Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

Jack opened the door.

Two large Filipino gentlemen stood there wearing the bright red waist jackets of Security. Jack didn’t understand how they could be here. What had changed?

“Yes,” he said. “Can I help you?”

“Could you come with us please, sir?” It wasn’t a question, it was an order.

Jack closed the door slightly, bracing his foot behind it to keep it still. “I’m sorry? What is this about?”

The man on the left, identical to his colleague in every way except for a wispy black beard, said, “We’ve received reports that you assaulted a member of staff during the early hours of this morning. We need you to come and answer some questions for us, please?”

“What? That’s impossible. Who told you this? Who am I supposed to have hurt?”

“Please, sir. If you could just cooperate.”

“Cooperate, my arse! I haven’t done anything.”

The two men tried to barge through into Jack’s cabin, but he held the door firm with his foot. The man on the right reached to grab Jack and received a punch in the face for his efforts and most likely a broken nose. Jack had been hoping to move past the violence of the past couple of weeks but it didn’t look like he was going to get that choice. He threw an overhand right at the remaining security guard and sent him to the floor to join his partner.

Then Jack ran – where the hell to, he did not know. He was in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and there was nowhere he could go that would be free of security’s reach. There was a chance he could take them all down, but that was only if the team of guards was small. For all Jack knew there could be a hundred members of security onboard.

He took the elevator up to the Broadway Deck and hurried through the jewellery store and onto the balcony of the theatre in the room beyond. There was a couple drinking at the bar there, but nobody else around. Jack considered sitting down in the corner and lying low, but it was too out in the open to remain undetected. He was at a total loss and close to panic. As a police officer he was far happier being the pursuer than the pursued.

Who the hell accused me of assaulting them? A member of staff?

It dawned on Jack quickly. It seemed that there was someone on the ship who was starting to get a habit for falsely accusing people of hurting her.

Tally? She must have been lying about Donovan, just like he told me. Now she’s telling lies about me. But why? What’s the point? Whatever she accuses me of will be forgotten at midnight tonight.

So what’s her angle? What the hell is she playing at?

Jack heard concerned voices from outside of the lounge’s main door and decided it was time to get moving again. He headed out of the rear door and entered the Lido Deck, knowing it would lead out past the 24-hour restaurant and out to the pool area. Once he got there he would run out of ship and there’d be no place left to run.

As it turned out, Jack wasn’t even able to get that far. Spread out throughout the pool deck were half a dozen security guards. They spotted Jack the moment he stepped out into the sunlight, and then came towards him in unison, stalking him like lions after a wildebeest. Jack held his hands up and decided there was no point in fighting them. At least by allowing himself to face charges, he would get the full lowdown on what exactly he’d been accused of. Hopefully he would also learn who had accused him.

Although he already had a pretty good idea.

***

Security took Jack down to the brig. He’d been there before; only this time they placed him in a small interview room instead of a cell. Walking in to meet him was Captain Marangakis. The man did not look happy.

“Captain,” Jack acknowledged him with a small nod.

Marangakis did not take a seat at the table, but stood behind one of the chairs opposite Jack.

“Mr Wardsley?”

“That’s correct.”