by Perrin Briar
“There’s nothing that happens aboard the Adventurer that Captain Rodrigo and his crew don’t know about!” the drunken sailor said.
Bill ignored him and moved toward Ranj.
“I have reason to believe there’s a dangerous entity on board and it’s going to kill us all if we don’t do something about it,” he said.
“What does this creature look like?” Ranj said. “A snake? A crocodile?”
“No,” Bill said. “It’s not an animal. It’s one of us.”
Ranj frowned.
“One of who?” he said.
“The passengers,” Bill said. “Maybe it’s more than one, I’m not sure.”
Ranj released the wheel, letting it guide itself before another sailor took over.
“Please, Mr. Flower, try to be clear,” Ranj said. “To whom are you referring? Is one of the men on board dangerous? A murderer?”
“Earlier we heard on the radio about a virus sweeping across the world,” Bill said, “and now it’s here, on board this boat with us! I would have thought you’d have known about it already, as you have a radio.”
The radio’s red light was indeed on, but the volume had been turned down. Bill’s eyes narrowed.
“Need I remind you that there are two hundred people on board,” Bill said. “I don’t think a party is the best thing to do under the circumstances.”
Ranj considered what Bill was saying and then moved to another seaman and whispered in his ear. The seaman got up and ran out.
“I have sent a man to search the boat for signs of a struggle,” Ranj said. “Does this satisfy you?”
“I don’t think you understand,” Bill said. “There’s a virus on board. You can’t see it, smell it, taste or touch it. It is all around us. If left alone it could tear through all the passengers, killing us all. You need to search to make sure no one on board is infected. Bring them to me and I can check them myself.”
Ranj pursed his lips. Evidently he didn’t like being given orders by a passenger.
“Fine,” he said. “I shall bring this to the attention of the captain.”
“Thank you,” Bill said.
Ranj spoke in Filipino to the drunken seaman who had approached Bill earlier. The seaman turned and headed down a narrow well-lit corridor leading off from the wheelhouse. Despite having swilled his own bodyweight in alcohol he did not start or stumble.
“How much longer before we arrive?” Bill said to Ranj.
“Thirteen hours,” Ranj said. “Maybe less.”
“Where’s the nearest port?”
Ranj shrugged.
“Many miles from here,” he said.
There was a scream from down the well-lit corridor. The male voice screamed once more, high-pitched and terrifying, and then dwindled to silence.
Ranj gestured to the three remaining seamen in the wheelhouse and pointed to the corridor. They edged toward it, but were not hasty. Ranj shouted at them and they moved with a little more gusto. They went into a room at the end, pushing one another forward. A moment later, they too screamed and ran out of the room, down the corridor, through the wheelhouse and out the door.
Ranj seized one of the seamen by the arm before he escaped. His expression was a mask of terror. Ranj spoke to him frantically, and after a few failed attempts to speak, the seaman managed one word. Ranj’s grip failed and the man slipped free.
“What did he say?” Bill said.
Ranj turned slowly.
“He said, ‘The dead walk’.”
A deep groan reverberated down the corridor and two dark lumbering figures shuffled toward the wheelhouse. Captain Rodrigo was naked, his penis a bloody stump. The small man behind him had blood smeared around his mouth. His skin was pale, having lost all the vibrancy of his natural Filipino tan.
Ranj’s face paled and he stared, unmoving, at the approaching figures. Bill grabbed Ranj and shook him.
“Wake up!” Bill said. “Do something!”
But Ranj was in shock and did not respond.
“Ranj!” Bill said.
Bill slapped Ranj across the face. Ranj blinked, unresponsive. The captain was a big man, but he seemed to tower even higher over them now. He limped along on his broad flat feet.
The music continued to blare from the speakers, a happy light summer tune. Bill cast around, his eyes alighting on a short wooden stool that had been knocked over in a crew member’s haste. He picked it up and held it by the circle top.
