Burnt Sea: A Seabound Prequel (Seabound Chronicles Book 0)

by Jordan Rivet

  “We’re going to have to put some people in crew cabins,” Nora said. “I don’t want to piss anybody off, but I think we should move the single passengers into the smaller cabins so we can keep families together and possibly pair a few people up.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” Judith said.

  “The cruise guests aren’t going to be happy about being kicked out of their cabins.” Nora peeked over the top of the computer at the women with the baby.

  “It’s for everyone’s good,” Judith said. “People will have to make sacrifices until we get back to shore.”

  “Yeah, but how do we get them to agree?” Nora thumbed at her mace-head earring. There was a tiny silver tortoise beside it.

  “We don’t give them any other option,” Judith said. “Let’s get everyone assigned and sent on their way before they have time to complain.”

  “All right. We’ll need a full list, though,” Nora said.

  “People will come up for the food,” Judith said. “We can get everyone sorted out over lunch.”

  “Roger that.”

  The nurse, a squat woman in a floral sundress, bustled back into the reception lobby. She had a threaded needle laid out on a tray. She passed the tray to Bernadette, pulled out a huge syringe, and leaned toward the woman on the couch. Judith blanched. She turned quickly to Nora.

  “Let’s head down there now. We can let people know what we saw on the news.”

  “Good idea,” Nora said, eyeing the medical preparations. “Let me just shut the computer down. We’ve got to save power.”

  They left the reception lobby, Nora clutching printouts of the ship’s rooms in her hands, crumpling them slightly. They didn’t walk fast enough for Judith, though. The woman on the couch moaned, and Judith put her hands over her ears to block the sound.

  Chapter 6—The Dining Hall

  Simon

  Hundreds crowded into the Atlantis Dining Hall for the meal. Two long buffet counters and rectangular “family-style” dining tables were arranged across the room. A row of windows filled one wall. The sea outside was restless, churning darkly beneath the sullen sky. It was a gray day, already so different from the sunny moment when Simon had decided to walk along the harbor. That had only been a few hours ago.

  He turned his back on the windows and focused on the people filling the tables around him. The dining hall didn’t have room for everyone to eat at once, and people were already lining up outside, waiting for their turns. Many wore Catalina sweatshirts with cheery slogans about islands, vacations, and paradise in shades of turquoise, purple, and sunshine yellow. The dining hall had similarly bright walls and fixtures, incongruous given the dull gray beyond the window.

  Ana Ivanovna directed operations by the buffet tables. She served huge trays of fresh California fruits and vegetables and assorted sandwiches. Compared to famously extravagant cruise buffets, it was simple fare. Any complaints about the lack of hot meals and dining options were met with swift dismissals.

  “I am not wasting energy when there are refrigerators to run!” Ana said, waving people away with a spoon dripping fruit juice.

  Simon thanked her as he filled a plate with sandwiches for himself and Esther. Frank Fordham sat at a larger table alone, so Simon carried their plate over to him. A few people looked up and nodded as he passed them. Esther studied them curiously, unafraid.

  “Frank? Can we join you?”

  “I suppose.” Frank waved his hand vaguely. He scanned the room, perhaps still hoping to find his son.

  “This is my daughter, Esther.”

  “Hello.” Esther hopped into the seat next to Frank. “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Frank.”

  “Do you like Thomas the Tank Engine?”

  “What?” For the first time Frank’s eyes landed on Esther, pulled away from his futile search.

  “Thomas. He’s a train. He has lots of friends, like Percy and Toby and Mr. Conductor.”

  “I’ve seen Thomas before,” Frank said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  “He’s really cool,” Esther said. “Sometimes he has engine trouble and his friends have to help him. I like engines. I can fix cars. I’m helping my daddy.” Esther took a huge bite of a sandwich.

  “Can you?” Frank said. He leaned closer to Esther, his mustache twitching. “I used to make engines. I was an engineer.”

