by Ben Farthing
“It’s not just a giant monster on its way. Or maybe it is. But it’s not walking here. It’s growing to get closer. Not like this blob. I don’t think we can fully understand what it is.”
Riley swallowed. She didn’t get what he was saying, but she didn’t want to think about what she’d felt both times they’d seen the other dimension. “You said you know what it is. I thought you meant this pile of dough. Or the Aria. Do you know what my uncle’s trying to do?”
“He doesn’t, but I do. Look at this.” Chris picked up a silver thread. It broke off from a dead hand. Liquid dripped onto the floor. “This juice comes from the other side. It squeezes through with this blob. Then it gets here and mixes with matter from our reality.” He kicked a dead foot.
“But why?”
“Because it’s coming. It wants to stretch into our reality. Or to build itself bigger into our reality. But it has to get the space ready first. You can’t build a skyscraper until you build the foundation. The Deviser can’t build this… thing… into our world until it’s prepped our world.”
Riley tried to process everything he was saying. “It’s terraforming the ship?”
“The ship, the ocean, whatever it can reach.”
“You just walked around the dough. How do you know all that?”
“You looked out at the ocean and knew something was coming. I did the same thing just now.”
Riley could accept that. “What happens when it gets here?”
Chris shook his head, finally slowing down now that he’d said everything he’d wanted to. “I don’t know. Worse than Richmond, though. The Deviser shepherded people into cities, stealing slaves all the while. I think those slaves have been building this thing, except it’s also alive and growing. And now that people are all close together, whatever it is will come for us.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’ll be bad. Nuclear holocaust, Biblical plagues, end of the world bad.” He jerked his head to look at the pile of dough. “But this is the terraformer. If we blow it up, maybe it stops. Not enough terraformed space, the Deviser’s creation can’t cross over.”
Riley didn’t follow his explanation, but she didn’t want to. “What does my uncle have to do with this?”
Chris was already walking back to the wall they’d passed through. “He knows it's coming. He just thinks it’s Santa’s sleigh filled with toys. Come on. You wouldn’t let me bring my explosives, so now we have to go get them.
“Okay. Let’s go get your bombs.”
She expected him to grin like a troublemaker boy given firecrackers, but he only nodded solemnly. “The quicker, the better.”
Riley hurried to catch up. They reached the spot in the wall where they’d come through. It was solid, but Riley pulled the pocket watch back out.
Her foot caught on a glowing tendril. It ripped in two. Where before, the silver liquid had squeezed out under her foot, now it spurted out of the broken cord to splash on the wall. It dripped down the drywall.
The drywall soaked it up, and where it dried, the wall stayed an ashy, porous texture.
“Ah shit.” Chris picked up another tendril, ripped it apart with two hands, and then aimed the hose at the wall where they’d come through.
The Aria’s wall soaked up the silver liquid and then vanished. Their path into the hallway was clear.
The liquid had dripped onto his hand. He flung it at the wall across the corridor. As that wall absorbed the liquid and then dried, it revealed the decaying wall and studs that they’d seen after Riley wound the watch.
“See, this is what it’s doing,” Chris whispered, fear infecting his words. “It’s terraforming the Aria. Bringing the other side over here.” Chris held Riley’s hand and guided her through the opening. They hurried down the hall. “If this ship docks back in L.A., that thing will reach through surrounded by millions of people.”
“Let’s go get your bombs,” Riley said again.
As they ran back through the fog to the stairwell, knowing she was going to come right back here to destroy that pile of doughy flesh, Riley realized she believed Chris. She couldn’t prove what he was saying, but it fit what she was seeing, and her gut told her she had to help stop it.
The sooner they could get the explosive back here, the better. She imagined the exploded and burnt dough would smell terrible.
They reached the door that they’d crawled under to enter Deck Two. She ducked through.
The stair landing was exactly as she’d left it: stairs up and down, art deco stylings for the light fixtures and carpet patterns.
