Beck screamed and flailed, completely taken by surprise so that he was dragged underwater effortlessly. Without thinking, Jade jumped into the water after him. If he was going to die she wanted to be the only vampire to do it. Or at least that's how she felt at the moment. She reached the struggling pair and pulled them apart, glad to see no red staining the water. She clamped her jaws on the vampire's throat and drained him dry, which wasn't much, before tossing the body. She then hauled Beck on his feet, stabilizing him in the churning water.
"Believe me now?" she asked him, not waiting for an answer. She ran back to land, drawing her scissor blades. She leaped into the advancing group to start cutting them down. When Tori ran out of ammo she launched herself into the fray too. They easily worked off each other, defense and offense flowing fluidly. The numbers thinned with their joint attacks and the back-up spray of bullets. The remaining vampires had enough survival instincts to retreat, but Jade knew they would be back. Tori's guard fell only when the last vampire fleeing was out of sight. She glanced at a cut on her arm, the only injury she sustained.
"Ok, if that wasn't enough of a sign to get going I don't know what is," Robbie said, his heart racing. He had been worried that they weren't going to be able to last much longer. Most of them had been close to running out of ammo, and with the onslaught they faced he wasn't sure if they would have the time to reload before they were overcome.
"Three more minutes and you would have been toast!"
"Rex!" Robbie shouted.
"No, he's right. We have to get moving," Jade agreed, striding over to stand on a rock. She scanned as far as she was able to make sure their path was clear for now. Beck still stood in the water, gazing out at the ship passing by.
"It's right there," he stated with yearning, gesturing to what he deemed salvation with his hand. Jade jumped down from her perch and crossed her arms.
"What if there's no one on it? Then what?" she asked him.
"We can still use it to find The Dome," he responded, turning to her.
"You're willing to wander who knows how long, trying to survive what could be a bigger infected population somewhere else, in unknown land, when we're already struggling as it is here, in a place we know well?" she inquired, putting it in perspective for him. Her hands were raised but they fell to her sides when he stared back at her resolutely. Tori walked over to brush her hand, silently comforting as she always had been. The touch signified more than that though. One look at the hybrid told Jade that whatever decision she made Tori would be right there with her no matter what.
"Jade, this is the only way. It's our last chance," Beck implored. The vampire let out a tired sigh then looked back at her team. They stood waiting for her command, no objections. They trusted her but she didn't trust herself so she settled on Tori, who she could always trust.
"Do you think it's worth it?" she questioned, hooking her index and middle finger around Tori's ring finger and pinky. The contact was minimal but Tori knew it was Jade asking for support and guidance.
"I won't lie to you, Jade. I'm scared of what could happened to me as well as the others like me, but the unknown will always be a fear. It doesn't mean we shouldn't try. I think that even though there's a good chance we might die we shouldn't let that stop us. We're dying here, slowly but surely. If we strike out, even if it's on our own, we may find what we need. And if we don't, well, we made an effort to survive as we do here every day. Really, it's no different," she answered, confidence in everything she said. That was why Jade put so much trust in her. She had a good heart and she meant well. Maybe there was a deeper reason to why she had been chosen all those years ago.
"Ok," Jade muttered with a nod.
"What?" Beck said, shocked.
"I said, ok. Fine. Start swimming. Don't make me change my mind. We have to get to that boat before sunrise, because if we don't, I'm using you as a human juice box," she told him. He grinned, unaffected by her words. He immediately waded out to sea and began swimming. The rest of the team stood dumbfounded. She turned to them with a grim expression.
"I won't make you come along. If you want to stay that's fine, but you need to make your decision now," she informed them. Tori gripped Jade's hand more securely, letting her know she would be right there with her.
"I'll stay. I think we all can agree that I wouldn't last very long," Robbie spoke up. He was a sharpshooter, yes, but in the heat of battle he was an easy target himself.
"I'll stay with Robbie to make sure he gets back alright," Cat added, smiling at Robbie who looked surprised but happy. Jade always had a hunch they had a thing for each other so she wasn't at all surprised that Cat would want to stay with him.
"I'm going with you. I'm not letting you two out of my sight," Andre volunteered, taking the bag of supplies from Robbie. He dumped the extra ammo for Robbie and Cat's guns into a smaller bag then added some food. He handed them to Robbie and shouldered the rest.
