by Ben Hammott
Their innocent faces turned to the small opening when the screaming began.
Worry banished Penny’s excitement as she grabbed her brother’s arm. “Why are they screaming?”
Sam shrugged and placed a hand over his sister’s hand reassuringly. “Grownups do funny things. Maybe they’re having a party?”
Desperate to be rid of the armed men in pursuit and seek out somewhere dark and secluded to shelter while it transformed, the creature bounded along the starboard promenade with its eyes searching for such a place. It ignored the humans in its path who screamed, ran and tripped over each other in their panic to escape. It would return for them later. It climbed onto one of small boats hanging above the neck and jumped along them. It halted when it noticed a gap in one of the covers. The dark inviting space inside might prove ideal for its purpose.
When something landed on the boat with enough force to swing it against the restraints that held it suspended above the deck, Sam and Penny gazed worriedly at the dark shape blocking part of the opening. Penny clamped a hand over her mouth to silence the frightened scream that leapt to her throat when a clawed paw appeared in the opening.
Sam stared at the paw, equally scared and fascinated by the creature’s talons that dug into the edge of the boat with enough force to splinter wood. He thought it must be some type of big cat that had escaped from its cage in the cargo hold; a lion or a tiger perhaps? He looked at his sister, put a finger to his lips as a warning not to make a noise and then looked around the boat for something to use as a weapon if it tried to enter. His gaze rested on one of the bundles of three oars positioned both sides of the boat and reached out for them.
When the frightening pale face appeared in the opening, it almost blocked out the light. The two children froze when it sniffed and looked around the small space. Penny’s muffled scream directed its evil gaze upon her. Her fearful trembles increased when the monster’s tongue slide across bloodstained teeth. When it poked its head farther through the hole, Sam pushed Penny behind him. He slipped an oar from its fastenings, and with it gripped in two hands, rammed the blade into the monster’s face.
Surprised by the attack from such small defenseless creatures, the monster slipped from the opening. Its claws scraped gouges in the boat’s wooden hull as it sought purchase to halt its fall. It climbed back up and gripped the top of the boat so forcefully its talons cracked the wood. Its malevolent eyes glared at the two small humans and snarled at Sam when he thrust the oar at its face again. A claw shot out, snatched the oar from Sam’s grasp and flung it over the side of the ship.
Sam and Penny backed away when it started climbing inside.
*****
Coleman and Owen slipped between the mangled doors and gazed each way along the promenade. Distant screams in the direction of the bow indicated the route the monster had taken. They weaved through the frightened, shocked and sobbing passengers, who seemed unable to work out what to do, and past scattered steamer chairs until they were clear of distraught passengers. They gazed toward the bow, but spied no sign of the monster. Worried it might be lying in wait for them, the two men slowed and cautiously moved forward.
“Where do you think it went”” asked Owen, his nervous gaze searching every possible hiding place.
Coleman’s eyes also looked for the monster. “I think it’s here somewhere, hiding.”
They continued searching as they moved toward the bow. Coleman stopped when he noticed the gouges in the stern of one of the lifeboats. He tapped Owen on the arm and pointed at the damaged lifeboat.
Owen knew the splintered scratches could only have been made by one thing. The monster had climbed up the boat and could be inside.
Coleman placed a foot on the narrow access ladder fixed to the side of the davit’s support column and started climbing. He froze when something shuffled inside the boat, swaying it slightly. He glanced at Owen, relieved to see he had his gun aimed at the boat ready to fire if the monster made an appearance. Coleman restarted his climb and halted when he was high enough to see the top of the cover and the folded back flap. He leaned forward and peered through the opening. Something moved within the gloomy interior. He hooked an arm around the column and aimed the gun at the opening. As soon as the monster’s face appeared, he would shoot.
The scrambling beneath the cover moved toward the opening. Coleman blinked away the sweat running into his eyes. He couldn’t remember how many bullets he had fired and cursed himself for not checking and reloading. He prayed he had enough to dispatch the horror that was about to appear.
