by R. L. Stine
Nora saw Daniel standing at the window. Staring down at them.
“We must go, Nicholas. We must go now. Goodbye, Daniel.”
Nora struggled to her feet. Cradling her infant son, she staggered away from the asylum and stumbled toward the unknown.
Chapter 6
Shivering, Nora curled around Nicholas. She felt the warmth from his tiny body as he nestled against her chest. They had taken refuge in the hold of a ship. It held no warmth. It had no fire.
Nora’s fingers felt like icicles, frozen and stiff. She was afraid she would wake Nicholas if she touched him with her cold hands.
She knew he was hungry. Just as she was. There had been no time to gather food as they ran from the asylum. No time to think about how they would survive alone, with only each other. She had only cared about escape.
They had traveled through the night. Avoiding the main roads and people, they slowly made their way to the docks in a neighboring town.
With the early-morning fog draped over the land, Nora sneaked aboard the ship. She did not know its destination. She did not care. The ship would take them away. That was enough.
She felt the movement of the boat and heard it scrape against the dock as it headed to sea.
Nora gazed down at her son. Nicholas slept peacefully in a wooden crate lined with some old flour sacks.
Nora’s eyelids grew heavy. I must not sleep, she chided herself.
She rubbed her puffy eyes. Her eyes stung when she closed them. They burned when she opened them wide.
I must keep watch, she reminded herself. If I do not, they will come. They move quickly. Even in the darkness, I can feel their tiny beady eyes watching us from the rafters above.
She shuddered. If I close my eyes for a moment, they will attack.
The ship groaned with the motion of the sea. Concentrate on the noises, Nora told herself. Anything to stay awake.
She listened to the footsteps of the sailors overhead as they worked.
The wind whistling across the sea.
The scrabble of tiny feet.
They are moving closer, Nora thought.
Nora peered into the blackness surrounding her. She couldn’t see anything.
She felt exhausted. Her body ached.
The skittering of sharp little claws grew louder.
They were coming.
But Nora was too tired. Too tired to worry.
A long, cold, hairless tail brushed along her cheek.
The rats had arrived.
Nora bit back a scream. She forced herself to remain motionless as the rats gathered around her.
I have to maintain my strength. For Nicholas. I must remain strong.
She shot out one hand and snatched one of the rats. It squirmed in her fist, squealing.
Nora broke its neck with a sharp twist, and ripped off its head.
The other rats scattered.
The rat’s warm, thick blood oozed across Nora’s hand, thawing her icy fingers.
She tilted her head back, fighting against her revulsion. Have to stay strong for Nicholas. Have to stay strong.
Nora held the rat over her open mouth and squeezed tightly. Its blood dripped onto her tongue and rolled down her throat.
The door to the cargo hold banged open. Light spilled in through the doorway.
Nora tossed the rat away and wiped the sticky blood from her mouth. She picked Nicholas up and scooted behind a stack of wooden crates.
Footsteps echoed through the hold. Nora watched the light from a lantern bounce across the floor and walls.
The light moved closer and closer. The footsteps grew louder.
Nora held her breath.
Then the light moved away.
All grew still. Silent.
Where is the man? she wondered. Is he going to leave?
Nora held her breath. Please leave! she thought. Please go away and leave us in peace.
Nora strained to hear something that would give away the man’s location. But she heard nothing. Not even the scurrying of the rats.
Nora’s heart thudded. She waited. Where is the man? Where is he?
Cautiously, she inched forward and peered around the wooden crates.
Large, rough hands grabbed her and yanked her to her feet.
“I knew I heard more than rats moving around down here,” the man cried.
Nora struggled to break free.
“Do you know what we do with stowaways?” he demanded. Nora shook her head. “We throw them to the sharks!”
The man narrowed his eyes and studied her. Nora’s thoughts raced. What is he going to do to me? I have to keep him away from Nicholas.
“Give me that necklace you are wearing and I will not tell anyone you are here,” the man ordered.
“But it was a gift from—”
“I want it,” he snarled. “And one way or another, I will have it. You can give it to me or I will take it.”
He wrapped his fingers around the silver chain.
“No!” Nora shrieked. The amulet grew warm against her skin.
“I want it!” he growled. He twisted the chain and gave it a hard jerk.
The chain tightened around her neck and dug into her throat. She gasped for air. She struggled to squeeze her fingers underneath the chain. Air. She needed air.
Darkness surrounded her. Her hands fell limply to her sides.
Nicholas. Who would take care of Nicholas?
From far away Nora heard the man utter a shrill scream of agony. The pressure around her throat eased.
Damp, salty air rushed into her lungs. She forced her eyes open and looked at the man. If she had had the strength, she would have screamed.
Rats swarmed over the man. They dropped on him from the rafters. They scurried up his pant legs. They crawled down the collar of his shirt.
More rats jumped from the crates, fighting for a place on his twisting and thrashing body. The rats scratched and chewed until Nora could see pieces of the man’s white bones.
