My arms were nearly spent, and the ruins of Shamus Five didn’t look any larger than they did when I started paddling. One stroke after the other, I dipped the 6-foot branch into the water, dragged it alongside my 6x5 raft, pulled it out and repeated. The end of the paddle was a hybrid between a broom and a rake, so it was surprisingly efficient as an oar. I turned to look back towards the shore. I couldn’t see specifics anymore, just a dense moving blur where the other classmates partied ceaselessly. I had almost forgotten that we were classmates… Was it just yesterday that we were all sitting in that boring classroom together? Or was it two days… Three, maybe? The red-hot pain in my shoulders interrupted my thinking. I stopped paddling...

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