Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

“Perhaps he’s right,” Vicky said.

“No,” said Ivor. “We’ve been over this again and again. We’ll be fine in Germany.”

“Well, it’s up to you,” Jack told them. “I won’t stand in your way.”

“Why are you helping us?” asked Vicky.

“Because I’m guilty of the same thing. I’ve killed people that deserved it, too.”

Ivor’s eyes went wide. “Really? I didn’t know that the British police force were in the habit of using lethal force.”

“They’re not,” said Jack. “I wasn’t on duty. My partner had just been killed by a gang, and I decided to do something about it. I tracked down their main hangout, turned up in the middle of the night while they were all stoned. I killed six of them by the time I was done. The first one was difficult, but it got easier. I even started to enjoy it by the end. I wished I could have taken out more of them, to be honest.”

“God, man,” Ivor uttered. “I can’t believe you’re telling us all this.”

“It’s the truth,” said Jack. “And I’ll tell you something else: I’ve never been the same since. So believe me, Vicky, when I tell you I understand what you did and what you are going through. I feel sorry for you, though, because it doesn’t get any easier. At least you have your family around you. You’ll manage to pull through somehow.”Jack wished that were true. He would truly have liked to see Ivor and his family sail off into the sunset together.

“Thank you,” said Vicky. “That means a lot to hear from a stranger – a policeman, no less.”

“Yes,” said Ivor. “You’re a kind man…in the grand scheme of things, at least. And the things you did? I think most people would understand them too.”

“Thanks,” said Jack, getting up from the table. “You all take care now. I wish you luck.”

Jack wore a smile on his face and headed out of the room, ready to go and commit another murder.

***

Jack took the elevator down to the Orlap Deck, resuming his previous mission to locate Donovan. Funnily enough, out of all the places he’d encountered the cowboy the last two weeks, the Cargo Bay wasn’t one of them. In fact it was about the only place that Jack hadn’t had a confrontation with the American. Yet when he arrived there now, Donovan was standing in plain sight in the centre of the walkway. He was holding his hands up.

“Given up even hiding now?” Jack asked.

“Just calm down a second, pardner.” Donovan backed away slowly but didn’t make a run for it. “You been coming at me like a wild bull with his tail on fire for two weeks now and you haven’t once stopped to tell me why.”

Jack approached. “You know why.”

“I truly don’t, pardner. Truth is you got me terrified. One night we’re drinking together, nice as pie, the next you start coming at me like a mad man trying to kill me. Heck, let’s be honest about it, you have been murdering me – strange as that may sound.”

Jack shook his head. “I wish that were true, but we both know that killing someone on this goddamn ship is impossible. We all come back again.”


“You believe that, Jack? Do you really think that what you’re doing is not killing?” He lifted up his shirt to show a deep purple bruise where Jack had previously stuck a knife in.“You think that when you stab me, shoot me, or drown me, that I’m not dying? You’re a murderer, Jack, plain and simple. Before you went psycho on me, you told me a little story about how you let rage overcome you once before. How did it turn out for you that time, pardner?”