"Ok then, inform Michael on what happened. It's not like he can do anything about it now, but at least he knows," Jade told the two. Cat's lip trembled and Jade sighed, doing nothing when Cat hugged her. She patted Robbie's back while Cat hugged Tori then Andre. Tori nodded to Robbie with a smile.
"Take care you guys," she said.
"We will," Robbie replied. They swept the area before quickly jogging back the way they came. Jade hoped they would make it back safe.
"Beck's already far ahead. We should get going if we want to catch up," Andre mentioned. Jade and Tori followed him into the water, and soon, they were swimming for the ship. Beck was climbing up the side by the time they caught up. He helped Andre with the supplies while Jade and Tori easily boarded on their own. Soaking wet and tired, the humans of the group leaned back on the ledge while Jade and Tori carefully explored. They searched the entire deck, control room, and wandered through the ship's living space before taking a hall to three rooms. The first was empty, and the second was a small bathroom, so they left to check the last one. When they entered, Jade's quick reflexes alerted her to danger which she dodged as it came at her from behind the door. The second attack almost nicked her, but by then Tori rushed their attacker and slammed him up against the wall.
"Holy mackerel, what are you?!" the man exclaimed, eyes wide in fear at Tori's appearance.
"Nothing that concerns you," she growled, her grip on his wrist holding the weapon in hand at a distance tightened and he dropped it.
"Please! I was only trying to defend myself! She's a vampire!" he said, pointing frantically at Jade with his free hand.
"I know. She's with me. If I let you go will you behave?" Tori asked him. He nodded and she released him. He rubbed at his wrist and Tori looked away as her inhuman features faded once more. The man eyed her curiously but said nothing.
"Is this your ship?" Jade questioned him, taking a step closer. He looked ready to bolt just by seeing her but he stood where he was, trembling a little. Jade had to remind herself to be as careful as possible. She didn't want to scare the man away.
"I guess you could say that. It used to be someone else's, but after he disembarked and didn't make it back I took over," he replied.
"Were there others?" Tori inquired next.
"At one point, yes," he answered.
"What happened to them?" Tori interrogated, brows furrowing. She already had a good idea but she had to hear it.
"They attempted a scouting mission for food. Only two came back injured. One had been infected and didn't say anything. He killed the other one and tried to attack me. I had to put him down," the man explained. Jade sighed and leaned against the wall, drawing his eyes to her.
"You're a strange one. How are you so civilized?" he asked her. She tried not to take offense and just closed her eyes, crossing her arms a moment later.
"I taught myself not to indulge. I feed off of other vampires or animals and receive donations once in a while. I get by without killing humans," she responded, opening her eyes to look at him. He shuddered under the scrutiny of her cold black eyes ringed with white irises. He wasn't comfortable in such a small space with her.
"You can trust Jade," Tori assured him, sensing his uncertainty.
"And what about you?" he shot back.
"I was created to kill vampires, so yeah, you can trust me too," she answered him simply with a smile. She didn't need to tell him anything more than that. He seemed to relax slightly.
"Two others are with us. Maybe you can help us, uh…" Tori began but pausing for a name while holding out a hand.
"Erwin, Erwin Sikowitz," he supplied, taking her hand for a shake. She nodded and stepped aside. Jade pushed off the wall to greet him, hoping he would have a little more trust in her if he saw that she was friendly. Or friendly enough. They shook hands but he pulled away quickly. Her cold flesh was strange.
"The others are up on deck. I'll lead if that will make you more comfortable," Jade offered. Tori was proud of her sociable attitude towards a stranger who was understandably wary of her. He nodded and Jade swiftly walked out the door. He went next and Tori tagged along behind him. They made their way back on deck where Andre and Beck ran over at the sight of a new face.
"Found the captain," Tori mentioned, gesturing to him.
"Erwin Sikowitz, but please, call me Sikowitz. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself, shaking Beck's hand then Andre's. They gave him their names in exchange.
"So what brings you here?" Sikowitz questioned the group.
"We wanted to see if any survivors were on board. If not, we were hoping to use the ship to reach our destination," Beck answered.
"I'm sorry to say I'm the only one. Good news is that supplies aren't scarce since it's only me. As for your destination, where do you plan on going?" Sikowitz responded.
