Ark Of Hope: Beyond The Dark Horizon

by Roger David Francis

  Gasping for breath, Robbie shook his head. “I don’t think he made it, sorry mate. His boat’s completely disappeared. It must have happened seconds after I left. When I was climbing I felt something like a whirlwind whipping around me. He wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

  “I’ve found a lamp!” Jade’s voice called out. “Give me your lighter, Robbie.”

  Jade tottered across the wooden floorboards holding a large broken lamp.

  “Leave it, Jade,” Brett told her, “I have a torch. We need to get inside, out of this storm.”

  Jade put the lamp down. “Where’s inside?” she asked.

  Brett pointed to a door. “Come on, and hurry up before we get struck by lightning.”

  “Thanks for that, Brett,” Robbie moaned as a white arrow of lightning struck the lamp. It shattered and the bits flew across the deck, sparks flying from it.

  Shivering they huddled against the door. The storm had darkened the skies and everywhere was gloomy. Sheets of squalling rain lashed across the deck.

  The door was locked but Robbie managed to push his weight against it and it gave way easily. They went inside, shut the door and stared in amazement.

  “Wow,” Brett murmured.

  A long corridor stretched ahead of them. On either side were cabin doors with numbers on. Nothing strange about that, it was a cruise ship after all. The surprise was that the corridor was clean, beautifully decorated and lit by dozens of well spaced overhead lights.

  “Over sixty years since it disappeared, the Professor said.” Cassie remarked.

  “He got it wrong obviously,” Robbie said, “He just jumped to that conclusion, silly old fool.”

  “Don’t, Robbie,” Jade said.

  “Sorry but you can’t possibly believe this ship has sat here for over sixty years with the lights blazing on.”

  He began walking along the corridor. At the first cabin he opened the door and looked inside. The twin berths were made and a tidy pile of clothes sat on a chair. Personal items lay about the room. There was a couple of books on the bedside table, an old teddy bear propped up on the pillow and several bottles of perfume and some underwear, men’s and women’s, lay on the bed.

  “They’ve dressed up, left the cabin and gone to dinner.” Jade said thoughtfully. “Do you think we could borrow some of their clothes? They might not be the latest fashion but we’re soaked through.”

  Cassie pulled a face. “I’m not wearing someone else’s cheesy clothes.” She grumbled.

  “It makes sense.” Jade insisted.

  Brett grabbed a t-shirt from the pile of men’s clothes and quickly changed into it. Robbie did the same.

  Reluctantly Cassie plucked out a t-shirt from the same pile and handed it to Jade, then rifled through and pulled out another one for herself. She pointed to the frilly blouses, “not happening,” she grunted. “Turn your backs,” she ordered Brett and Robbie.

  “We’ve seen it all before, Cas,” Brett remarked mildly.

  “You might have but he hasn’t,” Cassie nodded at Robbie who grinned and turned around with Brett.

  The two girls changed quickly, throwing down their own wet tops and bra’s on the floor.

  It was quiet. The sound of the storm could barely be heard, just a whisper scratching the edges of the ship.

  “Where’s the music?” Cassie asked suddenly. “There’s always music. You can’t escape from it. It’s piped into every level.”

  “Never mind the music,” Brett said, “where’s the people?”

  “What if,” Cassie began, “this really is the Princess May and all the people escaped off it into lifeboats and it’s been drifting around the ocean ever since?”

  “And yet the lights are still on, as bright as ever, it’s a miracle,” Robbie said sarcastically.

  Cassie glared at him, “maybe the ship’s running electricity off a generator.” Liking the scenario she added, “And now it’s turned back up, fortunately for us.”

  Brett shook his head. “No, Cas. The Professor said there were no survivors ever found, not even their bodies; no one knew what happened to it. And anyway, the ship would have been picked up by radar half a century ago. I suppose though,” He murmured thoughtfully, “this could be the Princess May 2; that might explain it.”

  “Is there such a ship?” Jade asked. “I mean, surely it’s unlikely you’d name another ship after one that sank.”

