Chapter 13. "For you..."
The sound of the rotor blades whipped constantly as two individuals in the passenger portion just stared out. One calm, one anxious. Their eyes observed the deathly quiet ocean below.
"What do you think it could be like at the place?" Steven asked.
"What? Over." Elizabeth responded.
"I said, what do you think it be like at the place?"
"You're not supposed to do that, over."
"What?"
"You need to end your sentences with the word over… over." She smiled at her husband's clear annoyance. "It's a general rule when a person is in a helicopter. Over."
"Whatever… over."
"You're getting it, over." Elizabeth refrained from breaking into total laughter. Until a light in the back changed which signaled the two to pay attention. From there the two prepped their equipment again and it hovered over a wide deck. The two fast roped down and Elizabeth was the first one to land and get a gun leveled and aimed at their surrounding.
"So, we're here at last." Steven said in a microphone, he walked down the few steps toward the doors. A cold chill shivered slightly in the back of his mind and back. As if an icy finger just traced the outline of his spine in a playful dreadful manner. Elizabeth ran passed him without speaking a single word as reflexes kicked in.
"Where do you think they are?" He asked.
Elizabeth stood before the window watching the room inside, she could feel her heart beat accelerates. "We'll find out."
She placed her hand upon her chest and breathed. "Let's just go inside."
Together they went through the door, and it seems inside was a place to set and observe the deck in a nice view. There was a small safe in the wall closed, near is table and couches, so is the rest of the room.
"Now this is my kind of place." Elizabeth said. Steven held her hand and ran to the other side, where there was a working elevator.
She went first and stood near the buttons, Steven came behind of her and waited anxiously, not sure where it will take them. Once the door opened, they found themselves in a well-lit hall and a steel double door. "Weird, how is there power?" Elizabeth asked.
"Maybe it is an emergency power? Depending on the build, it could operate for several days." His hand touched the cold handle and pushed the door open.
Elizabeth noticed that Steven walked over a large carpet floor matt. It read the Promenade Deck.
The two stood in silence, surprised of what they saw. This apparently was some form of outdoor mini-mall which looked like it was meant for a wide open sky than metal casings which surrounded it. The walls and the architecture like it is a small district, for the passengers' enjoyment. "Nice, remind me to take you in a trip someday." Steve commented.
Suddenly a sound grow, a sloshing emerging from somewhere. Her senses kicked in and she lunged herself to the right. Nothing obstructed her landing as she had her gun ready.
"Jesus what is that?" Steve asked with evident fear in his voice. Another sound appeared and turned behind only to see more creatures throw themselves down.
A menacing smile grew on her face. "Great now I have a cowardly lions to deal with." she commented.
Under anxious glances, several creatures grew out of the gaps in the metal work. Slimy and pale. One of them had an elongated arm that looked to be more bone than flesh. The other three were humanoid in shape and one of them flicked a sucker out to reveal leech teeth.
The ooze like creature trembled and stood in its feet, Elizabeth immediately opened fire at the creature near her. It stumbled and once it stumbled in place with the tongue out. Elizabeth capitalized on the opportunity. She mentally prepped her left leg and bent her back and floored the ooze and stomped on the face. Once it twitched again, she blasted at the head several times.
Steven pulled himself together and begin moving around to not give a chance for the other creatures to catch, distributing the bullets between the three, in a clean shots. Elizabeth jumped at the first one near the restaurant, she draw her knife and buried it deep in its face, until half of the head was in her hand bleeding. She stood for a moment cleaning her hand.
An ooze seeped out of an air vent and it towered over Steven as he fired upon it before it could ambush his wife.
Once the other two were down, Steven took out the PDA and checked. "Come on, the hall is over there."
They went through a steel door, it took them to the other-side of the deck. Up the stairs they found a closed garage door, but it wasn't needed for them to search through the place more. They went over a bridge way and to the door at the end. They checked over the stone stairs and saw another closed garage door.
"This is Jackass here, give me a sit-rep." The radio buzzed.
Elizabeth put her hand on her left ear. "I read you, can you tell us how can we find Leon and Jill?"
