Ark Of Hope: Beyond The Dark Horizon

by Roger David Francis

  “We should try and get some rest, Brett said.

  There was a loud knock on the door.

  Chapter 6

  “Don’t answer it,” Cassie said breathlessly.

  Brett shook his head. “We have to; it might be someone who can tell us what’s going on.”

  “Well, be careful. I don’t think we can trust anyone at the moment.”

  “Cassie’s right, Brett,” Jade said, “There’s some very odd things happening, we need to be careful.”

  Robbie came out of the toilet looking pale and flopped back down on the bed. He had a memory of shovelling an amazing amount of food into his mouth, cramming it in as if his life depended on it. It had seemed important not to stop even when he was long past enjoying it, every mouthful an effort to chew. His head was clearing a little but his brain still felt fuzzy. Someone was banging on the door and he hoped it wasn’t Gary Wurner with more food.

  Brett pulled the bolt across and began opening the door slowly. It was pushed in and a man and woman barged into the room. She was tall and rotund dwarfing the skinny little man by her side.

  “What did I tell you, Harvey?” The woman screamed. “Didn’t I say someone was in our room?”

  “Shut you jabbering, woman,” Harvey growled. He glared at Brett. “What’s your game then?”

  “This is your room?” Brett asked.

  “Of course it is. Going to pretend you made a mistake and came in accidently? Sorry pal, it won’t wash. You and your mates broke in. I’m calling security.”

  “The door was unlocked; we thought no one was using the room.” Jade said. “We were just leaving anyway.” The woman’s face had gone red and she was glaring angrily at Robbie on the bed.

  “Would you look at that, Harvey?” she screamed, “He’s messing up our bed, we only had clean sheets put on this morning. I’m telling the Captain!”

  “Shut up, you mouthy bitch,” Harvey turned glittering eyes on Jade. He raised his voice and with a note of utter disbelief, shouted, “No-one using the room? Are you stupid?” He waved his hands around, “These are all our things.”

  The woman gave a tight wheezy screech, “Harvey, what are you going to do? I think all four of them have been using our bed, doing dirty things on it.” She began to sob, great noisy thick sounds that hacked from her throat.

  “Been having a foursome, have you?” Harvey’s eyes gleamed. He sniffed and narrowed his eyes, “Using our toilet too, is that our air freshener I can smell? Animals, the lot of you, can’t keep your hands off each other, disgusting. You’d better not have left a present floating in the toilet bowl for us to fish out.” He shook his head, his eyes wild, “I’ve seen you parading about on deck showing off your bodies, asking for it.” He grabbed the woman’s arm, “Get your things, Maureen, we’re going to demand a new cabin. We’ll let these dirty, sex mad swine’s have this one, it’s polluted now.”

  Robbie groaned and rolled off the bed heading for the toilet again.

  “That’s it,” Harvey bellowed, “Don’t mind us, just use our facilities why don’t you? Bastard!”

  Appalled, Jade watched as the couple moved about the room picking up clothes and toiletries, grunting under their breath. They looked about sixty years old, but the clothes they were wearing were odd for someone on a cruise ship. Harvey was white haired and tanned wearing black trousers and a thick black turtleneck jumper that made him look like a bulky little garden gnome. Maureen wore what looked to Jade like a wedding dress. It floated around her body, the fine net grey with dirt and age and what looked like smears of dried blood on the neckline. On her head was a sparkling coronet at odds with her thin wispy permed grey hair. Unaware how strange they looked, the couple continued to shovel items into a suitcase, muttering to themselves.

  “This was supposed to be our honeymoon,” Maureen complained.

  “It still is,” Harvey shouted, his face turning red, “I’m not letting you put off our wedding night any longer, Maureen, I’ve waited over sixty years already.”

  Maureen straightened up, her mouth agape. “You call this a honeymoon?” she sounded incredulous. “I told you we should have gone to Brighton.”

  “Stuff Brighton.” Harvey glanced back at the others. “Thieving rascals, you’ve spoilt our holiday, it was a once in a lifetime treat. Married on board by the Captain, we’ve never been so happy.” His voice was a low whine. “We’d got tonight all planned, just the two of us now you’ve dirtied our sheets and ruined everything.” His eyes glittered with outrage.

