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๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป; ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ > ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ | ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ; ๐๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ | ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ; ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ | ๐๐ฐ; 925
- never in a million years did josie think she would find herself in a situation such as this one. arms wrapped tightly around her body, sitting in the bottom of a stolen rowboat. as if it would do her any good. everyone who always said the sea was unforgiving was telling the truth. she'd lost count hours ago of how many times she'd been knocked against the side of the boat and doused with water so cold it stung on impact. at this point she couldn't even feel the limbs that were fighting so hard to keep her body warm. maybe it didn't help that she had been sitting still for so long, but what else was she supposed to do. most of the oars with the other boats were either missing or rotted through and through, and they only had so much time before they would attract eyes. even if they did happen to find any still intact, there was no way she could keep up with silas's unrelenting pace.
her eyes lifted to watch as silas chopped and tore through the water like a madman in a rage, considering the fact that he was just that. he'd always had an air about him that josie could only describe as fearfully protective, but this was something entirely different and understandably so. though she had to admit, she probably wouldn't be this close to mckenzie island if she was accompanied by the man in a rage. she trusted him and he had gotten her this far. whatever he was dealing with internally was not something she needed to fix.
she never thought she would find herself in a situation like this, but situations like this are what make her think of what she could have done to prevent it if at all. what was it exactly that led her to this point in her life. was it the night she was bitten after deciding to walk the streets of st. louis alone? or maybe it was long before that, when she cheated on her math final her senior year of high school. what could she have done differently? it was something she thought about often, but always came to the same conclusion. nothing, because she would never know.
the only thing that stopped her thoughts this time around was the feeling of being thrown onto her side as the boat hit land. of course, the one time she wasn't paying attention. "jesus chr-" she huffed and struggled to push herself back to a sitting position, her hands feeling like static on a tv screen against the bottom of the boat. she had half a mind to glare up at the side of silas's head, but his focus wasn't on her anyways. it's the thought that counts. there was hardly any time for her to gather her bearings before he was shifting from his spot for the first time since the started on the other side. "silas what are you-" fantastic. he's in the water. "alright. mhm. this is great." she knew her words were basically white noise to him, but she could care less at this point.
there wasn't even a moment for her to climb out before he was dragging them to shore and then even further. multiple times her lips parted so she could say something, and every time she ended up pressing them back together. there was no use anyways if he wasn't going to hear her. her hands gripped the side of the boat and she stared blankly ahead as she swayed and jerked with the movement of the boat. if she closed her eyes and mustered up every last drop of her imagination it was almost like the worst children's ride at the county fair. one that called for a sigh of relief the second it ended.
"okay so what's the plan exactly? should we stay put or look around to see if we're not the first ones here?" silence, and then a deep growl that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. all she could do was watch and he tore across the shore after god knows what, leaving her there alone. the only thing she heard while she sat there was waves crashing against the pebbles, and frankly it was making her a little uneasy. "okay. fine." the grumble left her lips as she stood and climbed over the side of the boat, sinking the slightest bit into the ground beneath her. "i swear- you know what-" despite the fact that her sweater was drenched, she shoved her hands into its pockets. "i don't care if i die. it'll be worth it the next time i get my hands on him."
josie was frustrated to say the least, but in all honesty it was mostly because she felt lost without the rest of the pack. silas had been her only connection and he just disappeared into the forest ahead. trailing after him had definitely crossed her mind, but at least one of them had to stay on the right track. whatever that might be. she took a moment to take a few deep breaths, nodding to herself. she shouldn't stay in one place for long. mckenzie island wasn't a safe haven for the silver lake pack alone. there was bound to be others around somewhere. kicking herself into gear, she took long and determined strides along the shore. if it truly was a safe haven then there had to be some kind of shelter.