Page 28 of Haunted Tides

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“Okay, Brea you can either follow the creepy disembodied voice, or you can aimlessly wander this ship that is way too fucking big. What’s it going to be?” Shit. I’d reached the full on conversation with myself side of the night.

With those as my two options, I headed for the door. My determination would have to be enough to keep me alive at this point because I had no fucking clue how to handle this insane situation. We'd seen all kinds of activity here and I was more than a little fucking terrified.

The lights flickered out again as I stopped in front of the door, peeking inside before entering. It was another damn hallway but I didn’t complain, relieved it wasn’t a torture chamber or something sinister.

“Hello?” I called out again. When I didn’t get an answer again, I kept walking, checking the small windows on the doors as I passed. There was a record room of sorts, and storage, but nothing that really helped me find my way to the upper decks.

“Here.” The voice halted my steps again. This time the lights blinked in a room down the hall, the creepy voice leading me toward who knows what. My options were limited, though, and I was going to hope for the best. The engine room had felt terrifying, but this presence didn’t have that same hold on me.

The hall seemed to stretch on forever, going the length of the ship. When I reached the closed door the lights flickering through the window stopped. With a deep, fortifying breath, I pushed open the door. The wind was knocked out of me as someone slammed into me, solid and warm. Alive.

My answering scream was loud enough after the deafening silence that my ears rang, but it wasn't something I could help. Thankfully strong hands held onto me so I didn’t fall.

“Brea?” Sully’s voice had never sounded so fucking amazing.

“Sully!” I screeched, rushing forward and slamming into my friend, almost taking him down like the ghost had done to me minutes ago. “What the fuck is going on?!”

“I was hoping you could tell me. I just fucking woke up here,” he laughed humorlessly. “Who is that?”

“Who?” I said, spinning around ready to fight off some ghost like that was possible. My nerves were officially shot. Then I saw her, or rather a hint of her. Everything was white and opaque, but I spotted her in the odd fog surrounding us now. It was brief, but she was definitely there. “Holy shit Sully, you seeing this?” My last question was barely audible but he heard me.

“Yeah. That’s about all I see these days,” he admitted quietly. His voice was vulnerable and I reached back for his hand, giving it a squeeze.

“I think she led me to you,” I admitted before explaining the voice and doors. “This is crazy. I can't normally see them, Sully.”

“Yeah, I’m a freak now,” he said.

“Um no. If we’re going to compare freak levels, I’m pretty sure you’d still lose. We can just all be freaks together.”

“There's a lot about me that's not normal anymore. Guess I should get used to it,” he said with a dark laugh.

“And there's a lot about you that's amazing. Like the fact that you are going to escort me out of this hellhole?”

“I don't think I'm the one doing the escorting. She’s walking off again. Let’s go,” he urged, grabbing my hand again and following the ghost I could no longer see. I held on like he was a fucking lifeline as we rushed through the winding corridors of this abandoned ship. My heart was still pounding but having Sully here helped a ton. Though, now that I was calming down I realized how underdressed I was. I’d gone to bed in boxers and a cami and this ship was far too fucking cold for that.

“You okay?” Sully asked when my steps faltered.

“No, just ready to go change and be done with this craziness,” I said with a sigh. He tried to answer but was cut off by a strong wind. Sully didn’t question it, pulling me into the door that cracked for us and shutting it silently behind us. Something was coming. The darkness of it was seeping closer and even the emergency lights were going out. We crouched in the corner together, shaking but silent as we waited out whatever was coming. He shifted in front of me, shielding me against whatever was moving in the hall.

Thundering footsteps passed down the hall then back again, lurking outside of the door as if looking for something. Sully protected me with his body as I pressed a hand over my mouth, terror washing over me. I was barely taking a full breath in fear of being detected by whatever evil thing was out there. It had been a long time since I’d felt something so dark and full of malice.

Whatever we were hiding from was close and it knew we were here as well. I don’t know what kept it away from us but I was glad it never once tried our door. Instead the darkness walked back and forth, passing the window over and over again. The presence was as chaotic as the storming seas, raging emotions slamming through the space along with an oppressive energy that made me feel strange.

My entire body clenched in fear as the figure stopped in front of the door. It lingered there and I knew this was how I’d go. If it got in, it would hurt us, that I was certain of.

Then as quickly as it came, it was gone, rushing off as if something else beckoned it away, and I just hoped it wasn’t my guys. Especially if they were still alone and unguarded. Because I now had no doubt that the ghost that led us here was protecting us. They likely didn’t have the same luxury.

We didn’t move right away, scared and stiff from being in that position for so long. My entire body was icy now and I shivered from more than just fear.

Sully slowly stood and pulled me up with him. The door creaked open on its own and we took off after our ghostly guide, though our footsteps were a whole lot faster now that we’d seen what was lurking down in these halls.

The ghost girl led us through the maze of hallways and ladders, but we didn’t question it; we’d do whatever we had to at this point just to reach the top floors.

After another ladder we finally reached a familiar hallway, the living quarters. Not caring if I disturbed our delicate balance of peace, I rushed forward and wrenched open door after door, hoping to find my guys asleep in bed. But of course luck was never on our side like that.

Each one was empty. Trying to fight off tears, I went in my room and pulled on a fresh outfit and proper shoes before finding Sully again. He had done the same.

“None of them are here, Sully,” I said in a broken tone. Terror was an understatement for what I felt right in that moment.


Tags: Jarica James Paranormal