The cover bulged as something pressed against it from beneath. Coleman’s aim adjusted to follow the bulge almost at the opening. A dribble of sweat dripped down Coleman’s face. His finger tightened on the trigger. The face of a young boy appeared and looked at him and then the gun aimed at him. Coleman released his finger from the trigger and turned the gun away.
A girl appeared next to the boy and looked at Coleman. “Hello, mister. Did you kill the monster?”
Coleman relaxed. “Not yet. Did you see which way it went?”
Sam shook his head. “I think it went that way.” He pointed toward the bow. “It started climbing in but suddenly turned and ran off.”
“You two should go find your parents,” said Coleman.
“Our mum and dad’s in our cabin having their kissing time,” lied Sam, innocently. “And they don’t like being disturbed when they are kissing.”
Coleman smiled. “I’m sure they’ll understand when you tell them about the monster. Are you two okay climbing down on your own?”
Sam humphed. “Of course. We ain’t babies.”
Coleman climbed down.
Owen smiled at the two young faces that appeared over the edge of the boat. “What do we do now?”
Coleman pointed toward the bow. “It went that way.”
They continued their search.
*****
A knock upon his cabin door halted Captain Magellan’s fountain pen filling in his daily report and caused him to glance at the door. “Enter.”
John Dolton, the ship’s second-in-command entered. “Captain, we have a problem. The…creature escaped from the hold and killed and wounded some passengers in the dining room.”
Shock briefly appeared on the captain’s face. “How many were killed?”
“We’re still doing a body count, but at least six passengers and one crew.”
Fighting back the shock, the captain quickly thought of the steps he needed to take to look after his surviving passengers. “First, we need to see to the wounded. Have an infirmary set up in the lounge with the spare mattresses from storage. Put out a call for any medical personnel among the passengers to proceed to the lounge to lend a hand. Where’s this beast now?”
“Unknown, sir, but Coleman and Owen are searching for it.”
Captain Magellan grabbed his cap from a side table. “We need to protect the rest of the passengers.” He took a bunch of keys from his pocket, slipped one off the ring and handed it to Dolton. “Select some of the staff who are experienced with weapons and give them a gun. I’m going to the dining room.”
The two men left the cabin.
When Captain Magellan descended the main staircase, he noticed the passengers he encountered all had one thing in common, an expression of shock, terror and disbelief. Crying women were consoled by others, and many had splashes of blood on their clothes, evidence the carnage had been savage and extensive. He directed any wounded he came upon to the lounge for medical attention. At the bottom of the stairs, he stepped around the body someone had had the sense to cover with a sheet and took a deep breath as he headed for the dining room. The room was in complete disarray—tables, chairs, crockery, cutlery and food scattered across the floor. He ventured farther into the room and passed bodies that had been ripped and eaten. He had never witnessed such carnage and wondered what species of animal could have done such a thing. The only explanation was someone had smuggled a dange
rous animal into the hold and it had escaped. But he would worry about that later. The safety of his remaining passengers and crew was imperative now.
“Oh, my god!”
The captain turned to the voice and saw the small group of armed staff at the door. “Wait there,” he ordered, and crossed to them. “I want the bodies covered until we can arrange to have them moved. I’ll have the kitchen staff empty one of the walk-in cold stores, but until then I want this room sealed off. One of you remains on guard here until the bodies have been moved, while the rest of you ensure the safety of the passengers. Take the survivors to the main bar, and if you see the creature, don’t hesitate to kill it.”
“What animal did this, sir?” asked Harry, imagining a lion running loose on the ship.
“That is something I will try to find out, but assume for the moment it’s a big cat and that it’s extremely dangerous. It’s a man-eater now, and I can’t have it feasting on anyone else.”
While Captain Magellan headed for the kitchen, the armed group organized themselves to best protect the surviving passengers and moved off, leaving one to stand guard at the dining room door.
*****
Coleman and Owen spent an hour searching the bow area without detecting any sign of the monster.