The captain closed on Ranj, a deep rumbling groan escaping his lips. He was almost on Ranj, who backed away against the console. He had tears in his eyes. He reached out for the captain with a shaking hand.
“It’s not him!” Bill said. “Don’t try to approach him!”
Bill raised the stool above his head and brought it down hard on Captain Rodrigo’s head. He grunted and staggered. A trickle of thick blood seeped down the side of his face. He turned to Bill. Two of the legs on the stool had snapped off. Bill bent down and picked the fallen legs up, holding one in each hand. The tips that joined the circle seat were sharpened into blunt points.
Bill surged forward with a roar and aimed the two lengths of wood at the captain’s face. One leg struck his cheek, cutting it open. The other stool leg entered the corner of the captain’s eye, the eyeball making a sickening popping sound. But the leg hadn’t pierced deep, and the captain’s arms were long and strong, and seized Bill by his shoulders.
Bill ducked and threw himself backward. One of the captain’s hands lost its grip, but the other held firm, Bill’s shirt bunched up in the captain’s clawed hand.
Ranj screamed as the other man fell upon him, crawling up his body, and lowering his teeth to Ranj’s flesh. Ranj had his hands on the infected’s forehead, pushing his head up, keeping his teeth from his skin, but it was a losing battle.
The captain turned to look back at the noise, and the moment of distraction gave Bill the opportunity he needed. He seized the round stool saddle and flipped it over. He stood up and smacked the captain in the face, driving the stool leg deep into his eye socket. Another strike, and it entered the captain’s brain. His body stood stock still for a moment, and then began to crumple, first at the knees. He flopped to the floor.
In the corner, Ranj screamed as his belly was torn open, exposing his intestines. They came away from his body with a wet snap. Ranj’s body jerked with the movement, watching in grim horror as the creature ate him alive. Bill picked up a stool leg and brought it down on the back of the attacker’s head. He slumped forward.
Bill’s hands shook. He backed away from the bodies he had laid to rest. His hands were meant to heal, not destroy. A hissing sound, like escaping air, drew Bill’s attention.
He looked down to find Ranj’s eyes open. They were bloodshot and haunted, seemingly unaware of his intestines hanging out over the floor. He reached for Bill, mouth gasping open and closed.
He defied any medical explanation. No human, no creature, could survive this way. But yet here it was. It sent a shiver up Bill’s spine seeing something so wrong, so unnatural, as this. It went against all the rules of nature, everything he had studied in medicine his entire life. He picked up a discarded stool leg and noticed his hands were no longer shaking.
You cannot murder what is already dead. He ended Ranj and moved to the door.
Chapter Fifteen
“IS EVERYONE all right?” Bill said, hugging Liz.
“Of course we are,” Liz said. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
Bill didn’t answer her. He moved to Francis and hugged him too. Francis didn’t take his eyes off his computer game.
“The boys are out,” Liz said. “What’s the problem?”
“We had a spot of trouble earlier,” Bill said.
“What kind of trouble?”
Bill turned to look at Francis. He was lit by the glow of his screen. He turned back to Liz and lowered his voice.
“What I’m about to tell you might come as a shock,” he said, placing his
hands on Liz’s shoulders. “But know it is the truth and I will do anything within my power to get us out of here.”
Liz put her hand to her throat.
“Bill, what’s wrong?” she said.
“Do you remember seeing on the news about a virus spreading across the world?” Bill said.
“Yeah,” Liz said.
“It’s happened. There’s been an outbreak.”
“An outbreak? Where?”
“Everywhere.”
Liz blinked rapidly, processing the information.
“Wait,” she said. “What?”
“Entire cities have been overrun,” Bill said. “People get bitten, die, and then come back as monsters.”
“Are you serious?”
“Deadly serious.”
“What about Chucerne?” Liz said.
“They’ll have to take care of themselves. So will we.”
Liz’s eyes widened, the full impact of Bill’s words hitting her. She put her hand over her mouth.
