernando gave a bitter little chuckle. “We would creep out when we could and steal everything that we could carry. In ancient times when cities were under siege, they would boil their belts and shoes when they ran out of food.”
“You didn’t have to do that, did you?” I stared at him in horror.
“No. But I was prepared for it to get to that. It was either belts or dragon meat.” Fernando let out another chuckle. “Which one would you have chosen?”
“Fuck, I don’t know.” I thought about it for a moment. “I suppose I could potentially eat a dragon. It would feel like the biggest ‘fuck you’ to the scaly bastards. Though fuck knows what eating that meat would do to your insides.”
My mind flashed back to the slimy Daryl on San Andres and that dark forum he’d found that was full of people trying to buy and sell dragon parts. There must be people on there who had suspicions about what effect eating dragon meat would have on humans. And plenty of people who would no doubt be willing to pay thousands of dollars for the privilege of finding out.
If contact with dragon blood could heal humans, how much more potent would the effects be if their flesh was consumed?
“I’m just thankful you came when you did.” Fernando’s voice broke into my thoughts.
“I’m glad we reached you guys in time,” I replied. “I hate to think how things could have turned out if you’d had to survive there for much longer.”
“I have a pretty good idea of what would have happened.” Fernando’s voice was matter-of-fact, and I didn’t want to press him on the details of what he meant.
“Well,” I said instead. “We made it. And tomorrow we can both carry on our separate journeys.”
“Mm.” Fernando was silent for a moment. “I wish you well, Drew. I might not agree with Mariana’s reasons for going to Venezuela, but I have to go with her, and I’m thankful that Dia has so many good people looking out for her.”
“Hey, we love Dia,” I said with a smile. “We’ll take good care of her. And I wish you guys well, too. I’m sure Dia will share updates on your journey with all of us.”
“Good,” he replied. “Good.”
We were silent after that. My thoughts were turning over everything that Fernando had just told me, and I decided to upload the video I’d filmed on Isla Providencia showing the dragon nests.
The internet took an age to load, and the video spent a small eternity buffering, but finally I got onto YouTube and managed to upload the file to the channel. There were hundreds of comments on my other videos, but I didn’t have the headspace to reply to them all right then.
Instead I clicked on the YouTube homepage to see if there was any more news about the government strikes against the nests. I was surprised to see that all of the news channels I was subscribed to had new videos that had been recently uploaded, and I quickly clicked on the latest one.
Fernando stepped closer to the edge of his boat to hear, and I turned the phone so he could see the video as well.
“More reports are coming in concerning the continued military strikes against the dragon nests,” announced the news anchor. “The government recently announced a tactical military operation that would target the nests that have been sighted across the country, and from what we’ve seen and heard, the operation is turning out to be a huge success. Bob, roll the clip.”
I watched eagerly as the video cut to a shot of a dragon nest. But then my eyebrows drew into a disbelieving frown as I recognized the footage.
It was exactly the same as the clip we’d already seen.
I watched it to the end in case there was any deviation, but it was exactly the same video that had played in the previous news stories, right down to the camera angles and lighting. It didn’t show the pilots afterward talking about the mission, but the footage showing the actual attack against the dragon nests was a second-by-second repeat of what we’d already been shown.
“Stirring stuff there, Bob,” the news anchor declared. “It’s certainly encouraging to see the might of our military being used to strike back against this threat to our nation. We will keep you updated as this story develops.”
“That was exactly the same footage,” Fernando said.
“Did you notice it, too?” Relief flooded through me. It was hard being the only cynical one in the face of everyone else’s optimism, and it was unexpectedly validating to hear that Fernando agreed with me.
“Of course.” Fernando nodded. “Dia was telling me about your YouTube channel, and she showed me and her mom the earlier news reports. It’s the same video.”
“There could be a reason for it,” I said in a feeble attempt to convince myself. “Maybe they just haven’t filmed the rest of the attacks.”
“Why not?” Fernando asked in a flat voice. “They’d want to show people that they have this situation under control. Even if that’s a barefaced lie.”
I glanced over quickly at him. Fernando’s mouth was set into a firm, hard line. I could tell that he shared my suspicions, and I wondered whether I should tell him about what we’d found out about the dragons’ blood.
But what if telling Fernando put him in danger?
I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to Dia’s family when I could have prevented it by staying quiet.
I wrestled with the conundrum in my head. Finally I decided to check the dragon forum again and see if there had been any updates on what they were saying.
There were, and in the worst possible way.
At the top of the forum was a new post. From the timestamp it had been posted less than ten minutes ago, and it already had over fifty comments.
CONFIRMED!! the post title read. DRAGON BLOOD HAS HEALING POWERS!!!! (video)
Chapter 20
I clicked on the post with my heart sinking down into my shoes.
There was a video embedded in the post, and it started to play when I scrolled down.
