“That’s crazy! I thought it would be weeks,” I said in shock.
“Apparently one of the names caught the admiral’s attention and he got a team on it,” Ben said in disbelief. “We get to give them closure and it says here they are looking into the area, sending out a recovery team to find the crew.”
“How did they not do that originally?” Troy asked, looking indignant on the crew’s behalf. “They just never looked?”
“I’d assume they sent out a rescue crew, but the ocean is a big place. It’s possible they thought the crew jumped overboard, you can’t always find the bodies in an ocean,” Lincoln said bluntly.
“I’ll be back,” Sully said, standing up abruptly and walking out. Ethan winced and gave me a look, but before I could stand, Troy put a hand out to stop me.
“Let me try?” He met my eyes and there was a camaraderie there that I assumed was only drawn from understanding.
“Okay,” I said, hoping that my friend would be alright.
* * *
Sully
We’d talkedabout all the sadness, and the Navy getting back to Ben was a definite win. But I couldn’t help but feel like the world had forgotten them until we stepped in. And that was fucked up.
For a brief flash my cousin appeared but was gone just as quickly. A second later I realized why.
“Hey.” Troy’s voice startled me and I glanced up from the railing overlooking the beach. Not that I could actually see the sand or anything else outside of a foot or two in front of me.
“What are you doing out here?” I winced at how harsh it sounded. “Sorry, I don’t mean it like it sounded.”
He mimicked my stance, glancing out at the shore. “It’s beautiful out there. The sky is a mix of dark and gray, the moon peeking out and an array of stars shining through. The ocean is calm for once, waves lightly hitting the shore.” I smiled as he continued to describe what he saw. It was so thorough I could picture it in my mind, using what I used to see and his description to paint a vivid image in my mind.
“Thanks,” I said softly, ignoring the shadows moving out on shore and focusing on the man who was just within my limited field of vision.
“Sorry if that was an overstep. My best friend growing up was a girl who lost her sight. This became a game of ours.” He sounded so worried I couldn’t help but reassure him.
“Nah, man, not an overstep,” I promised. “It was nice to know what I was missing, actually.”
“What happened back there?”
For some reason I didn’t feel the need to hold back from him so I considered his question, trying to form words to explain.
“Sometimes I struggle to see the good side of things. This place is crazy and I’m loving the glimpses of history we get. The spook is awesome, though here it’s a bit fucking terrifying. It’s just…”
“Fucking ridiculous they never found the missing crew? They gave up without even searching the nearby islands?” He summed it up pretty well.
“Exactly. They just did a quick investigation and called it good. I don’t give a shit how many years ago it was, these spirits have been tormenting themselves, trapped, for years.”
“But now they have the ability to move on,” Troy said gently. “And we can still help move on anyone else willing. Between your power and mine, Sully, we can see and hear the dead. We’ll try and cross over whoever we can before this is over.”
“Alright,” I said. “That sounds great. I hate how many are here that don’t want to be.”
We fell silent for a moment before footsteps approached. From Troy’s soft chuckle and the scent of spicy cologne and citrus and sage I knew it was Gavin and Adam. It was funny how easily I’d picked up on scents now that I’d lost most of my sight.
“You guys alright out here?” Gavin asked as they joined us.
“We are,” Troy said. “We were just discussing trying to do a big cross over, helping get at least some spirits to the other side before leaving.”
“Smart men,” Adam said. It was strange how relaxed I was around these guys. We’d only just met but already it felt like we were old friends. Brea and her guys were great, but sometimes I felt like a sixth wheel. The Polterguys were more subtle about being together, even though they were in a similar situation to Brea and her guys. Sure I still had that pang of jealousy, wishing I’d found someone to share my life with, but for now it was nice to be getting experience I could use later. Somehow.
“How are you liking the hunter life?” Gavin asked me, drawing me from my head and the harsh reality I’d never be able to investigate alone.
“I like it,” I said honestly. “Just need to adjust to not being able to help everyone.”