Owen peered over the rail at the frothing sea. “Maybe it fell overboard.”
“I doubt it, but that would be the best scenario. Until we’re certain of what’s happened to it, we can’t stop looking.” Coleman stood at the bow and looked back along the ship. There were so many hiding places it could be anywhere. “Come on, I need to talk to the captain about organize a search party to search the ship from bow to stern one level at a time.”
Owen followed Coleman through the ship.
They located Captain Magellan on the bridge, where he had just informed the Portsmouth Port authorities of the casualties and the situation aboard his vessel.
Magellan listened to Coleman’s report and thought the search party proposition was a good idea. “Okay, Coleman, I’ll leave you to organize that. Whatever you need to get the job done, you have it. Just find that damn beast and kill it before it takes another life.”
“I’ll do my best, Captain.”
Coleman and Owen left the bridge.
******
Armed with a flashlight, Greyson entered the cargo hold and crossed to where his crates of artifacts had been stowed. He moved through the narrow gap between the pallets, grimaced at the remains of some unfortunate victim on the floor and headed for the raised lid of the sarcophagus crate. When he peered inside and saw the lid of the sarcophagus askew, his fears were realized; the god monster the Maya had captured and sealed inside hundreds of years ago had been set free. Incredibly, against all the natural laws of nature, a Maya demon was not only real, but alive and roaming the ship on a killing spree. He slumped on a crate as he wondered how it was possible a creature could have lived for so long sealed inside what seemed to be an airtight box with no food or drink to sustain it. Though he found it impossible to comprehend, he had seen the creature with his own eyes.
His gaze fell on the sack on the crates and the glint of gold from its partially open end. Greyson reached out, lifted back one edge and pulled the object out a small way. It seemed to be a golden net. He glanced at the torn apart corpse on the floor of the person who must have been the one responsible for setting the creature free. The worn, bloody sandals identified the corpse as the shifty man he had met a few days ago.
Greyson’s memory flicked back to the image on the gold panels depicting the creature being herded by warriors holding the net, and knew in his hand was that very object. The dead thief had opened the sarcophagus and took out the net, freeing the monster that had then killed him. His thoughts went back to the gold cage he and Kramer had found over the sarcophagus and the gold objects in the adjoining room. Somehow, gold affected the monster. He stared at the net. If it had caught it once, it could catch it again. He pushed the gold net back in the sack, and hoping he could convince the captain he wasn’t a complete madman, he hoisted it over his shoulder and rushed from the room.
*****
Captain Magellan stared skeptically at the man who claimed he knew how to capture the monster.
“Look, Captain, I know I’m coming across as a madman, but you have to believe me,” pleaded Greyson. “Think about it. Why would I make something like this up?”
Captain Magellan stroked his beard, a habit of his when stressed. “I’ve learnt over the years that strange people sometimes do unfathomable things for incomprehensible reasons. However, I’ve never experienced anything like the terrible event that has taken the lives of some of my passengers and crew.” He turned to Coleman. “What are your thoughts on this?”
Coleman shrugged. “Like you just said, Captain, it’s a strange proposal, but the man seems sane and the creature wasn’t one I recognized. If Mr. Bradshaw believes the net will subdue it, I say why not give it a try. We have nothing to lose.”
The captain reluctantly nodded and looked back at Greyson. “You and your magic net will accompany Coleman’s team while they search for the creature. If weapons don’t kill it, you can use your net.”
“What! No! I wasn’t volunteering to capture it.” Greyson pushed the sack containing the net nearer Coleman with a foot. “Your men can use the net.”
“Look here, Mr. Greyson, I am the captain of this vessel and in charge of everyone aboard, including you, so when you come to me with this crazy idea to catch a creature no one has laid eyes on before, that, by the way, you brought aboard my ship and seem to be the foremost expert on whatever it is, believe me, you are going to help my men capture and destroy it before it kills another person under my charge.”
“But– but–” stammered Greyson.
