Chapter 10 #2
They had enough food and water for two days, and they could shelter in the forest. But soon the villages, waterways, and skies would be full of emergency response people searching for survivors.
If they were picked up, it would be obvious he was special forces, and he had no legitimate reason to be here.
Finding different clothes would be useful though he doubted anything the villagers owned would fit him even if it had survived.
He definitely wanted to get Mila new shoes.
Maybe something would wash up on the beach. He didn’t want to go far into the water with the rips and whirlpools from the tsunami.
What a mess.
Dobby glanced at Mila. Leaving her alone wasn’t the best option, but he had to scout the village and the ocean.
The salvage operation would be well underway and if there was a boat to salvage, he wanted it.
The rotors of the helicopter nearby whirled. He checked the canopy covered them as the noise increased.
Mila sat bolt upright with a gasp, eyes wide with terror. He placed a hand on her shoulders. “It’s OK. It’s the helicopter leaving.”
She nodded, but glanced towards the ocean, her eyes a little glassy. The sound was a little similar to the tsunami. No wonder she was terrified. He stroked her arm.
After the military helicopter flew overhead towards Batara, he said, “Go back to sleep. I’m going to scout the area, so don’t worry if I’m not here when you wake up.”
“Shouldn’t I go with you?”
He shook his head. “You’ll be safer here and I need you well rested.”
Though her face still showed her worry, she nodded.
He couldn’t help touching her. “I won’t let anything happen to you, sweetheart.” He brushed a kiss against her forehead.
She cupped his cheek, her hand soft and warm. Her eyes searched his and she smiled. “I know you won’t.” She kissed his cheek and then lay down again.
Dobby’s breath left him. The faith she had in him was humbling. He waited until she was asleep again and then took his scope and his rifle and moved through the jungle towards the small village.
When he got to the tsunami devastation on this side, he found a high spot and scanned the area. The two motorbikes weren’t in sight, but that didn’t mean they were gone.
There wasn’t a building left standing here. What was left of the wooden structures was pushed against the trees or strewn along the shore. The bay was full of floating items; a soccer ball, fishing nets, furniture.
Some people stood around talking, others crying and comforting each other, and still more had started the inevitable clean up.
Given the choice he would help them, but right now his priority was Mila’s safety and that meant getting her off the island.
Slowly he scanned the ocean for anything he could use as a boat.
The bow of a fishing vessel was pointing straight up in the air and as he watched, another fishing boat approached it, tied a tow line and began dragging it to shore. It had only gone a few metres when it became clear it was only the front portion.
He kept searching, stopping when he spotted something that might be useful, before realising it was too broken and moving on.
As he was almost finished his scan, he spotted something dark floating low in the water out in the bay, covered in debris.
No fucking way.
He zoomed closer and followed the sleek lines.
He grinned. The zod.
No one had noticed it yet. Only the one fishing boat was in the bay, sifting its way through the debris for anything to salvage and the zod was still far enough away, about twenty metres offshore.
It was impossible to see what condition it was in, but the two motors were still attached and it was almost completely full of water and debris.
Enough of the pontoon sections were intact to ensure it hadn’t sunk which was a great sign.
The village ended about two hundred metres from where he was and no one nearby had started cleaning up.
But there was no way he’d be able to pull the zod to shore here without notice and he and Mila would be vulnerable if they swam out and the engine didn’t start.
He wasn’t sure how strong a swimmer Mila was either.
Best option would be to tow it around the bay to the other side and bring it to shore where he could take his time examining it.
The water swirled still, which would be dangerous, but if he dragged the boat closer to the shore, he’d be able to walk it around the bay.
Should he tell Mila? If something happened to him, she’d be alone, and he’d promised he wouldn’t leave her.
Damn.
With another check to make sure no one else had noticed the zod and the fishing vessel was still on the opposite side of the bay, he hurried back to where he’d left Mila.
She lay curled on her side, some of the tension gone from her face. Her legs were covered in mud and her face was covered in scratches and bruises, but she still looked beautiful.
He hesitated, not wanting to disturb her when she finally slept but he didn’t want her to think he’d abandoned her if something happened to him in the ocean.
He gently touched her leg. “Mila, sweetheart. Wake up for me.”
She blinked at him sleepily and he fought back the temptation to kiss her awake.
“I’ve found the Zodiac. I’m not sure what condition it’s in, but I’m going to swim out to investigate.”
She sat up, pushing loose hairs from her face. “Isn’t that dangerous? The water’s still too unpredictable.”
“It’s our best chance, and it’s not far from shore. I’ll tow it around to this bay. I just wanted to tell you where I was going.”
She frowned. “Why? In case you didn’t come back?”
He shrugged. “There are risks with everything.”
“I’m coming with you.” She got to her feet.
“No. I’m a strong swimmer. I need to concentrate on what I’m doing, not worry about you.”
“I’ll watch from the shore. If you run into trouble, I can rescue you.”
“If I run into trouble, you’ll only get yourself into trouble by trying to rescue me. There are plenty of things I can grab on to. The worst that will happen is I’ll get pulled out to sea.”
She glared at him. “Oh good.”
Her sarcasm made him smile and he dug into his pack, pulling out some rope.
It might be long enough if he needed rescuing.
He handed it to her. “You can throw me a line if I’m in trouble, but only if I give you the signal.
” He waved his hands to demonstrate. “Otherwise I don’t want you breaking from the cover of the jungle.
” He handed her his scope as well. “Use this to keep an eye on what people are doing in the village. If anyone comes near you, hide.”
“All right.”
The last thing he pulled out was his spare pair of thick socks. “Put these on. They’re not as good as shoes, but they’ll protect your feet a little.”
Quickly she did so and then they moved back to the bay. It took him a moment to spot the zod again. It was perhaps ten metres further out than it had been and it looked as if it was being pulled away from the shore by the current.
Shit.
He jogged through the jungle to where he had the least amount of open ground to cover. Mila took a moment to catch up. He pointed out the boat to her. “The plan is to swim it around the bay as it is and then check its condition where no one is around.”
“What if the current is too strong?”
“Then I’ll test the engine or use the oars.” Maybe some of the oars would still be with it. “No matter what happens, stay here. I will come back for you. There’s enough food and water in the pack for two days.”
“Damien, you’re scaring me.”
“Just coming up with Plan D.”
She gave him a shaky smile. “Be careful.”
“Always. I have to go before it drifts further out.” Dobby took the scope from her to scan the people closest to them, but no one was looking their way. He couldn’t delay leaving her any longer.
He gave the scope back and then dashed across the debris-ladened shore to the water, all the while listening for shouts of alarm. At the water he went low, pulling his way across the sand until it was deep enough to swim.
Immediately the water pulled at him, tugging him this way and that.
It was difficult to spot the boat with the rest of the rubbish in the water, but he used breaststroke to part the debris.
The black water smelled like refuse and he refused to think about what might be in it.
The further he got away from the shore, the more the current pulled him out to the ocean. The boat was still about twenty metres away, but it was floating in the same direction.
He increased his pace, as part of a bedroom dresser hit him. He absorbed the weight and pushed past it.
Only ten metres to go.
In the distance he heard the fishing boat coming closer. He lifted his head over the debris to look. It was heading in his direction, but the captain wasn’t looking at him or the boat.
Still it wouldn’t be long before he spotted it if it kept coming this way.
Dobby pushed hard as the engine noise dropped to an idle. He exhaled. Hopefully the captain had found something he needed to take back to the shore.
His hands grasped the rope on the side of the boat and he clung on to give himself a second’s rest.
Made it.
Now to get it back to Mila.