The camera showed a man sitting on a bench. He was naked from the waist up, and his body was turned to the camera to display his back, which was covered in long thin cuts that were oozing blood. The cuts were so shallow and uniform in shape that they looked like they’d been done deliberately, and my suspicions were confirmed when a hand entered the frame holding a box cutter. They ran the blade down the man’s back, and he sucked in an agonized breath as the tool opened a new slice in his skin that immediately started to dribble a fresh line of blood down his back.
There was something so horrific about the sight of a man being deliberately mutilated like this that made a sick feeling in my stomach.
The person holding the camera took in a shaky breath and smacked their lips together.
“Va bene,” they whispered, and a part of my brain registered that they must be Italian. Italian or Italian American? Knowing how widespread this forum’s reach was, it could be anyone’s guess.
Their hand entered the frame again. This time they were holding a jar that was full of blood.
I watched in fascinated horror as they poured the blood over the guy’s lacerated back.
He let out a little hiss. And then the person holding the camera started back as the dragon blood started to fizz and bubble in the same way that I’d seen it do when it met Dia’s blood after the big fight on deck.
“Cavolo…” they breathed, and then the camera zoomed right in and focused on the two bloods reacting with each other.
A little red bubble burst and popped a spot of blood on the camera, but the person holding it was too engrossed in what was happening to fix it.
Their hand came on screen holding a stained towel, and they scrubbed at the guy’s back. He wriggled and protested something in Italian, but the other person carried on wiping away the blood. Then they threw the red-stained towel away and zoomed in on the guy’s back.
His skin was smeared with blood, but all of the cuts were closed. Some of them looked like they were still scabbing over, but as the camera watched, even the deepest of the guy’s wounds closed up and the skin began to knit together.
The person behind the camera was breathing heavily in a way that would have Darth Vader reaching for his inhaler.
The guy began to say something, and then the video cut off.
I blew out my breath and sat back while I tried to process everything that I’d just watched.
The truth was out now. People had video evidence of what the dragons’ blood could do. What the fuck were they going to do now?
I scrolled down the page to read the comments.
OMG!! I KNEW IT!!!
What is this bro is this for realz?
Yawn. Fake.
Was this blood or blood and plasma? Yes there’s a difference.
This is so clearly doctored. It’s wearing the dragon parts that’s effective, not applying directly to the skin.
Was that blade sterilized???
Even on the forum of believers, it seemed like opinions were divided.
One thing was for sure, though, and it was that this video was going to stir things up among all the weirdos on this forum. They’d be even more desperate now to get dragon ingredients, either to prove the video wrong or to confirm it.
Shit was about to get wild.
Well, even more wild than it was already.
“Fernando,” I said.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of this before, but there’s a theory that the dragons could have healing properties.” I decided not to mention that Dia was living proof of this. I didn’t want that news to get back to Mrs. Rojas and potentially complicate her decision to let Dia go with us freely.
I handed Fernando my phone so he could read the forum comments and watch the video.
His brow furrowed as he watched the footage and scrolled through the rest of the post.
“Hmm,” he said.
“People on that forum have been offering millions of dollars for intact dragon pieces,” I said. “And with this video now up, they’ll be willing to do all kinds of crazy shit if they think it’ll get them the kind of money that people are offering. So be careful. I know you will be anyway, but…”
“I appreciate the warning.” Fernando handed my phone back to me. “I’ll keep my eyes open. And don’t worry. You can tell Dia that I’ll keep her mom safe.”
“Thanks.” I nodded.
“No problem,” Fernando replied.
We didn’t talk much after that. I stood on the deck and watched the stars move overhead, and after a couple of hours had passed, I went below to wake Shannon for her turn on watch. Then I crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep.
Everyone was up early the next morning, even Dia.
Letty made us breakfast, and we ate pancakes and watched the sun rise over the city walls. And then it was time for Dia’s family to say goodbye.
“I’ll be expecting regular phone calls,” Mrs. Rojas told her daughter in a severe voice.
“Yes, Mom,” Dia replied with a long-suffering expression on her face.
“Don’t be stupid or smart while you’re on this boat, you hear me?” she continued. “Remember you’re a guest. Be polite and don’t stay in bed until noon. You need to make good use of your time while you’re here. Be helpful, and make sure you’re helping out as much as you can.”
“Yes, Mom,” Dia sighed.
“I’ll send your father your love,” she said.
“Oh, god, Mom, please don’t,” Dia complained. “I just don’t want to give that man any excuse to think about me, okay?”
“He’s your father,” Mrs. Rojas insisted. “You can’t ignore that, Claudia.”
“Watch me,” Dia retorted.
Mrs. Rojas opened her mouth to say something reproachful. But instead she just pulled Dia into a tight hug and squeezed her.
“Se una buena chica para mi, Dia,” she whispered. “Te amo mucho.”
“Yo también te amo, Mom,” Dia whispered back.
The two of them embraced for a long moment before Mrs. Rojas let her daughter go.
Fernando pulled Dia into a hug, and Mrs. Rojas pointed a stern finger at me.
“Don’t think I’ll be forgetting you, young man,” she informed me. “I want your assurance that you will take care of my daughter.”