The only difference was now Uncle Nathaniel and Aunt Wendy stood waiting for them.
36
Nathaniel and Wendy blocked the door to the stairwell. His gray hair was pulled back tight enough to tug on his forehead and cheeks. Wendy’s caring eyes were discomforting next to her husband’s threatening stare.
Two of their group—their cult, according to Chris—were with them: an Asian woman in her thirties, hair in a bun, wearing a bright yellow blouse, and the old man who’d confronted them in the lobby upstairs.
The old man held what looked like a glued-together plastic toy pistol. He wielded it like a real weapon, aiming it at Chris.
The way Nathaniel smiled at Riley made her sick. Like they’d been playing a game, and he’d won. Or she was prey, and he’d caught her.
“Little Riley,” he said, smoothing his suit jacket against his sides. “I haven’t seen you in months, so imagine my surprise when the one working security camera in this stairwell shows you running down to Deck Two. And with the infamous Chris Haberman, no less.”
The only escape route would be through her aunt and uncle. And Riley had to assume the old man’s plastic pistol was real.
She avoided touching her pocket that held Dad’s watch. But now that Nathaniel knew she was on the ship, he’d know she was the one who stole it. Her best bet would be to argue her case to Captain Silva, and hopefully, the cruise line would let a judge decide who the watch belonged to. “Wait,” she said, “how’d you get access to security footage?”
“Captain Silva has seen fit to relinquish command of the ship.”
Chris scoffed. “You hijacked the ship? Did you kill the captain?”
The old man laughed. “Didn’t have to. He got real timid after I showed that blocky security fella that 3d-printed guns work just as well as classic steel.”
His woman friend adjusted her feet nervously. Riley didn’t think she was comfortable with the murder they’d committed.
These weren’t professionals. Maybe there was a way out of this.
“This is a joke, right?” Chris shook his head. “You only have one pistol down here. I’m guessing that means you don’t even have enough to go around. And there’s only what, twenty of you?”
“I won’t hear this from a worthless soul like yours,” Nathaniel snapped.
“Congratulations!” Chris laughed, which made Riley wince. Nathaniel reacted strongly to ridicule. “You killed the chief of security. And you’ve got a couple of guys with guns on the bridge, ordering the ship to turn around?”
The Asian woman nervously burst out, “The Aria will fulfill its purpose!”
Riley thought the woman would have a different tone if she’d actually seen the dimension that birthed this ship.
“Aren’t you some kind of multi-millionaire? Micah at least had her ex-military goon with her for the Richmond building. You’ve got internet rejects with homemade weapons. Did you take over the armory? There are more security officers, and they’re armed. Are you monitoring the radio? I guarantee someone’s called for the help, and the Coast Guard is already on its way. Maybe even the Navy.”
“None of that will matter,” Nathaniel spat. “The Deviser’s purposes will be fulfilled. It won’t be long now. Society will take another great leap forward.”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “That’s what Micah thought, too. Until she got up close and person
al with the Deviser’s handiwork.”
Riley kept watching the old man with the gun. He wasn’t watching her. Maybe she could jump him. He couldn’t be the strongest guy—he looked so frail.
Nathaniel pointed a long, boney finger at Chris. “You’re a murderer.”
Chris shook his head. “I roughed up Micah some, but she went crazy. Killed herself. Or the building killed her. Hard to say, really.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“You interrupted your hijacking to come ask me what happened in the building? My phone number is in the book. You could have asked any time.”
“I read your stories online. You’re a deceiver, sent to weaken the believers.”
“But now you’re asking questions? No wonder you couldn’t take charge until Micah died. You can’t even stick to your own edicts.”
Nathaniel’s face went red with fury.
Riley had heard enough. “Uncle Nathaniel, what are you doing?”
“Helping the world.”
Riley pointed behind her. “You can walk down this hallway and see dead bodies. Their heads are stuck in some kind of goop, and something’s draining out of them. It’s terraforming our world so something can reach through.”
