They got into the center of the raft and that big, loathsome jelly came speeding through that turgid water, creating a slow and heaving wake in its path. But it never hit the raft. At the last moment, it ducked beneath and dove into the murk out of sight. The raft bobbed in the swell it left and then settled down.
Nobody moved for a time.
Maybe they were expecting it to attack from below, filling the raft with stinging tentacles, but it didn’t. Five minutes, ten. It did not come back. The raft drifted along, butting its way through little islands of weed, skimming over the surface of that protoplasmic sea.
“I hope that sonofabitch stays gone,” Cushing said.
To which Gosling replied. “Well, let’s not sit here and wait for it to come back, let’s do some rowing. It’ll be good for us.”
Cushing and Gosling took to the oars and the raft began to move deeper through the dark channels that snaked through the weed banks.
And George?
He just wondered if the jellyfish’s departure was pure coincidence or the result of something much more impressive.
“No, we’re all going,” Cook told them. “All of us. We’re going to explore this ship and we’re going to do it together.”
They were all standing in the corridor outside their cabins, smelling the stink of the ship and feeling its ominous weight settling down on them. Cook called them all out there and told them he wasn’t crazy about any of them wondering around alone on the ship.
“All I’m saying is that this is an old hulk. A lot of the decks are rotten and one of you could fall through and the rest of us would never know about it,” he explained to them, though rotting decks weren’t what he was really concerned about. “So, if you’ve got to stretch your legs, just take someone with you.”
Fabrini didn’t have a problem with that and neither did Menhaus. Crycek just shrugged. But Saks, of course, smirked at the idea.
“You wanna be big boss man, Cook, it’s okay with me,” he said. “But you’re not going to order me around.”
“Jesus Christ, Saks,” Fabrini said. “Just do what you’re told.”
“Who dropped a quarter into you, Fagbrini? I was talking to Cook, the big boss man. So kindly fuck off.” He turned back to Cook. “I’ll do what you say, if that’s the way you want it. But if you think I’m some kind of prisoner, guess again.”
Menhaus shook his head. “You starting again, Saks? We trusted you and untied you and you’re starting again?”
“Zip it, fat boy,” Saks told him. “I plan to do what I want. That’s all there’s to it. Besides, when I’m not around that gives you and Fabrini more time to suck tongue.”
“Cocksucker,” Fabrini said, coming at him now.
But he didn’t get too close, because Saks stepped back and pulled out a knife. It had a seven-inch blade on it, looked sharp like he’d been working it on a stone. “Don’t make me do something stupid, Fabrini, because I really don’t want to.”
Fabrini had his knife out then and the two of them faced each other, eyes filled with acid.
Menhaus looked pale.
Crycek just smiled, figuring it was inevitable.
Cook, figuring he was the only cool head, stepped between them. He had the Browning stuck in his belt, but he did not pull it. “Okay, you two, that’s enough. Put those fucking blades away.” He looked from Fabrini to Saks, his fingers drumming the butt of his gun. I mean it.
They saw that he did.
They backed off and the knives disappeared.
Cook said, “You know, we’ve got enough problems here, Saks, without your shit. You want to wander this goddamn wreck and kill yourself? Well, you go right ahead. No loss, I figure. But if you ever pull that knife on someone again, I swear to God I’ll just put you down like a sick dog. And if you think I’m kidding, you think I’m bluffing, then you try pulling it on me right goddamn now.”
Saks licked his lips and it was easy to see that he wanted to pull that knife. Wanted to show these pukes what he was made of, but he backed down. And backing down did not come easy to a guy like Saks. It wasn’t in his makeup. But he did and it filled him with poison. Poison that he secreted somewhere for later, when he had a chance to use it. But right then? No, not a good idea. Cook would kill him. He knew it. Cook was not bluffing.
“Okay,” Saks said, “now that we know who’s in charge, let’s take a walk and see what there is to see.”
Crycek was still smiling. “Yeah, nothing I love better than a ghost ship.” He just shook his head. “What is it you expect to find?”
Menhaus said, “I don’t know. People or something. Maybe.”
Crycek laughed. “People? People? There’s none left. Hasn’t been for years and years. Something… something bad got these people. It slipped up from the darkness below and got them…”
“That’ll do,” Cook said.
Good old Crycek. He could make the Good Humor Man slit his fucking wrists. Something… something bad got these people. It slipped up from the darkness below and got them… Yeah, that was exactly what everyone needed to be hearing. Jesus.
“Let’s get going,” Fabrini said.