Nora’s stomach twisted as she watched the rats. They ripped at the man with their claws and their sharp yellow teeth. One rat yanked away a chunk of the man’s earlobe. One pulled off a tiny piece of his eyelid.
The man howled in agony—and one of the rats leapt into his mouth.
The man fell to the floor. He curled himself into a tight ball. Nora heard him whimpering.
Whimpering as the rats fed on his flesh.
What if they are still hungry when they have finished? Nora thought.
She positioned herself in front of Nicholas’s makeshift cradle and stared at the rats.
They would have to get through her before they touched her baby.
Chapter 7
Heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs.
The door crashed open and men poured in. Sailors, shipmen, workers.
What will they do if they find me? Nora slowly backed into the corner.
Lifting their lanterns, the men stared in mute horror as the black rats swarmed over their shipmate. Pools of dark blood glistened around him.
One of the men snatched up a crate and hurled it at the rats. A few ran off. The rest kept feeding.
Nora’s stomach cramped when she caught sight of the spongy gray brain matter spilling from the man’s head.
“There is no saving him,” one of the sailors muttered.
Nicholas gave a little whimper.
Please do not cry now, Nora begged silently. Please. Not until they are gone—and we are safe again.
She jiggled Nicholas up and down. He liked that. It usually made him stop crying.
Nora shifted from one foot to the other as she tried to keep the baby quiet. One of her feet came down on a piece of wood.
It snapped with acrack.
“Look!” A man pointed at Nora. A shiver raced through her as all the men turned and stared at her.
“The rats left her alone,” another man whispered hoarsely.
“She must possess some dark magic,” s
omeone called. The men murmured in agreement.
“No!” Nora cried. “I have no magic. You must believe me.”
One man edged nearer. He had straw-colored hair and freckles.
“I am Tim.” He puffed out his chest. “First mate.” He glanced at the bloody body on the floor. Still. So still. “This is not a safe place for a woman and a baby. Follow me.”
Some of the men muttered in protest. Tim pushed his way through the crowd. Nora was careful to stay close behind him.
They trudged up the stairs. The other men fell in behind them. Nora noticed that none of them came too close to her. They are afraid of me, she realized. Afraid, but angry, too.
“This way,” Tim urged. When Tim reached the end of the corridor, he pushed open the last door. “In here, missy.”
Nora stepped inside the small room. Beds were stacked one on top of another along two walls. Large wooden trunks lined another wall. Above the trunks, pegs in the wall held yellow rain slickers.
Tim opened a wooden trunk. He took out the clothes and tossed them into a corner. Then he took a blanket from the bed and dropped it into the trunk. “You can put the baby in here,” he said gruffly.
Nora placed Nicholas in the trunk. She wrapped the blanket around him. Grateful, she started to thank Tim. But his eyes were hard and cold.
“You are not to leave this room,” he commanded. “I will have to discuss your presence with the captain.”
“Shouldn’t I talk to the captain?” Nora asked.
Tim shook his head. “A woman on board a cargo ship is bad luck. He won’t like this. He won’t like it at all.”
He shut the door firmly behind him, and Nora heard a key turn in the lock.
Nora sank down on the floor beside the trunk. I am a prisoner again, she realized. She stroked Nicholas’s back gently. But at least there are no rats here. And we have light.
Now if they will just bring us some food.
The ship lurched. Waves crashed down on it.
She grabbed the edge of the trunk and held on tightly. She crooned to the baby as the ship pitched back and forth.
“It is a storm, Nicholas,” she said. “That is all. A storm. The men are used to storms at sea. They know what to do.”
Nora heard a man yelling orders. She thought he sounded scared.
She heard footsteps racing back and forth above her.
The ship pitched more violently. Nora braced herself against one wall, fighting to keep Nicholas’s trunk steady.
What is happening to us? Nora wondered. What is happening to us now?
“One minute the sea is calm—now this,” Nora heard a man yell. “It is not natural.”
“It is that woman!” another man yelled. “She has dark powers!”
The ship plunged. Nora was thrown against the door of her room. Nicholas’s trunk slammed into her.
Nicholas squealed in fright. Nora tried to comfort him. But her voice shook as she whispered to him, and her heart thudded against her ribs.
Nora heard footsteps racing down the corridor. “She brought this down on us!” a man shouted from outside the door.
“Yes!” another man shouted. “She controlled those rats. She had them kill Frank. She will kill us all if we let her.”
“I did not kill your friend,” Nora called through the door. “Please believe me!”
“Why should we believe her?” one of the men growled.
Nora pulled Nicholas’s trunk as far away from the door as she could. “I will keep you safe,” she promised him. “Do not worry. Mama will keep you safe.”
“Throw her overboard!” someone yelled.
Nora returned to the door and stood waiting for the men.
The key turned in the lock. The door flew open.
A man charged in and grabbed her by the waist. Nora fought wildly, scratching and kicking.
The man swore and hoisted her over one of his shoulders.
“Let me go!” Nora screamed. She twisted back and forth. Trying to break free. “I have to stay with my baby!”
