His eyes flared open the moment he was gripped by the shoulders so bracingly. Without thinking, he reached for the knife in his belt, breaths coming in shallowly as he prepared for a fight. Staring up into the gloom above, the world tipped to the left, bringing with it the swing of the lantern overhead and throwing Lieutenant Bush’s features into sharp relief.
Not long later, the world swayed back to where it had been before and his hand fell away from his side. He took a deep, steadying breath and managed to contain his alarm as he remarked, “This is a miserable way to live.” It was a wonder he had slept at all with the world rocking beneath him like so – but he could imagine easily why that sleep had been so rudely interrupted.
Thinning his lips, he debated whether or not to acknowledge it – but knowing as he did the gruelling nature of the man’s schedule, he found he could not ignore the poignant reality of having been a nuisance when he was meant to be unobtrusive.
“Forgive me,” Sitting up slowly, he gripped the sides of the cot as it wobbled despite his care, paling a bit as he waited for it to still, then, “I did not mean to trouble you.”
Ocean Archive 