Read The Last Passenger Online

Authors: Manel Loureiro

The Last Passenger (21 page)

BOOK: The Last Passenger
9.69Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

He had two more hallways to cross through in second class before he reached his destination, but it felt eternal. The air down here was foul. It was almost as if some vat of oil filled with rotting fish was hidden somewhere. He also felt the need to yawn ceaselessly. His ears were ringing, and his mind seemed like it was turning to mush.

Behind him he heard a noise. He whipped around like a cobra. One of the cabin doors creaked open as if propelled by an invisible breeze. Paxton knew there were no air currents down here. He must have bumped it by mistake.

What are you going to do, Willie?

The voice in his head spoke gently yet had a poisonous, wicked overtone.

It doesn’t exist. That voice doesn’t exist,
Paxton repeated to himself.

He walked toward the end of the hallway and consulted a map of the
Valkyrie
that had cost two lives and a tidy fortune, although Paxton was unaware of this fact. The Elders were quite skilled at dividing labor—one mole must never know what the other mole is doing.

Paxton reached a dead end. The wood paneling had taken on a sickly green color, the result of satisfied mold. Using his bare hands, he began tearing off huge panels, which crumbled in his fingers like dry cheese, leaving green streaks on his hands. After a bit, a new hole in the wall appeared right where it was supposed to be. The original designers of the
Valkyrie
had thought it best that the ship’s crew have quick access between the passenger and service areas in more than one place. Paxton had uncovered one of these access points.

He pulled open the door. After decades of disuse the loud creaking hinges had rusted dry, and Paxton had to strain just to get the door open wide enough so he could enter. On the other side hot bright lights were awaiting his arrival.

He was happy to leave the ruins of second class behind for a maintenance room adjoined to the engine room. He was practically in the heart of the
Valkyrie
and nearing his goal.

He carefully advanced and looked around. He had been told there was almost never anybody down here. The way he had come had allowed him to avoid the control room and its entrances, where at least two guards were always on duty. Paxton chuckled. He was certain that not even Feldman or the chief engineer knew of the route he had taken. The
Valkyrie
held many secrets.

He walked past two huge blocks of modern steel that were pressed against the side walls of one of the ship’s most spacious rooms. Paxton caught his breath and opened his bag. He began taking out the packages of Semtex, piling them at his feet, and then he searched for a good place for the explosives.

All modern ships have lateral stabilizers, a pair of engines mounted to their sides that help in docking and sailing maneuvers as well as preventing the vessel from bobbing side to side like some circus attraction. Until the invention of such a system in the 1970s, cruise ships that encountered rough waters would begin swaying back and forth like a cocktail waitress. Such experiences ruined what was supposed to be a luxury vacation for first-class travelers and resulted in passengers, rich and poor alike, being seasick, which was not good for business. Thanks to these mechanical beasts, however, balancing on the waves became easy. Modern cruise ships were able to remain stable, even on choppy waters.

When Feldman had renovated the
Valkyrie
, he’d taken the liberty of modifying the original design to include these motors. Because of them, the
Valkyrie
was steady as a boulder amid such turbulent waters.

But Paxton wanted to change that.

He began strategically placing the explosives and detonators. He set the timer, so they would explode in exactly one hour, which was more than enough time to sneak back to his cabin. Or to the kitchen, where he could eat some more food. As soon as he pressed the button, red numbers began ticking down on the tiny LCD screen.

XXXVII

Paxton still had some explosives in his bag as he leaned out into the hallway, at the end of which was the ship’s engine room. Three engineers had their backs to him and were attending to the multitude of dials, gauges, and indicators that dotted the control panels.

The noise was infernal, and most of the area was covered in a shadowy darkness. The magnesium lamps were pointed toward the engine room, leaving the hallway’s edges extremely dark. It was not hard for Paxton to sneak past the engine room and slip out through a service tunnel.

He was close to the ship’s stern, and the tunnel was slightly bowed. Consulting his map from time to time with the help of a flashlight, Paxton continued forward as the shaft narrowed. He paused, took out his Swiss Army knife, and undid the screws on the grate that was now in his way. When he finished he wormed onward. He left his jacket carefully folded in the gap of the grate to hold it open. It was too hot in there, and Paxton figured it would help facilitate his getaway should he need to leave suddenly.

The tunnel gradually dwindled down to a circular crawl space. Paxton was forced to crawl forward while pushing his bag in front of him. The floor was trembling beneath him, and the vibrations shivered through his entire body.

