Page 22 of Gideon
I carefully crossed over the deck, looking around for anything that looked important, but all that was up here were long lengths of thick rope, and the toolbox Gideon had left laying open with a few tools scattered around. He hadn’t even taken the time to clean this all up before he’d sped out of here in a blaze. I rolled my eyes before looking for the hatch that led down below.
I walked over towards the steering wheel. Wait, that wasn’t the right word. What had he called it last night? The help? No, the helm. That was it! I walked up to the area that held a few places for seating, looking around at all the instrumentation and complicated equipment that was installed here, protected behind a glass windshield. As I looked to the right, I saw it. A small set of stairs led downwards into the area below the boat. There was a door at the base of the stairs. I took a deep breath as I turned the knob, praying to God that he hadn’t locked it. If that were the case, I was screwed, at least until he got back home and I figured out just where he kept the keys.
The knob turned and clicked, opening without an issue. Thank God! I opened the door slowly, stepping into a surprisingly large room that held a seating area, a small kitchen-like space, and what looked to be a bed. It was nicer down here than I had expected. A lot nicer, in fact. It was cleaner and more well decorated than his home was. That tracked. This was his baby, after all.
He had decorated the interior with dark colors. Beautiful, dark wood paneling lined the walls, mixed with a brilliant deep teal color that surprised me with how well it actually looked in the small space. It made the room a little darker than I would have chosen myself, but with the light, almost champagne gold finishing touches around the room, it looked stunning. I let out a low whistle, feeling impressed by his choice of decor.
I walked across the small cabin, sitting on the strange-looking bed, noting that it was honestly more comfortable than the bed in his house. That figured too, though. Why would he spend money on a good mattress for the house if he spent as much time as he could out here, even to sleep? I lay back against the bed, enjoying the soft feel of the mattress as I looked up with a gasp of surprise. On the ceiling of the cabin, just above the bed, was an incredible painting. A damn painting! On a boat! It was a brilliant rendering of the night sky, full of beautiful constellations with just a hit of aurora borealis threaded through the glittering stars. I moved my hands behind my head, relaxing for a moment as I took in the beautiful artwork.
After a few moments, I sighed heavily, hoisting myself back up into a seated position and reminding myself that I was a woman on a mission. I looked around, noting several small compartments that lined their way around the mattress.
Bingo!
I rifled through each of them one by one, finding every single one of them empty except for two near the back. One held a battery operated alarm clock and a book, while the other held a set of clothes and a pair of sleep pants. Simple things for a simple man, I supposed.
I hopped off the bed, moving over to the small kitchenette. There were only a few places to hide things here. Three cabinets and three drawers, all of which held exactly what you would expect. Kitchen items. A few pots and pans, a few plates and bowls and glasses, and a few non-perishable food items in the cabinets. The top drawer held cutlery and the bottom of the three drawers held random paper and plastic items like ziplock bags and trash bags. The middle drawer, however, was the quintessential junk drawer. I sat on the floor as I picked and pieced through each item inside. Paperclips, pens, a pair of scissors, and more of those little twisty-ties that you found on bread bags than I could count.
The back of the drawer held a few envelopes. Yes! Perhaps this was where he held his spare money. As I opened the first one, I pouted to only find a passport, birth certificate, and a few photos of Gideon. That was an odd thing to store here. Then again, Gideon was an odd man, and none of this really surprised me. I put the items back inside the envelope, placing it carefully back in the drawer before pulling out the next envelope.
As I opened it, I almost cried in relief and joy. Inside lay several hundred-dollar bills. I pulled the cash from the envelope, counting it quickly. Five thousand dollars. Fivethousanddollars. I felt tears fall down from my face as I counted the money a second time, and then a third, unwilling to believe my sheer and unbelievable luck. I wanted to pocket the entire thing, but I knew that my earlier plan was smarter. Take a little here and a little there, where he wouldn’t notice. Then, on the day I decided to make my escape, I would stop here, pocket the funds, and make for civilization and life away from this utter hell.
I pulled the final envelope from the drawer, tears falling anew as I pulled out a handful of credit cards, all in Gideon’s name. I couldn’t be this lucky. It just wasn’t possible.
After years of biding my time, of playing the game, the end was so close. It was so damn close I could nearly taste it. I held the cards to my chest, just taking a moment to revel in my incredible luck and fortune in that moment. The end was near. It was actually going to happen. I was actually going to leave Zion and find my family again. With a little luck, I would find my real life again. I would be safe again.
With a heavy sigh, I put the envelopes back. I longed for it more than I could ever put into words. I wasn’t sure words even existed that could describe how this moment felt. The only thing that could be better would be the day I actually got away. The day that I was in a new home, with a new life, and could breathe in the fresh air of freedom. A life without fear or control or danger. That’s all I wanted.
I would have it. And I would have it soon.
I stood up from my seated position, cringing as both of my knees made a snap, crackle, pop as I made my way to my feet. After looking around the room, I decided to continue my search. I wasn’t sure what else I could find down here, but anything would help. The small closet held nothing but a raincoat and a few other odds and ends that would do me no good. I even checked the tiny bathroom, laughing as I found it in better shape than the bathroom inside the house. It was fully stocked with a toothbrush and toiletry items. Unlike the bathroom in the house, this one even had containers that kept everything neat and tidy and organized. It was ridiculous.
The last place left to look was the small seating area. I looked around it, noticing there really wasn’t anywhere to store things in this part of the cabin. Sitting down on the cushion with a heavy sigh, I nearly wiped out as it shifted beneath me, almost dumping me on my ass on the floor. I stood up, rolling my eyes as I turned to right the cushion and put it back in its place. Having a cushion here felt like more of a hindrance than a help. I could only imagine the rocking of the boat on the water and trying to sit on such a dangerous seat. I would probably break my arm in an instant if that were the case.
As I moved the cushion back into position, I noticed the padlock at the front of the seat, just under the cushion. Why would a padlock be here? Especially when the money was over there, unlocked, just sitting in a drawer?
The padlock was unlocked, hanging off of a small hinge.
Curiosity was my downfall at the best of times, and I couldn’t help myself.
I slid the cushion off of the seat, revealing a simple wooden hatch. Pulling the lock from the hinge, I lifted the lid of the hatch.
“What in the actual fuck?!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in horror.
CHAPTER7
GIDEON
A few hours earlier
God, it was beautiful out here. The sun was shining in the late morning sky and I was on my boat. Life did not get better than this. Not in Zion, at least. I was behind, much further behind than I had hoped to be by this late in the spring. Hell, at this point, it was early summer! I stood up, setting the tools down as I stretched languidly in the sunlight. Sweat was already beading on my brow from the combination of heat and hard work. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I took the opportunity to rest while I answered it.
“Hello?” I began, not paying any attention to whose name flashed across the screen before picking up.
“Jesus, Gideon! I’ve called three times! Where have you been?” Levi’s voice screeched out through the phone, so loudly I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Um, I’ve been right here, Levi. I was working on the boat and I didn’t hear —” I began, but he didn’t give me a chance to continue before cutting me off.
“There’s no time for all of that. Listen, I know that they have been monitoring you. Is there anyway you could get over here?” His voice sounded frantic, an edge of panic tinging his words that I was not used to. Not from Levi, especially.