"Mrs. Kennedy? Um yeah, judging by the ship's condition I believe there is a problem with the engines. I'd wager they're at the ship's bilge." Quint blurted.
"How do we go there?" Steven asked.
"There should be a hall up ahead, go through the casino, there is a path leads you down to the Bilge."
Elizabeth was the one to turn the handle and open the fancy double door. It took them to the clock tower golden hall. Everything shined off itself on a single chandelier source. All over, the golden rays had the area have a dim light which had the place feel almost welcoming. The clock though has stopped at 9:30 PM.
"Now where is this casino?" Steven wondered as he walked to the stairs.
They paced up, Elizabeth at full alert until they found another door. "That's a communication room." Elizabeth pointed at the small sign. "Maybe it is in the first floor." She holstered the gun and turned back, heading for the stairs.
Another heart ache made her stop at the top, holding her chest. "Calm down." She whispered.
Steven held her hand and squeezed. "Are you okay?"
She smiled and nodded. "Let's go."
Together they took a turn around the stairs and they saw another door. The red carpet read 'Casino.' Words are no longer needed, carefully they went through the door and waited in the other side, fingers ready at the trigger.
Once the door opened, they moved in unison protecting each others' backs over the escalator. "A wine fountain, really?" Steven rolled his eyes. At the sight of the fountain in the middle of the place.
"Didn't stop you…" Elizabeth smiled to incite an old memory they shared. Steven shook his head slightly embarrassed. She returned to her old mindset and scanned the casino floor.
"Something is over there, be careful." Elizabeth whispered. There was a door in the right side, someone or something is trying to break through.
They stood near the fountain, guns aimed and ready, their anxiety increasing in each passing seconds. After a minute of waiting, the door fall and two large creatures came out. "IMMMMM A HUMAN!" It seemed both of them were repeating these words.
It was the creature like the ones before but there was a head on a shoulder with a oversized mouth on the other. It stumbled over every step and the skin rippled as well. As it walked like duck. Lumbering and sloppy.
"Eww you two are very ugly!" Elizabeth commented. Steven moved around getting the attention of one of them. His gun fired over and over though the creature's movement still fast to his surprise.
He stood mentally prepared, as the thing raised its chainsaw-arm, like a lighting it came down. Steven bend backwards and jumped to the side, a lucky dodge, and he continued firing at it. "Come on!"
Elizabeth had tried to daze the thing, by going in circles, firing at any part of his body, she wasn't careful enough unlike her usual self. The thing took a hold of her waist and brought her up, his chainsaw arm charging. "Sorry, I'm happily married." She took out her knife and pushed herself forward, avoiding the arm.
She hacked through the beast's face with so much force, it made the creature tremble and his grip loosened. Once she was on the ground again, she walked backwards preparing for another plan, but out of nowhere an explosion had made her fly and slam at one of the machines.
She moaned in pain, it took her a moment to breathe and recover. There she saw the creatures melt into nothing, repeating. "mAY-daAAaaAyY..."
Steve sprinted toward her. "Are you okay?" he asked and helped her to stand on her feet.
"Yeah, you should've warned me." she shouted.
He waved the silver key before her eyes, "This came out of the fountain."
They sprinted to the new room, it was small office of some kind. Steven was about to use the key over the door when he heard Elizabeth. "Wait, check this out."
Steven looked back at her, she was checking something at the computer. "There is a recording here!" Right under the video there was something written for information and the name Lansdale.
Elizabeth pressed the play button, noises like bad static was the first thing they could hear, though after a second the sound cleared. They heard what it seems to be a sound of a siren mixed with a loud waterfall.
"There has to be a way!" A woman out of breath spoke.
"We're running out of time!" Leon said between breaths. "I'm...not...going...drown here." the sound of coughs followed and that was the end of the recording.
Her hand was warm with her hot tears. "This was two hours ago!" she said between silent sobs and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh Leon!"
Steven closed his eyes and breathed in and out, fighting back the urge to panic and scream. "Honey, we don't know what happened. They might found a way out of the water. Let's go and find them already."
