Dead Calm (27 page)

Although his informant had told him that the group
from the sailboat didn't plan any aggression against him or his
people, Ricky was nevertheless wary about being around them.
Especially Heather. She was always looking at him as if he were a
bug that had invaded her space and needed to be crushed. His snitch
warned him to stay away from her, that she used to be a cop and saw
him as nothing but a pedophile that needed to be eliminated.

Thinking about his informant, anger flashed through
Ricky as he recalled their last meeting. He was still pissed off
when he found out how much his snitch had told the newcomers about
him. The people from the sailboat had way too much information and
it had turned then completely against him. He'd planned on trying
to win the people from the sailboat over with his charm, but now
that they knew some of his secrets, this would be impossible.

Good thing they don't know all my secrets or they'd
come after me with a vengeance, Ricky thought.

Calming himself, he considered the other news his
snitch had brought. It seemed that one of the people on deck four
by the name of Randy was something of a mechanical and electrical
whiz. This might fit in nicely with his plans.

When he’d grabbed power on the ship, he was looking
at the short-term. With the impending loss of the Calm of the Seas
though, he knew he had to look further than that in order to
guarantee his continued survival. With these far reaching thoughts
and ideas, he could see that he needed someone like Randy on his
team. The man's knowledge would be indispensable when they reached
Cozumel. Both in barter with the other people who already inhabited
the island and for helping him set up his own empire when they got
there. There would be much to do be done since they were starting
from scratch.

The first thing I need to do is open up a church,
Ricky decided, as his mind switched to the tasks confronting him
when they reached land. But I’ll need to alter the religion from
what I preach here because it's a different situation. I need to
convert those people slowly instead of banging then over the head
with God. I’ll quit preaching that rapture garbage too. It’s
getting old. It probably won't be as easy to convert the people on
Cozumel as it was to fool these idiots on the ship, but all I need
is a foothold. Once I get enough True Believers, this is what he
decided to call his followers instead of calling them the Faithful,
I’ll see if it's feasible to take over the whole Island.

Having decided on a course of action, he turned to
preparing a list of who would go with him - and also who
wouldn't.

Sitting at his desk, the first thing he wrote was
‘Get Rid of Parsons’. This was not an easy decision to come to
because the man made an excellent second-in-command. The problem
arose from the fact that he seemed to have aspirations to run
things. Even though Parsons tried to stay blank faced and hide his
ambitions, Ricky could see in his eyes how he craved power. It was
a familiar look to him since it was the same one he saw every time
he gazed in the mirror. He knew that it was only a matter of time
before Parsons tried to take over so it was better to nip the
problem in the bud. Even if Parsons were unsuccessful in a bid for
the top slot, a coup would cause a rift in the group, so he had to
go.

The younger of the two sisters interrupted Ricky's
train of thought when she called out that she was ready. He wanted
to get his thoughts down on paper first so, telling her to be
patient with daddy, he put in a DVD of the little mermaid and went
back to his list.

Now to sort out the rest of his people to see who
would stay and who would go.

He saw that Brother Seth had his uses so his name was
added to the list along with Brother William. They would be his
enforcers. He’d need some muscle when he reached Cozumel. Seth had
been a cop in Lee County, Florida before the dead came to life and
was as dirty as they came. Brother William was a wannabe thug and
had no aspirations for the top spot so he was safe to bring
along.

Both men followed orders and had little or no
imagination. This was what counted, Ricky decided. Too bad Seth
didn't bring some of his fellow officers with him. To hear him tell
it, the whole Lee County Sheriff's office was corrupt. I could use
that kind of support.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Ricky put a
number one next to each of the two Head Usher's names to indicate
they could bring along one person. They could have their pick from
the women who made up over half of the Faithful. Looking at where
the two sisters sat watching TV, Ricky put his own name at the top
of the list and penciled in a two next to it.

