The big sailor smiled.
‘Oh, I reckon I can manage that.’
‘So it’s settled?’ asked Snell. ‘We scuttle the ship and take to the boat?’
Nods all round.
‘Rather take my chances back in the lifeboat.’
‘And send those things down with her,’ threw in Amelia.
‘Send her down and let the waters wash the evil away,’ said Connelly finally.
Once Snell’s arm was tightly bandaged Amelia fashioned a sling for him from a slashed-up blanket. Busby put a full load into the Webley and put the pistol into Snell’s right hand.
‘There you go, sir.’
Snell nodded and the rest of the company took in how pale he was. The young man’s eyes opened.
‘Put my cap on for me won’t you, Busby?’
Busby picked up the cap and put it on Snell’s head at a jaunty angle.
‘Think you’re just taking the piss now, sir,’ Busby said in a voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.
‘Maybe, I am – just a little…’ he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Have I done alright, Busby?’
‘More than alright, sir. We’ve made a proper officer out of you, we have. The captain would be proud, your father too. I’d be proud to serve on any ship with you as master.’
‘And I’d be honoured to have you with me, Mr Busby.’
Snell smiled and the others gathered up their rifles. Connelly loaded up the two spares and passed one to Busby while slinging one across his own back.
‘We might be glad of the extra shots.’
‘Aye,’ replied Busby likewise putting one of the rifles on his back. ‘Professor, you know the way back to this armoury so you lead and we’ll follow. The ladies will stay with Mr Snell and I’ll make sure no one comes at us from behind. No lights, we don’t want them to see us coming.’
‘No lights,’ echoed the others.
Connelly grabbed the handle on the door and the others brought up their guns. A clunk of the lock and the door swung open showing the dark corridor beyond. Nothing stirred. Connelly led the way moving in a half crouch with his rifle tight into his shoulder and levelled at the darkness. Snell kept his pistol pointed at the deck and followed slowly. Lily and Amelia held their unfamiliar rifles pointed down and Busby brought up the rear with his axe in his right hand and rifle in his left.
The pipes that lined the corridors clunked and throbbed as they moved through the shadows and murk. Connelly threw a glance at them and then went back to watching ahead of him – with every step he expected to see pale flesh emerge from one of the doors that lined the corridor but there was nothing. He put one foot in front of the other and the rest of the group followed tightly in his wake.
At the turn in the corridor that led to the armoury Connelly raised a hand to halt the others and risked a quick look around the corner. Everything was quiet apart from the roar of the storm outside. Connelly turned and Busby crept up close.
‘How do you want to do this?’
‘In and out. What we are looking forward is in a pile of boxes behind the ammo.’
‘You got any experience using explosives?’
‘A little – not much, you?’
‘Thought you Irish lads knew all about bombs…’ Busby smirked and Connelly ignored him.
‘I shipped with a fella who had been down Mexico way after the last war helping some revolutionaries or some such. Had a long trip with him and he tried to show me a couple of things. We’ll wing it somehow. Tell the others to wait here while we get the boxes.’
‘Alright, professor.’
Once the message had been passed the two sailors crept around the corner and headed for the armoury.
‘Too quiet,’ whispered Busby and Connelly silently nodded back.
Connelly got to his feet at the door while Busby remained low. As Connelly’s hand closed around the handle the electric lights along the corridor began to flicker on.
‘What the hell?’ Busby stood and the lights went on full no longer flickering ‘How has the ship got her power back? She was dead in the water.’
But before they had time to discuss the matter further, the other doors along the corridor swung open. Pale shapes piled out of the doorways, more than a dozen of them. They were moving faster than they had been previously, climbing over each other as they attempted to get to Busby and Connelly. Busby fired off the five shots in his rifle and then hurled it at them before readying his axe. Connelly got the door open before turning and shooting one of the creatures in the face. He turned and looked back towards where the others were with thoughts of getting them all safe behind the heavy door. More of the pale shuffling man-things had cut off their retreat and amongst them Connelly saw his former shipmates; Collins, Putner, and Hamilton.
‘Busby!’
The big man turned and saw what was happening. He shoved Connelly roughly into the armoury.
‘Get in there! Do what needs to be done, sailor.’
He pushed the door shut and spun the lock before turning to where the others were.
‘Collins! You still owe me money you rat bastard!’
Lily aimed her rifle and put a shot into the gut of the closest bloater. The bullet pierced the flesh releasing the scent of saltwater and death. The rifle kicked back hard into her shoulder and she struggled to work the unfamiliar mechanism of the bolt. Amelia fired at the monstrously misshapen head and swiftly chambered another round, the rifle not being too unlike the one that she used back home on the farm.
‘Bullets slide off them like butter from corn.’
Snell fired the Webley.
‘We need to get back.’
‘But the others?’ shouted Lily.
‘Bloody hell,’ Snell shoved his pistol into the face of the oncoming creature and pulled the trigger taking off half its face. From out of the mob a hand grabbed Snell’s wrist and yanked him forward. It was Putner. He raised a hand and slammed his fist down into Snell’s face. Snell raised his non-existent left hand to try and ward off the attack. The flayed Collins leapt in and his teeth bit down on the bandages covering Snell’s stump. Snell screamed and triggered the Webley into the seething mass of stinking flesh that was enveloping him. Collins bit down harder and came back up with a mouthful of blood. Punches struck Snell about the face and he struggled to get the Webley up again.
Amelia and Lily fired in unison and then took a step back. Snell had vanished amongst the oncoming mass. They looked desperately for him but all that remained was his cap lying on the floor.
‘Back,’ muttered Lily. ‘We have to get back.’
She fired again and took two steps back. Amelia looked again for Snell but then did likewise. The mass came on and they took another step back. The wall of rotting flesh swelled towards them and they turned and moved back fast the way that they had come.
Busby threw an arm around the neck of one of the bulbous walking corpses and yanked back hard enough to break the neck of a normal man. But the dead thing was no normal man and as his spinal column snapped his sea-sodden head tore free from the mooring of his neck. Busby cast it aside and swung his axe hacking a pathway for himself. He grunted as the heavy blade smashed through limbs and hacked into flesh. Busby looked up and watched as Snell went down under the weight of his attackers.
‘No,’ he said simply.
He saw Putner crouched down, raining blows into Snell’s head and Collins crouched with blood around his mouth grabbing at the stump. Busby threw up an animal cry like some primal berserker and shouldered his way through the other grabbing things with elbows and axe swinging.
‘Collins!’
The flayed creature looked up from gnawing at Snell’s wounded arm, some recognition dawning though the fugue in what remained of his mind. He looked up blankly at Busby in the second before the head of the axe smashed into his face. Busby gave the handle a yank but it was stuck fast in Collin’s skull. He let go and kicked the flayed man away. He turned to Putner and smiled, hand edging up his back.