AN: it's choppy.
The scents and flow of the wind alerted Matt to three bodies standing on the dock. He inched closer, but made sure he was still hidden behind the empty cargo container.
"I heard Boss is only bringing in the best today, we make'im happy he'll let us play with them." A raspy voice chuckled and deeper ones joined in.
"I thought these toys were the Boss' personal favourite, and he don't share."
"Yeah, did ya hear about what he did to the Russo boy who tried to flirt with his daughter? The poor kid was so burnt up his pops couldn't identify'im" There was a heavy cloud of peppermint and tobacco surrounding the area and Matt had to concentrate on his breathing lest his senses get distracted.
"Boss doesn't care about the girls, he only cares about his 'equipment'," the raspy voiced one flicked his cigarette into the water and began to order the other two around. The shipment was only minutes away.
Matt stood to his full height and stepped out of the shadows, he heard the voices fall silent.
"What do you want?" The raspy voiced one turned towards him.
"I'm just here to keep you out of my city," they paused for a moment, confused, and then ran towards him all at once. With a touch of shame Matt felt his lips stretch into a smile as the adrenaline pumped through his veins.
The first one to reach him was big, bigger and stronger than Matt had expected. Instead of hitting Matt, he attempted to grab Matt in a headlock as the other, equally burly, one came towards his front. Thats when Matt understood, he was dealing with partners, possibly brothers, who had codependent fighting strategies. Grinding his teeth, Matt braced himself and flipped the one behind him over his back and straight onto his partner. With the two of them down he turned his attention to the raspy voiced one, he was frantically calling someone and telling them to turn back, to abort the shipment. The brothers jumped on him again and Matt cursed himself for being distracted.
"What do you mean you can't turn back? Then fucking sink the thing and get out of here, dammit! Boss will kill us if anyone else finds his stuff!"
Josie felt her breath catch in her throat, she had been sitting a while away from the conflict, the shadows and her silence concealing her presence. Dangling her feet in the water, enjoying the cries of pain coming from the Smith brothers. Then. She heard a deafening crack and watched as all the men jumped into a motor boat and sped off. They had broken the hull and abandoned ship.
Before realizing it Josie stripped off her heavy skirt and sweater and dove into the water. There were too many lives on that ship, lives that she was determined to save.
The waves crashed against her and Josie ducked underwater pressed against a wooden pole of the dock. As a result of her physical disability her legs barely functioned, but strangely enough she was a better than decent swimmer in the illogical way that most medical phenomenons were. Josie braced herself and forced her body to swim against the waves, it was downright freezing and Josie briefly wondered if she was at risk for hypothermia.
By the time Josie was close enough to feel the draw of the water filling the ship's hull her teeth were chattering. She gripped the railing and used her exhausted arms to lift up the dead weight of her body. The damaged muscles in her legs cramped from the cold and Josie spent a precious minute stretching them out to ensure she could walk on the swaying ship.
Josie walked carefully, but with urgency, towards the captain's cabin and frantically searched for keys to the cargo containers. The ship tilted dangerously to the left and Josie gripped the built in desk with her deathly white hands. A crowbar slid across the floor nearly tripping Josie, and thats when she had an idea, she crouched down and scooped it up with her shaking hands. Using the crowbar as a makeshift cane and tightly holding the railing, Josie ran down the length of the ship towards the muffled first container she came across seemed to be the loudest and was labelled "fragile". Josie lifted the crowbar above her head and brought it down on the lock with all her strength falling to her knees in the process, her legs could only handle so much. She lifted herself to her feet again and shouldered open the cargo door, about thirty girls stared back at her.
"Hey guys," she wheezed as she leaned against the door. "I need someone with serious guns," the girls looked at each other confused before an obviously starved but athletic female stood forward.
"Uh, I guess I could help," the tall girl came to stand in front of Josie and Josie found herself craning her neck to look the girl in the eye.
"Bust open as many crates as you can, and send the ladies my way," Josie handed the crowbar to the girl before turning to face the rest of the group. "Alright ladies, we're going to have to swim. Whoever can not swim, please search for a partner to help you get to shore. Help each other, its the only way we're going to survive this." Josie lead them to the nose of the ship and made sure everyone dived into the waters with a partner.