"Uh, that's the thing. We're not sure," Beck said with a shrug.
"Ok…so you plan on blindly wandering I wager?" Sikowitz guessed.
"Yes," Beck affirmed. Sikowitz scratched at his chin and then shrugged.
"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do. I need someone to scout when supplies and food run low anyway. Also, we'll have to dock when we can to find more fuel," he mentioned. The group relaxed. It wouldn't be hard scouting. They had done it so much it was second nature. It was the ability of the ship that they were most concerned about. It seemed to be in good shape. It just needed to refuel.
"So where do we go to refuel?" Andre inquired.
"Well, this is a decent sized boat that's powered by a motor so therefore it runs on fuel which we will find-" Sikowitz started to explain when Jade interrupted him.
"Wait, this is a boat?" she questioned.
"Yes. I know the terms get confuzzled sometimes but think of it as a ship can carry a boat but a boat can't carry a ship," he told her. She glared at him.
"I know that. It's just, if this is a boat then the ship we had been looking for is still out there. You know, the one with survivors," she clarified.
"Oh yes, I've heard of that ship. I have to say, no captain will correct someone for calling his boat a ship but he will if his ship is being called a boat," he informed them, a tone to his voice and twinkle in his eyes that made Jade wonder if he was messing with her or not. She growled, irritated at the man now.
"It doesn't matter. We still need transportation and you're going to provide it. A boat is easier to take care of than a ship anyway," she pointed out.
"Indeed, that is true. Then let us hurry and dock where we can find fuel and then decide where to go from there, yes?" he proposed. They accepted, having no disagreements.
"You must be tired. Why don't you help yourself to a change of clothes, until yours dry, and rest? The sun is on its way up and I don't think your companion would want to be out and about," he suggested, looking from each of them then up to the sky.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Beck replied.
"No problemo. I was getting pretty lonely all on my own so it's nice to have company again. Make yourselves comfortable while I find us a promising place to dock," he responded, walking away to take his place at the wheel in the control room.
"The room we found him in is probably his so I'm taking the other one to stay out of the sun. Tori, you're with me. I don't want anyone bothering me, especially that hippie. The last thing we need is to lose the only person capable of sailing this thing," Jade instructed. The decision left Beck and Andre to sleep on the couches in the colorful living room area. Jade took their bag of supplies with her to the room just in case. She didn't fully trust the man yet. He could very well be a thief. Once they were in the room Jade tossed the bag in the corner and fell onto the bed with a groan. The sun was just rising and she could feel its heavy weight drag her down. She was almost out when she felt Tori crawl onto the bed with her. She curled up at her back and hugged her close. She wanted to protest but didn't. She was too tired, and in all honesty, it felt comfortable. Hours later Jade woke up to Tori snoring in her ear. She scowled and poked her in the stomach with her elbow. Tori grumbled and pushed at her arm.
"Hey," she mumbled with some irritation in a groggy voice.
"Well stop snoring in my ear. I can hear that like it's blasted in my eardrum," Jade snapped. Tori took no offense and sat up to stretch, almost falling off the small bed they shared. A particularly high wave made the boat tip and she quickly grabbed at the bed under her. Jade snickered.
"Forgot where we were?" she guessed. Tori looked over at her and smiled softly at the smirk on Jade's face.
"What?" the vampire questioned. Tori leaned a little closer, making Jade tense slightly.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to take you seriously anymore," she mumbled. Jade's brows furrowed.
"Why not?" she demanded, questioning and then agitated. Tori still had that relaxed smile on her face and Jade was having a hard time placing it.
"I kinda like when you get angry," the hybrid commented, bringing a hand up to brush at Jade's chin then trace her bottom lip with her thumb. If Jade needed to breathe it would have caught. But as it were, she just held her breath.
"And why's that?" Jade questioned next, a little distracted by Tori's warm fingers caressing her face. Tori shrugged, her hand moving to pull Jade closer. She stopped at the last minute, their lips and noses barely brushing. Jade knew why and decided to cut her off.
"Don't ask," she whispered. Tori hummed acknowledgement then kissed her. It remained a simple meeting of lips that Jade eventually pulled away from. She didn't want to get caught up and lose the time they had. As much as she really wanted to see how far Tori was willing to go, they had more important things to attend to. Tori groaned when they parted and got in one last kiss before Jade climbed out of bed.