The big man tightened his grip and hauled her out of the room and up some narrow stairs.
He shoved open the door leading to the deck. The wind caught it and tore it from its hinges. Nora screamed.
The rain pelted Nora as the man carried her outside. The wind stung her face. Waves rushed over the railing each time the ship lurched.
Nora could not stop shaking. How could she convince these men she was innocent?
The man stalked toward the railing. “Throw her over! Throw her over!” the other men chanted.
The man slid Nora off his shoulder. Her unsteady feet hit the deck. “Stop the storm!” the man yelled.
Nora staggered in the wind. He grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her tender skin.
“Stop the storm!” he yelled again.
Nora shook her head. “I cannot. You have to let me go back to my baby. Please!”
The sailors howled in fury. They rushed forward and hoisted her into the air.
She struggled as they carried her to the rail. “Stop! I have no magic!” Nora screamed. “I have no power over the storm!”
“Throw her overboard!” someone yelled into the wind.
The men lifted her higher.
They swung her over the railing.
The ocean churned beneath her.
Chapter 8
The ship lurched.
The men stumbled backward—away from the railing.
They released Nora. She felt herself falling.
Nora landed on the deck. Pain burst through her chest as the air was knocked out of her.
A powerful wave crashed over the railing. Nora heard men scream as the wave pulled them over. Gasping for breath, she struggled to her knees.
I must get to Nicholas. This ship cannot survive this storm. It will sink. It will sink to the bottom of the ocean. I cannot let it take Nicholas with it.
Nora felt the Fear amulet grow warm against her chest. She wrapped her fingers around it.
The bow of the ship lurched into the air. Straight up. Nora grabbed onto some rigging and wrapped it around her hands.
Men slid past her, clawing at the deck. They screamed in terror as they fell into the sea.
The bow plunged back into the water. Nora shook free of the rigging. She crawled to the stairs and tumbled halfway down.
Nora heard the wind scream. Water poured down the stairs. She hauled herself to her feet and braced a hand against the wall to keep her balance.
The amulet began to glow. Its strange blue light helped Nora find her way. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, icy water swirled above her ankles. “Nicholas!” she cried. “I’m coming!”
She struggled down the hallway and threw open the last door. The trunk had not been moved. And she could see Nicholas’s fists waving in the air.
“I am here!” she cried, lunging for the trunk.
A strong hand landed on her shoulder and stopped her.
Nora spun around. No one could keep her from Nicholas. No one.
“You must die!” the sailor yelled.
“No!” Nora shrieked.
She had to save Nicholas. She had to save her baby.
Chapter 9
She grabbed the man’s shirt.
She felt power rush through her body. She felt strong enough to fight every man on the ship—if that is what it took to save her son.
She lifted the man into the air. And hurled him against the wall with all her might.
Thunk!
A wooden clothes-peg burst through his chest.
Hot, sticky blood sprayed across Nora’s face.
The man howled in agony as he hung suspended from the peg.
“Look what she did to Samuel,” someone screamed.
Nora turned toward the voice.
Three men stared back at her.
“Sheis evil!” one of the men declared. “Pure evil.”
“That’s right! I am evil!” Nora screamed.
“Stay back! Stay back or I will kill you as well.”
She stroked the amulet. Its heat flowed through her fingers.
The men hesitated. Nora could tell they were frightened. Frightened and angry.
“I have the power. I will use it. Run from me while you can!” She meant every word of her threat. She would kill them. She would kill them all to protect Nicholas.
Nora rushed at the men. “Run while you can!”
The men scrambled over one another as they bolted from the room.
Crack!
Nora heard the sharp sound above the storm.
Water began seeping through the walls of the cabin. The sides of the ship are splintering, Nora realized.
She rushed to Nicholas. The trunk was made of solid wood, but would it float? Or sink to the bottom of the sea?
She spotted a coiled rope on the floor. She snatched it up and tied one end securely around her small waist. She kissed the tips of her fingers, then pressed her fingers to her son’s cheek. “Keep safe.”
She closed the lid on the trunk and ran her hand over the finely polished wood grain. “Keep safe, my baby.”
The ship lurched and rolled. Water poured into the room faster and faster.
Nora wrapped the rope securely around the trunk. Over and under. Knot. Knot. Around. Another knot. Beneath and over. Another knot.
The cold seawater circled her calves. The chest rose slowly with the rising level of water in the cabin. Nora tied another knot.
“We will be all right, Nicholas,” Nora murmured as the water crept higher and higher.
The wooden planks of the ship creaked and moaned.
Nora watched in horror as the planks buckled. They are not going to hold, she realized.
The planks caved in. A huge wave crashed down on Nora. It filled the cabin with water.
The icy saltwater surrounded her. It burned her mouth and nose. It stung her eyes.
Nora struggled to the hole in the cabin wall. She had to get out. She needed air. Her lungs burned.
She pulled herself through the hole, tugging Nicholas’s trunk behind her.
Then she swam as hard as she could. Up, up, up. She had to reach the surface.