  Maureen joined in, “It was a lovely ceremony, I was overcome with emotion when Harvey said “I Do.” She frowned, “But then the room tilted. I thought it was me swooning but everyone was sliding off their seats.” She shook her head. “But it was still lovely.”

  Harvey patted her hand. “Till death do us part, I said that, didn’t I?”

  Maureen’s expression suddenly turned cunning, “You did, Harvey, but it wasn’t true, was it?” For a moment she looked uncertain and then she turned angrily back to Jade. “And now you’ve spoilt everything.”

  “We’ll leave,” Cassie told her, “Find another cabin.”

  “What are you, some sort of stowaways?” Maureen asked narrowing her eyes at Cassie.

  “What’s going on?” Robbie came out of the toilet rubbing his eyes, he looked like he was coming out of a drunken stupor, His eyes had a yellow tinge to them and his cheeks were pallid. Every now and then he burped gently and grimaced.

  “We’re not stowaways,” Cassie told the woman. “The boat we were on was sinking because of the storm; we had to climb aboard this ship.”

  “And steal our cabin,” the woman finished off. “And let me tell you, you don’t know the meaning of a storm, does she, Harvey?”

  “No.” Harvey’s hands suddenly fluttered in the air. “People lose their lives, there aren’t enough lifeboats to go around, it’s mayhem, everyone fighting to save their own skins, and then the poor bastards drown, get eaten by sharks, chewed up and spat out, that’s what happens in real storms.” He looked angry and confused.

  Jade flinched watching him, the pupils of his eyes seemed to be crawling around the white inner membrane as if they couldn’t quite focus. He put his hand to his ear.

  “I’ve got earache,” he grumbled, and drew his hand back, holding it out. His bloodied ear lay in the palm and he stared at it for a moment and then threw it down on the floor.

  “Stop moaning, Harvey,” Maureen told him, frowning, “I’ve got love bites all over my neck but I’m not complaining.” She pulled down the top of her blouse and a necklace of tiny bite marks covered her throat, some of them still bleeding. The gaping hole in her windpipe was oozing a sticky pale fluid.

  “Whoops,” Harvey chuckled, “Did I do that?”

  Maureen’s eyes flickered. “I don’t think so,” she said thoughtfully. She looked around, “Are we ready then?” she said and slammed the lid on a suitcase. “I think that’s everything. You can keep that manky towel on the floor. One and sixpence it cost me but I don’t expect you to pay for it.” She looked expectantly at Cassie.

  One and sixpence; what did that mean? Cassie fished deep in the pocket of her trousers and bought out a couple of pound coins. She handed them to Maureen.

  Harvey’s hand shot out and he grabbed the money peering at it suspiciously. He gave a short bark, “What’s this then, monopoly money?” He threw the coins across the room and lifted the suitcase up. “We’re going to reception to get another room. I shall be reporting you.”

  Jade stared at his hand holding the suitcase. Three of his fingers were dangling by a thin thread of tendons as if they’d been bitten off by something with very sharp teeth. She watched as the ginger cat shot out of the door followed by Harvey and Maureen as they struggled out the cabin with their cases, banging the door shut behind them. Robbie laughed.

  “This is fun, isn’t it?” He said. “You know what? We’re moving.”

  “Yes, I’m going to th
e bridge to speak to the captain.” Brett said confidently.

  “You’re kidding, right?” Jade shook her head, “Brett, there’s no captain, haven’t you got the message yet? We’re alone. These people aren’t real; they’re some sort of ghosts still living in the nineteen fifties, enjoying a cruise around the Bermuda Triangle. Or at least they were until the ship sank. Surely you’ve worked that out by now?”

  Cassie’s eyes had widened. “That can’t be right,” she whispered.

  “It is. And if you want me to prove it come with me back to the dining room and I guarantee it will look the same as it did when we first came aboard. The food will still be steaming on the plates and the cigarettes will still be burning in the ashtrays.” Jade told her.

  “She’s not wrong,” Robbie burped again a little louder and fell back on the bed closing his eyes. “I’m tired,” he muttered. Cassie flopped down on the bed beside him.

