The sound of rushing water followed next. It hadn’t reached their room yet, but now that they were walking against the wall instead of the floor, their journey just got impossible.
“What do we do now?” Kate asked to no one in particular.
“We get the hell out of here.” Terrance said. “If we come across anyone on our way we’ll bring them aboard, but we’re on a different timetable now. Who knows how long we have until the ship sinks.”
“You have less time than that.” It was the pilot’s voice on the headset.
“What do you mean?” Terrance asked, the slightest hint of panic creeping in. “Because the ship titled I can’t land anymore. I’m running out of fuel. You have about twenty minutes to get up to me or else I’m going to have to come back for you.”
That would take hours. The copter would have to return to the carrier they lifted off from, refuel, and then fly back out to them. If that happened, there was a good chance they would never get off this ship.
CHAPTER THREE
Terrance was taking in a couple of deep breaths. “Alright. Thanks for letting us know. We’ll do our best.”
The line went down and Terrance looked at his team. “Alright, you all know the deal. Let’s get out of here.”
Kate looked over at the door. It was a few feet above her. She jumped managed to grab onto it with her fingers. Jake pushed her up the rest of the way. Once she was on the door, she knelt down and did her best to stabilize.
There was a long way up from here to the next hall. And there was nothing for them to walk on. It was a long way down from here to the stairs.
“Does anyone have a cable?” Kate asked.
Terrance handed Jake one of his spare cables, who in turn gave it to Kate. She unraveled it and began to swing it. If she was lucky, she’d be able to hook it to the door at the end of the hall. Then they could climb up to the other room. From there they could at least walk along the side of the wall. It would be easier to make a plan once they figured out where they were and where they could go.
Kate slipped the cable out of her hands, launching it above her. It slung over the door and she heard the click of the hook grabbing hold of something. She tugged on it to test it. It held pretty well. Normally she’d hope for something a bit more secure, but they were running out of time.
“I’ll go first.” She said, wrapping her gloves around the rope. She took in a deep breath, prepping herself. If the rope didn’t hold she would plummet to her death. The drop wouldn’t be very far, but crashing into the metal bars would kill her instantly.
“Be careful.” Terrance said, trying his best to smile confidently at her.
Kate appreciated it. “I’ll do my best.” She tugged once more on the rope and slid her legs around the rope. It supported her weight, which was good because she’d be applying less pressure once she pushed her feet against the wall.
Kate braced herself against the wall and began climbing. It was easier than she thought. She focused and quickly made her way to the top.
She saw exactly what she wanted up there. The side of the wall would act like a floor for them to walk on.
“We’re good!” She called back.
Instead of voices from her team responding to her, she heard some growling echo up her way. It wasn’t coming from the hall below her though. Instead it was coming from the area she’d just entered.
“There are more of them up here!” Kate said, unslinging her rifle and aiming it ahead. She didn’t see anything yet, but she was sure something was coming.
“We’re on our way!” Terrance was calling.
In the meantime, Kate could see hands appearing outside the room down the hallway. They were just as scarred and irradiated as the other was. And they were beginning to climb up.
Their growl was vicious, something like a high pitched gargle. There wasn’t just one this time though. At least two per room were rising out of the doors.
Kate fired a few warning shots at their hands, but the sight was narrow and a little tough to hit with the ship constantly rotating.
Things got a little easier once they got out of the room. The bodies were in shambles. Of some of them were missing limbs, simply crawling their way towards her.
“How many are there?” Terrance asked, climbing his way towards her.
Kate was too focused to answer. She popped up a few shots in burst rounds. One of them went down. It fell hard into the ground, making a squishing sound akin to rotten milk. Kate did her best not to breathe, the smell was intolerable.
Terrance had made his way up to her. His eyes went wide when he saw what was ahead of him. Even so, he twisted his gun around and began firing.
“We need to push them back.” He said. “We have to give the rest of the guys room to get up.”
“Roger that, remember to aim for their heads.” Kate said, pressing forward. They’d taken out a few of the monsters, but more were on their way. This particular hallway was long and housed more rooms than she could count. If there were at least two monsters per room, they were going to need a lot more ammo.
Terrance joined in her firing against the beasts as the rest of the team climbed up to meet them. By the time Kate had looked back there was only one more person left to take the rope: Jake.
Even over the sounds of barking orders and flying bullets she was able to hear the whip crack of the rope.
“Jake!” She yelled, running past her teammates to where the rope had hooked. She saw nothing in its place except a frayed wire. She shined her flashlight down the hall.
The sight at the end of the tunnel was a pile of mangled limbs and blood that somewhat resembled Jake.
“Kate! We need to move!” said Terrance, bringing her back into the moment.
She shook it off and focused at the task at hand. With the five of them firing, they were able to take down the remaining savages and make their way to end of the hall. From there they made into the stairwell, which they were able to use like a ladder to make it to the next floor. They didn’t want to risk using the cruise ship’s elevator for fear of being trapped in a metal box.
