CHAPTER 5
HIS CREW
Location: Base of Abandoned Church
Date: 17MAR21
Time: 0030 hours
M, Jag, Lindy, and I carefully slide down the vine, one at a time, and race over to Jet and the rest of the Pawtriots.
“Why is it so hard for you to follow orders like everyone else?” asks Jag.
“I’m sorry,” Jet says. “But if you tell me not to push a button or to ring a bell, well, then I want to push the button or ring the bell. I couldn’t help myself.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” M says with a menacing smile.
I don’t like the look of M’s smile, and I’m not sure if I can trust him. I turn to Lindy and whisper, “Do you trust this cat?”
“I don’t trust anyone on this cursed island,” he whispers back. “The only ones I trust here are you and the Pawtriots.”
I turn my attention back to M.
“So, M,” I begin, “now that Sea Wolf’s supposed plan is in motion, what do we do?”
“We must act fast. There’s no time to dwell. Sea Wolf will head for Black Rock,” M says.
“And what’s Black Rock?” Penny asks.
“The highest peak on the island. He’s going to raise his crew from the dead!”
“But how?” I ask.
“Sea Wolf’s strength grows with each passing minute that his lungs draw breath. He has power that we can never understand. He will raise the Cutthroats at Black Rock and then the Calico Jack from the water below. If we can’t stop him before sunset, he’ll be unstoppable! They will travel from island to island across the Atlantic destroying everything and anyone who tries to stand in their way. Three centuries of pent-up fury is about to be unleashed. We must act fast!” M hollers. “Follow me!”
I turn back to the Pawtriots and motion for them to hold as M races deep into the jungle.
“This isn’t our fight,” I tell the group.
“You can sssay that again,” says Smithers.
“And this definitely isn’t Navy business,” Jag says. “I want nothing to do with this. I’ll meet you all at the USS George Washington at 1900 hours.” I watch as he begins to walk away from us.
“Jet, come on. Let’s move out,” he says.
But she hesitates. I can tell she is torn.
“No, I’m staying here. I started this mess and I’ll finish it, too” Jet says.
“Negative. Our ship is going to leave with or without us. Now let’s go,” says Jag.
“I can’t. I’m sorry,” says Jet as she hugs her brother.
“Suit yourself, sis, but the ship will leave with or without you,” Jag says. We all watch as he walks farther away.
Then Penny turns to me and gives me the “tilt.”
“Rico, we have to help M. He took us in and gave us food. We were just strangers and he opened his home to us. I’m a good judge of character. Do you trust me?” Penny asks.
“Oi! She’s right. Sharing food goes a long way in my book,” Brick says.
I look around at all the Pawtriots and they all look back at me, staring intently, waiting for me to step in and decide. I have my doubts about M and that’s making me feel indecisive. But that’s a part of the decision-making process all leaders face. And then I think about Morgan and Sawyer and the rest of the Pawtriots back home at the TOC. We really got ourselves into a mess here. But sometimes the easy way out isn’t always the right path to follow.
“Jet’s right,” I say. “This may not be the mission we asked for, but it’s the mission we’ve got. In the Army you’re taught to do what’s right, not what’s easy. This is our fight now. Whether we like it or not.”
“What’s the plan?” Lindy asks.
“I was hoping you might have one,” I say to him.
“Well, if that cat isn’t pulling our tails, then we need to follow M to Black Rock and help stop Sea Wolf from raising his crew and his ship . . . and fast. Our ride home off this spooky island is leaving in less than nineteen hours,” Lindy says.
“Pawtriots, what do you think?” I call out to the gang.
“Perhapsss we sssneak into the Cryssstal Cavesss. And make sssure we keep Sssea Wolf ssseparated from hisss sssword?” says Smithers.
“Nip this whole thing in the bud. No sword, no Sea Wolf!” Franny hollers.
“Oi! Am I the only one who remembers that massive mutant spider that almost killed us? Now you want to try our luck with a gigantic octopus?” asks Brick.
“Sssquid actually,” says Smithers.
“Same difference,” Brick says, rolling his eyes.
“Not quite. Octopuses belong to the order Octopoda while squids, on the other hand, belong to the order Teuthida,” says Franny.
“I didn’t understand anything you just said,” Brick says.
