Kirsten blinked a few times and shivered, looking around the dark space that surrounded her. She was in a cave, not far from the mouth and with a grunt, pushed herself up from the uneven, rocky ground. Her body ached and she tried to stretch, noting that it felt like she had a number of bruises.
It took a moment for her to clear her head and on wobbly legs she cautiously moved toward the cave mouth and looked out, hearing a rolling thunder that seemed somehow familiar. Her eyes struggled to adjust and with a shaky stride, Kirsten stepped outside and was met immediately with the heavy rain.
No light shone from around her and in the dark of night, she could barely make out any details. She could faintly see the river ahead of her, but the cloudy night sky left her in almost total blackout.
She groaned in confusion.
Brief flashes came through her haze. Slipping down a hill. Falling. Awkwardly hitting the water at the bottom.
She stepped back behind her, getting out of the rain and back into the protection of the cavern. The mouth was just tall enough for her to get inside without hitting her head.
She remembered more. Crawling from the water exhausted and had slowly scrambled forward along the rocks to shelter. Then nothing. Darkness.
Kirsten sighed, uncertain of her lost time and called out into the darkness. “Hello?”
The only response was the rain.
“Is anyone out there?”
She waited anxiously for an answer, when a sickening howl echoed out from the inky depths of the cave over her shoulder and caused her knees to feel weak. The realization dawned on her in an instant, that the beast from the crash site was in there with her.
In spite of the chill from her wet clothes, she broke out in a sweat and held her breath. She strained to listen for any signs of movement, but all she could make out was the deep pounding of her heart in her chest.
She tried to slowly move out of the cave, as quiet as she could, trembling lightly.
A rock under her boot slid and the sound reverberated around her in a clatter. Somewhere in the cavern, there was an abrupt growl, sounding much closer than before.
Kirsten panicked, running out into the rain and hooked to the right. Her footing was uneven and more than once she came crashing down into the water.
Behind her the beast howled, but she didn’t dare look back; instead pressing forward. She wanted to scream, panting hard. She could tell it was close, but the sound of the rain around her was disorienting.
Lightning flashed and in that instant, Kirsten spotted something up ahead in the water. Thunder rumbled through the air and there was another flash, confirming what she’d seen.
A boat!
It looked hung up on something, but it was definitely a boat. Three levels tall and bobbing in the murky river, she could spot the small ladder at the back.
Her foot slipped on the wet groundcover and her momentum pulled her over to the left and into the water, head first with a heavy splash. With a gasp, Kirsten breached the surface then heard the beast howl again. A new splash alerted her to something in the water with her and she kicked for her life, watching the boat draw near.
The ladder rung came within reach and Kirsten thrust an arm forward, pulling as hard as she could to free herself from the watery prison. She strained, hand over hand and brought her leg up then lunged upward as the beast broke the river surface behind her.
She landed hard on the deck and rolled onto her back, scrambling away as another flash of lightning illuminated the terror that stalked her. In that moment of light, she could make out the creatures claws as they gripped the edge of the boat, green and scaled like a reptile. She caught the momentary glimpse of beady yellow eyes, set into a crocodilian face full of teeth.
Her boots squeaked along the deck as she pushed herself away from the vicious jaws and the inhuman eyes, and when she finally hit a spot where she gained traction, she shot up and let out a yelp as the beast pulled itself toward her.
Her ankles came into contact with a metal staircase and Kirsten toppled, landing hard on one of the steps, but quickly scrambled up and spun. Her boots clattered on the staircase and just behind her, she heard a heavy thump as the creature landed on the deck with a growl.
Her breathing was ragged as she ascended, tripping on the top landing. She scurried toward a hatch and opened the metal door, thankful that it gave easily and slid inside, slamming it behind her and wrenching the locking bolt. The beast slammed its heavy fists against the door and with a roar of defeat, went silent.
Tears streamed down Kirsten’s cheeks as she stared at he hatch, now lost in total darkness and nearly overcome by a sickening smell.