Now for Brother Cal, Ricky thought. He's been loyal
and is handy to have around. He knows how to fix and run generators
and other pieces of equipment, but if what I’m planning comes off,
I won't need him. Besides, the boat is starting fill up. I’ve got
to balance people versus supplies. Anyway, I won't need two guys
who know how to fix a generator.

Ricky wrote down a question mark with a one next to
it at the bottom of the list. Regardless of what happened, at least
two more people would be coming and that made nine. Plenty, Ricky
decided. It'll either be Cal or Randy that comes along and either
way they'll be accompanied by one person. If it's Cal, then he's
entitled to bring a companion, and if we can grab Randy, I’ve got a
hostage in mind to threaten and assure his cooperation.

Not really a hostage though, someone who's already on
my side, Ricky thought with a glee. That makes it so much
easier.

Calling the younger sister over to him, Ricky handed
her the box with the sextant in it and told her that, on her way
down to present it to the newcomers, she needed to stop at the
small staff kitchen on deck eight and turn on the In Use light for
the dumb waiter.

The small elevator ran through the service areas all
the way from deck ten down to four. When the light was on, it
alerted his informant to slip away and meet with him on deck
nine.

Once the little girl was gone, Ricky lay back on the
bed with her older sister and stared blankly at the cartoon while
his mind drifted over his plan, searching for anything he might
have missed. The people on deck four were doing their part by
loading the sailboat with provisions, thinking they would use them
when they departed the Calm of the Seas. Instead, Ricky gloated,
it'll be me and my people who benefit from their labor, Ricky
gloated. And as for Randy, I need to set a trap and kidnap him.

As he considered how he would lure Randy away from
the others, he suddenly had the answer to how he was going to get
the people on deck four separated so he could pick them off in ones
and twos. Ricky's mind raced as he worked out the specifics. Once I
grab Randy, Steve and Heather, the rest of them will be easy to
lure in different directions while they look for their missing
comrades. All I have to do is cut them off from each other by
sealing doors in front and behind them and then eliminate them one
by one. As soon as they find that Randy's missing, they'll be
chomping at the bit to search for him, only I’ll direct the search
and have my people set up to ambush them once they're separated.
With a smile, Ricky planned on how he would get Heather to the
Sound's Lounge and personally toss her into the crowd of dead
waiting below.

That bitch is mine.

Looking at the older sister lying on the bed next to
him, his mind switched track as he remembered his snitch telling
him that there was a ten-year-old girl aboard the sailboat. She was
supposedly immune to the disease. Ricky smiled evilly as he thought
he might be able to sell her to the government. They'd pay a
fortune to have someone who they could poke and prod to try and
figure out a cure for HWNW.

This thought was followed by; when I get done with
her of course.

He briefly considered changing the number of people
he would bring with him from a two to a three but decided to leave
it at two. The two youngest, he decided.

A huge smile broke across Ricky's face as he
considered the endless possibilities.

***

Steve and Heather cautiously checked deck five as
Susan and Tick-Tock covered them. They weren't as concerned about
running into Ricky's people as they were about encountering the
dead. Reaching the end of restaurant row and finding no signs of
any Z’s, they turned and made their way back. As they passed the
staircase, Steve approached the doors identical to the ones on deck
four which led to the cabin area beyond.

Motioning Heather to cover him, he went forward and
quickly chained the doors together by their handles. Tim had told
him about the watertight hatch beyond, but he wasn't going to take
any chances. Fumbling one handed with the lock as he gripped the
rifle his other, he half expected the doors to be pushed open by
decaying hands and a flood of dead to come rushing out. His fears
were unjustified. Noticing only the slight smell of funk coming
from beyond, he guessed the water tight doors must be shut or it
would smell as bad as it did when he drew close to the ones on deck
four.

Finished with securing the doors, he gripped his M-4
in both hands and backed away. Safely by the stairs, he took one
more look around and said, “No one goes into any of the restaurants
that are closed until we clear them. There are plenty of open ones
to choose from. Other than that, bon appetite.”

With the words barely out of his mouth, the others
came up from deck four and spread out to explore. As an added
warning, he shouted out, “And no one goes anywhere alone.”