  “Me too,” She said and curled up in a foetal position.

  Brett looked uncertain so Jade said, “Come on then Brett, “You and I will check out the bridge to satisfy you, we’ll leave these two to get some rest. I don’t think we’ll be seeing our friends Maureen and Harvey again.”

  The corridor was silent and empty as they stepped outside the cabin. There was no sign of any life as they made their way to the end.

  “Maybe the other passengers have embarked on a day trip to one of the islands,” Brett suggested hopefully. “Before you know it they’ll all come charging in and the ship will be full of people.”

  “Don’t kid yourself.” Jade answered shortly.

  “Well, you’ve already made up your mind so where does that leave us?”

  “We have to get off this ship, Brett. Maybe we could find a life boat?” She paused. “Don’t these cruise ships carry a Tender boat to go from ship to shore?”

  “Maybe, but we could be miles from land. And if we found a lifeboat what do you think we would do, sail off into the middle of the ocean and wave our arms around? We’re safer staying on the ship for now.” Brett’s expression was grim and Jade decided she wasn’t going to argue with him.

  They made their way past the dining room, glancing in at the plates steaming with hot food, neither of them said a word, they just carried on walking. They rounded a bend and bumped into the waiter, Gary Wurner.

  He was carrying a tray with four dishes of ice cream on. “I was coming to find you, Sir,” he said to Brett. “I thought you might enjoy the Chef’s speciality, homemade vanilla ice cream with chocolate flakes.”

  Brett drew his breath in sharply. Wriggling around inside the ice cream were tiny brown beetles. Gary Wurner stood beaming as Jade cried out in disgust.

  “Not to your taste, madam?” he enquired.

  “You are a vile man,” Jade gasped. “I don’t know what you’ve fed my boyfriend but if anything happens to him I swear I’ll kill you.”

  Gary Wurner chuckled. “Bit late for that, Madam, but you know that, don’t you?” his eyes twinkled coldly. “I was hoping your friend would get acquainted with Carter but you put a stop to that. I do wish you wouldn’t interfere.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “You know, some of us don’t have the luxury of ice cream, it’s just not available.” He dipped his finger in one of the dishes and stuck it in his mouth sucking at the ice cream and crunching the beetles. “Delicious.” He murmured.

  Jade stared at him with hatred. “What do you want with us, what have we ever done to you?”

  A flicker of fury crossed the waiter’s face. “You’re alive, aren’t you?” he hissed. He threw the tray onto the floor and turned abruptly, disappearing around the corner.

  Jade swallowed hard as the tiny beetles began swarming out of the ice cream and over the floor. Brett grabbed her hand and they began running, not stopping until they came to a flight of steps.

  They made their way down several flights, listening to the faint throbbing noise of an engine a little way ahead that seemed to be getting louder.

  “How do you know we’re going the right way?” Jade asked.

  “I don’t. I suspect we’re heading towards the engine room, we’re on the bottom part of the ship, it figures that if we follow the noise we’ll come to it. Someone’s keeping the ship moving, we might find out what’s going on.”

  Jade sighed. Brett wasn’t going to accept anything less than what he could see with his own eyes. It seemed strange to be with him and not Robbie, awkward almost, though Brett didn’t appear to notice. She felt sorry for him, knowing he would be blaming himself for the predicament they were in. It would go round and round in his head, why had he agreed to go on a boat trip, why had he invited his friends along. Why had he thought this holiday was a good idea? They were damaging useless thoughts to carry around and Jade wanted to assure him he wasn’t to blame, that none of this was his fault and he was doing his best, but she couldn’t.

  They rounded a corner and the engine noise became more insistent, so loud now that Jade wanted to put her hands over her ears.

  “There,” Brett pointed, “The door in front of us.”

  He pushed the steel door open and they stepped inside. The noise immediately stopped. Huge pipes, that moments before had been rattling and belching out steam, quivered to a halt. It was hot and sulphuric in the room and there was no fresh air coming in.

  Jade coughed. “God, this is awful.” She reached out her hand and touched one of the pipes with her finger drawing back with a squeal. “Ouch! That burns.” She sucked her finger wincing.