“Oh my god, Bill,” she said. “What are we going to do?”
“Don’t panic,” Bill said. “Stay calm. We’re going to get through this.”
“Does everyone on board know about this?” Liz said.
“No,” Bill said. “I didn’t see the need to scare everyone for nothing, cause a panic. We heard it on the radio a couple of hours ago.”
Liz narrowed her eyes.
“You knew about this a couple of hours ago and you come and tell me now?” she said.
“I would have come earlier, only I was indisposed,” Bill said.
“Indisposed by what?”
Bill put his hands on Liz’s shoulders.
“I don’t want you to panic,” he said.
“You’ve said that already,” Liz said. “It gets worse?”
“Much worse.”
“Tell me.”
Bill took a breath.
“One of them was on board,” he said.
“One of them?” Liz said, turning pale.
“One of the infected,” Bill said. “She came from the Middle East, where the outbreak first happened.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s no longer any threat to us,” Bill said.
Liz nodded, picking up Bill’s tone.
“How about the Montroses?” she said. “Are they all right?”
“No,” Bill said. “Dennis was bitten.”
Liz’s hand went to her mouth.
“No…” she said. “What does that mean?”
“It means he was with Gloria when she turned.”
“Gloria?” Liz said. “She’s the one who was infected?”
“Yes.”
“When did she bite Dennis?” Liz said with a frown.
“About the same time Gloria turned,” Bill said. “Why?”
Liz took an unconscious step back.
“Because I think I saw them when it happened,” she said.
The door opened.
Liz screamed. Bill spun around to meet his assailant, fists raised.
“Zack?” Bill said.
“I’ve got news,” Zack said. “And it’s not good.”
“Join the club,” Bill said.
“It’s Dennis,” Zack said.
“He’s turned already?” Bill said.
“I don’t know if he’s turned yet or not, but there was blood over the floor, the walls,” Zack said.
“Marie?” Liz said.
“Marie?” Zack said. “Who’s Marie?”
“Dennis’s wife,” Bill said.
Zack shook his head.
“I didn’t see any sign of her, or anyone else,” he said. “I guess we’re not as safe as we thought after all.”
“It’s worse than that,” Bill said. “I just came back from seeing the captain. There was another infected on board. The captain was bitten. I took care of the ones in the wheelhouse but there’s no telling how many might be on board.”
Liz whimpered.
“The boys…” she croaked, grasping Bill’s sleeve. “The boys are still outside. They’re not safe. I can’t believe this is happening. Why now?”
“There’s never any rhyme or reason for such things,” Bill said. “We just have to adjust and try to deal with them. Where are the boys? We have to find them.”
“I don’t know…” Liz said, shaking her head.
“Think, Liz,” Bill said. “Where would they most likely be?”
Tears ran down Liz’s face.
“Keep it together, Liz,” Bill said. “Think. Where are they?”
“Jack will be somewhere up high,” she said. “He’s always climbing things. He thinks I don’t know, but I do.”
“What about the others?” Bill said. “Fritz?”
“He gets seasick,” Liz said. “He’ll be throwing up somewhere.”
“And Ernest?” Bill said.
“He’ll be wherever the books are,” Liz said. Then she frowned. “Although he’s been acting strangely lately. Oh, Bill, what’ll we do if they get hurt?”
“That’s why we need to find them now,” Bill said. “Zack, will you help us?”
“You just try and stop me,” Zack said. “Where do you want me to go?”
“Walk around the railing,” Bill said. “You’ll bump into Fritz throwing his guts up at some point.”
“Where will you go?” Liz said.
“I’ll get Jack,” Bill said. “If Jack’s in the highest part of the ship he’s bound to be in the crow’s nest.”
“What about me?” Liz said.
“You wait here, in case the boys come back while we’re out looking for them,” Bill said.
Liz took a step forward.
“No,” she said. “I’m going out to look for them.”
