She didn’t look back, she just complied with her instinct to run.
Closely pursued by her titan sized assailant, she didn’t know where she was going, she only knew she had to escape. Crazies she encountered seemed reluctant to venture anywhere close to her with her pursuer hot on her tail, choosing instead to scamper in opposite directions. She could only begin to imagine why, but it was at least a fret lessened. She dived into a door leading to a covered section of the outer deck, believing it would be too narrow for her pursuer to squeeze through, but alas it lunged through the doorway with a ferocity powerful enough to create a significantly wider opening.
“Mommy, I want the toy! Come back here, toy!” It roared, a horrifying cacophony of distressed voices. It stampeded after her, smashing anything in its way and flinging debris inches away from her head, in the form of deadly projectiles. It tore through the sheltered section of the deck, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Absolute terror was the only thing driving her now. Shaking this thing off was going to be a great deal more challenging than she could have ever anticipated and one false move could see to a grisly death she didn’t want to think about.
Rachel vaulted deck chairs and tables with hopes that the obstacles would slow her pursuer down, but it smashed straight through them as though they weren’t even there, just a taste of what it could do to her.
She took a sharp left turn into a corridor, stumbling, but returning to her feet just as her pursuer crashed head first into the doorway and attempted to capture her. Wedged between the narrow walls of the corridor, the colossal monster found itself stuck and unable to proceed any further into the corridor, stunted by its own size. That was the good news, the bad news was that out of all the corridors she could have picked, she picked the one that led to nothing besides a small windowless service cabin that had already been raided for everything it was worth.
“Oh shit… oh fuck”, she exclaimed, panting with exhaustion and panic. Her eyes darted to every corner and surface of the corridor and cabin, looking and hoping for something, anything she could use to escape or as a weapon; a ventilation shaft, a fire extinguisher, heck even a broken light bulb, but everything, absolutely everything of use had been stripped from the cabin and corridor.
Hiding in the small service cabin, she watched helplessly as her pursuer edged closer and closer to her the more it struggled.
She glanced down at her mobile, battery life sixty-eight percent, it wasn’t a great deal, but it was more than enough.
Her hands trembling and sweaty, she fumbled with her mobile and managed to call her girlfriend.
With the lifeboat lowered and open, Lori readied the control panel for the next stage of their escape, a long descent and first class ticket off of the MS Hell of the Seas. Likely they wouldn't have long to pander over the specifics once the others returned, so now was the best chance to find out what next to do.
“Pull the red lever inside to release the safety harness once the lifeboat has made contact with the water”, she read out to herself in a lowered voice, “Okay”. She glanced inside the lifeboat to locate the red lever and spotted a panel of buttons with a steering wheel.
Just as she retracted her head from the lifeboat, Rachel’s mother and grandmother ran up to the boat, flushed and panting.
“Rachel… she’s...” her grandmother managed to choke out.
“What is it? What happened to Rachel? What was that noise?” Lori replied.
“She’s in trouble… something… that thing went after her...”
“Oh my god! Where is she? What went after her?”
“I don’t know, you have to… help her. We were just on the deck above and a… monster went after her. She distracted it despite my protests, we used the opportunity to escape”.
“Stay here! Get into the lifeboat and keep quiet. If we’re not back in ten minutes and haven’t messaged you, press the blue button on this outside panel”, she indicated, “or the one inside to continue lowering the lifeboat, then pull that red lever to release the safety harness once you hit the ocean”.
“Okay”, Martha replied, nodding. “Lori, bring her back safely”.
“What about Edward?”
Martha shook and lowered her head in dismay, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth.
“Did you tell Rachel?”
“Yes”.
Lori didn’t need any more explaining, Rachel’s unusual act of courage made so much sense now. She was off, running as fast as her legs would allow.
As she ran, her mobile vibrated. Fumbling for it in her pocket, she managed to grab hold of and answer it, to hear Rachel's weak terrified voice on the other line.
“Lori?”
“Rachel! Where the fuck are you? What’s happening? Are you okay?”
“I’m… to be honest I don’t know where I am, I’m stuck and… and...” She momentarily went silent before continuing, “Lori, I just want to say that I love you, you know that right?”
“Why are you talking as though this is goodbye again? What’s happening?”
“Because… because I’m stuck… I can’t get out… I’m probably going to die here”.
“Don’t you say that! Don't you dare say that! Are you injured?”
“No”.
“Have you been bitten or anything?”
“No, not at all”.
“Then there's still hope”.
“Have you seen mum and nanny?”
“I did, they’re safe, they’re getting on the lifeboat. I’m really sorry to hear about your father”.
Rachel sobbed.
“Yeah… he didn't deserve
