Ch. 4

Escape

Kari's head was swirling.

"Go back!" She cried, stumbling down the gangplank and grabbing at bewildered passengers. "Don't get on for God's sake!"

"Kari!" Ryan grabbed her gently and spun her around so they were face to face, "It's ok, it's ok."

Kari exhaled sharply, tears streaming down her face.

Above, Charlie and Paul look down at the ruckus below.

"What the hell is her problem?" Paul murmured, leaning against the railing.

"Dunno," Charlie said, furrowing his eyebrows, "better go and check."

"Look," Eddy Satterfield said, sighing and wrapping his arm around Clara, "I don't know what you're on, chick, but you need to quit fucking scaring these people."

"Kari, what happened?" Mona asked quickly, rubbing her friend's shoulder, "why are you saying this ship's gonna sink?"

"I...I just saw it happen," Kari whispered, her eyes far off as she recalled the flood, the gunshot, the fire consuming her, "It was like a...dream. But then I woke up. Everyone died...you, Arlen, Ryan...oh God."

Arlen shuttered visibly, while Mone covered her mouth.

"It's ok Kari," Ryan said, pulling her closer into a tight embrace, "let's get off. Everyone, let's go."

"Oh you can't be fucking serious," Eddie scoffed, "you can't believe her. I've seen research on seeing the future and all that shit. No good evidence that it's real at all."

"So you think she's faking it?" Clara said doubtfully.

"It is real," a voice said from behind them. Kari looked back and felt her heart jump.

The assailant with the baggy cloths was standing behind them, a duffle bag in his hand.

Kari buried her head into Ryan's chest and gasped, "It's him!"

"Who?" Ryan asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

Kari suddenly pulled away from him and grabbed her boyfriend's hand.

"We have to go," she sobbed, "please, Ryan, let's go. He's gonna kill you!"

"What?" Ryan looked at the Asian man, whose face was wholly blank.

"So it is you," he said, his voice so low that it was barely audible.

In a split second he dropped his luggage and threw a fist straight into Eddie's face. His head snapped back and blood flew from his nose.

"Hey what the hell is wrong with you?!" Clara yelled as she grabbed her husband, who was cursing and clutching his bleeding nose.

Without hesitation Eddie flailed out of his wife's grip and smashed a fist into the Asian's chest, then his cheek. The two fell to the ground, rolling and exchanging blows.

"Hey hey hey!" Charlie Hitchcock bellowed, racing down and trying to pull the two men apart. Paul Rodriguez leaped in too and tried to help break up the fight. The surrounding passengers gasped and froze, watching the men fight as Eddie drove his elbow into the other guy's stomach, causing him to exhale sharply.

"That's enough!" Paul snapped, yanking Eddie away as Clara and the others looked on in horror.

When he had subdued the assailant, Charlie pulled out his radio and said into it, "Teresa, we need security out here on the boarding gangplank now.

A brief burst of static, then, "What the hell happened?"

"We got two men here duking it out and scaring the hell out of the other passengers. And a girl is claiming that the ship is gonna sink...she's really freaked out."

"What in the...I'm calling them right now."

When Teresa had called the police and notified them of the situation, she left the bridge of the ship and made her way outside. Her father joined her out on the deck.

"I heard what happened," Captain Philips said to his daughter, "someone's claiming the ship is going to sink."

"Ridiculous," Teresa shook her head, "we need to get whoever it is off, now."

They walked together down to the gangplank and saw the pandemonium below.

Charlie Hitchcock and Paul Rodriguez were dragging two bruised and battered men down the gangplank.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Eddie yelled at the Asian, fighting against Paul's clutches.

"Get those men off my ship!" Captain Philips ordered, rushing down the gangplank. Teresa followed behind, looking utterly enraged.

"Come on," Ryan called to his friends, holding Kari close to him, "we're not getting on."

"There goes my good money," Alren muttered as he followed Ryan and Kari, Mona behind him.

"Don't be a dick," she snapped.

With some difficulty Charlie and Paul lugged the two men through the still sea of onlooking passengers, all of them watching in silence.

Somewhere in the distance a siren wailed on and off.

"This is beyond absurd," Captain Philips growled, stomping down after them. "Let me see them!"

Paul and Charlie turned around so that Eddie and the man were looking at the Captain.

"You men have no damn right to start a fight on this ship," Philips bellowed, jabbing a finger at them, "who the hell are you?"

The Asian fellow smirked and said, "Reiko Lang. Sorry to cause a disturbance on your ship, but I'm working with her." He pointed at Kari.

"You stay the fuck away from her," Ryan said, his voice soft and cold. Kari shuttered and held Ryan. She stared hard at Reiko, determined not to let him see her fear.

"He's dangerous..." She whispered.

"Damn fucking right he is," Eddie snarled, glaring at Reiko.

"Sir, my husband was attacked first," Clara exclaimed quickly, "he had no intent of-"

Just then a gunshot shattered the silence of the crowd. Everyone screamed and people scrambled away as Captain Philip's eyes widened, a bright red circle forming around his stomach where a bullet had pierced him.

Reiko held a small .45 in his hand, the barrel still smoking as Charlie looked down at him in horror.

"Bullseye," Lang said.

Teresa stood opened mouth and screamed as her father collapsed to the ground, wheezing and clutching his side in unimaginable pain.

"Daddy! No-oh, God! Dad!" She fell at his side, her hazel eyes wide and red with tears as held on to her dying father.

"Son of a bitch!" Charlie threw Reiko down and slammed his elbow into the side of Lang's head. He crumpled and fell unconcious with a grunt, his pistol sliding away.

"Jesus Christ, someone get an ambulance!" Ryan yelled, running over to the Captain.

"Daddy...oh Daddy please, hold on!" Teresa sobbed, clutching his hand as if his life depended on it.

"My God," Paul muttered, letting Eddie go slowly. Satterfield collapsed to the ground, still shocked at the act of violence.

The sirens cry was growing closer.

"Honey..." Captain Philips gasped, trying to inhale the air that wouldn't come. "Love you...take care of mom."

"Don't go," Teresa cried, "daddy don't go!"

Captain Philips eyes became round and bright as he exhaled slowly, and didn't breath in again. Terese held on to her father's hand, crying uncontrollably, his vibrant life now only a fading memory.