The Gate

by Jennifer N Hibbert

  Carrol hesitated before answering, ‘Yes, maybe I’ll come.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said. He smiled as he walked away.

  Carrol watched him disappear into one of the corridors. She had a lot going on in her mind: first the lizard, and now Jerry. She headed back towards her room. Zatol wasn’t there and Carrol was disappointed. The movie had made her scared that he could be an alien but she would still be happy to see him again. And he’d had ample opportunity to abduct her, and he hadn’t. He was friendly and kind.

  She lay flat on her bed and started thinking about Jerry. She realised she thought he was handsome – especially his gentle eyes. Well, handsome or not, she thought, who is he? But then, he could’ve been standing beside me all this time and, with my eyes constantly down, I wouldn’t have seen him.

  She mused over what had happened and wondered whether he was trying to trick her into believing they were friends only to mock her publicly, maybe as a joke. She decided she wouldn’t go to the cinema to see him. But the next day, after wrestling with whether to go or not, she eventually headed that way.

  Jerry was already standing outside waiting for her. He beamed when he saw her approaching and she gave a little smile in return. After greeting each other, they went inside and sat together to watch the movie. It was about the love and loss of two teenagers who’d met each other in high school. They fell madly in love but in a short space of time some incident resulting from mistaken identity led to him being killed. The girl was heartbroken and the story made Carrol secretly shed a few tears.

  From then on, her and Jerry’s friendship blossomed. They loved spending time together. They went regularly to the cinema and he spent lots of time in Carrol’s cabin playing word games, which Carrol loved. She was even beginning to feel affection towards him. She didn’t visit his room, though, because he said it was next to his parents.

  That was perfect for Carrol, as she did not want to meet his parents so soon; she always felt awkward when she met new people. Although Jerry had to leave every now and then to join his parents, he returned to her room every chance he had. No one ever saw them together. They never went out publicly, except to the cinema where it was dark. They went to the canteen separately so his parents wouldn’t run into them.

  Carrol quickly fell in love with Jerry. He spoke softly and was very kind to her. For the first time in her life, someone who was not a lizard understood and accepted her. They had almost identical personalities: they were both timid, awkward and hated speaking to strangers. As soon as they made it past the initial discomfort between strangers, they were an instant hit with one another.

  Once, whilst in Carrol’s room, Jerry stood at the edge of her bed talking about a movie he’d seen with his parents before he’d come on this trip. He spoke with great enthusiasm and Carrol was listening eagerly, but then he broke off abruptly and started licking his hand between his thumb and index finger.

  Carrol asked what he was doing. He quickly composed himself and said his hands were dry because he’d forgotten to put on lotion. Carrol didn’t think it was anything other than what he’d said.

  CHAPTER 14

  BOYS WILL BE BOYS

  As the weeks wore on, Martin and his group continued to focus on their own entertainment and still failed to show much care or sensitivity towards anyone else. Their games in the corridors left them with a few minor cuts and bumps.

  One afternoon, about four months into the space flight, the group had lunch at their usual early time then headed to the games room. Chris and Monica took a seat on the bench at the entrance, chatting and holding hands. Chris wanted to spend a little time with Monica, as she usually felt left out once the boys started to play and compete.

  Martin played on the game station facing Morgan’s, and Koi played on a slot machine in the corner. Everyone was completely preoccupied and didn’t notice when Martin got up and left the room. Suddenly, he rushed back through the main entrance. He went straight over to Chris and whispered in his ear.

  Chris responded, ‘Yeah, man. But when did you go outside? I thought you were playing on that machine over there.’

  ‘Yeah, I got bored, so I stepped out for a while,’ Martin replied. ‘Are you in or not?’ He looked directly at him, as though Monica wasn’t there.

  ‘Yes! Let’s do this, man,’ Chris replied with excitement.

  ‘All right, let me get the others.’