“We don’t want to lose the boys if they come back,” Bill said.
Liz picked up a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She hung it from the doorframe at head height.
“Anyone coming in can’t miss it,” she said.
Bill held the note steady and read it. It said:
GONE OUT TO LOOK FOR BOYS. IF ANY OF YOU COME BACK. STAY HERE! THERE MIGHT BE TROUBLE. WE WILL BE BACK ASAP. MUM x-x-x
“A note will do the same job as me,” Liz said. “I’m going to look for Ernest.”
“I doubt there’s a library on board,” Bill said. “How will you find him?”
“I’m not going to find him sitting here am I?” Liz said. “I don’t know what kind of woman you think you married, Bill, but I’m not the type to just sit around while my boys are out there in danger.”
Bill smiled.
“I know you’re not,” he said.
He drew her to him and kissed her full on the mouth. They broke apart.
“What about Francis?” Bill said.
Francis had his eyes glued on his videogame.
“I’ll take him with me,” Liz said.
“You be careful out there,” Bill said. “It’s not safe. If you don’t find Ernest within the next thirty minutes come back to this cabin and wait for the rest of us to return.”
“I will.”
Chapter Sixteen
ZACK TOOK off at a run toward the prow, where a family sat in deckchairs gazing up at the night sky. Liz turned and ran toward the stern, holding Francis’s hand. Bill looked up at the crow’s nest. It was an intimidating distance away, a small round circle against the large bright moon.
The direct route would take him down a dark narrow alley that wound between two structures: one led up some stairs to the wheelhouse, the other to a block of cabins. The moon was high on the other side of the cabin. Its light did not penetrate.
Bill entered the alley. He heard a soft groaning noise from somewhere to his left, followed by muffled footsteps. He was cloaked in darkness so thick he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. His breaths seemed loud in his ears. He tried to breathe quieter. Something moved behind him, what sounded like footsteps. He hurried until he was run
ning for the end. He emerged into the light.
Bill spun around, chair leg raised, but nothing came out of the alley. He backed away until his heels met the railing on the other side. He forced himself to look away from the alley and up at the crow’s nest. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted.
“Jack!” he said. “Jack!”
No one replied.
Bill tried again with the same result. He took hold of the ladder and began to climb. The wind blew and he thought the mast wobbled, creaking. He clutched the mast tight, wrapping his arms around it and gripping it with his knees. The wind abated. He unclenched his eyes and reached up to continue climbing. His hands shook.
The rung snapped in his hand. He stretched to reach another rung, but missed. He fell, his back finding the deck almost instantly, winding him and forcing a grunt from his body.
He got to his knees and shook his head. His vision was blurry. Indistinct forms stumbled along the deck in a stiff-legged gait, away from Bill. Bill forced himself up onto his feet, stumbling to one side. He braced himself on the railing and shook his head. He looked up at the mast – there were two of them – and waited until they resolved into one. There was no way he was going to make his way up there by himself.
Then something shone, bright with moonlight out the corner of his eye: a hair-thin wire that led from the crow’s nest to the front of the ship. Another wire ran down the mast to a small box on the side. Bill crossed to it, flinching as something stabbed him in the ankle. He’d twisted it – presumably due to the fall. His ankle complained with every step.
He opened the box to find an old-style telephone. He picked up the receiver and pressed the button with ‘Crow’s Nest’ written on it.
Chapter Seventeen
“DO YOU know why I like being up here?” Will, the elder boy, said. “I like being close to God. So when I say my prayers I’m louder than everyone else and He can’t ignore me.”
“Does He ever reply?” Jack said.
“In his way,” Will said.
Jack, Will and Ian looked out over the crow’s nest at the ship and the world spread out before them, like gods over the earth. The fluffy silver waves caressed Adventurer’s hull. The waves were only visible twenty metres out. They could have been floating through space. The stars were brighter than Jack had ever seen them before.