“Build itself through,” Chris said.
Wendy covered her mouth. Nathaniel wasn’t phased. “I don’t pretend to understand its methods, only its purpose. The Aria is preparing the way. It’s John the Baptist to the Deviser’s next gift.”
“This thing you’re worshipping isn’t about advancing mankind,” Riley insisted. “It’s killing people.”
“I don’t believe it,” said Nathaniel. “Lies from a thief.”
Riley wanted to laugh at the irony of his accusation, but the gun pointed at her and the monstrosities behind her toned down the humor.
Wendy spoke up. “I’d like to talk with Riley.”
Everyone turned to look at her. The cult must have been accustomed to Nathaniel speaking for her.
Nathaniel stammered in surprise. “Of course. Don’t go far. And be careful.”
Wendy gave her husband a knowing look. She pulled another plastic pistol out of her purse to show Nathaniel that she could protect herself and then motioned for Riley to follow.
Riley looked at Chris.
He shrugged. “I’ll try to convince these guys the Deviser is bad news. You work on your aunt. If they’re too stubborn, I guess we’ll have to break out the big bombs.”
The old man laughed. “Yeah, right. You don’t even have a gun.”
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at Chris.
Chris’s attempt to give veiled instructions to Riley might have been too obvious. Riley didn’t know how Chris would survive this, but her best shot was going with Wendy.
She followed her aunt into the stairwell and upstairs.
37
On Deck Four, Wendy led the way outside.
The ship was once again turning, this time away from the storm. Half the sky was thick with gray clouds, and the other was bright blue. The early afternoon sun made Riley squint. A strong wind whipped her hair around. It lifted orange dust off her shoulders.
“I’m glad you received my invitation,” Wendy said.
Riley whirled on her aunt. “You sent the postcard? Why?” She couldn’t believe it. She’d thought for sure it was a servant getting petty revenge. But Wendy wanted Riley here?
Wendy strolled down the walkway, ignoring her husband’s order to stay close. Riley followed.
“The watch belongs to you,” Wendy said. “There’s no denying that. Nathaniel thinks you’re only interested in its monetary value. But I have more faith in you. I know you want to follow the path your father abandoned.”
Riley chewed on Wendy’s words. What did Dad know about the watch? If he’d abandoned a path, it sounded like he was part of Nathaniel’s cult at one point but later gave it up. With the watch, he must have seen enough to stop worshipping the Deviser, whatever it was.
It changed her whole perspective of her dad. He’d known about this other world and shut himself off from it. He’d kept living life as an actuary, working long hours for insurance companies, then coming home to enjoy his free time. Riley thought of all the times Dad had commented on the beauty and freedom of a blue sky. She’d always thought “freedom” was a strange description of a sky, but that made sense now.
“I wish you’d say something.” Wendy leaned on the rail to look out at the sea and sky.
This was an opportunity. Wendy wanted Riley on their side. If Riley could win enough trust, she could help Chris destroy the fleshy machinery on Deck Two. Blow it up and sink the ship before it could terraform enough space for the approaching monster to reach through. Or not a monster, but the Deviser’s building project, according to Chris.
And that wasn’t even the only threat. There had to be more giant starfish.
She thought of the tall rock formations in the orange ocean, the way they’d all risen up at once like an ocean-sized jaw closing.
If she didn’t stop the doughy machinery on Deck Two, the Aria would become a nightmare. Her fake story to Wendy had to be perfect.
“I found Dad’s old journals,” Riley lied. She quickly realized she needed a reason for how unknowledgeable she’d be. “Or just one. I think there were more that he must have thrown away.”
Wendy smiled. It triggered a forgotten memory in Riley of a Thanksgiving or Christmas when she was a toddler, and a darker-haired Aunt Wendy sat cross-legged on a scratchy carpet floor, teaching Riley to play Candyland.