  When he left, Chris told Monica they planned to sneak into the engine room without permission. Monica pulled away from Chris, upset with him for agreeing to do such a dangerous thing, but before they could talk more about it the boys returned. They were high-fiving each other and geared up to go.

  Monica took Chris’s hand when he stood up. ‘Don’t be stupid. This could put people’s lives in danger just so you guys can have some fun.’

  Chris was adamant. He tried to reassure her. ‘Look, don’t worry, we’re not being stupid! Just relax. Wait for us here, we won’t be long. We’ll go in and out! Okay?’ While they spoke, the other boys headed out the door and down the corridor. She gradually let go of his hand and he caught up with his gang.

  The boys made their way below deck to the engine room. Earlier, Martin had watched an engineer enter a code on the engine room door while he had hidden safely out of view behind a section of pipes. He now keyed in the door code he’d memorised and they entered.

  Half of this enormous room was filled from floor to ceiling with machines. The group hid behind one of the massive engines close to the door, which had a few of its lights turned on. They weren’t sure what its function was but there was hardly any noise coming from it. Two men and a robot were working on one section of an engine towards the back of the room. They didn’t notice the boys walk in and hide.

  The boys stayed there for a while, watching the men and robot working, then they sneaked out, one after another. They gathered in the corridor, excited about their achievement, and began dubbing each other with titles like ‘Brave Soldier’. They were still celebrating their success as they headed back to the upper level, where Monica was waiting. When she saw them walk in, her eyes lit up and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Chris walked over and kissed her. ‘Guys, Monica wants to walk around the decks. I’ll see you guys soon.’ The other three boys went straight back to the games machines as though nothing had happened.

  After a few days had passed and nothing had been said about their visit to the engine room, they decided to go again. When they got there, they used the same code to gain access. No one was inside, so they walked around, intrigued. Morgan stood guard inside the door.

  On the floor in one corner of the room, Martin noticed a round metal slab covering a manhole with a massive inscription that read ‘Beware! Disposal’. ‘Guys, come here and see this!’ he said.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Chris, who was consumed by the magnificence of the machines surrounding them. Koi, on the other hand, was fascinated with the features of one specific machine, the one that the men and robot had been working on. They went over to where Martin was standing.

  ‘What is it?’ Koi asked.

  Martin pointed at the manhole. ‘Look, look.’

  ‘I can’t see anything. What is it?’ Chris asked anxiously.

  ‘The manhole,’ Martin said, his eyes sparkling.

  ‘So, what’s with it?’ Chris asked with a hint of frustration, since Martin was not saying anything important. Instead, he was pointing out the obvious.

  ‘Guys! What’s the matter with you today?’ Martin smiled brightly and pointed at the words inscribed on the lid. ‘Beware! Disposal,’ he said, enunciating the words carefully.

  ‘Still don’t get it,’ Koi said. He turned to look at Chris, who threw his hands in the air and shrugged his shoulders to show his confusion.

  Martin said, ‘Okay, it says “Beware! Disposal”.’ He slowly emphasised each syllable, determined to get the reaction he was aiming for.

  ‘Never m
ind what it says. We got that bit. What does it have to do with anything?’ Chris said.

  Martin leaned in closer to Chris and Koi to pitch his idea. ‘It says “Disposal”. What if this is where they dispose of the bodies of people who have died on the ship? Or maybe it’s a dungeon where they keep prisoners? I say we open it and find out,’ he said.

  Chris and Koi were enraged at him for suggesting something so dangerous. Martin tried to persuade them but they were strongly against the idea. Martin was not deterred. He continued to try to manipulate them into helping him open up the hole. ‘Just picture yourselves as heroes who would be celebrated by all if we uncovered the secret that lay beneath the metal exterior,’ he suggested, beaming with excitement.

  ‘No, I’m not going anywhere near the manhole,’ Chris said.

  ‘Me neither,’ Koi said.