  “What kind of engines?”

  “Ones for moving water. For purification systems, that sort of thing.”

  “What’s purication?” Esther asked.

  “Purification,” Frank said patiently. “It means taking dirty water and making it clean enough to use again.”

  “That sounds cool,” Esther said, her mouth still half-full of sandwich. “It’s not as cool as train engines, though. Those take people places.”

  “You’re right. Trains are cool.”

  The dining hall buzzed with earnest conversations. Everyone was calmer with a bit of food in them. They were already settling in for the journey, sharing where they were from and exchanging theories about what had happened. The two couples at the nearest table debated how far the volcanic ash could spread, raising their voices over the issue of wind speed.

  Simon looked around for the captain, but he was nowhere to be seen. Simon still wasn’t sure they should have told everyone about the volcano until they had more information. If the captain was wrong, everyone could be worrying and debating unnecessarily. As it was, it didn’t feel like reality had set in yet. They could almost be on a regular cruise.

  Judith walked over from the buffet table. She now wore a Catalina sweatshirt too. The pink-haired young woman who’d offered to help with the reception computers followed.

  “Is it okay if we sit with you, Simon?” Judith asked.

  Her question was tentative, but Simon got the impression that Judith was generally quite confident. It was something in the way she set down her tray and pulled back her chair. Her movements were swift and straight.

  Simon introduced Frank and Esther. Judith introduced Nora.

  “Your hair is pink,” Esther said.

  “Be polite, button,” Simon whispered.

  “It’s okay,” Nora said, grinning at Esther. “My hair is pink as a pony. That’s what my mom says.”

  “Ponies aren’t pink.” Esther wrinkled her nose.

  “You’re absolutely right. My mom’s a little crazy.” Nora laughed, but her voice was raw.

  “Where does your family live?” Simon asked.

  “Texas,” Nora said. “I don’t know how they are yet.” She thumbed at the row of earrings glinting in her ear.

  “Nora got onto the Internet for a few minutes,” Judith said. “The news confirmed what Captain Martinelli said . . . about Yellowstone.”

  “Was your source—?”

  “Saw it on the BBC.”

  It felt like all the air had drained from the room. Simon had been hoping the captain was delusional. But it was true. This could be the end.

  “The map might be wrong,” Nora said, fiddling with her earring again.

  “Did you see any pictures?” Simon asked.

  “A simulation of the ash fall.”

  “Did you get in contact with anyone?” Frank asked. “I need to find my son.”

  “My webmail wasn’t working,” Nora said. “The social networks are overloaded. I couldn’t get through to any of them.” She paused for a heartbeat. “Half of Texas is covered, but they have a chance.” She looked down at the sandwich that sat untouched on her plate.

  “Where’s your family, Judith?” Simon asked.

  “San Francisco.” She too studied her sandwich intently.

  “I’m so sorry. My wife and other daughter were in San Diego.”

  He thought about Nina, her rich brown eyes, her smile, the warmth of her skin. He remembered sneaking glances at her in the university library, inviting her to study with him beside the greenhouses, taking their newborn baby, Naomi, from her exhausted a
rms. Stop. This won’t help anyone.

  Judith met his eyes, utterly vulnerable for a split second. Then it was as if a cloud of ash covered her eyes, cloaking the light. Judith cleared her throat and straightened her back.

  “Nora got the room plans for the ship off the computer,” she said briskly. “If we’re going to be here for a few days, we should assign rooms so everyone has somewhere to sleep. We may need to make a few people move to crew cabins so there will be room for all the families, though.”

  “I’m not sure we should be making people do anything just yet,” Simon said, matching Judith’s businesslike tone. “We can find places for people to sleep in the restaurants for the time being. There’s probably a spa with beds or mattresses too.”

  “Everyone’s going to have to make sacrifices,” Judith said.

  “True. But I think we’ve all made enough sacrifices for today,” Simon said.