Immediately he used the key and to their luck the door opened. They found a ladder going down to darkness, Elizabeth took out a flashlight and strapped over her belt, while Steven held into his and carefully put his legs down, one step at the time until both of them are down in a dark storage room.
The ground was covered in blood and some unrecognizable things, right in the front of the small room they saw something like a bulging lump of meat that has residual hands and legs.
Steven was ahead of her shooting at the thing, but out of nowhere the creature exploded knocking them both off their feet. Steven landed on his chest as Elizabeth landed on her back. Both of them grunted in pain but nothing serious was done to them.
"Damn it." Steven said, and he realized both of them are seriously dirty after that commotion, not to mention the blood stains off the ground.
"That's nothing compared to the C section I went through," Elizabeth blurted.
Steven raised an eyebrow."You still remember?"
"Are you kidding me? Let's go."
They walked passed the filled shelves and went through the door ahead. They found themselves in another dark storage room, this one however had a dim red light, two to three creatures were trembling around. "I never liked welcoming parties." Steven shouted, annoyed, Elizabeth pulled a grenade from his belt and throw it at them. Her legs moved without hesitation, though she wasn't fast enough, she slammed against the shelf after the creatures exploded.
Steven was in the ground again, "Easy Elizabeth, don't be reckless." he called as he tried to clean himself.
Elizabeth felt every inch of her body hurt, and it is getting sore after the physical trauma she endured. "Come on!?" She shouted and scanned the room on the other side of the door. No matter what will happen, she would use her past experience to best of her abilities.
The path in there was like a large air ducts, leading somewhere. Once she heard the sound of the door open she ran and jumped down.
"This should take us down." Steven commented.
"Let's hope the lift is still working."
They walked around the small railing until they found the steps to the lift. Elizabeth pulled the handle and they felt a gentle shake, in less than a second the lift took them down to their destination.
There was two doors in the place, it wasn't clear to them where they needed to go. "I'll check the door over there. "Steven said and walked to the right side.
Elizabeth went for the far door, once her hand touched the handle the door opened. "Over here." She called and waited as Steven's steps got louder and louder.
"Jump down." he announced and didn't bother to go over the ladder, Elizabeth followed behind, over the door they reached the bilge pathway at last.
The screen over the machines had a red background and image of the whole ship, there is some spots had flickering red colors. "Attention! Engine trouble found. Report to the engine room immediately."
Elizabeth touched her husband shoulder and nodded at something, Steven saw behind the glass four creatures waiting for them. "Great!" she rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to use all the grenades I have." Steven assured her and took two out of his belt. While his back is against the door his hand held the handle, mentally prepared himself to the blow.
Elizabeth nodded, the grenade in her hand. Steven kicked the door open and throw the grenade at the creatures. After the shock wave took them out, she picked up the pace and throw the other one then Steven closed the door. The explosion has shock the ground beneath them, but they were safe this time.
The stragglers were shot up by Steven as Elizabeth focused on something else.
Once the creatures melted, they walked outside. They made their way through the bilge's pathway where they used every single bullet they have, "The engine room is over there hurry!" Their radios buzzed. They sprinted through the second door in the corridor.
The yellow lit room was empty, and deathly silent. Several quite sobs escaped her lips, she fall in her knees. "Where are you baby?"
The sound of his recorded voice still plays in her mind like a cruel punishment, an ugly image took over her vision.
Steven shock his head and breathed, elbows resting at the railing his teeth are visible. "No, we must stay positive. Maybe we are in the wrong section of the ship. Maybe someone is playing with our nerves." she said pulling herself together.
Gently he approached her and held unto her arms. "Lizzy!? We'll find him, I promise."
Elizabeth finally looked at him, she opened her mouth but no sound came out. She rested in his chest and closed her eyes, breathing in and out. Steven moved his hand over her hair. "Yes, we must stay positive."
The couple didn't notice the screen above them, written in a bolded text. 'Queen Semiramis.'
Thank you for reading, more to come.
Special thanks to my friend The95will.