Secrets at Sea

Chapter 16

"It's a fun tea party we've got today! Everyone looks so happy and fancy in their outfits!" My head lulls backwards as I hear the man-baby's voice floating around near me.My eyes flicker open and I see a dull, grey sky above me. I move my head upright and slowly take in my surroundings. I must be on the top deck of the ship since all I can see is the open ocean stretching out around me. 

I feel the brisk air wiping against me and I shiver from the chill. I'm wearing nothing but my underwear, my tan bra having been stained from my blood earlier in the evening. My backpack, with my gun, the little box I was trying to protect, and all my supplies, is nowhere to be found. I try to get up but I'm stopped by the ropes constraining me to a wooden chair. It takes a moment before I realize I'm not the only girl seated on the roof of the ship. There are at least six girls that I can see that are also undressed and tied to chairs. None of them are moving and I'm too far to see if they're even breathing. All of them have deep cuts on the corners of their mouths forming a forced, Joker-style smile.

"Hey." I whisper. No one moves.

"Dollies, I need to go get the tea! I almost forgot! Baby will be right back!" I see the man-baby skip off towards a metal room that must be the stairwell down off the roof. Once he's out of sight I begin fighting against the ropes, trying to find any give and weakness in the tight knots.

"Shit." I mutter after fighting with the ropes for a few minutes. The baby will be back soon and I've made no progress towards my escape. I look around closer at the set up that he's prepared for his 'party'. All of the girls are circles around one big wooden table. It looks like he took the whole set from the banquet hall and moved it up three floors. The table is neatly placed with tea cups, dishes, and utensils. I spot a kitchen knife in the middle of the table that is covered in blood.

That must be how he made all the smiley faces on these poor girls. 

I can feel panic start to swell in my core as I look around at the girls again. Times ticking and the more time I waste the closer I'll be to ending up like one of these poor souls. I lean my chair towards the table trying to see if I can knock anything off the table and somehow retrieve it on the ground. I wobble back and forth a few times until I actually make contact with the wooden surface. The glasses shutter against my impact and I see two of my utensils slip off their perch on the white cloth napkin. I wiggle back and forth while I'm leaning on the table and pray that it's enough to make the shiny silver knife to fall on the floor. 

Two minutes of flailing later and I'm successful. The semi-sharp cutlery tumbles to the floor and I let a squeak of excitement escape my lips. I push off the table as hard as possible and follow the knife onto the floor. I hadn't really prepared my body for the impact so when I hit the ground it stung more than I had anticipated. I reach my fingers out to the side and grip onto the slick metal and quickly begin sawing away at the rope. I'm free in a matter of seconds, just in time to hearing whistling coming from the metal box that houses the stairwell. I throw the rope under the table and put my chair back into place, keeping a tight hold onto my knife. I run as fast as my legs allow towards the back of the stairwell entrance.

The door to the stairwell swings open and the baby gleefully skips over to the table, a platter of hot water thermoses dancing along with him. I slip around the back of metal shed and make it through the doorway just before it shuts. I sprint down the stairwell, hearing the man-baby yell in frustration and an ear piercing female scream come next.

There was someone else alive up there! 

My eyes swell with tears but I don't turn back. If Kepner and Mason couldn't stop the baby from abducting me, then there's absolutely no way I make it out alive trying to fight one-on-one with that crazy person. I hear the woman continue to scream until I'm down three flights and out the door.