  An awkward silence descended on the table. Then Judith nodded.

  “Sure,” she said. “Oh, the pregnant lady had her baby. It seems fine.”

  “And the woman?”

  “She’s getting stitches, but the nurse said she’ll be okay.”

  “That is good news,” Simon said. “And terrifying news, to have a newborn in these circumstances.”

  “There’s a baby?” Esther asked. “Can we see it?”

  “I’m sure it needs to sleep right now,” Simon said. “We’ll go see it later.”

  “Can we name it Thomas?”

  “It’s a girl,” Judith said. “The mother named her Catalina.”

  “That’s a weird name,” Esther said.

  Judith leaned close to her. “I think so too,” she said.

  Esther grinned.

  “Shall we take a look at those room plans you found?” Simon said, pushing the rest of his sandwich over to his daughter. “I’ve been collecting the names of the people on board. We can start matching them up.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Nora unfurled her stack of papers and spread them across the table.

  They bent close to the diagrams and started working through the handwritten lists, crossing off those who were still on the ship. It felt good to do this straightforward motor task. The group avoided any further talk of families and focused on the simple puzzle of finding somewhere for everyone to sleep.

  Judith

  They worked all afternoon and late into the evening getting everyone food and a room or a mattress. Their little group began to gather helpers. They still hadn’t found a high-ranking member of the cruise staff to take over, but a woman named Willow Weathers, who sang in the lounge every night, knew her way around the ship. She told them about all the additional spaces where they might find extra blankets, sundries, and more space for people to sleep.

  Judith and Nora managed the room assignments. They spread out the diagrams on one of the bigger tables near the entrance to the dining hall and ticked off names as people came over to confirm whether they had a place to stay and whether there were any empty beds in their rooms. There were some complaints, but most people were too exhausted by the day’s events to protest too much. If anyone didn’t know where to go, either because they had still been in the process of checking in or because they were runners, Judith or Nora would give them a room number. Willow Weathers would then tell them how to get to the correct deck or assign a porter or a member of her backup band to help them.

  Simon divided people into teams to search the ship for anyone who hadn’t been accounted for yet. He dealt with any miscellaneous questions as best as he could, turning to the three women for their input often. Judith kept an eye on him as he delegated tasks and listened to the passengers’ concerns. With his quiet voice and unassuming demeanor, he had a calming effect on people. He could resolve conflicts with a hand on the shoulder and a soft word of encouragement.

  When Rosa Cordova, the woman they had met earlier in the plaza, demanded additional rooms for her large family, Simon listened patiently and referred her to Judith. The survivor count had climbed past the thousand mark, and Judith explained they needed every room filled to capacity. Rosa grudgingly accepted Judith’s verdict. She looked to Simon to see if he had noticed, but he was already dealing with a dispute between two older men. He apparently trusted her to take care of Rosa on her own.

  Most people cooperated. They only needed to stay on this ship for a few days, and then they’d be safe. They set their sights on Hawaii.

  By the time everyone had been fed and assigned a room, night had descended. Simon picked up his daughter, who had fallen asleep leaning against a support pillar near their table, and told Nora and Judith to get some rest.

  Nora invited Judith to bunk with her in her stateroom on the eighth deck. It was about the size of a college dorm room and had a queen-sized bed. The bathroom door retracted like an accordion, and a closet/dressing area separated the bathroom from the rest of the stateroom. The walls were painted sandstone, and large abstract prints hung above the bed in mostly sea green and purple. A small desk with a round cushioned chair sat between the bed and the floor-to-ceiling window. A little square balcony jutted out from the ship, divided by a low wall from the balconies on either side.

  “Toilet still works,” Nora said, poking her head around the corner of the dressing area.

  “That’s a relief. Hope it stays that way.” Judith sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her feet. She was thankful for her comfortable running shoes, but it had been a very long day. “Do you think the ship will make it all the way to Hawaii?” she asked.