Don’t do it, Willie. It’s not a good idea.

The voice pummeled his head as if a hammer had just driven several nails into his skull. Paxton stopped and groaned as his two nostrils became faucets of blood. The intense pain in his head only got worse, and his facial muscles began twitching uncontrollably.

“Shut up,” he cried, rubbing his temples. “It’s my mission.”

Where Senka had failed he would triumph. For the first time since his dream, he knew what he needed to do. He would be the one to bring the
Valkyrie
to a halt and stop Feldman, that piece-of-shit Jew. When the
Valkyrie
was at sea once more, filled with wolves and clovers, Paxton would be first in line to receive praise. The Elders would undoubtedly recognize his worth.

Like a beacon of understanding, it came to him. He’d been on the other side. He’d seen the flags and shouted
“Sieg Heil”
in a room filled with those just as passionate as he. Paxton had been surrounded by true patriots. They had shown him what would be in store for him upon completing the mission—it was his destiny.

He was the chosen one.

He could see himself sailing on the
Valkyrie
toward Germany. Then, at the chancellery, an honored guest of the Führer, he would explain what had happened the first time the ship sailed and how to avoid making the same fatal errors as before by sharing the exact movements of the enemy. They would win the war and reestablish the Thousand-year Reich.

Rubbing elbows with the Führer.

The notion was so intoxicating that it managed to overpower the voice. Even her influence had withered under his burst of ambition so powerful and pure.

Stop, Willie. Don’t be stupid. You shouldn’t do it.

“It’
s . . .
m
y . . .
destiny,” panted Paxton, breathless.

The upper ceiling of the tunnel was already starting to graze his back, and he hardly had enough room to propel himself forward with his elbows and knees. Everything was dark, and the only light came from a shaky flashlight inside of the green bag.

No, Willie.

The pain was a hundred times worse than all the other times put together. Paxton shouted aloud, unable to restrain himself, but his howl was drowned out by the noise of the engines.

Touching his face, he became distantly aware that, besides bleeding from his nose, blood was also pouring out of his ears. What Paxton couldn’t be aware of was that a part of his brain, unable to fend off the dark force being exerted on it, had begun to die. Thousands of tiny veins were bursting, one after the other, like a house of cards collapsing.

Paxton shook his head and reached a tiny doorway that opened up to a room below. Awkwardly, he reached out and opened it. The noise behind the door was deafening. He pointed his flashlight down and could see the steely reflection of the
Valkyrie
’s propeller axle.

The axle was as wide as the human body. Paxton knew the explosive would not be enough to destroy it. But mangled by the explosion, the axle would stop turning, and the engines would choke from the sudden blockage. The
Valkyrie
would be rendered motionless at sea like a big, sleepy whale. End of voyage.

With no way of sticking the blocks of Semtex to the axle, Paxton began stacking them around the giant cylinder. It took him a long time to insert the timer wires into the waxy gray explosive. He’d not even realized that half his body was no longer obeying his brain’s orders.

Stop!

The voice became a hurricane-force roar. Paxton’s mind, already in a weakened state, had about as much resistance remaining as an old wooden fence does before an avalanche. Several arteries burst at the same time as blood began pouring through the geologist’s cranium, inundating every cavity. In shock, he realized for a fraction of a second that he was about to die. The thought struck him suddenly, and he brimmed with anger. Once again he was going to be denied the glory he deserved.

His final reflex was to stretch his fingers out toward the timer. But he never got there. Blood had pooled extensively in his head, and Will Paxton died before he was able to complete his mission.

Darkness grew and devoured him. This time it was for good.

XXXVIII

Valkyrie

Day four

 

Kate shook her wrists, angrier than she’d ever been in her life. The duct tape they had wrapped around her joints prevented her from moving her arms. She could feel the circulation being cut off as her hands began to tingle.

She was lying on her bed, where they had tossed her before leaving and slamming the door shut. She’d been there two hours, and all of her attempts to undo the restraints had been in vain. When she tired of floundering about like a tuna in a fishing net, she tried to relax and put her mind at ease. She needed to calm her anxiety and, above all, think of a plan.

She tried to recall everything that had happened, but it was impossible to follow the course of events. In some strange way it seemed like the reality in which she lived and the reality of 1939 were trying to occupy the same space. The
Valkyrie
.

For some reason the two worlds seemed to be bleeding into one another and creating a new reality that was dark and menacing, one in which something very dangerous was after her.

