Read Online Noah's Ark: Encounters by Harry Dayle - Free Book Online Page A

people on that boat, they could be sick. You remember what it was like for us, with the virus?”
    He nodded.
    “If the doctors get overrun again, they won’t be able to help. Do you understand what I’m saying, Dan? She needs to see them. You have to take her to see them before we take anyone else on. That means today.”
    He made a face, twisting and puckering his mouth into awkward shapes.  
    “I’m scared.”
    “You think you’ll be punished? You know what? You might. And you know what else? You’re already being punished. You’re punishing yourself every day, living off scraps. The important thing is that she’s looked after, don’t you think? You have to take her, today. That Vardy chap is nice. In fact, if I were twenty years younger…” her voice trailed off. “Take her, Dan. Tell them. Before it’s too late.”
    Dan nodded, and left before she could say any more.
    • • •
    Jake strolled into the classroom and was met with smiles and greetings from parents who had come to collect their children, as well as the teachers who were keeping an eye on those who remained behind. Lessons had finished half an hour earlier, but lots of children stayed on because their parents worked on teams, or simply because they enjoyed spending time with friends somewhere other than in a cramped cabin they called home.
    The conference room was completely transformed. Gone was the dull beige corporate colour scheme, designed to be as inoffensive as possible to any group hosting events on the ship. It had been buried under drawings and posters, as well as maps and charts, bookcases, and even a sizeable aquarium that had been moved from one of the public areas.
    He spotted Erica on the far side of the room. She was with her friend Andrea, sitting at a table, drawing a complex picture. When he got closer he saw that it was of two ships, one large and one much smaller alongside.  
    “Hi, girls,” he said.  
    “Jake!” Erica jumped up and hugged him. “We’re drawing the boat, the one with the new people on it.”
    “Cool. How did you know what it looks like? We can’t see it yet.”
    “We don’t know, silly. It’s just a guess. Miss Linders said that it was smaller than the Spirit of Arcadia . And I think it’s blue. Andrea thinks it’s red, which is silly, it’s obviously blue, but she didn’t believe me, so we were going to toss a coin to see who got to choose the colour, only we didn’t have a coin, so instead we tossed a piece of a jigsaw puzzle and I picked the side with the picture, and it landed with the picture showing, so I won, so we’ve drawn the ship blue.” The young girl took a deep breath, then broke out in a smile, erasing the serious expression she had until then been wearing.
    “Wow, right. Okay! Well I hope the boat we find is as nice as the one you’ve drawn.”
    “It will be. I thought Lucya was coming to fetch me this afternoon? Lucya usually comes. Is she busy?”
    “She wanted to come, but I was already nearby so I called her and said I’d get you instead. That way she gets to boss everyone round on the bridge for a bit longer.”
    Erica giggled. “She is very bossy sometimes!”
    “Come on, let’s go. There’s someone we need to see before we go and find Lucya.”
    “Okay. Bye, Andrea. See you tomorrow!”
    Her friend smiled and the girls hugged, before Erica skipped off, holding onto Jake’s hand.
    “Who are we going to see? Are they nice?”
    “I expect she is, but I’ve not met her before. We need to go to cabin 811. I don’t think I’ll be able to find it on my own, so I was hoping you could help me?”
    Erica gave an exaggerated sigh and pulled on his hand. “Come on then, let me show you the way.”
    When their lift car opened onto deck eight, Jake felt Erica’s hand tighten in his own, and some of the colour drained from her face. He knew it would take a long time for the horrors of what had happened there to fade. He gave her a smile. “So, which