“The hell with the monsters out in the water. The real monsters are in here.”
She strode out of the cabin. The steel hatch clanged shut behind her. After a moment, Henry followed. The rest of them turned to Simon, who nodded at Novak.
“Go ahead.”
“God forgive me,” Novak whispered. Then he keyed the microphone. “Hey, Kevin. Sorry about the delay. Everything’s cool, now. Listen, how fast can you go in that thing?”
“A good eighty knots when we’ve got a strong wind. And we’ve had a lot of those since the rain started.”
“Okay,” Novak said. “I’m gonna give you some coordinates and I want you to head there fast as you can. We’ve found a safe place.”
Watching the tears stream down Novak’s cheeks as he spoke, Sarah wondered if Locke could hear that he was crying.
CHAPTER 84
They sailed on, and over the next few days, the mood of everyone aboard the ship became even tenser and more paranoid. On the first night, only a few hours after Simon and Novak lured the crew of Locke’s ark into a trap, Henry snuck onto the bridge and tried to radio the vessel while Novak and Simon were asleep. Mylon stopped him before he could warn the survivors. In the ensuing scuffle, the radio was smashed beyond repair, as were the older man’s two front teeth. After that, Henry and Gail began spending most of their waking hours apart from the others. Novak insisted they not stand guard together, suspecting that the two of them might try to attempt further mischief if given the chance. Gail was assigned a shift with Novak. Henry stood watch with Caterina. When Sarah tried to talk to the teen and explain her reasoning, Henry rebuffed her. He grew sullen, and began spending most of his time sleeping in his rack, when not on watch.
The rest of the crew pulled away from each other, as well. Sarah noticed that the decision had effected Gail and Novak’s friendship in much the same manner as it had impacted her and Henry’s. They seemed to avoid each other whenever possible. Caterina and Mylon stood their watches without talking to each other, or anyone else. What few meals the group ate together were uncomfortable and silent. Even small talk seemed forced and futile.
Simon kept entirely to himself, explaining that he needed to fast and meditate before arriving at their destination. He sequestered himself in the ship’s aft section, demanding absolute privacy. He took no meals, and as far as Sarah could tell, didn’t even emerge for water or a bathroom break.
And all along, the rain continued to fall.
Standing watch the third day, Sarah noticed how most of the debris had disappeared from the water’s surface. She’d grown used to seeing cars, trees, corpses, and even entire buildings floating in the grayish-black surf. It had been especially bad in Baltimore. Now, all of that was gone, melted away by the white fuzz. She wondered if it was growing on the ship’s hull, and if so, how long they had before the boat dissolved, as well.
Before the radio had been destroyed during Mylon and Henry’s altercation, they had received a faint signal from Drammen, Norway. The broadcaster’s English had been good enough for them to understand that he was reporting a series of earthquakes. He had insisted the mountains in his region were melting. The crew hadn’t discussed it much, other than the fact that if an earthquake triggered a tsunami in their region, there was no way Novak’s boat would survive it.
Sarah thought about that radio call now as she stared out at the sea. They were sailing right over the Appalachian mountains. There should have been peaks sticking out of the water—lonely, scarred mountaintops, perhaps hosting survivors as Bald Knob had hosted her, Kevin, and Henry. Instead, there was nothing.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat behind her. Sarah turned to find Novak. Rain dripped from the hood of his jacket.
“We’re here.”
“We are?”
He nodded. “At the coordinates Simon gave me. Although I’ve gotta be honest. It doesn’t look much like Pennsylvania to me.”
It took her a moment to realize that he was making a joke. When she did, Sarah smiled.
“I’m going to let Simon know. I’ve sent Mylon to wake the others. You okay on watch by yourself for a minute?”
Sarah was about to respond when a hatch squeaked open and banged against the bulkhead. A rain-coated figure stepped through the door.
“I already know,” Simon said, throwing back his hood. “I sensed our impending arrival a little while ago. You can be sure that others have, as well.”
“What kind of others?” Novak asked.
Before Simon could answer, all three of them heard voices carrying across the waves.
Female voices.
Singing.
CHAPTER 85
Novak frowned. “The hell is that?”
Six female figures broke the surface, surrounding the ship as they bobbed up and down in time with the waves. Sultry, full-lipped and full-bodied, their naked breasts seeming to float just above the water. Their blonde, brunette, and red hair was plastered to their shoulders and backs, dripping seaweed. Although they were only visible from the waist up, Sarah caught a shadowed glimpse of their fish tails thrashing beneath the water. Their mouths were open in song.
“Sirens,” Simon shouted. “The brides of Leviathan! Mister Novak, find something to stuff in your ears and block them right now. Have the crew muster inside the bridge. We’ll need them armed with every weapon you have on board this vessel. We have a fight on our hands.”
Novak nodded slowly, but didn’t speak. His eyes remained fix on the churning ocean. His expression went slack. Sarah recognized the signs. She’d seen them before, during the siege in Baltimore. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she felt the familiar stirrings. Unable to help herself, Sarah turned toward the sea. The feminine voice and melody were beautiful. She didn’t understand the words, but she felt them deep down inside. The song was calming and hypnotic. As she listened, Sarah forgot all about Kevin and Teddy and Carl. Her grief was washed away in the rain. She tried to fight it, but the melody was too strong. From the corner of her eye, she saw Novak shuffling toward the rail, arms outstretched, as if greeting the new arrivals. Sarah tried to resist, but the song overwhelmed her, promising an end to sadness and exhaustion.
“Simon,” Sarah grunted. “You… have to… get us both… inside.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Novak said. “Listen. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”
Simon swept forward, rushing to the rail. The ship tilted and he almost went over the side. Clinging to the rail, he chanted in a strong, loud voice, overpowering the siren song.
“CLEOTE! Innammanna vishnatu. Ia, Cthonical. Ia, Pshtari.”
The song continued, growing louder. Novak stopped at the rail next to Simon. Sarah approached from behind. Even as she saw Novak turn to look at the Black Lodge operative, she had the sudden, uncontrollable urge to push Simon into the water. She raised her hands and crept toward him.
“Ut nemo in sense tenant,” Simon yelled. “Descendere nemo. At precedenti spectator mantica tergo.”
As one, the sirens fell silent. Then they began to shriek as they slipped back beneath the waves. Sarah jerked as the spell was broken. Spasms jolted through her arms and legs. She saw that Novak was jittering, too.
“Inside,” Simon said, turning to them. “Hurry! I wasn’t able to banish them. The spell only bound them temporarily. They’ll be back with reinforcements.”
“What kind of reinforcements?” Sarah asked. “The worms?”
“No. That’s the one thing we won’t have to deal with any longer.”