And then, there was Robert, of course.

She looked to the shelf, which held the urn containing Robert’s ashes. That was the actual Robert, what was left of the man she’d known. Yet, a few hours ago, several decks below, she’d been kissing that same man, who she had thought was gone.

She was completely incapable of understanding how it was possible. She had a sneaking suspicion that the ashes being on board had something to do with it. But the rest of the story was so complicated that she was baffled.

“That’s very feminine,” a familiar voice said from behind Kate. “Instead of just accepting a gift from heaven no questions asked, you have to try to understand why it’s happening. With you there’s always a next question. You’ll never change, Katie.”

Kate smiled for the first time in hours. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and she felt it spread like a fire throughout her body.

“That’s very masculine,” she replied, incisively, but with tears of joy in her eyes. “Sitting on your ass and talking about how annoying your wife is instead of freeing her when she’s handcuffed.”

She rolled over, so she could see him. Robert was smiling brightly on the sofa, one arm outstretched along its back. The knot in his tie was loose, and his blazer was folded at his feet. He looked relaxed.

“You really want me to untie you?” he asked with a grin. “Seeing you like this is the best. Remember that one time with those handkerchiefs from Hermès?”

“Robert!” Kate cut him off. She was still crying with joy but now feigned a look of anger. “Help me or you’ll pay!”

“Really?” Robert laughed as he got up and walked toward Kate. He sat on the edge of the bed and began slowly undoing the tape. “What can you do to me? I’m dead. Remember?”

“Just maybe I’ll throw you and your conceited smile in that urn once more,” answered Kate, emotionally scattered. But she was lying. Never in a million years would she throw away a chance to spend time with him, even if he left her tied up there until she died.

Robert finished freeing her wrists, and Kate threw the tape to the floor. Then, he began massaging them until, little by little, the circulation returned to her fingers.

Kate looked at her husband’s hands with fascination as he continued to rub her wrists. His touch was firm, steady, and warm. He still had the small paper cut on his right ring finger that he’d gotten a couple of days before the accident.

It really was Robert Kilroy.

Her Robert.

It was all too much for Kate. She’d built gates to control the pain and sorrow of Robert’s death, and the torrent of emotions that had been bottled up for weeks pressed against those barriers before toppling them over with tremendous force. Kate freed her wrists from Robert’s hands and laced her fingers behind his neck. Her mouth searched anxiously for his, and the two melted into a long kiss, slow and passionate. They were like two people who’d discovered an oasis after traveling across a desert for weeks.

The kiss was electric. All of Kate’s physical urges and needs were suddenly unleashed. She felt her underwear become wet as her skin charged with electricity. She needed physicality.

And Robert did, too. His fun-loving, confident smile had disappeared, replaced by an anxious, excited expression of urgency. He had the face of a small child who’d been lost in the mall all day only to come across his parents after all hope had been lost. The face of a man who had just been pardoned from death row.

The face of someone with renewed hope.

Robert pushed her onto the bed without separating his lips from hers. He pushed Kate’s arms above her head and pinned her down under the weight of his body as she twisted with pleasure beneath him. Robert grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and slid his other hand slowly down her neck and began tracing long circles. His fingertips caressed Kate in such an alluring way that she arched her back and let out a soft moan.

Robert began licking Kate’s neck as his hands pressed down her body to her breasts, touching them lightly before moving to her zipper. Before Kate knew it, Robert had already undone the zipper and brought her pants to her ankles. With a deft move of his foot, he caught the jeans between his toes and sent them flying across the cabin in one swift motion.

Kate could take no more and reached toward Robert’s shirt. She began unbuttoning it and kissed his chest with each new opening. Robert had always been particularly sensitive on his chest, and she knew she could drive him crazy, nibbling and licking. Robert groaned as she finished the last button. Kate threw it off without taking her mouth from his body. She’d been inching down his abdomen to his navel. Her tongue playfully swirled inside it, and Robert, unable to take any more, grabbed her in his arms and brought them back to the bed with her on top.

Kate smiled lasciviously. She knew the game. Straddling Robert, she pulled her blouse over her head and undid her lace bra, leaving only her thong. Robert breathed deeply. He looked up and down from her breasts to her waist and back up to her eyes, memorizing every last detail of her body. His hands found her ass and squeezed with delight.

Kate leaned forward and, without taking her eyes from his, began tonguing little circles all over Robert’s chest. Then, she went lower, down to his waist, and undid the top button. It was his turn to rip off his pants, leaving him in only underwear.

