Chapter 15 The Encounter

In the middle of the night, a sudden impact on her ship sent her sprawling to the floor. Her head slammed onto the hardwood floor, blanking her brain for a moment. She sat up with a groan, rubbing her for head as her drowsy mind booted up.

Another impact caused her to jump to her feet. She glanced out the window to find it pitch black, forcing her to flip on the exterior lights before dashing out on the rear deck to the left side of her boat where the impacts originated.

Elysia leaned over the edge, staring down at the dark ocean waters. To her left, near the center of her boat, she spotted a large shadow colliding with the hull, jerking her boat to the side. A second shadow hit the bow of the ship redirecting Umbra toward shore fifty meters away.

The ship tilted to the left, following an impact on the right side. After gaining her footing on the deck, she sprinted into the control room, pushing the throttle all away forward. The muffled rumbling below deck ticked up as she accelerated, cutting through the dark ocean waters at fifty kilometers per hour and rising.

Her yacht jerked to the left, but she held firm to the steering wheel, correcting her course running parallel with the shore. After several minutes of no impacts, she released a sigh of relief, flopping on the captain’s chair, staring out at the beginning of the sunrise. She waited another five minutes before standing up with a flashlight in hand, descending the stairs below deck. The light beam scanned the walls, looking for any leaks, stopping on a crack near the center of the left side. She dashed up, running her hands along the crack, but felt no moisture.

Elysia unsheathed her hunting knife digging into the wall, prying away the plaster to reveal joists and the hull. She ran her hand along the hull, feeling a ten centimeter diameter dent in the hull. The breath she didn’t know she held released when she felt no moisture. Still, she stood and stared at the dent for another ten minutes.

After ensuring the dent didn’t leak, she moved on, scanning the rest of the room finding several more cracks. But after further investigation, each one was a small dent. Just to be sure, she checked the storage and engine rooms, finding them unharmed, but a large crack ran along the left wall of the bedroom. Fearing the worst, she pried away the plaster, finding a much larger dent, but like the others, no moisture leaked through.

She sat on the bed, crinkling her nose in disgust at the stench, but didn’t keep her eyes off the dent. All the more reason not to cross the ocean. If something like that swims near shore, what is lurking further out? Actually, what is lurking here? Suddenly, using a ship doesn’t feel so safe. Though if everywhere is just as overgrown on land, it would take ages to get anywhere and I wouldn’t be able to carry much supplies. There really isn’t a right option. I just have to hope Umbra survives at least until the next port. I doubt these dents are good for structural integrity, though the actual structure nearby seems fine.

Unable to take the stench any longer, she stood up and wandered upstairs, glancing out the windows at the sunrise. At least whatever hit me was nice enough to let me sleep most of the night.

Elysia grabbed a water bottle and a bag of peanuts before walking out the side door in the control room out onto the front deck. While munching on peanuts, she stared out at the ocean. Her eyes followed the horizon, spotting land straight ahead. That must be Vancouver Island. I’m making pretty good time. I should enter the Salish Sea in another hour.

It really is beautiful out here if only I didn’t have the threat of sea monsters looming overhead. Whatever ship I keep long term, whether it’s this one or another, I think I need to find a way to arm it. At least I hope conventional weaponry works on sea monsters. Zombies didn’t seem to care when I blew their head off with a shotgun, but a little lightning magic took them out instantly. I wonder why that is. Is my lightning magic different from regular electricity? Yet another thing to experiment with later. On the topic of weaponry, I should probably find myself another spear. While simple, it was really effective with my lightning powers. Though anything metal would work.

An idea formed, prompting her to jog down the narrow side deck to the rear, grabbing one of the brooms from the storage compartment. With her hunting knife, she widdled the broom head off, leaving a sharp tip in its place. She gave it a few test thrusts and swings, nodding her head. If I can’t create a functional spear, I may as well get some practice in with this one. It would double as a morning workout.

Her eyes toward the stack of soggy carpet giving her another idea. First, she jogged inside, grabbing another pair of nose plugs before standing up the rolls of carpet in a square with enough room in the center for her to swing her spear. Before she began, she dashed inside once again, lathering her hands and arms with soap, scrubbing them raw.

Now clean, she grabbed her makeshift spear leaned against the railing before glaring at the waterlogged carpet with a bloodthirsty grin. Once at the center, she thrusted at the carpet to her right, puncturing it slightly before giving the roll to her left a whack. The roll slid a few centimeters but remained upright, to the annoyance of its assaulter. She spun the spear in a wide arc impacting the left side of the same carpet roll, causing it to teeter but remain upright once again. Without breaking stride, she sent a powerful thrust into the unharmed roll to the right of the previous roll, sinking the sharp tip in several centimeters.

Elysia wiped the sweat away from her brow before continuing. With a scream, she thrusted into the first carpet roll with all her might, pushing it back several centimeters. Refusing to let up on her assault, her left foot planted as she swung the spear in an arc, slamming into the carpet behind her, sending it rocking, but the heavy waterlogged carpet withstood the assault.

