Rot: Island

into the ferry. Their eyes locked momentarily as they met. Not in the way that lover’s eyes passionately lock, but like two warriors preparing to go into battle against a common enemy. One had lost friends while the other had lost love, and they were both ready to even the score.

  Six

  The two warriors walked towards Tyler and Layla, who were waiting for them on the far end of the ferry. Their steps were perfectly in sync, like soldiers marching into battle. There was now an understanding between them, and with that understanding came a goal. They would bring an end to this plague that has taken so much from them, or they would die on their feet, fighting with their last breath.

  The horrifying sight in the passenger bay looked like the pictures of an old civil war battle field where the bodies of soldiers were sprawled out in the grass. Some of the soldiers were hit by canon rounds, leaving their body parts scattered about. The dead bodies before the survivors lay in uncomfortable positions, and blood was splattered all up the wall and over the seats. Some of the heads were completely smashed in, allowing the brains to spill out onto the carpeted floor. Layla tried to keep her eyes on the ceiling, but the horrible sight drew her gaze in.

  Tyler could tell right away that there was something different about Ji and Jen as they approached him. He just wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not. “Are you going to be able to get us out of here?” he asked timidly before averting his eyes. A brief look around the bloody room was all it took for Tyler to decide he would rather look at the intimidating man before him.

  “Of course,” he responded. His face was stern, yet the tone of his voice was pleasant. “We have all been trained to operate this beast in case of emergencies.”

  “Well I’d say this is an emergency,” Layla chimed in rudely. She was obviously still angry with Tyler for comforting Jen.

  Ji looked at her as if to respond to an insult. Instead, he bit his lower lip until he could taste the blood, and he walked up the stairs on his way to the bridge. Jen was close behind, maintaining their perfectly synced stride. Bloody streaks painted the walls as the two ascended the staircase, and the air gradually became mustier the further up they went.

  Another passenger bay resided at the top of the stairs. This one was a little smaller and much cleaner than the one on the lower level, however, the bloody streaks continued along the walls. They were joined in the upper bay by Tyler and Layla, and together they walked out through a door on the side and up a flight of metal stairs.

  Each step they took was loud on the metal stairs. In the ridges of each of the metal steps were large chunks of flesh from where someone had been dragged up them. Ji was certain that it must have been the captain. The crew of this ferry was like family to Ji. He was angered even further by the thought of being the last member of that family.

  Reaching the door to the bridge, Ji grabbed the handle and tried to twist it to the right. “It’s locked,” he said softly. It was too dark for him to see anything inside as he peered through the round window. He reached into the left side pocket of his vest and pulled out a key ring with six copper keys on it. Knowing exactly which key did what; he unlocked the door and turned the handle. The door glided open without a sound. One of the jobs Ji was proud of was keeping everything well oiled.

  He placed his hand on the light switch but changed his mind quickly. The bridge had huge windows all around it, and turning on the lights would make the ferry look like a giant light bulb, a light bulb that would attract moths. Ji could also tell, although they were untied from the dock, that the waves of the bay kept them within a few feet of it. This meant they were still close enough to pick up stowaways, and as he learned from the last stowaway they picked up, it wasn’t a good idea.

  Tyler was the last one into the room, so he shut the door gently. The group spread out and waited for Ji to give them some kind of order, as he was the only one who knew what to do. Ji was lost in thought though. The controls were all in great shape, but there was blood and more chunks of flesh and hair scattered around the helm. The wooden wheel itself had blood still dripping from it.

  “As soon as I get the engine fired up we are out of here,” Ji said, his tone was somber. “When we get back to the pier we will find out what the hell happened. I’m sure the government has everything cleared up by now.”

  “Ji.”

  The four of them were startled by the raspy voice that broke the silence behind them. The middle aged man stood in the corner holding a very large open-ended wrench. He studied each one of the intruders, waiting for the attack. His short salt-and-pepper hair was clumped with blood. There was blood on his shirt as well, but none of it seemed to be his.

  “Captain?” Ji said hesitantly. “Are you alright, Jim?”

