Sleepless: Chapter Eight

Sunrise [At the Edge of the World]

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The fog kept visibility on the water low, the city vanishing out of sight within a few minutes.

They were speeding across open water with no one and nothing in sight for what seemed like forever. At some point she made a small remark about probably being nearer to a fish than any other humans, but Felix reminded her that there were no creatures on this planet other than them. The oceans were vast and empty.

She wasn’t sure that was better.

The rocking of the ship along the waves was incessant and nothing could ease Margo’s nausea. As the minutes dragged on, (and after two close calls with losing her breakfast), finally they began to hear something.

It took a minute or two before she could tell what it was — it was hard to hear it over the sound of the boat and the other teens on board — but eventually it clicked. Music.

Out of the fog emerged a landmass. A stretch of it was light-colored along the water’s edge, where a group of teenagers had gathered around a large fire. Margo had never seen a fire like this one, wood propped up in a small pyramid and burning within a circle of stones on the light strip of land. The beach, she realized. This was what a beach looked like.

Seeing them emerge from the fog, the landbound teens raised their arms, calling out cheerfully. A few had instruments — some made of wood and others of scrap metals. Others just sang or clapped and stomped along. The ones that weren’t as engaged in the music broke off in a small detachment towards them.

This was not where Margo’s eyes were drawn to though.