After going through everything it started to become obvious why Sharon was in such bad shape. Everything on that boat was no good. As if some overarching curse had doomed all the supplies. The food had gone bad, the water was tainted, the solar stills had tears in them making them useless, even the knife snapped the first time Michael tried to use it. Every single thing had turned out to be absolutely useless for what is what intended for.

This forced Michael to improvise. He used parts from the solar stills as extra rain catchers. He used the cans that held the tainted water as a container to cook in. Which was especially useful since the pots and pans from the Golden Fleece had all been thrown overboard during Carolyn’s drunken tirade before he had arrived.

While trying to solve all these new issues, Michael made it a point not to talk. He was completely silent for four days. Both Sharon and Carolyn spoke to him, but he never said a word back. He was angry, and frustrated. Airing his dirty laundry out in the open felt embarrassing and wrong in a way he couldn’t exactly put his finger on. Though it was all undercut by the curiosity he had about Sharon and Carolyn’s backstories. Or perhaps that made it worse, as they both had incredibly interesting lives, and he just had a fondness for survival craft videos on YouTube. He was water flavored ice-cream compared to a chocolate fudge banana split with brownie bits and a triple layered sorbet ice cream cake with cherry ripple frosting. Yet they continued to need help with basic survival.

In his mind, he knew he was valuable, but despite the proof of their continued survival, it wouldn’t sink in. No matter what he did, inside he still felt like that same disappointment. The failure who had been shunned by his family, who had abandoned his friends, who had been cut off by his girlfriend. All he could see was that same worthlessness drilled into him since childhood.

So, in silence he continued to work. Crafting fishing nets, repairing hooks, fixing leaks, gathering water, drinking just enough to survive. Making sure they wouldn’t have to rely on any one thing constantly to still survive. That if it didn’t rain, they’d have enough water, if they couldn’t catch any fish they’d still have enough food.

It started to rain after he had just about caught the supplies up to sustaining three people. He didn’t want to say anything, but this would be one of the rare, and much needed chances to wash off the salt from their bodies and clothes.

“Sharon,”

“Found your tongue again…I see…” Sharon was looking out over the bow of the Golden Fleece as she spoke. She didn’t turn towards him, but Michael didn’t know what she was trying to accomplish with her bad eyesight.

“It’s starting to rain. This’ll be the best time to wash our clothes.” He said trying to find the best way to get around to openly saying it. “Washing off the salt from our clothes and…and our bodies is really important. On the upper deck I set up a clothesline where we can…”

“That makes…sense I suppose…very well then…” she started to pull off her weather-beaten shirt.

Michael instinctively flung his arms up to cover his eyes. “Whoa, not like here! I was trying to say we can take turns up top with some privacy!”

“Why be so…shy now? We are…all doomed so…what does modesty matter?”

“Yeah well, some of us don’t plan to die, Ancients or not.” He coughed uncomfortably as he started to shamble away. “Besides, it isn’t so easy for all of us to throw off the shackles of society like that.”

“Your value of…modesty is quite misguided…” something seemed to click in Sharon’s mind as she added, “Oh unwilling one.”

“I think you’re reading too much into this. But I’ve got to go let Carrie know too.” He said as he grasped desperately for an escape from this increasingly awkward conversation.

As he backed away Sharon stood there in her tank top as rain started to drizzle down. She bit on nail of her thumb as her thoughts raced. It seemed she had gotten one step closer to solving something that had been bothering her.

-

Carolyn was leaning back in the passenger seat of the Lil Ducky. As Michael made his way over, she spoke up without turning to look at him. “So, are you like done with the whole silent treatment now?”

‘What, that wasn’t…”

“Geez,” she interrupted, “I’m only teasing you Mikey. I get it if there’s like some stuff you needed to work through.”

Michael sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Look, it’s raining, and it looks like it might rain a bit harder than usual.”

“Like yeah? So?”

“Well, it’d probably be a good idea to wash off the salt from our clothes and selves.”

“Like you don’t say.”

“So I, uh, I set up a clothesline on the upper deck of the Golden Fleece and…”

“And you like totally think it’d be a good idea if we all went up there and stripped down to wash off. Two vulnerable girls, and you’d like to put us right next to you and like totally make us…”

“Whoa! Stop right there, that is definitely not what I was thinking at all! I meant each of us, one at a…”

“Like cool it Romeo, I heard the whole spiel when you yelled it at Shar.”

“Huh? But then why did you say that?”

“Like why not? You may have needed time alone, but it like totally hurts a girl’s feelings when you only pretend to take their advice.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Carolyn huffed. “I knew you like weren’t listening! You agreed it was better to think through things out loud. Geez, you’re as bad as Shar, keeping your thoughts all locked away.”

“Hey, come one that’s not fair. You kept your history a secret.”

“Um like did I? I thought I made it pretty obvious with all of the stories about my work. Like when Sally and I were trying to find her lost cat Prince Humperdinck. So, we like went to this underground radio DJ, who we like totally got the location of from this illegal ring…”

Michael sighed. “Look, I’m sorry okay. I just wanted to let you know today is a good day to shower and wash our clothes. You don’t have to tease me about all this stuff just because you can, okay?”

“Like maybe I was teasing a little, but not completely Mikey. I really wouldn’t mind.”

“Huh?”

“You’re like really dense when you want to be, huh?”

Michael’s face flushed, “No, you’re just teasing me again, well I won’t fall for it.”

“O M G, how blunt does a girl like have to…”

Carolyn was cut off as waves violently rocked the boats and Sharon cried out in glee, “The abyss reaches back…the shambling crystal…IT RISES AT LAST!”