Thanks to dolphinology, Swasti, wolenczak2004 and RavynJensen for the reviews!
Swasti: I can't tell you which horror-movie it's based on, because the story will be far more entertaining if you don't know it.
Thanks to my beta-reader KatKnits00!
Greetings from the death
Chapter 3
When Lucas finally reached the mess hall, he was glad to see dozens of known and unknown faces of SeaQuest crewmembers. He immediately spotted Tim in a far away corner, sitting silently at an iron table with a huge dictionary, probably trying to master a new, exotic language.
Although he neither was hungry nor had any appetite, he picked up a tray and took an over-dimensional plate of spaghetti and some indefinable chocolate dessert.
He quickly headed into Tim's direction, trying not to catch the attention of Captain Bridger, who was sitting at a table close to where he was moving – it just wasn't the right moment to receive any kind of parental protection – he just needed to talk to a friend to calm himself down.
"Hi Tim", Lucas said nervously while sitting down across front of his mate. Tim obviously needed a few seconds to clear his mind from some unknown vocabulary, until he finally realized Lucas presence at the table.
"Oh, hi. Sorry Lucas, I'm so into studying Italian…"
After saying this, Tim's face darkened and the slight smile that was always lying on his face when he was studying faded away.
"Ford told us that you found some sort of hidden room on Deck C. He said you didn't look very well when they found you. As if you had seen a ghost…",
he stated with worry in his voice.
Lucas had to swallow hard to impede himself from speaking those treasonable words that were already lying on his tongue – he hadn't the intention to talk to anyone about what he had witnessed. In the end, they all would be thinking he had gone crazy.
He almost believed that himself.
"No, it's alright."
Lucas stated a little more coldly then intended.
"I'm just not feeling very well today."
he added, trying to dissipate any suspicion Tim could possibly be having.
After a short silence falling upon both of them, the smile on Tim's face came back as suddenly at it had disappeared.
"Okay, if you say so…"
Tim said while shoving a large fork of spaghetti into his mouth.
"Isis jud itremeberd myo tatsory"
"What?"
Even in his shaken condition, Lucas weren't able to hide a smirk when he heard Tim's attempts to communicate.
"I won't be able to understand a word if you're attempting to talk and eat at the same time…"
"Sorrrry Luk…",
Tim said while trying to gulp down the contents of his mouth. When he finally made it, he tried once again.
"I said that it just reminds of that story we tell the newbies when they come on board. You know, the one with the murder…"
"Which one?"
Lucas asked intrigued.
"Well, you know…",
Tim began to tell, trying to imitate a creepy horror-movie voice,
"It presumably was a few days before the seaQuest went on its first trip. Last arrangements and repairs were done. A young technical assistant was killed by her boyfriend when she was working in one of the cabins. He did it out of jealousy, because he had found out that she had been having an affair with another crewmember. He strangled her, and then he shot himself. Strangely, up today nobody remembers where it happened. As if the room had disappeared…
Of course we tell the newbies that her ghost is still wandering around or that maybe their new cabin is the one in which the she was killed. Some superstitious people even believe it, it's funny."
When Tim had ended his speech, Lucas knew that he had to ask, even if he didn't want to hear the answer.
"And you don't possibly know if that woman was of Asian origin? With long black hair…"
Tim's face suddenly became angry looking.
"So you DO know the story. It was wondering me anyhow; everybody knows that story of the Japanese girl…"
Lucas heart was pounding uncontrollably. Not only because the fear increased once more, but also because of a childish enthusiasm that told him that he had found the first clue to solve the mystery of the black haired woman. His thoughts were merely interrupted by a disgusted groan from Tim.
"Look at this, isn't it disgusting?"
He held his fork into Lucas direction, pointing at something black that had been rolled up among the spaghetti.
It was a long black hair.
"Not only are the meals are getting worse day by day, now they aren't even capable of abiding the hygienic guidelines." He said, obviously without having appetite anymore.
Meanwhile, Lucas had felt his stomach twist and turn into every possible direction.
He realized that there was no place to be safe from those visions haunting him. And the presence of friends didn't help either. With a sudden movement, he not only stood up but also managed to throw down his tray with the still untouched spaghetti and the indefinable dessert.
Suddenly, everyone was looking at him and he noticed his face flushing.
"Wonderful,"
he thought,
"this is just the right way to avoid attention."
But he really didn't care explaining his sudden emotional outburst. He walked through the mess hall as fast as it was possible without running, while pairs of worried, puzzled or amused eyes followed him until he walked through the door to the corridor.
Poor Tim was watching incredulously while every pair of eyes now seemed to focus on him, with one pair outstanding from all the others.
"O Neill…",
Captain Bridger said with anger in his voice.
"But… I… I really didn't…"
I hope Italian wasn't one of the six languages Tim had already mastered in the show .
This chapter hadn't so much suspense, but I had to write it because of the storyline. In the end, this chapter almost ended up being ironic…
In the next one the curse awaits its first victim.
