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While the children cried, everyone turned their attention to Jackson. Creed bellowed, "You were supposed to take us back to the mainland!". Delilah whispered, " Jackson killed us...", and everyone else accepted the grim reality of the situation. Jackson stood firm and with a clear voice, faced Delilah's direction, " they gave us that boat so we could die at sea. No matter where we landed, we'd die the instant we left the boat".
Creed glared at the man he used to trust, "why didn't you tell us! We had the right to know!". As Creed got in Jackson's face, Jason pushed him back. He couldn't hit Jason, so he stepped back. Jackson explained, " if I had told you, would you have manned the ship?". Creeds face twitched before he quietly admitted, "... No, I wouldn't have". Jackson's eyes fell to the floor, " I needed you all to have hope". Delilah snapped, "hope for what! If we're going to die anyway, why not just let us die!". Delilah's burst of emotion was enough to silence Jackson.
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Captain Jerald stepped forward. " young lady, please excuse my subordinate. From what he explained, I gather I know what his plan is". The old seafaring captain laughed, " first let me explain how I got here. A well-respected man, who happened to be a great friend of mine, washed ashore the mainland. Once the Regime found him, he grasped at the shoes of the soldiers and ranted about a land beyond the fog. I was sent to check the validity of his claims. My men... They were killed by the beast lurking within the fog". He hung his head low then further explained, " I'm the sole survivor, there was no way I could handle her myself. As a captain, I vowed to go down with the ship. Then, Jackson showed up. Now we must go on! With your help, we can settle the new land and you all can live!".
Everyone clapped at his speech but the drunkard burped, " what does that have to do with Jackson's plan?". Jerald hid his ferocity with a smile, "what did you say your name was?". The drunk beamed, " my name is Homer Del-". Before he could finish, Jerald roared, "Did I say you could talk, Homer!". Due to the power of his scream, the boat shook. Homer was too afraid to mutter a single word, so Jerald explained, " his plan was clearly to bring you to me, so I could save your sorry excuses for lives!". No one dared question the titan, so when he commanded, "anyone older the age of twelve, get to work; anyone younger, clean whatever needs to be cleaned! Jackson, show them how to operate the ropes. Sam, bring the rest of your crew into my chamber!". Without missing a beat, everyone rushed to their assignments.
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While following Sam, Delilah whispered in her ear, " How do you know the captain?". She hid her sorrow to the best of her ability, but this is Sam we're talking about. Her pain was obvious. She whispered back, " My dad... He is... Was... the first mate. I grew up on this ship". A quick look of shock passes through Delilah's face, " does that mean you knew Jackson, before all this?". The girls share a look, " he didn't tell you?". Delilah goes silent, but before she could feel betrayed, Sam laughs, " relax, we didn't talk much, my dad would have killed him if he tried". Delilah joins in on the laughing, and they arrive at Jerald's room.
There was no fog in the room, so Jerald studied the crew. As soon as he sits behind his desk, he smiles at the crew and says, "can you close the door?". The second Jason shuts the door, he loses all formalities, he drops his eyes. " I'm going to be straight with you, there's no chance we're going to survive this". He let a long sigh, then continued, "it was a monster. A true monster. It killed everyone in an instant". He pulled his eyes up to Sam, " I'm sorry, your father, he was the last to go. The monster, it took their bodies". His voice began to quiver, " i-it towered over me. It stared me down with its eight eyes. The fog covered its body, but its eyes peered through. It felt like it was telling me to leave. I'm a warning". He broke down. With a stream of tears, he lost all of his motivation.
-
As his heartbeat rose, Creed's voice grew, "Then why did you say we could survive!". Jerald stood from his seat, threw his arms on the table, then whispered, " I had to give them hope, especially Jackson". He turned his attention to Jason, "You're his brother, right? He spoke about you all the time, and you too Delilah." He fell back into his seat, and softly reminisced, "when he first joined us, he was just an eight-year-old kid. He begged us to join, he said he needed to support his younger brother and sick parents. He reminded me of myself. He's grown so much. Before, he could barely wash the deck, but now, he's capable of handling any storm better than I".
He pulled a bottle of whiskey out from his desk, took a swig from the bottle then continued, " when I see that kid, I'm reminded of how far we've come. I believe in him. You're his brother, what do you think?". Jason took a breath and used his loudest voice possible, which was barely average, " for as long as I've known him, my brother has never let me down. I trust him. He used to take care of me, and when he was gone, he left me in Delilah's hands. I know my brother is capable, but he needs us. He needs you, Jerald. I'm positive, we can get through this, not because of Jackson, but because of all of us". Jerald chuckled loudly, "you have your brother's tongue, lad!".
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ns 15.158.61.23da2
