Read Online Salby (Book 2): Salby Evolution by Ian D. Moore - Free Book Online

had retreated into her own world, similar to the time in the car park. Her face turned upwards and it was only then that I got a brief glimpse of her once blue eyes. Blackness had enveloped the cargo hold, inadequate strip lights illuminated the walkways and exit doors. In her eyes, I pinpointed the mottled effect which now dominated the space around her pupils. Slowly, she turned on her bottom, her face never directly towards my own, before she pushed herself up to a kneeling position.
    “Barbie, can you hear me? What happened to you? Are you hurt, bleeding anywhere? Talk to me, please,” I said, in desperation.
    Still no response, but as I leaned in closer towards her, she held out her hand, palm up, head bowed to avoid eye contact. I took this as a sign that she wanted to stand and reached out to take it. Instead of gripping my outstretched hand, or allowing me to grip hers, she simply ran her palm against mine. That simple action was as if I’d given her life, reanimated her soul. Her senses returned and she became alert again, conscious of my presence and of who I was. As her gaze now lifted to meet my own, I saw the full effect of the changes in the colour of her eyes.
    “What the—” I began.
    “Simon. You’re okay. I’m glad. I feel better now. I’ve been really ill, I think.”
    “How did we get here? Can you remember what happened? Your clothes, the blood, is that yours? Are you hurt somewhere, Barbie?” The questions came in a torrent that I couldn’t prevent and echoed around the cavernous cargo hold.
    “ Baltic Wanderer , please respond! Captain, you are entering the port, please cut your engines immediately!” the speaker announced once more.
    “I’m hungry. Aren’t you hungry? I need food. Can we go and find food?” Barbie urged.
    “Sure. First food, and then I need to know what you remember. I need to know what happened to us, okay?”
    “Yes, sir!” she replied, sarcastically.
    I stared at her hard, her comment had somehow gotten under my skin, but we had bigger issues at hand.
    Together, we followed the walls of the vessel towards the metal staircase, up towards the accommodation deck and with luck, the kitchen.
    My first look at the ship from the inside wasn’t a pleasant experience. The savagely butchered bodies of an indeterminable amount of souls were scattered everywhere. The odour of putrefying flesh, combined with the rancid fluid elements which make up the human body were laid bare on every surface. It made me grateful there was so little in my stomach to eject, but eject it, I did. Despite my best efforts, the spasms racked my body and doubled me over.
    “Oh, Jesus! Did I do all this? Did I really slaughter that many people? What the hell happened here? What have I become? How many have I—” I cried between convulsions. I put my palms to my face in shame and wiped my already grime-covered sleeve across my mouth, in an attempt to rid me of the acidic bitterness there.
    “This way. It’s this way—the kitchen,” Barbie urged, as she placed a calming hand upon my shoulder.
    “How do you know that? You’ve been here before, haven’t you?” I pried.
    “Yes, sir! While you were sleeping. I had to find food for us, didn’t know how long we would be holed up on this tub. It’s been nearly nine weeks since we left Hull.”
    “ Nine weeks!” I shrieked in amazement. “Go on.”
    “I fed you when you woke enough to eat without choking, it wasn’t much but enough to keep you alive, I guess. Come on, it’s not much further, left then right,” she said, almost pulling me along in her haste.
    Sure enough, around the turns loomed a well-equipped kitchen with evidence of recent use. Pots sat on the spacious stovetop, a chopping board placed ready to use, utensils laid out in preparation of an upcoming meal. All it needed was a cook. The vessel was equipped and loaded back at the port of Hull, ready to sail for the week long, arduous journey. There had been a full crew