Page 63 of The Darkest Hour

Please let there be bullets in it.

I still wasn’t sure if I could trust Havoc or not.

I need a weapon. This could be helpful.

However, when I lifted the gun, the metal had been so weak and brittle that the barrel crumbled in my hands, telling me it had been left to rot for a long time, likely months, given the extent of the corrosion.

Goddamn it.

That left a big question.

How long has this boat been out here?

The rate at which a gun could corrode on a beach probably depended on several factors—the material of the gun, environmental conditions like humidity, salt exposure, and temperature.

And even if ocean water had spilled over the weapon a lot. Most modern guns were made from a combination of steel and polymer. Steel parts rusted and corroded faster than polymer parts. Saltwater accelerated the corrosion process significantly.

Plus, being subject to constant movement by tides could physically wear it down and breakdown the gun more quickly.

I considered all of that and made an educated guess.

This body and gun has definitely been out here for at least four months, but probably more.

This meant that my hopes of others being on the island might be super low. Clearly someone would have come to get rid of this months ago.

Damn it.

I tried not to let any of my guesses get me down as I looked some more under the boat.

Oh no.

Behind the large skeleton, three smaller ones lay huddled together, their bones telling a silent, tragic story.

I lifted the boat up higher and stepped in closer.

Rusted handcuffs encircled their bony wrists, still binding their small hands behind their backs, even in their deaths.

The realization hit me hard.

These were children. Captured but. . .for what?

My stomach churned with revulsion and sorrow.

I looked back at the adult skeleton that had been holding the rusted gun.

What kind of monster were you, to have three handcuffed kids and holding a gun? Were you some sort of pervert?

I gritted my teeth and fought back the rising bile in my throat.

Then, something else caught my eye.

A cooler lay partially buried in the sand and right next to the boat.

Okay. Don’t get too excited.

I put the boat down and went over to the cooler.

There might not be anything in it, and this has been out here for a long time.