The journey to the mid-level of the ship was easier than expected. Because the mid-level didn’t have any rooms or housing, there were very few monsters to content with. The only trouble was gaining access to each level when the ship stood vertical. But eventually they managed to make it to the area where people board the ship.
“Can we get out through here?” Kate asked.
Terrance looked over. “I don’t think the copter can pick us up from here. There isn’t enough clearance. We need to go higher.”
Unfortunately for them that meant they would have to go through the dining area, which was no doubt the largest area in the ship. It was entirely possible that the captain had the crew and the passengers on those levels crowd into the dining room for safety.
“Are you sure that’s the best choice? Is there any way for us to go around it?” Kate asked.
Terrance shook his head. “I’d love to, but since we’re vertical I can’t be sure where we’re going. We could get lost or worse. We need to cut through there as fast as possible. From there we can get to the forward deck. That’s where the pilot can pick us up.”
Kate took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s do this.” She motioned for Terrance to take up the front. He nodded and went ahead. Everyone else followed his lead.
They made quick work of the other areas and were soon standing in front of the door to the dining room. They all checked their equipment and made sure their weapons were fully loaded.
“Are you all ready?” Terrance asked. “This all we need to get through and we’re home safe and remember head shots only.”
They all nodded. At once both Kate and Terrance opened the door. A rush of furniture came flying at them. All five of them managed to move out of the way in time before the pile could sweep them aside.
The group was immediately met by the sound of high pitched gurgling. The stench of rott
ing flesh filled the room. It didn’t help that they were forced to climb their way through the dining room.
Kate led them inside, keeping her gun trained in front of her. The last she wanted was for one of those hideous creatures to pop out and take her.
There wasn’t any lighting. By now the daylight they were hoping for had disappeared. The only thing that provided light was the flashlight on the rifle.
Then there was a scream! Kate turned around and one of their soldiers, she wasn’t too sure on the name, they’d been put together so quickly, had disappeared. There was the sound of screams fading into the distance and the squishing of flesh being torn open.
Four of them remained. They were only a quarter through the dining room. They had to move at such a slow pace to ensure their safety. Rushing things meant people might slip and fall back to the bottom.
The beasts began to show themselves. One by one they were attracted to them by the scent of fresh human flesh.
Kate opened fire, doing her best to hang on to the rope that was attached to her belt. The monsters – whatever they were – seemed to stick to the wall with the skin. It had become something of a paste, allowing them to crawl across the walls.
These monsters seemed more advanced in their disease than the first few they saw. Their faces had fallen off almost completely. The others simply had their faces hanging down off their skeletons. Blood flowed from the openings, pouring on to Kate’s goggles and the faces of her team.
In the struggle another member of the team was lost. If Kate recalled correctly his name was Connor. He lost his grip on the rope and fell to his death. He didn’t even have time to struggle before the creeps descended on him, tearing him apart.
Kate continued firing, doing her best to spray as wide as possible. They were covering the walls so there was no way to miss. After every few second she should try to climb a few more feet.
There were only three of them left and they were so close to the exit. They only had a few more feet to go. But the monsters had encroached on them and were picking up speed.
Kate went to fire and only heard a dull clicking in response. She was out of ammo. Kate immediately tossed the rifle at one of the monsters and drew her sidearm. It was a small pistol with only nine shots. But it would do the trick until she got to the door.
There was so much noise that Kate could barely think. She was running on pure instinct now. She could see the door up ahead. She was nearly there. After another few shots she made the leap, pushing the door open.
A rush of cold air flooded the room and Kate felt like she could breathe a little better. The air was salty and cool like the water. She could hear the beating of the helicopter’s propellers. She only hoped they weren’t too late to make it on board.
“We’re coming!” she yelled. “We’re nearly there!”
The helicopter came in closer, shining a search light over the ship. “I see you! Once you’re out of there I’ll drop the ladder down.”
Those words gave Kate the final push she needed. She let off nearly all the remaining rounds she had, giving her enough room to make it out of the dining room.
She was now near the outside pool, which had since drained because of the ship’s vertical stance. She stood on the other double door of the dining room, reaching out for Terrance. He was also using his side arm to give himself clearance to exit.
Once he was close enough, she hoisted him up to the exit. That only left their remaining partner, a young man named Laurence. He was struggling to make it up and it appeared as though he’d be out of ammo any second.
Terrance had already climbed the rope and was calling out for Kate to follow him. She looked down one last time at Laurence. Then checked her pistol. There was still a remaining round in it.
She did the most humane thing she could think of. She closed one eye and held her arms steady. Then Kate put a bullet in Laurence’s head. His body went limp as he fell into the darkness of the dining room.
Kate then slammed the other door shut and joined Terrance on the helicopter.
“Get us out of here!” he yelled to the pilot.
The copter turned at once to take them back to the carrier.
Both Kate and Terrance rode in silence.