She didn’t want to breathe with the risk of the creature hearing her and so she crept silently backward until her hip collided with a table. Her hands went out behind her to steady herself and a lightweight box fell to the floor. It rattled as if it was full of small candies.
Or matches!
Immediately, Kirsten ducked down, feeling around and when she was sure that she found the box again, she held it in front of her and fumbled to open it. Her shaking hands held it upside down and a rain of timber mocked the rain outside as the wooden matches scattered below her. She swore faintly and knelt again, finding a handful of the matches and with one held tightly, she struck it against the side of the box and the room was suddenly cast in a wash of flickering, amber light.
It looked like a common area or lounge, with couches that lined the walls on two sides and tables down the middle. The place was a mess, with papers scattered everywhere. To her right was another door, but slumped in front of it was the body of a man, long since dead. His gnarled hand clutched a flare gun.
The match flame touched her finger and she swore again, the darkness only momentary as she readied a new match and lit it. On a nearby table was a lantern and with a smile she approached it, stepping cautiously over the dead man’s outstretched legs.
Something brushed against her boot and as she took hold of the lantern to light it, she turned in just enough time to see the dead man move. It moaned hoarsely and Kirsten gasped, dropping the rest of the matches.
The lantern cast an ominous glow over the form as it moved, slowly scrambling forward toward her. Kirsten backed off, but tripped and with an awkward thud, landed on the floor, the lantern falling from her grip. She forced herself back and the creature reached out for her, its scabby fingers brushing the leather of her boot.
“No!” She cried, kicking fiercely at the creature’s face as it moaned hungrily, inching ever closer and gnashing its teeth. It looked on her with dead eyes and with another kick she felt her boot connect with its jaw. There was sickening crunch as the bone cracked.
There was no more room to back up, a heavy box blocked Kirsten’s retreat and she sobbed as the crawling horror encroached on her. The flare gun clattered to the ground as the abomination tried to claw at her legs for purchase and she let out a final kick in desperation. Her heel hit hard, the wet crunch of the creature’s skull echoing in the room and the dead man slumped over onto her legs.
Kirsten cried out in sheer horror and kicked the oozing mess off of her, then tucked her knees up to her chest as she looked on it by the light of the lantern.
Her mind tried to put to words what she saw, but the rationalization was too absurd to consider. She thought about the creature outside, then the one inside and shook her head. Monsters weren’t supposed to be real. Her brain went over it and in the end she couldn’t deny what she witnessed. The man had been dead and there was no way to argue that, and if that was true, then what she just fought off was a zombie.
A distant clang rang out from the bowels of the boat and it snapped Kirsten from her thoughts. Terrified, she reached out and took the flare gun in her trembling hand and checked to see that it was loaded. She made one last sniffle and snatched the lantern, then forced herself to her feet.
Before she had felt scared, but now she felt angry. A seething anger had welled up in her when her understanding of the world had been questioned and she’d be damned if she’d let monsters get her.
Not now, not ever.
With a renewed determination, she approached the door that the zombie had been blocking before and with the flare gun tucked in the back of her pants, tried the release latch, holding her breath as she wrenched it open a crack. She paused, listening and when she was convinced it was clear, opened the hatch all the way and backed off, pulling the gun back out and pointing it ahead of her.
The doorway opened into an adjoining corridor, with a staircase that led downward on the left and another door directly across from where she stood, marked ‘Bridge’. She was about to try the door when another clattering of metal resounded from the interior of the boat, rising up from the stairwell.
Kirsten swallowed hard and held the lantern out, slowly creeping down the narrow stairwell and once she reached the first landing, carefully peered around the corner. The next landing down from her was marked with an arrow and a sign that read ‘Crew Compartments’, as well another hatch. When she was certain that nothing was waiting on the staircase below and around the next corner, she descended and quickly slipped through the open hatchway.
