31 Days of Halloween

Drift

Stifling heat wafted into the tiny compartment in which she tried to hide. Perspiration beaded on her skin and rolled down her face and back, causing the silky material of her dress to stick to her skin. This is what suffocating must feel like. Not something she wanted to think about at all. The inability to take a full breath, heat filling her lungs, burning deep inside. Her mouth — cotton dry, dehydration setting in.

The vacation of a lifetime, at sea now for three days, the trip rapidly turned into a living nightmare in which she must fight for her life. Waking from a late afternoon nap, she realized something was wrong. The cabin had no power. There were no lights, and the small emergency lights which ran on a generator were off as well. An eerie silence had taken hold. The constant hum of the engines, other passengers laughing and talking — all silent. The ship rocked gracefully in the sea, but only moving with the tide. Dead in the water. The phrase hit her like a ton of bricks. A sickening feeling overtook her senses when she knew they were adrift at sea.

Dealing with no electric, while not pleasant, didn't disturb her as much as not hearing anything. Where were all of the other passengers? The crew? The massive ship had been a bustle of activity when she laid down. All thoughts which ran through her mind as darkness crept into the cabin. Walking to the window overlooking the sea, she caught the last glimpse of the sun as it dipped below the horizon. An ominous sign as it too disappeared. Crossing the small room to the cabin door, she pressed her ear against the surface to see if she could hear anyone moving about. Nothing but silence. With over a thousand passengers, it would be impossible for the ship to be empty.

Slowly opening the door, she peeked down the corridor. With the hallway blanketed in darkness and unable to see, she closed the door locking it behind her. She had to find a way to get to the main promenade level. That's where everyone would be, sort of a hub for all activities, and where we were all instructed to meet in case of an emergency. This constituted an emergency. Grabbing her cell phone to use as a source of light, she reopened the door. Stepping out into the pitch black hall, she turned on the phone. Lighting only a short distance in front of her, it emitted enough light to see the floor. Her hair stood on end at the back of her neck, as a prickle of fear traveled the length of her spine.

A few steps down the hall and the unthinkable had happened. The halls, lined with beautiful red and gold carpeting, walls with crystal lamps and polished brass rails, beautiful works of art, all based on the sea, were different. Using her phone to illuminate the area around her, she could see they looked old. Covered now in what appeared to be seaweed, rust, and even rotting in places. Her mind couldn't process the scene unraveling around her.

You're in the cabin, on your bed, in the middle of a nightmare, she tried to convince herself. Had to be, no other explanation would suffice, this didn't happen in real life.

Her breathing erratic, one step followed by another, forcing herself to take one more. Each step drawing her closer to the staircase she needed to reach the next level up. As she held the phone, she folded her arms across her chest trying to make herself feel more protected, less vulnerable and pushed forward. Reaching the elevator, she knew it would be pointless to try it with the power off. Once she saw it, it wouldn't have mattered if the ship had power or not. A blood-curdling scream escaped her lips as she ran. She had to get away. Caught between the floor and the elevator, a man — a dead man. His blood everywhere, and she had walked through it. As realization set in, she found herself alone, and people were dead, she panicked.

Running toward the stairs next to the elevator, she tried to push the vision of the dead man from her mind. Regaining her composure would be the only way she could work through this. Someone had to be somewhere. The smell of old sea water infiltrated her senses, a thick, pungent odor, rotting seaweed, death.