Annoyed by the carpet roll surviving, she rotated her hips as she spun, building momentum, hammering the carpet roll. This time it tilted back a little too far, falling on its side. A triumphant smile bloomed until she looked down at her makeshift spear. Like the carpet roll, the spear too lost its battle with a crack running lengthwise down the middle.

She pouted as she tossed the ruined spear aside, stomping into the cabin. As soon as she popped out the nose plugs, her nose scrunched, sending her toward the bathroom. After a quick shower using her stolen shampoo and body wash, Elysia wandered out of the bathroom naked. Why didn’t I think to grab a stack of towels? I wonder why the owners didn’t leave at least some towels. It’s only May, so maybe they didn’t get a chance to stock the ship for the summer. I guess I’ll do some sunbathing once I make the turn into the Salish Sea. While all the deck furniture washed away, the ship does come with padded sunbathing mats built into the front deck. At least I think that’s what they are. Even if they aren’t, that’s what they will be from now on.

Elysia glanced through the front window, spotting the Cape Flattery lighthouse surprisingly unscathed by the changed environment. She took control of the steering wheel circling around the island before restarting the cruise control, pointing Umbra east down the Salish Sea. After ensuring she wouldn’t hit anything, she trotted away from the console, digging through her chocolate stash in the kitchen choosing a variety box of chocolates. With chocolates in hand, she bounced her way out the side door onto the front deck.

She laid down on the white pad just outside the control room windows, but upon closing her eyes, she immediately jumped to her feet, dashing inside once again. After retrieving a black T-shirt, she returned, ensuring the chocolates were open and within her reach before laying back, draping the T-shirt over her eyes.

Her skin warmed from the midmorning sun as the sound of wake off her ship lulled her mind. She absentmindedly popped chocolates in her mouth, but soon her body went limp as she snoozed, basking in the sun.

Several hours passed with her laying on the pad without a care in the world when a horn sounded. Broken from her relaxation, Elysia shot upright, eyes scanning for the source. She zeroed in on a fishing boat fifty meters to her left and closing.

In a flash, she sprung to her feet, shooting into the cabin before rummaging through her clothing stash putting on a light blue T-shirt and gray short shorts. She throttled her yacht back as she stared out the window at the approaching boat, slightly smaller than Umbra.

A minute later, the fishing boat pulled alongside her yacht with a handful of fishermen and women, with expressions varying from an amused smile to curiosity. Afraid to leave the control room, Elysia opened a side window, allowing her to talk. She stared out the window at the group of people with her arms crossed, instinctively reaching for a thread from her core, just in case.

A middle-aged man wearing a pair of tan cargo pants and pocketed brown vast took the initiative after scanning Elysia’s yacht. “Are you alone out here?”

While keeping her face blank, her mind raced. Of course, he had to ask that question. If I answer truthfully, they may take advantage of me though they appear friendly, but still, it’s not worth the risk. But if I lie and say someone else’s here, they will probably assume they are in charge of the boat, not a teenage girl.

Instead of answering, Elysia asked. “How’s the fishing? I was planning on giving it a try later today.”

A suspicious look flashed across the presumed captain as he answered. “Hit and miss. Since the change, you never know what will come up.”

Elysia nodded in understanding, flashing back to the shadows ramming her ship several hours prior.

Before she could say anything more, the captain spoke once again, eyeing her purple eyes and white hair. “What is a Changed doing out here? Didn’t you hear about the mandate?”

Despite having a pretty good idea where this was going, Elysia asked. “Mandate?”

The crew murmured amongst themselves as the captain replied with a professional smile. “President Burns decreed all Changed must report to the capital.”

Yeah, I’m definitely not going to report to some camp. It’s probably some forced training camp if what I’m guessing is right about what he called Changed. I doubt I’m the only one who had a transformation. Who is President Burns anyway? There must’ve been a change in leadership. Well, I guess heading to Port Angeles is out or any settlement nearby. I just hope I have enough fuel to make it somewhere else. It would be nice to return to civilization, but not as a captive.

With a guarded expression, Elysia asked. “And what if I don’t comply?”

The captain turned mournful as he replied. “I will be forced to report you and your vessel.”

It looks like I won’t get any more information from them without putting myself in danger. If I gained the system, I’m sure they did too. At least now I know I’m not alone out here.

Elysia scanned the bulky fishing boat, comparing it to her sleek yacht before shrugging. “Okay, report away. I’ll be on my way then.”

The captain nodded his head, expecting the answer, before turning away and returning to his cabin. Through the window she saw the captain talk on a radio, glancing back at Elysia every couple of seconds.

Elysia took that as a cue to leave, pulling away before turning around, running the engines westward. As the fishing boat disappeared from sight, she stared out at the ocean at a loss for what to do. Now what? Should I head back south? I don’t know if I want to do that. It would be a massive waste of fuel to backtrack that far. At the very least, I need to find gas for my raft. Why did I think it was a good idea to come up here? I don’t even have money to pay for fuel. I doubt I am a high priority, so I should be safe for now, but I would rather not run into an armed ship. I guess for now I’ll coast along the Washington state shore. Maybe I’ll spot something.