There had been a time when Dad and Nathaniel were friendly. But before Riley started kindergarten, they cut their relationship down to cold holiday get-togethers.
“When did Dad stop believing?” Riley asked.
“You must have been four or five,” Wendy said.
So that added up.
“But I wouldn’t say he stopped believing,” Wendy said. “He found a different way to worship.”
“Different from Nathaniel’s way?”
“And my way, and Micah’s way. We were searching for the next time the Deviser would reach over. I believe your father decided that it was more important to prepare himself for that moment and then let it find him. Even more important, to prepare his daughter for that moment.” Wendy pulled Riley in for a hug. Spindly arms wrapped around Riley’s shoulders. “And now that moment has found you.”
Wendy smelled of rose-scented soap. Riley daintily removed herself from the embrace. Playing the part was one thing. Physical affection with her crazy aunt was a bridge too far.
“I don’t understand,” Riley said, so Wendy would read her disgust as confusion. “What moment is this?”
Wendy looked delighted to explain. “The Deviser will bless the world again. Previous gifts will seem like baubles compared to what we’re about to see.”
“Which is…”
“We can’t comprehend the coming gifts until they arrive.”
“What were the old gifts?” Riley asked.
Wendy tilted her head like a confused puppy. “You said you read your father’s journal.”
Riley swallowed. She’d apparently botched a basic tenet of the faith. “Like I said, I think there were a lot more. I only got bits and pieces.”
“How about you tell me what you know, and I’ll fill in the rest.”
Riley exhaled. “Let’s see.” She walked farther down the ship, towards the bow. For a moment, she considered grabbing Wendy’s purse and running. But there’d still be time for that if Riley failed to convince Wendy she was being earnest. Instead, she recited everything she’d experienced and learned from Chris in the most positive way she could. “I know there’s another world, or dimension, or something. Something lives there that sometimes reaches over and leaves things behind.”
“The Deviser’s gifts, yes,” Wendy said.
“I know some people have been watching for it for a long time.”
“Generations,” Wendy agreed, not noticing
that Riley was repeating back what she’d just told her.
“I know the gifts benefit all of mankind.” Another fact Wendy herself had told her.
“It might be safer to say that the gifts give mankind the opportunity to benefit ourselves.”
“What do you mean?” Riley jumped on the opportunity to let Wendy convince herself that Riley was a believer.
“Well, for example, when the Deviser sent over a stack of mud bricks millennia ago, it was only enough to build a few huts. But wise men and women now knew that bricks could be constructed. They figured out how and then made more. The same thing with glass, or steel structures, or even air conditioning.”
Riley ran through all that in her head. Chris had said the Richmond skyscraper was a culmination of the Deviser’s gifts. Combined with Wendy’s eager sermon, that meant the Deviser’s gifts were advancements in building technology.
A strange reason to worship something. Most religions promised an eternity of happiness—the Deviser let you skip trade school.
“What else did you learn from your father’s journal?” Wendy asked.
All Riley could think of was the horrific view of the ocean, the starfish jamming Marjorie’s head into that doughy foreign substance, and the terror that even though there was something gargantuan beneath the surface of the orange ocean, the real threat was still approaching.
“I don’t know a lot of facts and details,” Riley riffed. “What I really got from the journal was how Dad felt about it all.”
Wendy nodded. “He always was a sensitive man. Not afraid to share his feelings.”
Riley couldn’t believe that worked. “I know he wanted me to use the watch, but I’m not sure what it does. I’m so sorry for being so aggressive about getting it back. I had no idea you wanted it for the same reasons.” She faked a giggle. “I thought Nathaniel was just being a dick.”
Wendy let out a gasp that turned into a grin between girlfriends. “He can be that way sometimes. His passion for life shows itself differently from your father’s.”
“I came here to get the watch so I could take it home and figure out how to reach over like my father wrote about. That’s what he called it: ‘reaching over.’” She found herself slipping more easily into the invented story.