“Take him away, Coleman. I want that thing caught and killed as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, Captain.” Coleman picked up the sack, grabbed Greyson’s arm and led him away.
*****
After their close encounter with the monster, Sam decided they needed a new place to hide; somewhere safe from the strange, vicious creature, until it had been killed.
Sam opened the door, peered along the corridor and holding Penny’s hand, led her into the ship.
*****
Because the monster was last seen on the promenade deck, that was where the small group began their search. Coleman and Owen led the party, keeping their weapons and eyes trained ahead as they moved from bow to stern on the unusually deserted deck. Behind them, Greyson and Jose Chavez carried the net between them, ready to throw over the monster if it made a sudden appearance. At the rear, Setsuko Kumari and William Wheeler, both nervous and armed with pistols, watched their backs for danger. Once they had checked every possible hiding place in the outside spaces, they moved inside and checked every room on that A-deck, except for the lounge where the wounded were being treated and the main bar where many of the passengers had gathered, many taking advantage of the free drinks to calm their shattered nerves.
The kitchen was the next room to be searched. When no sign of the creature was found, they moved down to B-Deck, the passenger cabins.
Coleman handed Setsuko the master keys he had collected from the purser and they moved from room to room knocking on each door. Those with people inside, who had decided locking themselves in their rooms was the safer option until the monster had been dealt with, didn’t need to be searched, but any inquiry that received no reply, Setsuko unlocked the door and Coleman and Owen went inside.
The next level they searched was C-deck, the crew quarters, and at the rear, the cargo hold. It was unlikely the monster would have returned, but it had to be searched to eliminate it from the list.
There were so many possible hiding places in the hold that covered over half the ship’s length, progress was slow.
Greyson relaxed his grip on the net that gradually grew heavier. “I need to rest, my arms are aching.”
Col
eman halted the group and looked at Greyson. “Rest here for a moment.” He glanced at each of the others. “The rest of you stay with him while we sweep the room. If we see it, we’ll let you know so you can bring the net in case it’s needed.”
Coleman and Owen moved off.
Greyson and Chavez placed the net on the crates between them when they sat down. Too nervous to rest, Setsuko and Wheeler’s gazes constantly roamed their surroundings for danger.
The throb of the powerful diesel engine vibrating through the floor felt like the ship’s heartbeat. The hull creaked and the cargo constantly scraped, chaffed and creaked with the ship’s movement. Eager for his wounded passengers to receive more medical attention than the ships limited sick bay could provide, Captain Magellan had increased the ship’s speed to reach their destination quicker.
The occasional patter of tiny feet, that now sounded ominous, made Coleman believe the sound made by the scampering rats indicated they were fleeing from something.
As they neared the end wall and the last of the cargo to search, Owen noticed an indistinct shadow cast by one of the dim yellow bulkhead lights. He clicked his fingers softly to attract Coleman’s attention and pointed at the shadow cast on the wall behind a pile of tightly stacked hardwood.
Coleman studied the shadow. It looked like something with a raised claw and a misshapen head with what might be an ear sticking out near the top. Though it seemed to move slightly, it remained in its concealed position.
Coleman leaned nearer Owen and whispered. “I’m not sure if it’s the creature, but we need to check it out. If it’s the monster, we might need Greyson’s net. Nip back and tell the others what we’ve have found and bring them here.”
Owen rushed off and returned a few moments later with the others.
Coleman directed their gazes at the shadow his eyes hadn’t swayed from and whispered the plan. “Setsuko, you and I will come at it from the far side. Owen, you and Wheeler will approach from this side. Greyson, Chavez, climb over the wood at the front.” He glanced at Greyson. “Be as stealthy as you can. The four of us will prevent it from escaping while you move forward. When you’re in position, throw the net over it, and we’ll move in and empty our weapons in it. If that doesn’t kill it and that net keeps it contained, we’ll wrap it in a tarp, take it outside, tie something heavy to it and throw it overboard.”