Sea Sick: A Horror Novel(31)

“Your boyfriend?”

She nodded.

“I bet you did have friends, though? I mean, before you got with him.”

Claire didn’t answer, just shrugged.

“Well, listen up, Claire. You seem like a nice girl, so I’m going to give you a little bit of advice. I’m older than you, and a police officer, so I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen a lot of nice girls get isolated from their friends and family by a controlling boyfriend. It always happens gradually, so slowly that the girl doesn’t even realise what is happening. My advice to you is to get away while you still can. Find your friends and tell them you’re sorry. They’ll forgive you. Then tell this guy to go take a hike.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, but there was a slither of doubt in her voice.

Jack looked her in the eye. “Am I wrong?”

Claire went silent for a while, but eventually let out a big sigh and nodded. “No, you’re not wrong. He’s horrible to me. Doesn’t let me do anything. But I love him. He’s just young and acting tough in front of his mates, you know? He’ll change, I know he will.”

Jack laughed but he didn’t mean it to be cruel. “You know how many women have said that before you? And how many have regretted thinking it? You shouldn’t have to wait for a man to treat you right. You’re a nice young girl, Claire. One day you’ll see the big differences between men and boys. Not all guys will treat you like Conner. You’re just wasting your life with him.”

The girl seemed close to tears. “But…I can’t leave him.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t. I’m…we’re...”

Jack was about to respond to Claire, but before he could, Conner appeared.

Right on schedule, Jack thought ruefully.

The lad tilted his head towards Jack and scowled. “How you doing, mate?”

“I’m good,” said Jack. “Claire and I were just in the middle of a conversation.”

“Oh, really? Well, the conversation’s over, mate.”

Jack stared at Conner, not breaking eye contact for a single second. “Why is that?”

“What you mean, why is that? Because I f*cking said so.”

“Can’t Claire make up her own mind? Is she not allowed to have a conversation unless you allow it?”

Conner looked down at Jack as though he was a new species of ape. “You crazy or something? I’ll f*ck you up, mate.”

“I’d very much like to see you to try.”

Claire jumped up off her lounger and rushed in front of Conner. “Honey, just leave it. I don’t even know the guy.”

“She’s right,” said Jack. “She doesn’t know me at all. But I know you, Conner. You’re a sad, pathetic, little bully that controls women because you’re so scared of them leaving you. The reason you think like that is because you’re a piece of shit and you know it. No girl would ever stay with you unless you forced her too.”

Claire fought to restrain Conner who looked as though he might lift off like a rocket. She glanced back over her shoulder at Jack and shook her head at him. “I thought you were a police officer. Why are you causing trouble?”

“Police officer?” Conner grunted. “Come on, baby, let’s leave this pig alone. He’s messed up in the head, innit. Not worth getting arrested for.”


The two teenagers headed down the stairs and disappeared. Jack turned his attention to the elderly lovers kissing against the railing for few moments and wondered what their story was. Had they been in love for decades or were they both widowers who’d met each other later in life? Who knew? Jack thought they were sweet either way.

He lay back in his lounger, smiling. The altercation with Conner had been pointless, but had given him a small sense of satisfaction anyway. It was enough of a break from the usual doom and gloom to re-motivate him. As soon as Tally arrived, Jack would be ready to go back down to that cargo hold and make Donovan give them the answers he demanded. Until then, he was going to lie back and enjoy the sun.

***

Jack awoke in the dark, alone and shivering. The moist, salted air skimmed across the deck and brushed his face.





Damn it. I must have fallen asleep.

He had often fallen asleep on the Sun Deck on previous days, but he’d assumed that this time Tally would have arrived to wake him up. For some reason she hadn’t turned up at all.

Maybe Donovan shot her in the head and she’s dead – really dead.

Jack prodded at the bruising on his chest, huffed in pain. His gunshot wound was only a mere abrasion, but what if Tally had taken a bullet to the brain? Or even if she’d healed, would bruising on the brain be enough to stop her waking up? The possibilities were worrying.

Jack checked his watch and saw that it was a little after eight. It was almost time for the infected to attack. There were limited areas onboard that offered safety, but most would become overrun eventually, although the passenger cabins were mostly able to withstand the nightly terrors if they remained locked. Jack thought about going to his now. There was a bottle of Glen Grant in his luggage with his name on it. He couldn’t risk getting hurt tonight, not now that he was waking up with residual bruising from whatever fate had befallen him the evening before.