Blood Memory: The Complete Season One (Books 1-5) by Perrin Briar Page A
Authors: Perrin Briar
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groans grew quiet as they drifted away, paddling across the expanse of empty ocean to Haven, which sat three hundred yards away. They climbed the rope that hung against Haven’s prow and collapsed on the deck. Joel lay on his back, staring up at the wispy white clouds in a sapphire sky. He chuckled. “Your first real Lurcher attack. How was it?”
“Wonderful,” Jordan said.
Mary brought them cups of water. Stan looked out at the ferry. The water lapped against Light’s hull, submerging the hole. Pockets of air escaped as seawater flooded the engine bay, bubbles rushing out like the sea were foaming at the mouth. “How long do you think it will take to flood the engine bay completely?” he asked.
“Hours, might be,” Joel said , between breaths. He turned to address everyone on the deck. “Anyone fancy placing a wager?”
At 7pm the water entering the ferry sputtered and gurgled like a baby who’d had too much to eat. Mary put her playing cards down on the table and peered over at the ferry. “You know, I think it’s stopped-”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the water began to spill into the engine bay once again, the hole bubbling foam. Mary turned back to the others playing gin rummy.
Joel checked his watch. “That’s three hours. You’re out, Mare. Who’s still in for the running?”
Jordan and Anne raised their hands. Stan had thought the engine bay would flood within two hours.
“You look nervous, Anne,” Joel said. “You’re up next, aren’t you? Worried about your four-hour hunch?”
Anne glared at him. “Not as much as you should be about me beating your arse.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “Is that as good as it sounds?”
Anne whipped her cards at him.
At 10pm Anne started awake. She turned over to go back to sleep, but was immediately arrested by the quiet. The stars twinkled overhead like a billion fireflies leading the way to some distant paradise. A smattering of clouds obscured a third of the view in what would otherwise have been a perfect night sky. The moon was bright, the blue craters clear like the veins of a particularly strong cheese. The silver light cast a smoky monochrome of the ferry. There was no sound save the wet slap against the boats’ hulls. Anne sat up on her elbows.
“It’s finished,” Joel said in a forlorn tone of voice. She hadn’t noticed him sitting with his back against the cabin. “It finished ten minutes ago. We go in the morning at first light.”
Anne yawned. “All right.” She settled down to go back to sleep.
“ Oh, and Anne,” Joel went on, “don’t mention this to Jordan.”
“Why? ” Anne smiled. “Because he won the wager?”
17.
The next morning Joel and Jordan cut off a piece of Light’s upper hull and affixed it over the hole they’d made the previous day. They had both seen finger fragments and chunks of torn skin floating through the hole, but did their best to ignore it.
The water was calm again today, the surface highlighted by the sun poking its head up above the sea’s surface. They once again climbed the rope up to Haven’s deck, this time bringing the door up with them. Stan would reaffix it later. They all sat down to a breakfast of baked beans and barbequed Vienna sausages, compliments of the former ferry passengers.
“This extra sausage is delicious,” Jordan said, gloating over his wager winnings. “Do you know, I think it’s the best sausage I’ve ever had?”
Joel scowled.
“Girls,” Mary called. “Come get your breakfast.”
Jessie and Stacey were playing with their favourite new toys: a plastic tube with propeller blades that they shot up into the air with a catapult. They liked to aim them so they fluttered down over Haven’s edge, and they could catch them as they leapt over the boat’s side and into the sea.
“Girls!” Mary said, this time with heat in her voice.
There was a palpable tension hanging over the group as they ate, no one mentioning the task they were
“Wonderful,” Jordan said.
Mary brought them cups of water. Stan looked out at the ferry. The water lapped against Light’s hull, submerging the hole. Pockets of air escaped as seawater flooded the engine bay, bubbles rushing out like the sea were foaming at the mouth. “How long do you think it will take to flood the engine bay completely?” he asked.
“Hours, might be,” Joel said , between breaths. He turned to address everyone on the deck. “Anyone fancy placing a wager?”
At 7pm the water entering the ferry sputtered and gurgled like a baby who’d had too much to eat. Mary put her playing cards down on the table and peered over at the ferry. “You know, I think it’s stopped-”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the water began to spill into the engine bay once again, the hole bubbling foam. Mary turned back to the others playing gin rummy.
Joel checked his watch. “That’s three hours. You’re out, Mare. Who’s still in for the running?”
Jordan and Anne raised their hands. Stan had thought the engine bay would flood within two hours.
“You look nervous, Anne,” Joel said. “You’re up next, aren’t you? Worried about your four-hour hunch?”
Anne glared at him. “Not as much as you should be about me beating your arse.”
Joel raised an eyebrow. “Is that as good as it sounds?”
Anne whipped her cards at him.
At 10pm Anne started awake. She turned over to go back to sleep, but was immediately arrested by the quiet. The stars twinkled overhead like a billion fireflies leading the way to some distant paradise. A smattering of clouds obscured a third of the view in what would otherwise have been a perfect night sky. The moon was bright, the blue craters clear like the veins of a particularly strong cheese. The silver light cast a smoky monochrome of the ferry. There was no sound save the wet slap against the boats’ hulls. Anne sat up on her elbows.
“It’s finished,” Joel said in a forlorn tone of voice. She hadn’t noticed him sitting with his back against the cabin. “It finished ten minutes ago. We go in the morning at first light.”
Anne yawned. “All right.” She settled down to go back to sleep.
“ Oh, and Anne,” Joel went on, “don’t mention this to Jordan.”
“Why? ” Anne smiled. “Because he won the wager?”
17.
The next morning Joel and Jordan cut off a piece of Light’s upper hull and affixed it over the hole they’d made the previous day. They had both seen finger fragments and chunks of torn skin floating through the hole, but did their best to ignore it.
The water was calm again today, the surface highlighted by the sun poking its head up above the sea’s surface. They once again climbed the rope up to Haven’s deck, this time bringing the door up with them. Stan would reaffix it later. They all sat down to a breakfast of baked beans and barbequed Vienna sausages, compliments of the former ferry passengers.
“This extra sausage is delicious,” Jordan said, gloating over his wager winnings. “Do you know, I think it’s the best sausage I’ve ever had?”
Joel scowled.
“Girls,” Mary called. “Come get your breakfast.”
Jessie and Stacey were playing with their favourite new toys: a plastic tube with propeller blades that they shot up into the air with a catapult. They liked to aim them so they fluttered down over Haven’s edge, and they could catch them as they leapt over the boat’s side and into the sea.
“Girls!” Mary said, this time with heat in her voice.
There was a palpable tension hanging over the group as they ate, no one mentioning the task they were
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