It was ten minutes later that the athletic female came to stand by Josie. By this point the boat was beginning to sink and the water was splashing onto the deck. The first container she came across seemed to be the loudest and was labelled "fragile". Josie lifted the crowbar above her head and brought it down on the lock with all her strength falling to her knees in the process, her legs could only handle so much. She lifted herself to her feet again and shouldered open the cargo door, about thirty girls stared back at her.
"Hey guys," she wheezed as she leaned against the door. "I need someone with serious guns," the girls looked at each other confused before an obviously starved but athletic female stood forward.
"Uh, I guess I could help," the tall girl came to stand in front of Josie and Josie found herself craning her neck to look the girl in the eye.
"Bust open as many crates as you can, and send the ladies my way," Josie handed the crowbar to the girl before turning to face the rest of the group. "Alright ladies, we're going to have to swim. Whoever can not swim, please search for a partner to help you get to shore. Help each other, its the only way we're going to survive this." Josie lead them to the nose of the ship and made sure everyone dived into the waters with a partner.
It was ten minutes later that the athletic female came to stand by Josie. By this point the boat was beginning to sink and the water was splashing onto the deck.
"The last three containers only had machines and car parts," the taller girl stood on Josie's left.
"What's your name?" Josie turned to look up at her, and offered her a smile.
"Uh, Melanie."
"Thank you, Melanie, you're a hero." Melanie smiled shyly and nodded at Josie. "Now you need to go before its too dangerous. I... I have some unfinished business." Josie turned to return to the containers, the equipment containers had to contain information or at least an idea as to why Andrew Singh was bringing in equipment so early.
"Its too late!" The back of the boat ducked underwater and all of the containers tumbled into the waves. Bony but strong arms wrapped around Josie's middle and she felt herself soar through the air in Melanie's arms
"The last three containers only had machines and car parts," the taller girl stood on Josie's left.
"What's your name?" Josie turned to look up at her, and offered her a smile.
"Uh, Melanie."
"Thank you, Melanie, you're a hero." Melanie smiled shyly and nodded at Josie. "Now you need to go before its too dangerous. I... I have some unfinished business." Josie turned to return to the containers, the equipment containers had to contain information or at least an idea as to why Andrew Singh was bringing in equipment so early.
"Its too late!" The back of the boat ducked underwater and all of the containers tumbled into the waves. Bony but strong arms wrapped around Josie's middle and she felt herself soar through the air in Melanie's arms until the waves swallowed her whole.
Matt broke the hip bone of the raspy voiced smoker with his knee before tossing him into an empty cargo container with his equally injured friends. He heard the splashes of a large group swimming towards the docks and prepared himself for another fight until he heard the yelling. It was a group of girls swimming themselves to shore, helping each other and calling out when they needed help. They organized themselves and helped each other onto the docks, searching for blankets and clothes. Matt stood still shocked, he had thought the ship was sinking, how these girls escaped he had no idea. He ignored his shock and moved into action, helping the multitude of girls climb onto the dock and carry the sick or injured to a safer place. Absorbed in his work, he was startled again when the girls began to yell. "They're back, they're back!" "We need blankets!" "They're back!" "Oh my god, one of them is unconscious!" "Get help!"
Matt turned towards the source of the commotion and realized the ones to break them out had returned. He came forward to see if he could help the girls onto the dock and found himself gripping a deathly cold Josie in his arms.
"Josie! Josie! How did this happen?! Josie!" Josie was out cold in his arms and if Matt couldn't hear her heartbeat he would assume she was a corpse.
"She... she saved... us." A tall, muscular girl gripped Josie's hand between her own and furiously rubbed it trying to get warmth into her system. The girl shed the blanket offered to her and wrapped it around Josie, murmuring prayers under her breath. Matt could hear an ambulance and police cruiser coming towards the docks about a mile away and bundled Josie tightly, tying her to his back.
"We have to go, we can't let the police find us. Make up some kind of story about how you escaped but you can't mention either of us. Okay?" The girl lifted her chin and nodded her head sharply, she stood and gathered the girls around letting them know his demands.
"Take care of her," she called out while Matt was still in earshot, he turned around and nodded once before running into the night.