  “It should,” Nora said. “We made it out of the ash fall.” She sat down on the other side of the bed and began removing her larger earrings.

  “How much longer do you think it’ll take to get there?” Judith asked.

  “Maybe three more days. A normal cruise does it in four to five, and we’ve been booking it.”

  Judith studied the other woman. She had tossed her heavy black trousers onto her suitcase, which had been delivered to the room before the chaos began. She had a tattoo of an upside-down tree stretching most of the way down her thigh.

  “Nora,” Judith said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Why were you cruising by yourself? Don’t people usually do that sort of thing with friends?”

  Nora was quiet for a moment. “This is supposed to be my honeymoon,” she said finally. “I know I don’t look like the cruising type, but my fiancée really wanted to do one. She loved the beach and Mexico and the sea . . .” Nora fell silent.

  “I’m sorry,” Judith said. “Did she . . . ?” Judith didn’t want to complete the sentence, even in light of the fact that most of the people she knew had probably died today. That still didn’t feel real.

  “Oh, no!” Nora said. “Nothing like that. The bitch got cold feet a few months ago and dumped me. I paid for the cruise, though, so I decided I’d go anyway and have a bang-up time. Guess the joke’s on me after all.”

  “Do you think she made it?” Judith asked.

  Nora sighed. “Yeah, she’s probably fine. She lives in Boston now.”

  “Do you think you’d want to see her again?” Judith asked. She thought of her own strained relationship with her parents. Despite everything, she desperately wanted to hear their voices. She wished things had been different between them. She’d even be happy to see her insipid stepfather.

  “Sure, why not?” Nora said. “I’m over it. God, I could sleep for a week. I had no idea apocalyptic disasters could be so exhausting.” She flipped over in bed and burrowed beneath the covers, so that Judith could only see the bright pink of her hair.

  Judith didn’t answer. She lay on the bed, still in her borrowed Catalina sweats, and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  Scenes from San Diego began to curl in the air above her like smoke. The screams. The pure terror on faces she barely registered as she ran after Simon. Esther’s pigtails bobbing like a beacon in front of her. She saw the animal fear in the pregnant woman’s ey
es. The bared teeth of the tall sailor as he pulled up the gangway behind them. The thick eyebrows of the man in the warship’s crow’s nest as it shot past them and blasted through the civilian ships. As she drifted to sleep, she imagined the veins pulsing in the little baby’s head, changing from blue to red to ashy gray as consciousness fled.

  Chapter 7—Day Two

  Judith

  Early the next morning Nora roused Judith from bed and dragged her back to the reception computer. There was no Internet. No matter what Nora tried, she couldn’t get a connection. Her eyes grew bloodshot as she stared at the computer screen, trying to find some way to break through to the rest of the world. The blank web browser was worse than static screaming through an old TV.

  Judith fetched food and coffee for both of them from the dining hall, where bleary-eyed passengers asked each other if they’d been dreaming. They huddled together and stared out at the empty sea. When they left San Diego, they’d been in the company of dozens of other ships, all speeding away from the shore. But now they were alone. Judith wondered if the other captains thought they’d be able to head back to the mainland rather than sailing straight for Hawaii.

  The sky swirled with multicolored clouds. A thick layer of grime coated the windows. Judith couldn’t tell if she was seeing real volcanic ash above them or if those were storm clouds. How long would it take the ash to fill the whole atmosphere? Those purple-black skies definitely weren’t normal. The sea was unsettled too, and it made Judith queasy to think about how far from land they were. How deep was the sea here? She was so used to being able to look up answers for questions like that in an instant. She had never felt so cut off from the world.

  She returned to the reception lobby, balancing a pair of bagels on top of overflowing coffee cups. She sat and sipped at the bitter liquid while Nora tapped away at the keyboard. Images from her nightmares rose before her, but she shook them off like mosquitoes.

  When passersby spotted Nora and Judith at the computer, they begged to have a turn.