Matias & Me

[Maraoone]

He wasn't.

"I am."

But there was no other choice.

"How do you want this to go down?"

[Jilly]

Leslie resumed his search, finally passing over the glove and one of the boxes of pistol rounds buried in the abyss of the daypack. He pulled them out, squeezed the leather glove a few times. It felt weirdly smooth yet rough at the same time.

He tried to think of the right thing to say here. "I appreciate it"? "You're a real buddy"? "I always... really liked you"? Everything that came to mind in those last few moments felt disingenuous, like he was just going off the script of what people were supposed to say when they were willingly walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

He slapped the glove against the box of pistol rounds and looked out at the sea, one last time. Wonder if Emmett or Buddy were looking at the same one. Or Gus too, for that matter.

Leslie snapped back to Matias and handed him the munitions. "There's a trick to it, but... like this. Right in the forehead."

He thew down the sunglasses still perched on his head.

And then he tore off the red bandana.

Leslie Lowell - ode to sailors
8 Krakens are left.

[Maraoone]

((Matias Juarez and Ashanti Baker continue in Loyalty: 1))