Mary gasped and said, “Oh my god, a TGI Fridays. I
love their food.” Grabbing Sheila by the hand, she led her off
saying, “You fix us a couple of Mojitos and I’ll whip us up
something to eat.”

Tick-Tock headed for a British Pub before suddenly
stopping. Looking at Susan, he asked, “Join Me?”

She thought about it and decided that in a world
where it was unlikely she would ever have a chance to drink beer,
shoot darts and eat meat pies in an authentic replica of an Olde
English Pub again that she should jump on the chance. Instead, she
hesitated for a few seconds.

Although she liked spending time with Tick-Tock, the
thought of facing another thing about to pass from the pre dead
world depressed her. Not wanting to spoil it for everyone by
pointing out that they would never see anything like this again in
their lives, she forced a smile and pushed her thoughts away as she
said, “I'd love to join you.”

Connie and Brain stood undecided by the stairs. For
them this was like a first date so, like many couples since the
beginning of time, their conversation went:

Connie: What do you want to eat?

Brain: I’m fine with whatever you want.

Connie: Pick a place.

Brain: Where do you want to go?

Connie: Anywhere is fine with me.

Hearing this and knowing this type of conversation
could go on for days, since he had been in similar ones before,
Steve called Brain over to him. After the tech had joined him, he
whispered, “Women love assertive men. Don't ask her, tell her. She
doesn't care about the food anyway. She wants to spend time with
you.”

Brain nodded at this bit of wisdom and glanced around
at the selection of restaurants. While he was doing this, Heather
grabbed Steve by the hand and said, “I'm hungry for pizza. Take me
now or loose me forever.”

He went along willingly.

As Heather led him away, Brain looked startled at the
contradiction to what he had just been told. This was until Steve
called back over his shoulder, “The rule I told you about only
applies until you hook up. After that, she decides where to eat for
the rest of your life.”

He yelped as Heather punched his shoulder and Brain
laughed. Rejoining Connie he said, “Let's get some Chinese
food.”

Giving him a smile that made his knees weak, Connie
replied, “I love Chinese, perfect choice.”

Tim and Cindy looked at each other with disgust.
Neither wanted to be stuck with the other but it looked like they
had no choice. Earlier, Susan had asked him to watch over Cindy. At
first he had swelled with pride at being given the responsibility
but now it looked like this was going to be a drag.

In a bored voice, Tim said, “The Kidz Comer has got a
bunch of video games and I can cook us up some cheeseburgers or
something if you're hungry.”

At this, Cindy brightened. “Do they have Devious
Dwarfs?”

“Oh yeah they do,” Tim said. “That's my favorite. I
love Double D.”

“Me too.”

“What level have you gotten to?” Tim asked.

Cindy replied, “Twenty-two.”

“No way a girl got to level twenty-two. Prove it,”
Tim said skeptically

“Show me where the game is and I will,” Cindy
retorted.

Tim led her to the far end of Restaurant Row,
thinking that there was no way a girl made it to level twenty-two,
while Cindy thought, I’ll show him, and I actually made it to level
twenty-eight.

After they were gone, the deck was still for a
moment.

Until Mary broke it by calling out, “Brain, how in
the hell do you turn on this deep fryer?”

***

In the red glow of the emergency lights, the dead
locked in the engine room looked even more grotesque than the ones
topside, if anyone was left alive in there to see them. Having been
trapped inside the compartment for months now without any food, the
figures were rail thin but still active as they staggered about
looking for something to eat. It had been a long time since they
had stuffed meat into their mouths to sate their cravings. They
were hungry.

After the engine room crew had died and came back to
feast on their fellow crew members trapped inside with them, the
hatches of the engine room had been sealed to prevent them from
escaping and wreaking more havoc on the rest of the ship. The meat
sealed inside with the dead had been quickly consumed and the
marrow sucked from the bones. When no new food presented itself,
the bones themselves were then broken apart and devoured. This had
taken three days, with the skulls of their victims’ taking the
longest to consume.