Forcing herself to finish the second one, Wendy dropped the cup and almost headed for the door but turned, heading back to the bathroom. Using her fingers, she dug out the card the crew had given her to check on passengers that were in their rooms. Unclipping the bungie line from her pants, Wendy moved over to the sink and washed the card and bungie off.
When the crew had started dropping, one of the ship’s officers had taken her and two other nurses, like Wendy they were passengers but were willing to help, to a lifeboat and gave them instructions on how to operate it. They had no range and depended on rescue, but being this close to land if she needed to, Wendy would drop one in the water.
Stepping out of the bathroom, “Sorry, sis,” Wendy sighed and it came out with a little voice this time, but still hurt.
Heading for the door, Wendy grabbed a bottle of water and her knife before walking out. In the hall, there were several bodies that she didn’t remember from when she’d gone into her room.
With a goal in mind, Wendy headed to the bridge. Part of her duties had been to check the crew manning the bridge after the main doctor had gotten sick, so she knew the way.
After walking a hundred feet, Wendy felt her lungs wheezing and stopped, grabbing the handrail on the wall. She tried not to cough but lost in the end, giving a few coughs but nothing like she remembered from before. There were times when Wendy had expected to see her lungs fly out of her mouth.
Bracing her sore stomach muscles with her hands, Wendy stayed in place until she felt better. Turning her head, she spit and noticed it had a little blood in it. Taking a drink of water, she continued on but slower.
Reaching an elevator Wendy hesitated, knowing the ship was operating under its own power. Not sure how long that would be, she took the stairs having to step around a few bodies. When she reached the bridge, Wendy swiped her card and walked inside.
She saw the captain laying on the floor, but no other bodies. Walking over, Wendy picked up his hat and put it over his face. The captain was Italian and spoke English, but you had to listen hard to understand. “Thank you,” she said, moving away.
On a chart table, she saw a map of lower Florida and a red dot beside Miami. Giving a sigh of relief, Wendy moved over to the windows to grab one pair of huge binoculars and scanned the coast.
Zooming in, Wendy’s mouth fell open at seeing several bodies on the beach and along the shoreline. Scanning the buildings, she thought she caught sight of movement, but it ducked into one of the buildings, or she thought it did.
Putting the strap for the binoculars around her neck, Wendy left the bridge and headed to the infirmary. Moving slowly it took her awhile, but Wendy wasn’t in a race and she was also looking for people: live people. There were bodies everywhere.
Passing the shops on the main deck, Wendy stopped suddenly, swearing that she’d heard a baby crying. Tilting her head and trying to trace the noise, it stopped abruptly. Moving over to a bench, Wendy sat down to take a break and listen.
She could hear the music from inside the stores and shops, but nothing else. Not hearing the cry again, Wendy struggled to stand as the smell was getting to her.
Continuing on, Wendy saw the daycare area and fought not to cry. She had watched so many kids die as she had tried to help, Wendy had thought she was going to go insane. Long ago, she had formed the shield against adults passing, but she didn’t think anyone could do that for kids.
As she passed the daycare, Wendy stopped when hearing a muffled coo from inside. Very slowly, she moved up to the door and looked in through the glass. Parents got a card to access the daycare area when they dropped off a child. If you didn’t have one, you had to use the phone on the wall to ask the workers inside to let you in.
Using her card, Wendy slid it in the handle and heard it click. She opened the door slowly, not seeing anyone in the main play area. “Hello?” she said hoarsely.
Walking in, she let the door close and moved to the nap room. Hearing a gasp, Wendy turned and saw double. Shaking her head, Wendy stumbled back into the wall and waited until the spinning stopped. Turning back to the corner, Wendy saw twins looking at her in fear.
Wendy smiled and held up her hands, “I’m not going to hurt you,” Wendy said, trying to force her voice to work. “I was one of the nurses helping out those that got sick.”
The girls stared at Wendy with wide eyes. “We remember you. Are you sick?” one asked.
“Not anymore,” Wendy said, dropping her tired arms. Taking the top off the bottle of water, she drained it and recapped it. “Have either of you been sick?”
They both shook their heads. Wendy waited for them to talk, but they just stared at her. She did notice they didn’t appear as terrified after recognizing her. “Are your parents around here?” Wendy finally asked.
Again, they both shook their heads. “Do you know how long we’ve been stopped?”
“Two days,” one answered.
“Is anyone else on this ship besides you two?”
They both nodded and Wendy saw the fear return to their faces. “Girls, has someone tried to hurt you?” Wendy asked and they nodded.
“Yes,” they said together.
Feeling lightheaded, Wendy moved over and sat down in a kid-sized chair. “You know him?”
“He shouted out his name was Anthony when he got Timmy,” one said.
“And