She ran her hand over the enormous bulge that had grown. She could feel it pulsing, waiting on the other side of the fabric. She began kissing it through his underwear, and Robert was unable to contain a low groan. His entire body was tense, supercharged.

Robert placed his hands on Kate’s head and, with another groan, buried his fingers in her thick, soft hair. In response Kate grabbed the waistband of his boxers, lowered them, and eagerly licked down his groin. Robert’s member was swollen, and she grabbed it and rubbed it on her cheek. With patience that was almost painful, she began kissing it with her eyes closed, enjoying its familiar scent. Gently, she brought her lips to the head and pushed it into her mouth, sucking rhythmically and passionately.

Robert gasped, out of control, and his hips tightened. Kate enjoyed the immense feeling of power she had. Her head bobbed up and down on the shaft as she held the base with one hand and fondled his testicles with her other. She felt it pulse on her tongue, and she went deeper, leaving him slick with her saliva.

Kate continued for several minutes that were too short to her. Robert could take no more, and he pulled her hair back. She licked up his body, past his neck to his lips, and received the most wonderful, deep kiss she’d ever experienced. Robert’s hands fondled her breasts, brushing over her nipples until they hardened like two pointy bullets.

He turned her over on the bed—it was his turn to lick. He started around her breasts and lightly bit her nipples, giving Kate a wave of pleasure. The feeling was so overwhelming that she was already moaning loudly.

Robert moved his hands down to Kate’s hips and hooked a finger under the string of her thong. Automatically, in a gesture of total surrender, Kate raised her legs, allowing Robert to remove the tiny garment.

Robert spread her legs apart and came closer. Slowly, he rested his member on her lips and began rocking back and forth without entering her. The move was enough to rouse a moan of impatience from Kate.

Then, very gently, he entered her, filling up every last bit of space inside her. She dug her nails into her husband’s back as her own moans became more rhythmic.

Robert began thrusting faster. With each move of his hips, Kate screamed, taking pleasure in the mix of joy, desire, and disbelief. Two bodies, united, in sync, their sweat mingling. The bed creaked underneath them.

Then, she felt an immense sensation begin to build in her pelvis. She buried her face in Robert’s chest as an overwhelming orgasm rushed through her body. She screamed as waves of pleasure shook her to the core. It was a long, explosive, and deep orgasm—one of the most intense she’d ever had.

Robert responded by driving faster and harder—a staccato of delight. He gripped Kate’s hips and pinned her into complete submission. As he did so, his face twisted into pure ecstasy immediately before he climaxed inside of her.

Feeling her husband’s release, Kate experienced a new, surprising orgasm. The floodgates within had been opened, and she felt a deluge of pleasure fill her body.

Both collapsed on the bed gasping, their sweaty skin still touching. Kate snuggled closer to Robert and put her head in the crook of his neck. He gently caressed her back with smooth strokes.

“I love you, Robert Kilroy,” she whispered. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep us together. Even if that means staying aboard this stupid ship forever.”

Robert propped himself up on one elbow and suddenly looked serious. “Don’t say that. Don’t even joke about that. This place is cursed, Kate. You have to get out of here as soon as you can.”

“Only if you come with me, Robert,” she answered and cuddled closer. “I can’t imagine living the rest of my life without you. The world is too dark without you.”

Robert pursed his lips, struggling against a severe internal conflict. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it right away. He hugged Kate tightly and buried his nose in her hair, taking in her wonderful fragrance.

“I’ll always be with you, Kate. No matter what you do or where you go. Never forget that.”

Kate detected profound sadness in Robert’s words, but she closed her eyes and clutched him tighter. She wished the moment would never end.

“Now listen to me carefully,” said Robert, sitting up in bed. “You need to move quickly. Only a few hours remain.”

“A few hours? Until what?”

“To stop the
Valkyrie
, Kate. If you don’t stop this ship, it will be too late. We’ll be trapped forever.”

BOOK: The Last Passenger
9.69Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Micanopy in Shadow by Ann Cook
Black Listed by Shelly Bell
Fairest Of Them All by Teresa Medeiros
Reversed Forecast by Nicola Barker
Navy SEAL Survival by Elle James
72 Hours (A Thriller) by Moreton, William Casey
The High Window by Raymond Chandler
Betrayed by Claire Robyns
Velvet Haven by Sophie Renwick