A School Apocalypse

Chapter 20

Edit: June 29th, 2017.

"How long will it take to get there?" Rayne asks as we get out of the harbor.

"If this boat goes fast enough, two days. If it's slower, then probably longer." I answer.

"What ocean are we taking?" Asks Jada.

"Uh," I stutter. What ocean are we taking? It doesn't matter, does it? Aren't all oceans the same? God, I'm seventeen and don't know anything about oceans. "I think we're actually taking Tasman Sea. . . .or the Pacific! I'm not one hundred percent sure. It's probably one of those."

"The pacific can get very bad in rough weather." Jada says matter-of-factly. "Will we make it?"

"Probably?" I ask unsurely. They don't look impressed, so I plaster on a big smile. "I'm sure we will. We've made it this far. What's a little weather going to do?"

"Sink us. Kill us. Drown us. Strand us. Shall I go on?"

"Now, now, I was just being sarcastic. I love storms. I've researched them, and I'm sure we'll be just mighty fine. We just need to keep an eye on the waves and maintain stability on the bow and steering. If anything gets bad, we throw on life jackets, gather the raft and be prepared." Wrong, wrong, wrong! Sure I've read up on storms, and sure I can drive a boat, but I've never driven a boat in bad weather, so I may actually be the death of us-metaphorically and literally.

"Then we'll lose everything. All of our survival gear." Rayne says from the blue. Questions, statements. More questions, more damn statements. I know what I'm doing people!

"Check the boat for survival kits and double check and see if it has an inflatable life raft. Also, grab those garbage bags I took from the gas station and put all of our stuff in it. Make sure they are light-weight so they can stay afloat and not sink. We need as much as possible if we get stranded. Try and label the bags with tape and something permanent and water-resistant."

Any more questions or planning, and I'm useless. I'm a great improviser, but I can't improvise on this, it's too massive and I don't have time to stroll around a store to find supplies I can use.

"How the hell do you know all this stuff? Like we're all like music and art and here Alex is acting like a fuckin' lost at sea expert."

I'm not. Definitely far from it. "I watched a lot of survival shows before all this happened. My dad and I would go boating a lot and travel by water, so he'd teach me how to survive lost out at sea and what to do to help stay alive if you boat collapsed and sunk. I also watched a bunch of Surviving Disaster, which really helped me with survival techniques." I point out. I'm actually pretty proud that I learned the stuff I did watching that show. From hurricanes, to nuclear blasts, to home burglaries, to earquakes to rough ocean water, I knew the gist of it all. I love the wilderness and oceans and seas, and go out in the wild so much, that it teaches you a thing or two. And I'm proud of my experience and what I learned from a lot of trial and error.

But then again, it wasn't likely I'd be needing to travel over a hundred miles on a boat that very well could lose gas, get caught in a storm, or malfunction. My knowledge extends to good lengths, but I'm only smart in certain fields.

"Tasman sea, or pacific, if we hit a storm coming from the south, it will get rough." Jada says again from below.

"I know, I know. Let's just hope not, okay?" I turn my head, "Parker?" I call out. I hear thuds coming down from under us, and Parker comes climbing up the stairs to the captains area.

"What's up?" He says, tumbling over the last step.

"I'm going to help the others pack stuff into the bags. Can you take the wheel?"