Page 43 of Shipwrecked

Cillian chuckles. He’s tucking the phone back into its orange case. “You’re welcome.”

Once I’m done, I stash everything in Mary’s bag.

The edge of something bright orange in the pool of debris catches my eye. I wade in, pulling the can out of the water. It sloshes with liquid. I unscrew the lid and the pungent smell of petrol burns the inside of my nose. I quickly close it.

“No chance we could use this container for water storage?” I ask, bringing it out and handing it to Cillian.

“No, not for water.” Cillian looks it over. “But the petrol might come in handy for getting the signal fires lit. Let’s tie it here.” We secure the jerrycan to our rig.

“I thought pouring petrol on fires was bad?”

“Please don’t ever do that, it’s worse than bad. But—this is a trick Seán’s dad taught me, and you’re not allowed to do it unless I’m supervising, because every course I’ve ever done explicitly says not to do it at all—dipping a twig or two into this can and setting them on the fire can be a lifesaver to help get it going.” Cillian double-checks that everything is secure.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Ready.”

Chapter Sixteen

Cillian

Once the water is only to my neck, Mathieu and Yasop are there to help pull the supplies onto the sand where everyone is waiting. Jules tugs off his flippers and goggles. “I can’t believe you got everyone to shore from there, in the middle of a storm,” he says, panting. There’s a light tremor in his limbs, and his face is reddening from a sunburn. “It’s a decent swim dead flat like this.”

Thunder had rumbled overhead as sheeting rain crashed down on us. The waves had been towers, their breaks like the traps at the bottom of waterfalls. “You don’t remember it at all? Once we hit the water, you started swimming.”

Jules shakes his head.

“The tide played a big part in it. It carried us most of the way. The only thing I had to do was get everyone out of the pull of the backwash at the beach. We all got caught in the breakers.” It was a small miracle that nobody got swept away before I reached them. If not for the bright orange of the life jackets, I wouldn’t have even seen where to reach in for anyone.

“Is that 7UP?” Willow spots the cans. My attention returns to the group as Jules trots to Seán, whispering something in his ear before going and opening the plastic bag he’d tossed the cans into.

“Quick vote,” Jules says. “Everyone in favour of getting to drink a full can to themselves without rationing, say ‘yes’.”

There’s a chorus of approval, and Jules opens the bag, dispensing the cans. The metal is cool from sitting in the ocean water. The cans hiss open in unison. For a moment, nobody speaks; we just drink. I don’t save any of mine. The second it’s on my tongue, it’s gulped down and gone, the sizzle on the back of my throat so satisfying I have to tip back my head and shut my eyes.

At my side, Mathieu makes a sound of enjoyment, finishing his too. “So, so good,” he groans, leaning against my arm, dramatically tipping his head back. He looks blissed out. I let him get away with it.

Jules sips his can. Mary and Willow drink theirs similarly.

“I’m alive again,” Charles says.

“Did you bring back food?” Darren asks.

“Protein bars.” Jules sets his can down in the sand and gets the waterproof bag with the bars, dispensing them to everyone except for me and him. Mathieu hesitates before taking a bite, casting me a questioning look.

“We ate ours before the swim,” I tell him.

I wait until everyone has taken a bite and is chewing to speak. “The radio’s not an option. The entire unit is gone. We found the satellite phone, but that’s broken too. Seán, you can see if it can be fixed.”

Jules shifts his weight, but he doesn’t contradict me. I should have clarified that I wasn’t going to tell them we broke it on deck. Telling the group we just ruined their chances of an immediate rescue isn’t a good idea, and I’m not going to give Jules the opportunity to try to take responsibility for it.

“Those things aside,” I continue, “there are a lot of supplies still on board. Food, water, clothes, toothpaste, cushions, bug spray, sun cream…a whole list of things that’ll make the rest of the wait here a lot more comfortable.”

Expressions fall. Darren looks at Jules as though he somehow carries the blame for the news.

“How was the swim?” Mathieu asks. He fixes a look on Jules, who stares back with as unrepentant a look as he gave me earlier.

Jules makes himself stop panting. “It’s not far.”