Shrimp Boat Screams

Nick, Sharon, Perry, and Jon followed Henshaw, running through the scrub brush that grew fast and thick in the woods surrounding the bayous. Despite his age, Henshaw was still in better shape than most men in their twenties. He would hurt later, but at the moment, his speed was not hampered by age.

They’d driven as far as possible, right up to the fence that Henshaw and his boys had built upon Ethan’s request. There was no time to look for a boat that might have a key hanging from the ignition, so they ran along the edge of the canal, trying to weave through the thinnest areas of brush. They’d run about a mile, when he saw the old trot line he’d left tied to a cypress tree years ago. He knew they were close then, but he didn’t have to tell the others that the shrimp boat was just up ahead. They all heard the screams at the same time.

Adrenaline surged through Nick when he heard the screams, and he burst forward, speeding past Henshaw. Within a tight circle of cypress trees, a few feet from the bank, he could just make out the bow of the boat shimmering through the sweat that dripped in his eyes.  Nick leaped from the bank to the first cypress knee, a unique woody root formation that grows upwards around cypress trees.  Holding onto a nearby tree trunk, he jumped to the next knee, and finally leaped towards the boat, his right hand finding a cleat and his left grasping the rope wrapped around it.  Using the momentum from his jump, he heaved his body onto the deck.

The deck was slick with wet algae, causing him to slide hip first, several feet until a low-hanging branch punched through his thigh, effectively stopping his progress. Pulling his leg free, Nick stood and looked towards the screams. He could hear Dustin and the others climbing aboard the boat from the other side, but he didn’t wait for help. Hoping he could keep his footing, he ran full speed into the galley door, bursting through it and falling straight down on top of Ethan’s back. Ethan bucked Nick off, sending both of them tumbling across the laps of Dennis and Janet. The chairs collapsed and all four bodies crashed to the deck. Nick was trapped under one of the chairs, with Ethan laying on top, his back facing Nick.

While they all struggled to get upright, Nick reached around the leg of Dennis’s chair, and wrapped his arm around Ethan’s neck. He pulled Ethan towards him, squeezing as hard as he could, straining to keep Ethan from struggling free. Ethan used his hips to twist and turn his lower body, forcing Nick to lose his grip. Ethan flung his body forward, howling victoriously. He lunged across the table, intending to strangle Raya the way Nick had just tried to strangle him. His fingers stretched across the table, his eyes locked onto her neck.

He never saw the plank, but he felt the sudden rush of air just before Henshaw slammed it through his skull.