Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Keira could not see who had just gotten shot because it was dark.
She ran towards Zach and could hear Leon laugh, "Ha ha ha." After that laugh, Leon coughed up blood and dropped the gun from his hand, along with his body to the ground.
After Keira saw Leon’s body slump down to the ground, a great sense of relief washed over her. Her husband was alive, they were now together, and finally, they no longer had to fight...
She quickly went to Zach’s side, but the sea waves were getting even rougher. She had to hold onto the lifelines firmly to prevent herself from falling overboard.
The boat was still cruising speedily on an automatic pilot. Zach immediately turned it off and slowed the boat down so the impact of the strong waves would lessen. He disconnected all electrical equipment because of the lightning. Nothing seemed to work because of the heavy storm. Even the communication radio to get help was not working.
He looked around for some survival and emergency gear inside the speed boat.
"Wear this!" he shouted as he went to Keira who was still holding onto the lifelines. He helped Keira put a lifejacket on her first before he put one on himself.
He then moved to pull the lifeless bodies of Draco and Leon towards the center and the lowest part of the boat.
He had finished gathering all of the emergency supplies he could find and some life-saving equipment and put it all in a backpack he now was wearing. He went back to Keira and tied himself to her with a rope. If anything should happen, they at least would not separate.
"Are we going to die now?" Keira mumbled because the boat was being tossed about by the waves too much.
They had no choice but to let the boat follow the current of the sea because steering it manually would not only be a completely futile attempt, but also a dangerous one. Zach smiled at Keira and held her tight as he said, "No, we won’t. Make sure you stick with me."
Zach added in jest, "Besides, if we were to die now, at least we’ll be together, right?"
Then his face turned serious as he stared directly into her eyes and said, "I love you, Keira... Thank you for never giving up on me..."
Keira was already feeling cold because of the chilly winds. With shivering voice, she complained, "Shhh! Shush! Don’t say that. We still need to fulfill my promise to my parents... To give them grandchildren to play with. So we must not die like this. You hear me?"
Zach chuckled and wrapped Keira in his arms even tighter. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Yeah, let’s go back home soon..." A lot of things still awaited them in the future, so they must survive.
................
The Military force finally arrived and had secured the ship. All of Leon’s men were captured. "Stop!" May said in a loud and authoritative voice when the soldiers were about to put Riley and Cobra together with the rest of Leon’s men.
"They are General Lim’s friends, so don’t mix them together with those evil hoodlums!" instructed May with a raised eyebrows. The soldiers looked at Jeru to get his approval and the latter nodded.
Riley and Cobra thanked May who had now been staring at Riley with rounded eyes. "What’s your name?" she asked. Riley felt a bit awkward so he just scratched his head. Cobra elbowed him, so he quickly answered, "It’s Riley."
"Alright Riley, I’m May. Thank you for saving me. Don’t worry, they will just ask you some questions later. I’ll see you around..." She grabbed Riley’s hand to shake it before she left to ask for Keira, leaving Riley bewildered.
"What’s wrong, boy? Cat got your tongue?" Cobra snickered when he noticed Riley, who was usually a chatterbox, seem to be tongue-tied because of that girl.
Lana let out a sigh of relief when she saw Drey and May were both fine. "Where’s Keira and Zach?" she asked as she looked at Thea’s who was looking so pale.
Then she looked at Jeru who was yelling frantically.
"We need to find them now!" Jeru shouted to the soldiers. The thunder and lightning roared through the sky simultaneously, but his stern voice could still be heard.
"Sir, it will be too dangerous to dispatch the men at this time... We need to quickly escort you back ashore before the strong waves come this way," answered the squad leader in charge.
It was true. Given the current weather, Jeru himself knew that it would be hard to find Keira and Zach.
It was dark except for the lightning flashes from the sky. And the rain was too heavy. A storm was coming. The earliest time, on which they could conduct the search operation, would be as soon as daylight broke.
May cried after hearing about what happened to Keira and Zach. Lana hugged and comforted her.
"How come both of them are missing now? We came here because of them!" May garbled as she sobbed continuously
"We have to go, Sir," one of the soldiers said.
A few hours later, Jeru and the rest of the team were safely dropped ashore where the medical team awaited them.
Thea was not feeling well and she almost fell onto the ground, but luckily Jeru was quick to catch her and brought her to the ambulance. The doctor examined her thoroughly and ordered, "Bring her immediately to the hospital!"
Jeru frowned at the doctor’s words. He gave the doctor a puzzled look because he knew that Thea was not injured at all. She did look overwrought, but it was probably because of the violent night that she had to witness, as well as the fact that Zach and Keira had gone missing together with Leon and Draco.
The doctor clicked his tongue and said loudly, "Her baby’s condition must be checked. You didn’t know she’s pregnant?"
Jeru widened his eyes. May, Lana, and Drey dropped their jaws.
"She’s pregnant?" May murmured in shock.
Their gazes followed Jeru, who quickly went inside the ambulance with Thea.
"Who is the father?" May muttered in disbelief.