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“Oh…”
He leaves and I do as I’m told, hooking the chair legs to the pegs in the floor, moving all loose objects from every surface. I hang up clothes and clean the bathroom too while I’m at it and then when I hear the sound of thunder a few hours later, I remember the life jacket and race for it. There are four on the table, I take one and read the instructions, hooking it over my head and clipping it into place.
It tells me to not inflate until I’m in the water and out of a confined space. I remember watching a documentary on that once, when a plane went down in the ocean, people panicked and pulled their cords inside. It trapped them in the sinking plane.
Thank heavens I love documentaries.
I just wish I’d spent more time learning how to swim.
It didn’t seem important growing up because we never went anywhere that required swimming.
The ship rocks so suddenly I fall sideways into the drawers. I hesitantly move to the window when it rights itself and watch as a near-black sky casts angry shadows onto rolling waves. The water looks pitch black. I’m high up enough to hopefully not have to worry. For now, anyway.
I wish I wasn’t alone. I wish I’d asked for Geoffrey or demanded to stay with the captain.
I grip the edges of the rubbery-smelling, suede-soft life jacket and stare at the waves that only seem to grow, sending sprays of water well into the air.
The boat turns, I feel and see it change its course and I wonder what on earth we could be doing in this weather. It feels like a lifetime before the point must be facing the waves and I wonder if this is so we don’t capsize. Then I notice the twister, tornado, whatever it is. It looks so close, pulling water up towards the clouds in a powerful, menacing twist.
Why oh why did I have to be held here instead of in maybe a shopping mall, or a stadium… or anything that can withstand storms?
I climb onto the bed and wrap the blanket around me for comfort. Perhaps I can sleep through it.
The hour is late and the storm only sounds more and more violent. There’s no sleeping through this, who am I kidding?
The boat tips again, to the right, leaning so far that I almost roll out of bed.
I scream and hold onto the railings which I was cuffed to only days ago while the captain buried his face…
Let’s not think about that right now.
The wind howls louder, the waters rage harder and night falls. There’s nothing worse than a dark ocean.
Nothing.
When midnight passes and sleep still evades me, I consider going back to the bridge. I’m worried. The ship is making noises that I’ve never heard before. I can hear yelling over the sound of it all, carrying through the pipes. This is truly terrifying.
Though the rocking from side to side isn’t as bad as it was an hour ago, the rain is still coming down like a waterfall as opposed to a shower.
I move to the bathroom to have a small drink of water when I hear the door to the captain’s bedroom open.
My excitement at seeing him increases. It definitely shouldn’t increase. I lie to myself and say it’s probably because the storm is almost over and he’s come to tell me the good news?
“I’ve been going out of my mind,” I call, racing from the bathroom. Unfortunately, I come into contact with an open hand, and not from the man I wanted to see. It’s heavily bandaged and inches from my face. The ring finger is missing and well wrapped in dark red-stained linen.
“Been waiting,” Roger says, swaying a little. He looks yellow and ill. Likely from the pain and any alcohol he has consumed to numb it. “Been waiting for a moment to come.”
I look around for anything I can use against him but there’s nothing. There has never been anything.
“And here you are.” He smiles and takes a step towards me.
“You need to rest,” I inform him. “You look about ready to die.”
“Oh, I’m not the one about to die,” he singsongs and lunges for me.
Screaming, I dart to the side, dodging his good hand by an inch. Though my hair tangles with it and he rips me back. My neck cracks painfully.
“I’m going to enjoy this,” he says, as his arm cuts off my air supply by pressing into my neck. I can’t breathe, my throat burns and aches as I try to swallow but it won’t work. He’s going to decapitate me, I can feel the blood pooling in my face. “Before it was just about the sex. Now I’m going to fuck you while I kill you and then fuck you again after.”
