Wild West of the Heart
NINETY FIVE

"Mira"

His voice echoed in the winds as Dare's hands clung to the side of the ship. The door suddenly opened, flushing out the occupants as they trampled into the sands.

"Someone fell over-" An old woman held up her mask as she pointed back at the sea. "Someone fell from the deck into the water" Dare held her as a gasp escaped from his lips. Sara was by the entrance as her eyes immediately went up. Dare let go of the woman as he looked ahead of him. "Go, go" They went the opposite way of the crowds that were on their way downstairs. He breathed heavily as he climbed up the cabin stairs. "Mira" He still called, assuming that at least it might have been Vlad that fell into the waters. And he knew, deep down-

-the chances that happened were slim, but they weren't zero.

He made his way to the top, immediately kicking the door open. There was a large bulb from the flagpole that illuminated the deck. His hands immediately gripped the gun around his waistline as he raised it into the air. There was a figure at the bow, the very front end of the ship-who looked like Vlad. He hadn't run, instead he was in a pool of blood that spilled on the wood.

"Where is she?" Dare's voice cracked.

"She didn't lie❞ Vlad chuckled as Sara made eye contact with Dare. He wasn't having it, instead he paced towards him. Sara held her revolver in her own hands as Dare reached for Vlad. He held his pistol to his neck. "I'm not here to play games" Dare threatened before he let out a soft chuckle. "She's gone"

"You know at first i thought she was lying about you watching from the shores and i thought i had time to escape" He hit the gun against his face and Vlad turned to the other side. "You're going to tell me where she is and what you did to her you son of a bitch" Dare eyed him. "Dare" Sara called from behind.

Dare stepped backwards as Vlad cleaned his punctured lips. "She fell over there into the ocean" Dare hefted the gun in his face. "You're going to tell me where she is or" "You're not going to kill me" Vlad interrupted quite confidently. "And i'm not going to tell you shit" He matched his gaze as Dare's finger pressed against the trigger and he pointed to his foot. He pulled it, shooting Vlad in the leg. "Dare" Sara came to him, he ignored.

He had rage in his eyes as Vlad fell to his knees. Dare looked from above. "I won't kill you but i have a ton of ways to make you suffer. And i'm going to start with body parts, then your wife who has no idea of all this, and then your three beautiful kids, one of whom is a Catholic boarding school. Predictable" Dare spat at him as Vlad looked to him. "I'm going to assemble and make their lives a living hell, all right before your eyes. Now you've lost this battle so you're tell me where Mira is" He was intentioned.

And Vlad could see he wasn't bluffing, one psycho to another.

"I'll show you" He muttered, out of breath as he clasped his legs. Dare tossed his head to Sara. "Tell the captain to start the ship. We're headed back out there" He gritted through his teeth. "We're going to save Mira-"

"Dare" She softly called out his false hopes. "You aren't deaf Sara. Start the Ship" He took a pause after each word, catching her tongue and she rushed out the doors and down the stairs.

"You're going to die tonight" He turned back to Vlad. "If she's not alive, you're going to die i promise you" He added. "My people will come for you" Vlad gnashed his teeth and Dare arched his brows. "We'll see about that" He whispered. And for the first time that night, Vlad knew he had lost this battle.

-

"How did you get this Tayo?" Bode asked her son, calling Silva by his traditional name, which was his middle name. He let a frail laugh as David stood to his right hand side.

She tried to reach for his hands but was a little hesitant. "I'm sorry Tayo but is it very contagious?" She looked to him and he let out a laugh, looking to David. "It's a sexually transmitted disease mum, present in bodily fluids like saliva and sperm and vaginal fluids and breas-"

"All i'm asking is"

"Is if you can get the disease from touching me mum. Now, i would understand if it was anyone but you that asked me that. Your answer is no, you can get HIV by a handshake" He said and silence fell between both of them. "I blame the media you know, but that's cautionary tale, they were all about pointing fingers instead of enlightening everyone on how to cope with devastating times" He continued. "Now there's a ravaging pandemic and no one has an idea how to control it and how to control themselves"

"I think it's getting better, Silva" David whispered.

"You say that from beside the hospital bed huh" He replied and David leaned in close. "I'm going to assume it is the morphine or whatever shit they got you on that's making you think everyone here is the enemy when in retrospect we drove a hundred miles from another state down to Lagos to see you" He replied.

"Thank you?" He said in a questioning tone. "Well you're in very on time you know because they say i don't have much time left" He dropped it like an L bomb and David heaved in a sigh, alongside his mother. "How long?" She whispered. "Months?"

"Weeks, mum" He flatly said, with a sarcastic smile on his lips and then he looked away. David gummed back to the wall as they all remained in the silence, taking in that revelation.

-

"Mira"

The skies had been rumbling for most of the night without any downpour. Dare screamed from the deck as if she could even hear him. Again, the chances were slim but they were not zero.

Vlad had his wrists cuffed as he leaned against the board while Sara on the other hand walked out of the captain's cabin. "He says we're close" She yelled over the noisy waves as Dare looked to her. He looked back out there. "But he's not sure where exactly she had fallen" She added as she walked closer.

Sara spread her legs in a stance as she matched her partner's gaze. She raised her watch at him. "It's been half an hour, you think she's still out there?" She asked. "We're going to find our" Dare replied as he faced the sea again, yelling out her name.

"Mira-"

It was then his eyes caught something beneath the lights. It was a blood stain against the keel which reflected in the waters. It hit him as he stepped back in realization. "What is that?" Sara asked, stepping forward. "Was she injured?" He immediately grasped Vlad by his collar. "What?" He played gun up until Dare kicked him in his nose.

"Answer me what one more time and that kick would be in your groin. I said was Mira injured" He raised his voice as Sara reached for his arms. "Did you do anything to her?" Dare yelled and it took a minute before Vlad confessed. Actually, he didn't. "She uhm-"

"He stabbed her" Sara interrupted, looking to the blood on the deck. "He stabbed her like the rest of them which caused her to fall over from the deck. She wasn't trying to escape" She looked to Dare who backed away. "She was injured" Without a second thought, he tossed his gun to the side, rolling his sleeves. "Dare" Sara warned as he approached the bow. "Don't you dare think of going there alone, i already called for backup and they're on their way" She pointed her gun to him as he mounted the stands. "I'm not wasting any more time commander. You said it, it's been half an hour" He whispered.

"That's half an hour late we are to saving her. I promised her to keep her alive" "Well you also have to stay alive" Her voice cracked as he scoffed. "Of what use is that life if she's dead?"

Dare didn't utter another word before he heaved his breath, diving at the distance from the ship and struggling to remain buoyant in the tumultuous tides. That was when the heavens opened and it began to drizzle. He spat out water from his mouth as he wore on the night vision googles. That wasn't even a deterrent as he pushed further in the waves. "Mira-"

"Shit" Sara had rain dripping from her hair as she looked from above. She held the radio to her lips as she turned to Vlad. "Backup, what's your status?" Tears stung her eyes as she heaved in the deepest breath. "Backup-Do you copy?" To be continued...