  “Don’t touch anything,” Brett warned. “Follow me and be careful. At least we know someone’s here attending to the engine room, maybe we’ll get some answers at last.”

  They made their way past the huge pipes to the end and Jade tried to breathe through her nose, her throat feeling like it was on fire. She was worried about Robbie, he’d seemed a little better but she dreaded to think what he’d ingested, what it had done to his brain.

  She remembered a party at a pub held at the end of exams four years ago before she’d met Robbie. She’d never done drugs but she and her group of friends were celebrating so the drinks were flowing freely. So freely in fact that when she began to feel she’d had enough and was ready to go home she was offered a little white pill. It looked so innocent, like a baby Aspirin. One quick gulp and she’d swallowed it down, laughing, urged on by her friends. The next couple of hours were a blur but when she woke up the next morning she was lying in a dirty passageway close to the pub. Bruised, half naked and feeling sick she’d somehow stumbled home. To this day she didn’t know what had happened to her but she suspected from her injuries that she’d been sexually assaulted. Had she asked for it? Is that what people would say if she told them? Maybe. So she’d kept it to herself, let her friends believe she’d gone home in a taxi. Since then the very thought of drugs was abhorrent to her and she knew she was going to have to keep a close eye on Robbie.

  “This isn’t the engine room,” Brett fretted, “It’s the boiler room. We have to go back. We’re nowhere near the bridge.”

  Jade frowned. “The boilers were working, how is that possible?”

  “I don’t know, do I?” Brett ran his hand through his hair, a bewildered expression on his face.

  She said, “Are you going to tell me that the maintenance crew have all taken off to sun bathe on deck or maybe gone for a jolly little swim in the ocean too?” Jade knew she sounded exasperated but Brett needed to understand.

  “This is all just so wrong!” he burst out.

  The door ahead of them was suddenly flung open.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing in here?” A tiny man, no more than five foot tall screamed into the room. He was wearing a Captain’s uniform that was much too big for him, the trouser legs bunching around his ankles. His wrists were engulfed in sleeves that covered his hands and flopped over the side. About eighty years old, his wizened face was screwed up with anger and disbelief.

  “My name’s Brett;
and we’re....”

  The little man interrupted, glaring at him fiercely. “I don’t give a rat’s arse what your name is, boy!” he yelped, “You’ve got no right to be snooping in my boiler room.”

  “We’re not snooping,” Cassie spoke sharply. “And please stop shouting at us. We’re trying to find the Captain of this ship.”

  “Well, you’ve found him.” The little man drew himself up to his full height and Cassie decided he was probably more like four foot ten. “Do you know what I hate about my job?” He asked with an agitated whine not waiting for a reply. “Passengers, they’re nothing but a damnable nuisance the lot of them. Always wanting something, never satisfied, the constant moaning never ends. And they snoop around, sneak into places they’re not meant to be, upsetting my hardworking crew.” He paused for breath, his mouth working angrily, then carried on ranting, “Pulling at my sleeve, telling me their toilet doesn’t work, their bed’s not soft or hard enough, the bloody steak’s tough. I hate them all!”

  He was wearing a peaked cap which he took off and scratched his head. He didn’t have much hair, just a few dark grey strands carefully combed across his bald pate. He was still standing in the doorway.

  “We’ll leave then, shall we?” Brett said.

  “Oh no you don’t,” the Captain growled. “You’re coming with me. You’ve already interrupted my dinner. Do you know how important it is for people to sit at the Captain’s table? And now you’ve spoilt it for them.” He tutted. “So much to do,” he grumbled, “the knobbly knees competition, fancy dress, glamorous grandmother, I have to be there to oversee them all, make sure nothing goes wrong, that no-one cheats. They all want to win and do you know why?” Without waiting for them to reply he went on proudly, “because first prize is dinner at the Captain’s table.”

  “Very nice,” Brett said.

  “How did you know we were here?” Cassie asked him curiously.

  “Sixth sense. All Captains of ships have to have a sixth sense, it’s a requirement of the job; everybody knows that.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?” Brett asked; his words soft, “You’re not the Captain at all, you’re wearing a uniform that’s much too big for you and you’re too old.”