Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

Jack went into the bathroom to take a cold shower and clear his mind. As he lathered himself clean, Jack tried to the pieces together. If Joma’s dreams were to be taken literally, then the person responsible for the outbreak had something to do with dolls of all things. It also seemed that Tally was involved somehow, and that Donovan seemed to have been nothing but an unlucky bystander. Jack himself was only in this mess because his life lacked any meaning. He was just a lost soul with nothing to lose – a perfect martyr.

Once his shower was over with, Jack got dressed and thought about where to go next. He didn’t know how to find Joma during the day and he couldn’t waste time looking for him. They would catch up later at the Voyager Lounge, but until then his only priority was finding a way to contain the virus and stop it infecting the mainland.

No sweat. What can go wrong?

There was a knock at the door and Jack suddenly realised what a fool he’d been. With all that was on going on, he had totally forgotten that Security would be coming for him. Jack had to get out of his cabin, but the only way out was through the room’s only exit. There would be no avoiding the guards outside.

Jack opened his door and immediately took a swing. He clocked the bearded man on the left with a haymaker and then pulled back his fist and backhanded the man on the right. Both guards stumbled backwards, but remained on their feet. Jack tried then to get past them, but the wispy-bearded guard made a grab for him. Jack tried to struggle free but, as he twisted away, the other guard made a tackle at his thighs, knocking him off balance. The three of them fell to the floor in a heap, with Jack crushed at the bottom.

Jack was powerless to resist as his arms were secured behind his back with zipties. The plastic cords pinched at his flesh. He could do nothing as the guards hoisted him to his feet and took him to the brig.

I don’t have time for this, thought Jack. Joma doesn’t have time for this.

***

They stuck Jack in the same office as before and left him to wait for the Captain to arrive. He started to think that perhaps he was about to have a golden opportunity to stop the virus. If he could convince Marangakis that there was a deadly virus loose onboard then perhaps he could quarantine the ship and alert the authorities. If the people on the mainland knew what to expect then perhaps they could keep the whole thing contained.

The captain entered the room and Jack stood up to greet him. His offer of a handshake was declined.

Of course, thought Jack. He thinks I’m a rapist.

“Captain Marangakis. I am aware of the serious accusations that a waitress named Tally has made against me, but I assure you that they are ludicrous. She has an agenda, of which I am not fully informed of yet, but I would ask that you put her petty vindictiveness to one side for the moment, because there is something far more important we need to discuss.”

The Captain’s interest seemed to have been piqued. He took a seat opposite Jack and stared him in the eye. “What are you talking about?”

“There is a weapon onboard this ship – and I don’t mean the illegal shipment of arms you have in the hold.”

The Captain leant back in his seat and seemed surprised. “A weapon you say?”

“Yes, sir. A biological one. Someone onboard has released a virus among the passengers. If you take a walk around the ship right now you will see that about one third of the people onboard have developed cold-like symptoms. By the end of tonight, most of them will be dead and the entire ship will be infected. You have to quarantine everyone to their cabins and keep them there. You have to tell the French Government to be ready for us when we make port. This cannot get out on the mainland.”

“Utter nonsense,” said the captain. “I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, my friend, but I will not allow you to cause a panic aboard my ship. My doctor has already informed me of there being a nasty cold going around, but he has assured me that it is nothing to worry about. Your claims are unsubstantiated and you are just trying to subvert attention from the crime you have committed.”