Sea Sick: A Horror Novel

Jack pulled back the duvet and dumped his sweating feet onto the floor. He stood up, then shimmied around the edge of the bed carefully, mindful of the darkness of an unfamiliar room. The main light switch would most likely be near the cabin’s door, so he headed over, fumbling through the shadows. Sure enough, his probing fingers eventually found a set of knobs and switches set into the wall – the controls for both lighting and air conditioning no doubt. He fiddled about for a few moments and eventually hit upon the right switch.

The room lit up in a blink and everything came into colour. Jack’s eyes were still fuzzy and the sudden onslaught of light made them ache as well. Squinting through the pain and trying hard to focus, it became a little clearer what had woken him.

Jack’s luggage lay sprawled against the wardrobe door. It must have tipped over as the ship crested a particularly rough wave. As if to confirm his suspicions the ship listed again and the luggage bumped against the wardrobe doors once more. With the mystery solved, Jack stretched out his arms above his head and let out a long, overdue yawn. He had to admit that he felt better after such a long sleep, almost as though a cloud had lifted from his mind, allowing him to see things more clearly. The colours and smells had finally returned to his world. If not anything else, then at least the cruise had given Jack a brief respite from his insomnia. Maybe his bosses at the police force had been right about him needing a change of scenery in order to relax.

Who’d have thought it?

Jack pulled aside the curtain separating the middle of the room and padded over to the porthole window. A lifeboat partially obscured his view to the left, but he could see the wooden Promenade Deck outside and the blue-green sea beyond its railings. The Mediterranean was vast and soulful, every inch of it shifting and rolling beneath invisible forces. Jack knew little of the ship’s itinerary, but he supposed that today would be a day at sea. Which meant all the passengers would be onboard, reducing the amount of areas for quiet and privacy.

So much for getting some alone time. Hopefully tomorrow everyone will bugger off ,once we hit the coast of France or wherever it is we’re going.

Something struck the glass.

Jack leapt back from the window, his breath catching in his throat. He ended up laughing to himself when he realised it was just a seagull come to perch on the ledge of his porthole. The mottled bird stared in at him with beady black eyes, then flew away to pursue adventures elsewhere.

Maybe he was just trying to tell me that waking up at 2PM is unacceptable for a grown man, even on vacation.

Jack let out one final yawn and then decided he would indulge his sleepiness no more. A shower was the next order of business and something that could finally rid his eyes of their fuzziness. The small bathroom was cooler than the rest of the cabin and a breeze seemed to enter from somewhere and skim across the tiles. Jack hadn’t unpacked his things yet so he was pleased to see that, with the exception of a toothbrush, everything he needed was supplied. There was soap and shampoo in the shower cubicle and a roll of non-branded toothpaste sitting in a glass jar at the rear of the sink. Jack reached over into the shower and twisted the knob jutting out from the wall. The shower head hissed and let out a freezing -cold jet of water. Jack yanked his arm back and tried to keep from swearing in surprise. His temper was part of the reason he’d been sent on the cruise in the first place, so he intended to try and gain some control over it if he could.

After a few minutes had gone by, during which the use of the toilet had become necessary, Jack reached back into the shower to test the water. It was warmer now so he stripped off his clothes and stepped inside. The soothing heat immediately caressed his body and made him shudder. It almost lulled him back into a sleepy daze, so he turned the temperature down and made the water lukewarm. It was cold enough to bring back his focus.

Just try and make the best of this, Jack. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little time off. The world doesn’t need you as much as you think it does.