MURDER ON THE TRACKS
CHAPTER ONE
“Hey Sarge, you should take a look at this.” Said a nasally voice to Detective Sergeant Allen Crews. He’d just arrived to the precinct and was still bleary eyed from his commute. In his hand idly sat a cup of coffee, which he’d yet to be able drink from.
The nasally voice belonged to his subordinate, Jack Boerne. He had a nasty habit of bothering Crews before he was able to settle in at his desk. He was a thin, somewhat lanky guy who got way too excited over the simplest of things.
“Jack…” Crews said in an exhausted tone. “Can I please get to my desk, take off my coat, and pretend you don’t exist for just five minutes?” Crew on the other hand was a large… large man, with lots of muscle and a distaste for being bored.
“Are you sure? I have something you’ll really want to see.”
Crews just looked at him and waited. Eventually Jack would get the point.
Jack laughed shyly. “Sure Sarge, whatever you say.”
Crews nodded and slowly stepped over to his desk. He set down his cup of coffee, took off his coat, and got settled in at his desk. He booted up his computer and checked his email. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing exciting for him to read. Even so, he pretended to be interested as he sipped his coffee. As long as people thought he was busy he wouldn’t be bothered until he was ready.
But there was one thing that caught his eye. It was an email from his Captain, asking for an update on a series of murders that Crews had been working on. Bodies kept winding up in the middle of empty subway cars. The bodies were all males in their twenties to thirties and their eyes were clawed out. Their hands and genitals had also been cut off. Even weirder, they could never be recovered. The going theory was that they were trophies kept by some sort of serial killer. Unfortunately Crews were no closer to catch the perp than he was before the Captain started bugging him.
After a few minutes he set down his coffee, signifying that he was ready to speak to human beings once more.
Within seconds of his cup hitting the table Jack was at this side. “Are you ready now Sarge? I have something you’ll really want to see.”
“Dammit Jack, you already said that.” Crews said, wondering what could be so damn important.
“I know Sarge,” he said excitedly. “But I meant it so much I just had to remind you.”
Jack had a tendency to overhype things, so naturally Crews were a little apprehensive about whatever he had to show him. Despite that feeling though, he knew that until he saw whatever it was Jack wanted, he wouldn’t be left alone.
“Alright Jack. Let’s see what you’ve got.” Crews said, psyching himself up to be disappointed, and more than likely annoyed by what he was about to see. He stood and followed Jack.
Instead of going into the presentation room or even the lunch room, Jack led Crews past those rooms and down towards the interrogation room. He wondered what this could be about.
“Jack… Is this some kind of joke? I mean, no offense, but you usually want to show me the newest sandwich you created and things like that.” Crews asked, squinting with a confused expression.
Jack laughed. “Yeah I know, but today it’s something a little different. I think you’ll actually like it for a change… or care for that matter.”
Crews shrugged. “Alright. What do we have?”
They came up on the last interrogation room. “I think you should see for yourself.” The smile was gone from Jack’s face. Now he appeared to be worried.
“Is everything alright?” Crews asked.
“I just realized now that we’re here, you might not react as well as I wanted you to.” Jack said, avoiding eye contact as best as possible.
Crews were worried now. Jack was
never unsure about his crazy ideas. “What is this?”
“Just go inside.” Jack said, motioning to the door.
Crews took a deep breath and went inside to the room behind the one-way mirror. He didn’t want to be caught off guard by anything.
He closed the door, leaving Jack outside, and looked through the one-way mirror.
Crews paused, his expression falling. Disbelief filled him as he stared through the mirror, at the person on the other side.
Sitting there was a young woman. She had to be in her late twenties at this point. She wore a simple white shirt, nearly see through, that came down cuffed at her elbows. Her pants were scuffed jeans with slight rips at the knees. Her hair was jet black, it almost seemed to drain the color from the rest of the room.
Her lips were pale, like the rest of her skin. It was like the moon. Her eyes looked tired, like she hadn’t slept in years. Yet they were also dark blue, so stark they Crews swore she was staring right through him.
Crews felt tears flowing down his face. He sniffled and wiped them away immediately. He didn’t want to leave, but there were questions that needed answering. Whether he wanted them to or not, his legs took him outside the room.
“How do you feel?” Jack asked as Crews closed the door behind him.
Crews wiped another tear away from his face. “Where did you find her?”
“Two patrolmen found her walking around the subway station. She was mumbling incoherently to herself. They brought her in to the eighty-first and when I heard about it, I had her transferred here immediately.” Jack said.
Crews took a deep breath and tried to steady his heart. “Why didn’t I hear about this sooner?”
“Because they didn’t know it was her. To be fair she looks quite a bit different than the last time we saw her.”
Crews couldn’t help but agree. “Is she safe to talk to?”
Jack shrugged. “I’m not sure. The shrink is on her way, but I wanted you to talk to her first before they take her away.”
Crews smiled at Jack and pat him absently on the shoulder. “Thanks man, I owe you one.”
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