  “I bet,” said Cassie, “that when we find the restaurant or Ballroom there’ll be loads of people all having a good time.” She shivered. “I wouldn’t mind finding a cardigan. Do you think they bought cardigans on cruise ships sixty years ago? I mean, did they even have cardigans in the 1950’s?” She stared around a vacant look on her face.

  “You’re losing the plot, Cas,” Brett told her, not unkindly.

  “You might as well help yourself to whatever you want,” Robbie suggested. “There’s plenty to choose from in the empty cabins.”

  “They’re only empty because the people are somewhere else on the ship.” Cassie persisted. She wriggled, “Anyway I don’t like wearing other people’s cast offs, especially if they’ve been lying around for sixty years.” She looked critically at Robbie, “Your t-shirt is way too small for you.”

  “This isn’t a fashion show, Cas, come on,” Robbie turned and came face to face with a frightened looking teenage boy.

  “You’re in my room wearing my shirt,” the young lad stuttered. He stood trembling, his long hair matted and tangled, his face streaked with grime. He was very thin wearing just a pair of ragged shorts.

  Robbie couldn’t speak. Jade, Cassie and Brett were standing behind him talking to each other, ignoring the boy standing framed in the doorway.

  He had no arms, just swollen bloody stumps sticking out from his thin shoulders. He waggled them. When he spoke Robbie noticed most his teeth were missing and he had a slight lisp. “It’s my favourite,” the boy whined, “I was going to wear it tonight to go to the theatre with my mum and Uncle Frank.”

  “I’m sorry,” Robbie whispered. “You can have it back.” He began pulling the t-shirt over his head.

  “Robbie, what are you doing?” Jade’s voice seemed to come from a long way away. “Don’t take any notice of what Cassie said, the shirt’s fine.”

  “I have to give it back to him,” Robbie said, his voice muffled.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Robbie pulled the t-shirt off and stared. The boy had gone. “He was here, you must have seen him. He...he hadn’t got any arms.” He held the t-shirt out.

  “Jesus, Robbie,” Brett frowned, “put it back on, there’s no one here but us, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Here,” Jade said, handing him another shirt, “have this one.”

  Robbie slipped it on never taking his eyes off the open door. He felt stupid and scared; his mind had tricked him into a hallucination. It had happened before but usually after a couple of joints or several whiskies and never so vivid.

  They left the cabin and carried on walking along the corridor. A couple of times Brett opened one of the cabin doors but the inside told them the same story; that people were on the boat enjoying their holiday. In one cabin an array of sexy red and black lacy underwear had been laid out on the bed and Brett grinned, someone meant to return that was for sure.

  Cassie stopped suddenly and Jade banged into her.

  “Sorry, but I’ve just realised something.” Cassie didn’t sound sorry, she sounded worried. “I went on a cruise with my mum and dad about twelve years ago. We shared a cabin and you know what we did every single time we left the cabin?”

  “Locked it.” Brett nodded.

  “Yes. So why are all these cabin doors unlocked?”

  “Maybe people trusted each other Sixty years ago.”

  “I’m not sure I’d trust anyone to come barging in and see my sexy underwear laid out on the bed,” Robbie remarked.

  “You have sexy underwear?” Jade blanched, “I’ve n
ever seen it, all I’ve discovered going through your drawers is a big pile of cheap boxer shorts and a heap of smelly socks.”

  “So?” Robbie pulled a comical face, “I thought that’s what turned you modern gals on.”

  Jade laughed, “In your dreams.” Her expression sobered, “we need to get to reception.”

  A wide black shadow suddenly stretched across the wall, it seemed to float for a few seconds and then disappeared.

  The double glass doors at the end of the corridor swung open.

  Chapter 3

  “See? What did I tell you?” Cassie said. “We’re obviously on the lower deck, all we have to do is follow the corridors upwards and we’ll come to the main part of the ship.” She did her best to sound upbeat but her eyes were bleak. She hated to think what a mess she looked with her hair clinging to her neck and her damp white trousers creased and smeared with oil and dirt, and she didn’t even want to think about the manky t-shirt she was wearing. The others didn’t look much better but that was no consolation to her. “Look,” She pointed. “I can see stairs behind the glass doors.”