  Martin and the other two started arguing, and that’s when they heard Morgan shout to alert them that someone was coming. They quickly found places to hide. Shortly afterwards, the door opened. The people they had seen previously walked in, switched on a few lights and pumps and started to work on the same machine as before.

  Martin and his gang stayed hidden for a few minutes then decided to leave the engine room. They signalled to each other and quietly sneaked out, unnoticed.

  *

  After a few days, Martin felt restless; his thoughts were dominated by the warning on the manhole in the engine room. The word ‘disposal’ had taken on a life of its own; he felt as though it was his duty to discover and liberate whoever or whatever lay beneath. As much as he tried to smother this nagging desire, it persisted until he could no longer deny it.

  One afternoon after lunch he decided to solve the mystery. He didn’t tell any of his friends and he sneaked down to the engine room alone. He had timed it well, as the engineers were leaving for their lunch. They passed Martin in the corridor, as they’d pass any other passenger.

  Martin went to the door, keyed in the code and, like magic, the door opened. Without wasting any time, he ran to the manhole and tried to lift the lid – but it was stuck fast. He found a long metal bar in the corner of the room and used it to pry open the lid. After a lot of effort, he succeeded.

  Metal stairs ran down the side of the hole. Without hesitation, Martin started climbing down. There was some ambient light towards the top but his surroundings became darker as he continued. He contemplated giving up but he was driven to see it through. The deeper he went, the darker it became; he was frightened and his movements became rigid.

  All of a sudden, his foot slipped, he missed a step and fell forward into a pool of thick, slimy liquid. The smell was overwhelming. It wasn’t long before his whole body, including his head, was submerged and he realised that he’d fallen into a septic tank full of sewage. He gulped a good mouthful while struggling to stop himself from drowning in it.

  He flapped his hands around, pushing the sewage away as though he was swimming, but the excrement was sticky and slippery. He tried to clear the slop that was obscuring his face so he could see but it made no difference; it was still pitch black.

  Martin struggled to swim over to the wall so he could locate the steps. When he finally reached it, he felt around, found the stairs and held onto them. Suddenly, he heard a grinding noise. It didn’t sound like a machine but rather like a multitude of insects gnawing on something. The sound sent shivers down his spine and he screamed in panic.

  Just then, a powerful light shone down the hole. When it illuminated the bottom, Martin saw a cluster of giant organisms sitting in the corner of the sewage tank eating the waste. Each had a protruding stomach and skinny hands and legs, with a giant head and a mouth full of massive teeth that were in continuous motion. Martin didn’t know if they were part of the ship’s workforce and were performing a job that would usually have been carried out by the natural ecological system on planet Earth. If so, whatever was left of the waste would be passed down to the ship’s state-of-the-art filtration system for final processing and then it would be turned into pure, fresh drinking water. Or maybe nobody knows they are here. The thought sent shivers to the pit of his stomach. Then and there, he promised himself never to drink any water in this ship, ever, just in case. Come to think of it, I thought the water tasted funny, he concluded.

  Martin heard voices telling him to climb the stairs. He was shaking so hard as he climbed up that he almost fell back in again but he managed to get a firm grip and reach the top.

  The police officers pulled the faeces-covered passenger from the manhole. One of them called the commander to the engine room. The moment Martin’s feet touched the floor, he became frantic and struggled to leave the room; waste was dripping from his body. The officers, covering their noses, quickly restrained him by forcing him to sit on the floor. They pressed his shoulders down to stop him from leaving. That was when they heard the commander’s thundering voice.

  Tidor Thomson pushed his way through to the front of the small gathering and towered over all of them. He stared at Martin, unperturbed by the sewage dripping from his body. Martin curled into the foetal position, using his hands to brace his knees, as dollops of waste slid off his head. He pressed his lips together tightly to stop any more sewage entering his mouth.

  ‘What’s going on here? Somebody! Answer me! I said, what’s going on here?’ Thomson ordered, casting an angry eye over Martin, who didn’t say a word.

