Page 38 of Wild Tempest

"Ain’t nothing can kill me," Dale said. "I'm too mean to die.”

“That’s the spirit,” I said.

"Did you find anyone else aboard the ship?" Tempest asked.

I shook my head. "We're going to do another sweep right now."

Jack sneezed.

“Bless you,” I said.

Dale squinted at Jack. "You're not looking so good."

"You’re not looking so good either," Jack snapped back.

"I've got an excuse."

Jack's eyes were red. We were a little soggy from our time in the rain on the aft deck, but a mist of sweat had sprouted on Jack’s brow.

"You feeling okay?" I asked, growing concerned.

"I feel great," JD replied. "I'm just tired and hungry.”

"Maybe you should get some rest.”

His face wrinkled, dismissing the notion. "I'm fine.”

"Do you have a fever?”

Jack put the back of his hand against his forehead. "I don't think so."

Tempest put her hand on his head. "You're burning up!” She shared a grave look with me.

I looked into Jack's eyes, shining my flashlight. His pupillary response was normal.

"Would you get that damn thing out of my eyes?" he said, swatting me away. “I'm fine. I think you're the ones getting paranoid.”

"I'm concerned we may have all been exposed," I said.

"You think there's an antidote for the virus?" Tempest asked.

I shrugged. "It seems foolish to make something like this without developing one, but people do dumb stuff all the time." I asked Dale, "How long did it take for the virus to run through your system?”

"I don't really know. I feel like I lost a few days during that time.”

I cringed at his words. "Other than the gunshot wound, do you feel good now? Clearheaded?"

"I was feeling great until you shot me," he quipped.

My face soured. "You shot first."

I told Jack he should stay hydrated. Tempest looked fine, and I felt normal. But dread filled me. I worried we'd all have a fever before too long.

24

We still had a potential threat on board. JD and I set out to do another sweep of the boat. Jack swore up and down that he would let me know the minute he felt compromised.

"I'm thinking we should split up, cover more ground,” Jack said. “If there is somebody else on board, it would be hard for them to evade the two of us.”