  Robbie was frowning. “Who opened the doors?” he asked.

  “No one; they’re automatic, of course.” Jade said.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” Cassie shook her head, determined to remain optimistic. “Look, we’re safe now. Let’s just find someone and tell them what’s happened. They’ll give us a cabin and find us some clean clothes and there may be a chance they can rescue the Professor and his boat.” She looked hopefully at the others.

  Robbie and Brett exchanged glances.

  “Cassie,” Robbie said hesitantly, “The boat had gone, sunk, there was nothing left of it. No-one’s rescuing the Professor; the storm was too bad. It’s too late.” He felt sorry for her, she looked frightened and bedraggled but it was no good lying to her. “He saved our lives,” he added.

  Cassie frowned and then reluctantly nodded. That poor man, she thought, he would still be alive now if he hadn’t taken the four of them for a pleasure ride on his boat. She felt her throat constrict. They would all be dead if they hadn’t found this ship.

  She realised she hadn’t got her bag, that she’d left it behind on the Professor’s boat. It was strange, she never went anywhere without it but she hadn’t given it a thought. It contained all the things she thought were important in her life; her mobile phone, her make-up, passport, keys, purse, all gone now, sunk with the Ark of Hope and she realised that it didn’t matter because she was alive and all those things could be replaced. Jade didn’t have her bag either, she noticed.

  They walked through the double doors and began climbing up the stairs. It was dimly lit with a spaced row of wall lights, some of them flickering on and off. Jade shivered, not liking the way their footsteps echoed around the stairwell. Her legs still felt weak from climbing the rope ladder, her mind slewing away from the danger, it was better not to think about it.

  “Do you know what I don’t get?” Brett said suddenly.

  “That would be a lot of things,” Cassie said.

  “No, I mean, look around you, Cas, it’s completely dry. Where are all the wet footprints from the passengers caught in the storm?” He shook his head, “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe they all headed into the dining room.” Cassie looked around nervously. “You’re right though, you wouldn’t know there was a storm raging outside.”

  “You don’t suppose....” Brett hesitated, still looking unsure.

  “Wait.” Jade interrupted and stopped. She put her head to one side. “Did you hear something then?”

  The other three stood still listening. The faint sound of the dying storm could be heard whispering around the ship.

  “Like what?” Robbie asked. He glanced around nervously.

  “I’m not sure, it sounded like music.”

  “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Brett said, “It means we’re getting closer to people.”

  “Maybe,” Jade said, but she wasn’t convinced, the music had an offbeat sound to it as if it was being played through a crackly old speaker.

  Cassie put her head on one side. “I can hear it now, it’s the one Professor Bunting was playing on the Ark of Hope; that’s strange, isn’t it? ‘Only you’, I used to sing it with my Grandmother.” She began to hum the tune and then stopped, frowning.

  “What?” Robbie asked.

  “It’s slowed right down, can’t you hear it?”

  Robbie shook his head. “You must be imagining it,” he told her.

  Cassie strained her ears. The song was stuttering along gradually growing fainter.

  Jade said, “It’s stopped, that’s weird.” She shivered.

  They continued on in silence. “It’s strange, isn’t it,” Jade remarked suddenly, “All those empty cabins. I mean, what if the Professor was right. This ship, the Princess May, really had disappeared and it’s shown up again. Shouldn’t we at least discuss the possibility?”

  “A ghost ship?” Robbie’s voice held a note of scorn. He pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket and flicked it on. Of course there was no signal, he hadn’t expected there to be. Apart from the phone being ruined in the storm there was no chance of getting a signal from it on this ship. He thought they should be looking for flares, old fashioned but they’d do the job just as well.

  It was ridiculous really, he mused, they could only be about ten miles offshore. If the Princess May had rocked back up after all these years then he would have thought it would be surrounded by gawping onlookers. And then he remembered the storm, of course no one would set sail in such bad conditions, but it was surely only a matter of time until the storm cleared and help would arrive. He didn’t even want to consider the possibility of something supernatural going on, there was always a logical explanation for things if you looked for them.