  ‘Sir,’ answered one of the engineers, ‘when we returned from our break, we saw that the manhole cover had been lifted. After overcoming our initial surprise, we shouted down the hole, “Anyone down there?” There was no answer. That’s when we came to you and reported what we had found, sir. You asked us to inform the law-enforcement officers and a doctor and to investigate and act. So, we shone the flashlight down the hole and started calling out for whoever was down there to climb up.’

  Until then, Martin had been oblivious. Now he managed to catch a glimpse of the commander’s face; he looked furious. His face was flushed as he glared murderously at the young man sitting like a sedated animal in a cage. In the silence, the only sound that could be heard was his huffing and puffing. Finally, he signalled for Martin to be hosed down.

  Martin stayed still and quiet, even as the engineers doused him with warm water from a hose attached to a tap set in a corner of the engine room. Soon enough, the slimy bits that were dripping from Martins body were ousted and circling around a metal plughole. The engineer channelled the hose towards the plughole and blasted off the lingering bits. The pungent smell didn’t leave the room completely even after the hosing.

  ‘Martin, Martin is that you? What’s going on here?’ the commander asked, looking surprised.

  Martin said nothing and was not apologetic; there was still an element of stubbornness in his body language but beneath his hard exterior, it was obvious that his conscience pricked him. That was why he didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the room.

  *

  Even though Martin seemed okay, the commander asked the doctor to take him to the clinic to be checked over. He watched the boy from the window as he settled in a bed. As he received intravenous therapy, Martin drifted in and out of sleep. The commander didn’t know what he was being treated for: maybe fluids for dehydration or antibiotics to combat the germs, he thought. Whatever the treatment, it was making Martin drowsy.

  Martin’s room was finally quiet after the paramedics and some of the ship’s assistants had gone. The nurse was now the only member of staff who was regularly monitoring his condition as she watched through the window.

  A few hours passed and the commander returned to see how he was doing. During that visit, he watched the nurse go into Martin’s room to attend to him. When the nurse entered, Martin struggled to keep his eyes open and sit up in bed. ‘Please, nurse, you have to help me stand up. I need to tell my friends where I am,’ he said. He tried to grab the nurse’s hand but his grip was slack; he was very weak.

  She tucked his han
ds under the bedcovers. ‘Calm down, please. You’re still receiving treatment, and you should try to rest,’ she said.

  ‘Okay, but you have to promise me that you’ll find my friends and tell them,’ he said, his eyes opening and closing slowly.

  She agreed but the commander knew she wasn’t going to do so. He had given her specific instructions not to allow Martin to leave the clinic without clearing it with him or the law-enforcement officers first. So, when Martin asked the nurse to inform his friends of his whereabouts, she agreed to calm him down. She had no intention of doing what he asked.

  The commander and the law-enforcement officers reviewed the CCTV footage from the engine room. They were shocked to discover that Martin and his gang had been in there on at least two separate occasions, clearly disregarding the sign that said ‘Staff Only’. The commander was furious at the boys’ lack of respect for authority. With one mistake, the group could have endangered the lives of everyone aboard the ship.

  At the commander’s order, the law-enforcement officers summoned Martin’s friends to their station, which was located below deck. Monica wasn’t involved, as they hadn’t seen her on the CCTV footage. When the three boys arrived, they were led to the interrogation room where they sat at a large table and were questioned by two officers. The commander watched them through a two-way mirror.

  ‘Where is your friend Martin?’ an officer asked.

  ‘We don’t know,’ Koi said. ‘We became worried after three or four hours passed without anyone seeing him. We’ve looked everywhere on the ship.’

  ‘I see,’ the officer said. ‘Have you ever visited the ship’s engine room?’

  The boys unanimously denied ever having visited the engine room. It wasn’t long before the towering commander thundered through the door. He asked for the table to be removed and for the boys to sit in a row in the middle of the room.