The Golden Throne

Chapter 4: S.S Peril

drip

drip

drip

......

drip

"Gasp!"

Hilbert woke up in cold sweat.

"It was just a nightmare," he tried to convince himself. He had the worse dream where he and many others were caught in the middle of the stormy sea, barely able to keep their heads above the water. To make sure this wasn't another dream, he peered around the dark cabin, double-checking if there were any monsters hiding in the shadows. All he saw were the dark figures of his Pokeballs and his bag on his desk. His blue jacket looked like an eerie dark torso as it hung still on the bathroom doorknob. When he glanced at the shut door leading out of his cabin, he noticed that the corridor beyond was unusually dark- he could tell because usually light would be seeping in from the gap under the door at night. There was a slight rumbling coming from the floor below his bed.

He looked at his Xtransceiver. "Only 2 am," he groaned as he slid back under the soft, plush blanket and waited to fall asleep.

drip

drip

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.......

...drip

"Gah! Where is that noise coming from?" Hilbert grumbled as he sat up from his bed. He listened hard for another drip so that he could locate the source of the noise. "Gee," he muttered under his breath,  "for a five-star cruise, this place has a really bad leaking problem."

*drip*

Something cold and wet hit Hilbert on the head. His fingers felt around his hair until he found the wet spot. He looked up and-

*drip*

"Ugh!" Hilbert whined as a drop of water hit his eye. Immediately he got up and that was when he felt it: the floor was cold and wet as well. As if someone had spilled a bucket of water while he was asleep. Then he remembered the dark corridor outside. He took a few steps towards the door, ignoring the cold and wet feeling his bare feet had to endure. With a turn of the doorknob, he poked his head out.

Darkness. And silence. He looked left, and then he looked right. The entire hallway was empty. No lights could be seen coming from under the doors of other cabins. Hilbert felt his skin crawl. Something wasn't right here.

In a flash, Hilbert immediately got dressed and dumped his Xtransceiver into his bag. Before he left his cabin he made sure to buckle up his Pokebelt and sling his blue bag around his shoulder. He gave his trusty bag a pat. Aside from the clothes he was wearing and his Pokemon, all of his important needs were in there. As long as it was with him, he could make it anywhere.

As Hilbert walked through the corridor, he would often knock on the cabin doors he passed by, but there would always be no reply. He turned the knob of a random door and it opened. As he peered inside he noted that the entire cabin was empty and in a mess. Even in the dark Hilbert could make out that items were strewn all over the place.

He shut the door behind him and continued past the numerous dark corridors, halls and flights of stairs. Some corridors were submerged in a few inches of water. The pitter patter of Hilbert's footsteps on the flooded floor bounced off the dark walls. Every once in a while he would hear them creak and groan. It was as if the ship itself was in pain. But what really struck Hilbert was that for as long as he had been walking, he had not encountered a single soul. Not even the occasional security guard walked by. Finally, he made it to the Cruise's lobby.

The lobby was where people and Pokemon would socialize. It had see-through glass walls and a glass door that led to the main deck. Now the main deck itself was immense- capable of holding several hundred people. As Hilbert finally reached the deserted and trashed lobby, he could hear the sound of heavy rain falling like bullets beyond the ceiling above him.