  He said, “You’ve been watching too many late night horror films, there’s no such a thing as a ghost ship.”

  “Why not?” Jade was defensive. “Have you got a better explanation?”

  “Yeah. The Professor got it wrong. PRI could have stood for something else like Prince, Pride, Priscilla, take your pick. He just jumped to the wrong conclusion. So we keep going until we get to the main deck where the action is.” Robbie felt determined to bluff it out, mainly because he was starting to get spooked and it wasn’t a good feeling. He couldn’t get the image of the armless young boy out of his mind, the thin bony shoulders with the grisly stumps covered in dried blood. He accepted he’d imagined it but it had seemed very real. Maybe, he thought, when I was climbing up the ladder something fell on my head and skewed my brain. It was a scary thought.

  “And what if there’s no one on the main deck?” Jade was persistent. “What if we’re alone? Just the four of us on this massive ship with no-one to help us, what will we do then?”

  “Give it a rest, Jade,” Cassie said, her eyes wide. “This is scary enough without you making stuff like that up.”

  “It is odd though,” Brett said reflectively, “I mean, where is everybody? There must be other people on the ship.”

  “Only you,” Cassie sang out loud suddenly and giggled nervously.

  Jade shrugged her shoulders. They’d reached another long corridor of cabins.

  “This is getting monotonous,” Brett grumbled to hide his misgivings.

  One of the cabin doors opened.

  Cassie gasped as a large ginger cat appeared to stumble out of the door. Its green eyes glittered when it spotted them and its back end bristled up.

  “Jesus,” Robbie breathed.

  “Well at least we know we’re not alone.” Cassie said eying the cat with distaste. She wasn’t a cat person, they were cute as kittens and some were nice enough but this one really was a mangy looking beast. One of its ears was half chewed off and its head seemed to be hanging onto one side at a strange angle.

  “Forget it,” Brett said briskly, “We’ve more important things
to worry about. Come on.”

  “I bet it’s the ships cat,” Cassie said. She was beginning to feel frightened and she wished Brett would put his arm around her, but he was striding ahead. She wondered if she looked as messy as she felt. Probably. It wasn’t a good feeling. She always liked to look her best for Brett, now he was seeing her in the worse possible light. No make-up, bedraggled and miserable. No wonder he was striding on ahead.

  Robbie was grinning at her, “Probably, it’s looks ancient enough.”

  Jade pointed, “There’s a light coming from under that door over there.” She clutched Robbie’s arm.

  Brett frowned. There was something wrong with the shimmering light that was creeping out from under the door. It looked more like a glowing mist. “I think we should be careful,” he said suddenly. “I don’t want to frighten you but something’s not right.”

  “You don’t say.” Robbie muttered sarcastically. “And here was me thinking we were having a great day out.”

  They stopped and gazed at the white swirling mist.

  “Maybe it’s some sort of poisonous gas,” Cassie said, a tremor in her voice. “Perhaps the ship was captured by a gang of mad scientists and they’ve been producing germ warfare, getting it ready, storing it in huge vats to spray over the world.”

  Jade’s eyes widened in shock. “Jesus, why would you say something like that?”

  “Bloody hell, Cas.” Robbie moaned.

  Cassie’s lips trembled, “Well, look at it. I mean, when did you see anything like it before?”

  Jade couldn’t answer. They watched as the mist began creeping along the corridor towards them, every now and then spiking up the walls then falling back into a frothy crawling heap. It reminded Jade of something and her eyes widened, it looked like waves splashing up the walls of the ship.

  Brett grabbed the handle of one of the cabin doors and pushed it open. “In here, quick,” he told the others.

  They piled in and slammed the door.

  “I’m scared,” Cassie said in a small voice.

  “We all are,” Brett agreed squeezing her hand.

  Robbie was shoving the pillows off the bed and stuffing them along the bottom of the door. There was a sound behind them and when Jade turned around she cried out in disgust. The ginger cat had crawled out from under the bed and was snarling at them.