“Enough!” I shout. “The Kraken’s down there and no matter what that thing is, it’s a high-level threat. It’s just too risky. We’ll head to Black Rock and try to stop him there.”
I look over to the Pawtriots, who seem to be waiting for further instruction.
“Can I get a ‘Hooah!’?” I holler.
“Hooah!” they say in unison.
“On me, then!” I say as everyone forms up beside me and we rush off into the woods to catch up with M and stop Sea Wolf.
Location: Black Rock
Time: 0700 hours
We’ve been running through the woods for hours now, using the light of the rising sun to lead our way. We caught up with M, who has been leading us up to Black Rock, the highest point on the island. We’ve been climbing the side of this jagged mountainside to catch a bird’s-eye view of where Sea Wolf will attempt to raise the Cutthroats from the dead and the Calico Jack from the depths.
“Careful now, we’re almost there,” M says.
We emerge onto a ridge that leads to the summit. I look to my right and see a small clearing surrounded by dense jungle. A beaten path leads to the center of the clearing where I can see a cluster of unmarked graves. All of the soil has been displaced and the graves are now empty. We’re already one step behind. The Cutthroats have risen. Next will be the Calico Jack.
We slowly continue up the ridgeline, carefully maneuvering across a narrow ledge onto a high cliff perched over the ocean, and take cover behind a large tree.
“There!” says M in a hushed whisper.
I follow his line of sight toward the water just past the shallows.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” says Lindy, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Together we watch as more and more of the Calico Jack rises from the depths of the ocean.
“Look! You can see the top of the sails,” M says.
We are all stunned, watching in silence. I can’t believe how fast Sea Wolf is moving. M was right, his power is something I’ll never begin to understand.
“And look!” M says, pointing to the shoreline. “There’s Sea Wolf with the Cutthroats on the beach.”
“I thought you said there were six Cutthroats,” I say to M.
“One lesss isss perfectly sssuitable to me,” says Smithers.
“Come on, we must move quickly. His new reign of terror will soon begin,” says M.
I look up at the sun to gauge its position.
“We have about twelve hours,” I say.
“So, Rico,” Lindy begins, “What’s the plan now?”
But before I can even say a word, I watch Sea Wolf unsheathe his sword and hold it high in the sky as the Cutthroats swim out to the Calico Jack.
“We’re very late,” says Penny.
“They’re moving fast,” says M.
“Sssuper fassst by the looksss of it. Sssea Wolf already hasss hisss crew, hisss ssship, and hisss sssword?” Smithers says.
“It just doesn’t add up. How could he have raised them from their graves?” says Lindy, pointing to the Cutthroats. “Gone there to raise his ship,” says Lindy as he points to the shoreline below. “And marched his happy tail all the way to the Crystal Caves to get that sword,” says Lindy as he points at Sea Wolf.
“You’re right, Lindy. None of this makes any sense,” says Jet.
“It may not make any sense, but if we don’t do something before the sun sets, then Sea Wolf’s new reign of terror will begin. He’s got his crew, his ship, and his sword. It’s all he needs to be unstoppable,” says M.
As I stand there watching the Calico Jack rise from the sea, I realize this island is truly cursed. I know that we need to act fast.
“Plans change, Pawtriots. We adapt, but our mission stays the same. Their ship can’t sail until the sun sets. There’s still time. We need to sneak onto the Calico Jack and steal Sea Wolf’s sword. Like Franny said, ‘No sword, no Sea Wolf,’” I say.
“I’m with you Rico, we all are. But we can’t get onto that ship without being spotted. They’ll see us coming down this ridgeline,” Lindy says.
“Not if we camo up,” I say.
“You’ve lost me,” M chimes in.
“It’s short for ‘camouflage.’ It’s what we used in the Army to blend into our surroundings,” I say as I quietly roll around on the ground and cover myself in mud.
“Follow my lead,” I whisper.
They all hesitate for a second and then join in. I watch as they all begin to roll in the mud and camo up. I smile because I’m reminded of when I was in the Army. Preparing for a mission was key to success.
“You see that path down the mountain to the shore?” I say to Penny, pointing to the path.
“Tracking; I see it. I’ll take point,” says Penny.
“We’ll sneak onto the ship from there,” I say as I motion for them to get low and follow Penny down the side of the mountain to the shore where the Calico Jack is gently rocking from side to side in the shallows.