The hallway stretched past her on the right, running the length of the ship and each side was lined with doors. She assumed they were the sleeping quarters and from the looks of it, there were twelve rooms, with the washroom directly across from where she was standing. To her left was a door with an inset window and as she looked through the glass, could make out what appeared to be the galley.
The metal deck plating under her feet was streaked with grime and the lantern did little to chase away her sense of unease as she walked forward. The first door on her right had the word ‘Captain’ stenciled crudely in black paint, and with a tentative effort, she tried the latch. The door creaked open and she moved inside, leaving the door open in case she needed a quick exit.
It was modestly decorated, with a bunk, a table and chair, and the limited wall space was taken up with shelves cluttered with books and various objects. In the corner was an old filing cabinet. Kirsten didn’t know what she was looking for, but something deep down inside told her to look for anything useful.
She started with the filing cabinet, placing the lantern on the desk but an old lock held her back from making progress and the metal clanging in resistance. She shook her head and moved on, looking over the papers that littered the desk. Her eyes settled on an old log book and she scooped it up, quickly looking over her shoulder to ensure the coast was clear.
Kirsten flipped to the final entry.
August 12,
With the ship caught up on the fallen debris - and one of the Portuguese scientists missing - we appear to be stuck here for the time being. None of the other scientists are willing to talk about their research and honestly I think it was a mistake to agree to their charter. More than once now, strange noises have been coming from the jungle – ever since the earthquake a few days ago - and it’s leaving me and Reynolds feeling like we’re in over our heads. Then there’s the fact that there haven’t been any signs of wildlife. What’s worse is that it sounds like the noises are getting closer. It almost sounds like a large animal.
Who are these guys, anyway? I’ve never seen scientists armed before.
Kirsten frowned, then thought back for a moment. The only earthquake she remembered hearing about in the Amazon had been several years before. She flipped through the pages, looking for something more to go on but the rest seemed as normal as she could figure for a riverboat captain, with only the entry from the night before making reference to the sound in the jungle.
A rumbling erupted from the ship’s insides and when it died down the electric lights hummed to life around her. At first she was startled by it, but instantly put it together that someone else was onboard. Someone alive and from the looks of things, who could get the boat up and working again.
She stepped back into the hallway as footsteps resounded from the staircase and clutched the flare gun tightly with both hands. “Hello?” She asked softly, trying not to move.
A man’s voice called back, hints of an accent giving his voice a slight drawl. “I’m comin’ up!”
He stepped into view slowly, well built with light brown hair and a few days of growth on his face, and dressed in cargo pants and black long-sleeved shirt rolled up to his elbows. He wore a beat up old vest, the pockets bulging with unknown contents and he smiled when he saw the woman brandishing the flare gun. “Now what you plannin’ on doin’ with that?”
Kirsten slowly lowered the weapon, grateful for living human contact and gave a faint sigh of relief. “There’s something out there. And there was a... thing upstairs.” Her exasperation came through in her voice as she spoke and her body movements were edgy.
The man looked up in a contemplating manner and slowly moved forward, once again making eye contact with her. “Who are you? I take it to mean this ain’t your boat?”
She shook her head.
“KinCaid,” The man offered, still grinning lightly. “Managed to get the power back up. Now just gotta try an’ get her unhooked is all.”
“I’m Kirsten,” She replied, still unsure. “How did you get here?”
His smile seemed to diminish. “Well, ain’t that the story. I’m here lookin’ for somethin’, but the boat I came in on left me behind. I followed the river as far as I could, then came across this here lady.”
Kirsten thought about recounting her story but in the end decided against it. Instead she simply stated “There are others as well,” and that they needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
KinCaid nodded then shrugged. “Either way, we ain’t goin’ anywhere until the boat is set free. Looks like it’s hung up pretty bad outside and I can’t do it alone.”
She weighed her options and finally nodded. She had no idea where she was in relation to the others and more to the fact they would have to work together to get the ship navigable again. “All right,” She said, “let’s get this done so we can get out of here.”