"I'm gonna go start discussing a plan with the captain. Could you wake up the guys?" she told the hybrid who had sat up to face her. Tori nodded and Jade allowed a rare genuine smile. She bit lightly at her bottom lip with a fang and then leaned on the bed to kiss Tori firmly. When they parted Tori was grinning. Jade rolled her eyes and left, making her way to the control room. Sikowitz stood there at the wheel, peppy as ever. Jade wondered if he would need to sleep soon.
"Hey," she began, startling him. He jumped and spun around with wide eyes but recognized her and relaxed somewhat.
"Oh, it's you. Almost forgot I had company of the vampire variety," he mentioned, turning back to the wheel. Jade strode over to lean on the console, her stern gaze on him. He fidgeted but remarkably kept the boat steady, although he avoided looking at her.
"I didn't mean to scare you but don't think I won't if it means you'll listen," she warned him. He nodded.
"Good. Now I wanted to speak with you about where we'll be starting our search," she continued.
"If I may ask, what are you looking for?" he inquired. Jade thought about telling him, going over consequences and possible back stabbing. Her scrutiny of the man told her he didn't seem like the type to do such a thing. He was honest in his question and actions. If he really wanted to he could have attacked them while they slept. Tori was a formidable opponent but if she was caught off guard with a gun she wouldn't have been able to do much. But the fact was, he didn't, and nothing about him alarmed Jade. He seemed truly trustworthy.
"Have you heard of The Dome?" she asked. His brows rose and he glanced at her before looking back out the window.
"I have, yes. I've always hoped to stumble upon it," he replied. She nodded.
"We have too," she responded.
"I'd be happy to help you find it if that's what you're trying to do," he told her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Transportation is what we need from you. You'll have to hang around when we disembark. Of course, if you have nothing to defend yourself with we could provide a weapon while you wait for us to return. We could even scavenge anything you may need or want as payment," she bargained. He hummed in thought and rubbed at his scruffy beard.
"That sounds like a good compromise," he said.
"Then you'll do it?" she checked. He nodded.
"You have yourself a deal," he accepted.
"Ok then, first thing's first. We need to plan a route," she remarked.
"I have maps on that table over there. I should have a pen or marker around there too. Chart a course and let's get to it," he answered. Jade wandered to the mentioned table and leaned over the big map of the world first. A few others focusing on certain continents were available too. Jade studied each one but was interrupted by Tori and Beck walking in. She heard them but didn't bother looking up.
"Where's Andre?" she questioned without having to see him missing. She knew each of them by scent and sound well enough.
"He's going through our supplies and making a check list so that we know what to look for the next time we head out," Beck answered. He went to talk with Sikowitz while Tori stood by Jade.
"Do we have a plan?" she asked. Jade shook her head and pushed aside a map to look back at the one displaying the world.
"We're right here, traveling south along the east side of the US. I think, since we're here, we should dock a little ways down, maybe in New Jersey, and try to see if anyone has information. We might even have to try each state we pass in hopes that we find anyone with additional information. I mean, since we have to stop frequently anyway," Jade explained, a hint to her voice Tori didn't miss. She placed a hand on Jade's arm and waited for her attention.
"What's in New Jersey?" she asked quietly. Jade's face showed sadness before it was covered up. She sighed.
"I wanted to see my hometown one last time. It wasn't the best place ever but it held good memories until we were forced to leave," she mumbled. Tori didn't know what to say to that. Jade was feeling homesick. She wanted to see the place she grew up in, the place where she experienced happier times. Tori offered her a smile and gripped her hand.
"I think we can manage that. You should be able to have a proper good-bye before we go off into the great unknown," Tori half joked half spoke with a serious finality. Jade nodded and glanced at her before looking back to the maps.
"Tell them we'll be docking as soon as we can in New Jersey," she ordered, all business now. Tori nodded and walked away to speak with the captain. Jade ran a hand through her hair and then closed her eyes, grimacing when the barely noticeable hunger began to stir within her. As if they weren't running on borrowed time as it was. She pushed the feeling away and picked up the marker, bending over the maps. She began planning a rough route, making notes on areas she wanted to check out. She hoped the people mentioned were still around to give them the information they needed. They would just have to see for themselves.