Hearing his desperate cries for help becoming sharp screams of agony, would probably be the most haunting memory Irini would ever have, amidst traumatising sights to last a lifetime.
“Irini!” A male staffer snapped, as she stood, pasted against the opposite wall hyperventilating. She looked towards him, unable to say a thing, unable to move anything but her eyes. “Nod if you hear me”.
She nodded.
“Good. Listen carefully, I need you to contact the bridge and alert the captain of what you saw here and order everyone to get into and stay in their cabins”.
She shook her head, she couldn’t move from that spot, terror overwhelming her, weighing her down like lead.
“You have to find the courage, you have to go”.
She shook her head again.
“Irini, I need your help”.
Suddenly there was a tremendous thud at the door, followed by the croaked voice of someone behind it.
“We’re okay now… why don’t you let us… out”.
Distracted by the voice and the banging, the male staffer had to call out her name to get her to pay attention again.
“We won’t be able to hold them at bay forever, I need you to act, now!”
“Come on… let us out”, came the croaked creepy voice.
“Irini!”
“Let… us… out! You fucking pieces of shit! You motherfuckers! Fuck you to fucking hell! Fuck you and everyone you love! I’ll rip out their fucking guts! I’ll tear their arms off and feed it to their children! I’ll roll your fucking heads across the ground! I’ll eat your hearts and snack on your eyeballs!”
Irini was so horrified by the verbal abuse, that it was more than enough to spring her into action, but just as she departed, she heard one last thing.
“I… I lost my temper… that wasn’t like me… please let us out”.
Irini, charged down the corridor, shouting at any curious onlookers to return to their cabins and shut their doors.
1:18pm - 6 hours, 31 minutes since outbreak in London.
8 minutes since outbreak aboard MS Hoots.
Martha, having heard a tremendous ordeal seemingly occurring from outside their cabin, loud enough to even drown out the sound of the shower running, approached and opened the door. Panicked people ran down the hall, desperate to get away from something or someone. With no indication as to what had spooked them, Martha was left stumped.
“What on Earth?”
So determined were people to escape whatever the cause for concern was, they were prepared to push past others without regard for safety and consideration.
Martha peered down the corridor, but saw nothing, nothing until Irini came running, covered in blood.
“What is going…?” Martha began, but was interrupted.
“Ma’am, stay in your cabin and lock the door. Do not come out, do you hear me, do not come out!”
“Wait, what? Why?” But before she could hear and answer, Irini was already gone. Was this an elaborate prank? What was going on?
Not certain she wanted to find out, Martha closed the door, locked it and rested her back against it, just as Edward stepped out of the bathroom, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and another he used to dry his hair. He crossed the cabin and grabbed his clothes, before returning to the bathroom, leaving the door open. It was a second or two before he popped his head back out.
“Are you okay?”
She stared at him blankly.
“I heard screaming outside the cabin. I opened the door to see what it was and people were running by in a panic, pushing and shoving. I just spotted Irini…”
“The one tasked with taking care of you? What about her?”
“She said to stay in the cabin and lock the door. She specifically said don’t come out twice”.
“What? Did she explain herself?”
“No, she continued off down the corridor”.
“Okay, give me a second”. Edward got dressed and stepped back out of the bathroom. He approached the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To check”.
“She said we have to stay here”.
“Why? What were they running from?”
“I don’t know, but you’d do well to heed her advice, before you get us both in a pickle we can’t get out of, like you got your marriage into”.
“Fine, I’ll just look through the peephole and let you know if I see anything suspicious”.
“Be my guest, but open that door for anyone other than Christine and my granddaughter and you will discover how unfriendly I can be”. She stepped aside for him.
“I won't, you have my word”, he replied, turning away from her, “grumpy bat”.
“Did you say something?”
“Nothing at all”, he replied, pressing his face against the door and squinting to see through the peephole.
There he waited for what seemed like an eternity, before growing bored and returning to the centre of the cabin to pick up his phone.
“Anything?” Martha asked.
“There's nothing there, you paranoid moose”.
“You certainly don't hold back with your childish insults do you? I was given an instruction, I followed. Just because you like to live on the edge and break rules, test the waters, doesn't mean I have any desire to join you”.
“I'm going to be on the phone now, so I won't be listening to your negativity any longer”.
“I have nothing to say, I know what I saw. If something happens, it'll be too late to admit I was right as per usual”, Martha grumbled, returning unnervingly to the couch.
CHAPTER 15 - CHRISTINE, EDWARD,
