Sea Sick: A Horror Novel(26)

Jack had previously thought he was in Hell for the sins he had committed, and it was a theory he could get to grips with. He found himself struggling to believe in Tally’s version of events. Why had this pathwalker (he felt stupid even saying the word) picked him over a thousand other passengers? What was so special about Jack?

He’d woken that day at 1400hrs as always. In some way he had hoped that the new knowledge of the situation would have been enough by itself to break the spell. No such luck.

He’d agreed with Tally to meet her again today at around four. It was now a quarter-to and Jack was still lying on the bed in his cabin, fully clothed and ready to leave. His depression had lifted at the realisation he now had a companion onboard – someone with whom he could share his fate. Not being alone made all the difference; one of his basic human needs had been restored.

Jack got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. He glanced in the mirror. Although it had been the best part of a year since he’d boarded the Spirit of Kirkpatrick, it looked like he’d aged a whole decade. Jack knew it was the stress and misery he’d been subjected to, but he was also concerned that it was because he was actually aging. The day was being reset at midnight each night, but he was not. Jack was living every day. His life was ticking away.

Jack left his room and took the elevator up to the Broadway Deck. He was going to meet Tally by the pool and together they were going to search the ship for the pathwalker. Hopefully whoever it was would be shrouded by a sphere of glowing light and wearing a mage’s robe.

I should be so lucky.

Tally was already waiting for Jack when he reached the pool. She was again dressed in casual clothing and seemed to be hiding out from the other members of staff. If they saw her she would probably have to explain why she wasn’t at work like she was supposed to be.

“Hey,” he said, walking up to her. “How are you?”

“I am fine, thank you. Are you ready?”

“I guess so. Do you have any ideas where to start?”

“No. It could be anyone. Pathwalkers have belonged to every race since the dawn of time. They could be as normal as you and I.”

“Great,” said Jack. “Just a thousand or so passengers to check on then.”

“Plus three-hundred staff.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you know if it was a member of staff?”

Tally shrugged. “I’ve not spoken to most of them. It’s a big ship and we all have our own areas.”

“So where should we start?”

“I don’t know. I guess we should try to make a plan.”

“Okay, is there anything to look for specifically, to find a pathwalker I mean?”

“They will be outside of the spell, like us. Have you noticed anybody else not following a pattern?”

Jack stared at his shoes and thought about it, before looking back at Tally. “I honestly haven’t. You were the first person I realised was like me.”

“Okay then, so we have nothing. We should just start at the bottom and work our way up.”

“You mean at the bottom of the ship?”

“Yes. Let’s go down to the Orlop Deck – that is the lowest part of the ship. There is a small amount of cargo onboard. Maybe that will give us some clues.”

“Cargo? But this is a cruise liner.”

Tally sighed impatiently. “The ship is owned by BR shipping. They take advantage of their cruise itineraries by offering free freight service to their subsidiary companies.”

Jack scratched his chin. “BR? BR? Where do I know that name from?”

“Black Remedy. They are the largest commercial entity in the world. I would think they are familiar to everybody.”

Jack clicked his fingers. “Yeah, that’s it, Black Remedy. Jesus, they even have their hands in the holiday business now?”

Tally shrugged. “Looks like it. Now come on. We may feel like we have eternity to find the pathwalker, but we do not.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“Enough!” Tally took Jack by the arm and begun dragging him away from the pool. “No more questions. We have to get started.”

***

Tally took them down to the bowels of the ship via the elevator. She first had to key in a code on the console which allowed her access to the none-passenger parts of the ship.

The Orlop Deck was stifling, lit only by fluorescent strip lighting. There were no windows or soft furnishings of any kind. The floor was uncarpeted, leaving the metal walkways exposed. There was the sound of machinery nearby and the ship seemed to move with every wave.

“The cargo hold is aft,” said Tally. “This way.”

They headed down a corridor towards the back of the ship. There were no doorways on this level and everything was wide open. Up ahead there were several cargo pallets, wrapped tightly in saran wrap and secured to the floor by ropes and buckles. Some of the pallets were stacked ten feet high.

“What is all this stuff?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. BR usually transports medicines from their plant in Portugal to other countries in Europe.”

“How do you know so much about Black Remedy?”

“Because I like to know who I work for. Plus, all the staff know that the lower hold is used for shipping. It is no secret.”