I groaned as I woke up. My leg was throbbing and my back hurt. I didn’t know where I was. The last thing I remember was being on the ship when it was struck, grabbing Cas, and telling him we had to get to a getaway boat. Was that where I was now? I rolled onto my back and looked around. The sun was beating down onto the wooden walls of what I assumed to be the getaway boat. There was some dried meat and water at my feet, along with a rope. I sat up when I heard humming and someone swimming towards me.

“Rolen,”

I froze. That was Cas’s voice. He made it out alive, thank the gods, but how’d he know where I was?

“Rolen, I know you’re awake. We have little time. Hurry,”

I sat up and saw Cas treading water. I went to help him get in the boat but winced in pain as my leg moved from the effort. Cas looked like he was about to help me but then swam back slightly. I reached out to grab his hand, but again, he moved back.

“Cas, come on, get in the boat. We have to go. Someone attacked the ship. We have to escape and see if we can find any other survivors,” I practically begged him. I just couldn’t understand why he wasn’t moving.

“Rolen, I can’t. I’m sorry. That boat attack was planned. There are no survivors. You’re the only one, and you need to leave. Now,” He said, with a rising urgency in his voice.

“What do you mean, Cas? What are you talking about?” I asked him. How would he know that?

“I don’t have time to explain - but you need to go before they-“

“Cas! Who are you talking to? Did you find him?” a deep voice screamed. As I squinted my eyes, I could see a boat approaching us, the same boat that had attacked us...how did Cas know them? Why was he talking to them?

“Yeah, I found him! He’s escaping though!” Cas screamed back.

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered as he placed the boat’s ores in my hands and pushed my boat away. He turned to swim back towards the bigger boat, not looking back once.

As my boat floated away, everything clicked into place. Cas had been working with the other boat this whole time. As betrayal and rage filled me, I paddled as fast as I could. Water was flying everywhere as I dug the ores into the water and pushed. I could hear yelling and gunshots behind me, which only forced me to paddle faster. I did not know where I was going, or where I would end up, but it didn’t matter.

After what seemed like hours, I couldn’t hear or see my newfound enemies anymore, but I still kept going as fast as I could. Every ounce of my being was in pain. My leg was throbbing from being injured during the ship’s attack. My arms and shoulders burned every time I pushed the ore against the water to paddle forward, but I had to keep going. I had no other choice.