Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

He got dressed and sat down on the end of the bed, then stared at the blank television screen as he thought again about the sickness onboard. It was still unclear whether or not it was the reason for everything that was happening. Was there really a way to stop the virus? To save everyone from their grisly fate? Jack had tried before, but it had been no good. So, what was he missing? Why was he stuck here? Who was responsible? There were so many questions that Jack’s throbbing skull began to ache even worse. One thing was for sure, though, if Jack did manage to find a way to break the spell, Donovan was going to end up in handcuffs the moment he left the ship. BR Shipping would also have some difficult questions to answer about the large sums of money stored away in the hold – not to mention God knows what else.

As Jack thought about how to spend his day, he decided that all he wanted to do was find Tally. He’d been jumped right outside her room and it was a possibility that Donovan had hurt her again. Jack needed to make sure she was okay.

Jack tried her cabin again but there was no answer, just as had been the case before. He constantly checked over his shoulder as he went about the ship, wary of being jumped again from behind. The next place he searched was the Sports Deck, but that, too, was free of Tally’s presence. He would try there again later if need be, but decided, for now, to visit the pool area and Sun Deck. Perhaps Tally would be working there again, trying to find some comfort in her old role.

Jack got a drink from the bar in High Spirits and took it out with him to the Sun Deck where he found Claire. They exchanged small talk as usual but Jack paid no mind to her; he was more focused on keeping a look out for Tally. Each second she didn’t show up made him worry about her a little more.

“You’re in a nosey mood,” said Claire.

Jack looked at her, hearing her words but not really absorbing them. “Huh?”

“You keep looking around the ship and staring at people.”

“Oh,” said Jack. “Yeah, I guess I do.” He suddenly had an idea. “I’m a…health inspector. I travel on cruise liners to look out for signs of infectious illnesses.”

Claire went pale. “What?”

Jack put a hand up. “Oh, don’t worry. We’re talking Avian Flu at worse, and that wouldn’t affect a healthy young girl like you. Have you seen anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms?”

Claire nodded her head enthusiastically. “My boyfriend.”

Jack kept his voice calm, not wanting to panic the poor girl, but saw that he had an opportunity to ask some important questions. “I’m sure there’s no reason to worry,” he said. “Do you know where he might have caught it from? Has he been mixing around with anyone under the weather?”

Claire shook her head. “I don’t think so, but then I flew out a day earlier than he did. Him and his mates got drunk and missed the original flight. They had to board in Majorca instead of Barcelona like I did.”

That was interesting, thought Jack, because Claire was healthy and Conner was not. They had boarded in separate locations. But Conner had boarded the same day as Jack had, and Jack himself was perfectly fine. He felt like he was close to something, but not quite there. “What about your boyfriend’s mates?” he asked.“Are they ill?”

“I think so,” said Claire, seeming even more worried. “They had the sniffles this morning at breakfast. I don’t know how bad they are now, though.”

“Like I said, no need to worry. I’m sure it’s just a cold virus spreading.”

“What if it is something worse? Would I be at risk?”

Jack looked at Claire and wondered why she was so concerned. There was no reason for her to worry about a cold. “No. There’s no reason you would be at risk. Flu viruses are only a danger to the elderly, the very young, or-”

“Pregnant women,” Claire answered for him.

It all made sense then. That was the reason that Claire put up with the way Conner spoke to her. He was the father of her baby. Just another teenage pregnancy to add to the list. Jack sighed and shook his head. He’d seen so many young lives wasted by unplanned pregnancies. A baby was a wonderful thing, but uneducated, jobless teenagers were just adding to the cycle of benefit-seeking, ambitionless families that were nothing but a drain on society. Not all were like that, of course, but many were. “How far along are you?” he asked her.