“You have my word, Mrs. Rojas,” I said in patient tones. “I’ll take good care of Dia. We all will. You don’t need to worry.”
“Maybe.” She sniffed. “But it’s a mother’s right to worry.”
“I understand,” I told her.
Mrs. Rojas looked at Dia who was whispering something in Fernando’s ear. The corners of her mouth turned down, and her eyes were suddenly misty. Her chin trembled, and she glared at me furiously.
I stuck out my hand to her. After a moment, she took it and shook it firmly.
“Good luck,” I said.
“You too, Drew,” she said in a hoarse voice. Then she sniffed and seemed to shake herself. “Come on, Fernando, time’s getting on here.”
Dia came to stand by my side at the edge of the boat. Fernando and Ally both went into their respective cockpits, and both of our boats pulled away from the rocky dock.
For a little while we sailed in the same direction, and then their boat turned east and ours turned west.
“Goodbye, Dia!” Mrs. Rojas called across the growing divide of water between the two vessels.
“Goodbye, Mom!” Dia waved until I was sure her arm must be aching. “I love you!”
“I love you, too!” Her mom’s voice wavered but still came strongly across the water.
Dia and her mom waved to each other until their boat was just a tiny black dot on the horizon. And then they were gone.
Dia crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders.
I touched her back gently, and as though that was a signal she’d been waiting for, Dia crumpled into my arms. Her tears soaked my shirt, and I stroked her hair softly and held her until she had cried out all her tears.
Shannon and Letty were watching anxiously, and as soon as Dia raised her wet face from my chest, they swooped in and gathered her into a group hug.
“We are going to have the best girls’ day ever,” Shannon told her. “I was messing around on one of the iPads we got from the hotel, and guess what? It still has Netflix on it. I’ve been downloading movies all night, so even with crap internet reception, we can still have a movie marathon.”
“And I’m going to make cookies and the best hot chocolate you’ve ever had,” Letty declared.
“Thanks guys,” Dia croaked.
“Let’s grab Ally and put the yacht on autopilot.” Shannon cocked an eyebrow at me. “What do you think, Drew? You up for a girls’ day?”
“Uh…” I hesitated, and then laughed when all three of them giggled at my confusion.
“Don’t worry,” Shannon told me. “We won’t make you sit through Pretty Woman. Or Dirty Dancing.”
“Thank God for that.” I made a big show of dramatically wiping my brow. “I want to call my family, so you make a start on the movies, and I will be in for the cookies and hot chocolate part.”
“Perfect,” Shannon declared.
“Thanks, Drew,” Dia whispered.
I dropped a kiss on her forehead and pushed her dark curls back from her tear-stained face.
“You go and have a great time,” I told her with a soft smile.
“Yeah.” Dia nodded, wiped her nose on the back of her wrist, and managed a wobbly smile. “I will.”
They went to get Ally from the cockpit, and I watched all of them crowd down the hatch together.
The sight made me smile, even while the thought of Dia’s sadness made a lump start in my own throat. Dia and her mom had spent most of their time together squabbling, but it was clear how much they loved each other and how deep the bonds between them went. It must be so hard for them to leave each other, and I felt immensely privileged that Dia had chosen to come with us. I promised myself that I would never take that decision of hers for granted.
I went to the front of the yacht and called my mom.
She answered almost immediately.
“Drew-boo!” She greeted me with the biggest smile, and despite my eternal embarrassment at her use of my baby nickname, it warmed my heart to see her.
“Hey, Mom,” I said. “It’s really good to see your face.”
“Well, that’s nice to hear.” The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepened as she gazed at me. “Sammy’s out at the moment.”
“Really?” I was surprised. “Where is she?”
“There’s this initiative that’s been started by some of the local families,” my mom explained. “All the kids get together every day and go on a walk. It’s meant to help them get exercise and stay active, and it’s a nice way for them to see each other and talk about what’s been happening.”
“That’s nice.” I nodded. “It’ll keep Sammy’s mind occupied, and it’s good for her to socialize with the other kids rather than staying inside with a book all day.”
“That’s what I told her,” she said, and she gave a little grimace that made me think that Sammy hadn’t been too keen on the idea.
I suppressed a chuckle. That was so like my girl. Given the choice, she’d spend her entire day indoors reading encyclopedias and memorizing facts.
“Thanks for encouraging her to go,” I said.
“Oh, that’s no problem, Drew,” my mom replied. “Sammy’s such a good girl. But you know that.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “How are you doing? You and Dad?”
“Yes, you know, we’re soldiering on.” Mom smiled back at me, and there was such a comfort in seeing the familiar shape of her face and the kindly light in her eyes. “I’ve been baking a lot of bread, and your father of course has been busy in his garden. He thought he’d developed a new strain of carrot the other day, but it turned out that he’d just planted a radish in the wrong bed.”
“Oh, dear,” I chuckled. “How disappointing for him.”
“He was very crushed.” She shook her head with a tolerant smile. “And how are all of you, Drew? How are the girls? Is Dia’s family still there?”