  “Thank god, Ji,” Jim said with a sigh of relief. He stepped towards the control counter and placed the wrench next to the helm. Wrapping his arms around Ji, the captain squeezed his friend tightly.

  “I’m glad you are alright, Jim,” Ji said. “I watched as Shawn and Terrence were killed right in front of me. There was nothing I could do for them.” He didn’t want Jim to know that he had actually saved his own life by leaving Shawn to be murdered.

  “I heard the screams, so Roy and I ran down to see what was happening. They attacked me, Ji, Terrence, and Shawn. Shawn was pulling himself along the floor. It looked as if both legs were snapped backwards at the knee. His guts oozed out of his side. They killed Roy right away.

  “I tried to talk some sense into them, but they were crazed. Their eyes grey. They wasn’t themselves. That’s for sure. I couldn’t get to the stairs, so I ran down into the engine room. Grabbed this wrench,” he placed his hand on the forged steel Snap-On wrench. “I bashed their heads in, Ji. Does that make me a terrible person? I bashed in my friend’s heads.”

  “You did what you had to, Jim,” Ji comforted his friend.

  “I couldn’t kill Shawn. At least not right away. He drug himself up the steps. I let him in hoping to calm him down, but he followed me around the room until I finally bashed his head in, too. Then I tossed him in the bay. I shouldn’t have, but he loved the bay. It will make a good resting place for him.”

  Jen teared up as he said that.

  “Let’s fire up the engines and get the hell out of here, Captain,” Ji said.

  As the Bay Cruiser moved through the water on its way back to the pier, Tyler and Ji check the boat for any extra passengers. Starting with the upper level passenger bay and working their way down into the hull, Ji led the way as they swept over every inch. Their flashlights shone bright on the dark ferry. Even out in the open water it was decided not to draw any attention to themselves.

  “In here we have a few handguns,” Ji said as he unlocked the door to a closet in the back on the engine room. Inside were three Glock G30SFs. “We keep them down here because we don’t really have a need for them —usually. There is also a shotgun in a lockbox on the bridge. Do you know how to shoot?”

  “No. I had a BB gun as a kid, and I shot a twenty-two a few times, but that was also when I was a kid,” Tyler looked apologetic as he spoke.

  “Don’t worry about it. You have a safety right here.” He pointed to the small lever on the trigger. “All you have to do is point and squeeze. A solid shot to the heart will drop anyone.”

  “Wow, this is heavier than it looks, but it feels comfortable,” Tyler said as he took the .45 caliber pistol from Ji.

  They confirmed that there were no unwanted passengers on board, and they stepped out on the side of the ferry and prepared to dock. Jim slowed the ferry down as they approached the pier. There were a few lights still on in parts of the city, but the only light on the pier was from the light bars atop the police cruisers and ambulances that were parked there. The sounds of sirens wailing could be heard, but it was coming from much deeper in the city.

  With the skill that comes with a lifetime of practice, Jim slid the Bay Cruiser tight up against the dock. Seeing nobody on the pier, Tyler and Ji stepped onto
the dock and went to work. Ji tied his rope around a cleat towards the rear while Tyler ran to the front and tied to the dock like Ji had instructed him. They left them loose in case they needed to untie them quickly.

  Layla and Jen joined the two men once the Bay Cruiser was secured. Jim remained on the bridge to be ready to depart in case of an emergency. The soft sounds of the waves rolling radiated from under the boards of the dock. The large white gate had been busted down when the crowd rushed in to try and catch the ferry before it sailed too far out.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jen asked as they walked through the deserted lot towards the police cars.

  “Of course,” Tyler responded. “I can only assume the police are here to rescue us or tell us where to go from here.”

  Ji held up his hands as he approached the first car. “We are unarmed,” he said. Slowing his pace, he crept closer. It was hard to see through the window with the blinding lights flashing in his face. Reaching out, he rapped the knuckle of his middle finger on the driver’s side window. He turned back to his three companions who watched him with bated breath.

  “I don’t think anyone is here,” he said.

  The others walked up next to him while keeping an eye on their surroundings. From what they could tell, the other cruisers were also