Harlee scrambled around the corner, his footing still unsteady on the moving deck of the cruise ship. The sounds of kids playing in the pool outside made him even more conscious of what they were floating on and how it lapped against the hull. Sending the ship rocking with each wave. Even after four days, he hadn’t gained his sea legs. Something the rest of the travelers around him had long since achieved. That only helped to make his wobbling gait all the more frustrating.

Reaching the safety of an alcove, Harlee scurried inside. With his back pressed against the cool glass window, he let out a sigh. The ability to brace himself gave him a feeling of solid land. Or at least that of sturdy support. And for once he wasn’t in danger of falling over.

The feeling gave way as the eyes of those around the alcove settled on him. He wasn’t one to get ruffled feathers when people looked at him. But he also wasn’t ever the center of attention, which at the moment he’d become.

A child pointing his finger at Harlee drove the point home and gave the man the biggest fright of the day. The little bugger looked so similar to Taliesin. Maybe a year older with a little darker hair, but otherwise the picture of the other boy.

Noticing her child’s gesture, the kid’s mom pulled him away. The little one looking over his shoulder as he was hurried away. It wasn’t until the kid rounded the corner that Harlee felt a rush of cool relief flooding into him. And as if on cue, the rest of the crowd lost interest in the weird man in the corner, everyone turning and going about their day. Only a few sent half concealed glances back his way. What a perfect gesture to show luck was still on his side, Harlee thought.

A few minutes before, he’d been watching over his own child. An exhausting process, as the little one had been a ball of energy since they arrived on the cruise ship. They hadn’t even unpacked, and he was already trying to drag them around the ship. Since then, Taliesin had slept for maybe two hours. Where the kids’ energy came from, Harlee would never understand.

It was then, when he was reaching the edge of total exhaustion, that Ashley had arrived. Like a shining light from on high, she’d agreed to look after Taliesin for a while. All he’d had to do was escape without his kid noticing. If Taliesin had figured it out, the game would’ve been up and regardless of what Ashley said, Harlee wouldn’t be able to escape.

With his heart pounding in his ears, Harlee had made a break. If he’d been wearing all black, he’d look the part of a spy from eras long past. It wasn’t until he reached the alcove that he knew luck had been on his side. At least for now.

With his breathing back under control, Harlee stood up and tilted forward as the ship lurched. He almost walked back into the mess of people at the sudden movement. If not for a tickle at the back of his scalp telling him to hold back and play this slow. Taliesin could still be out there, looking for him. The kid hadn’t inherited his eyesight from Harlee, that was from Ashley, or a passing eagle.

Counting, Harlee stood there. It was only when he reached 100 that he moved. And even then it was only to look around the corner. To his immediate relief, his family was nowhere to be seen.

Yet seven years of parenthood had taught Harlee a lot. Instead of acting like he was home free, and making a rush from the large room, he made his move in a deliberate manner. Each step was planned in advance.

Spotting a large group of people moving in the direction he needed to go, Harlee jumped from his hiding spot and settled in the back of their group. Using the mass of people to hide his presence, like a white cloaked video game character.

It worked like a charm, and he was soon camouflage at the back of the group like he belonged there. Just another unrecognizable face in the crowded room. It wasn’t until he neared the far door that he came up short.

“Mommy! Where did daddy go?” a familiar voice asked.

“He’s just getting a drink. He’ll be back later,” Harlee’s wife said.

Bless the saint’s heart. His whole escape was her idea. He was inclined to believe it was driven by her own desire for free time herself more than any altruism towards him, as she’d get her turn once he returned. Yet she’d let him go first, so he wasn’t about to complain.

With the two in front of him, Harlee turned on his heels. Executing a 180 like a dancer, the hallway, his own personal stage. Without looking back, he walked the other way.

“Will he bring me juice?” Taliesin asked. Harlee could see his son’s eyes going all puppy dog as he pouted.

“If he doesn’t I will.”

He couldn’t hear his son asking for something as simple as juice and not help. If he made it out of here clean, he’d bring back two glasses of juice for the kid.

As Harlee moved forward, he did his best to shift in front of groups. Using the other people as moving barriers.

He continued to shift between groups until he made it through an open doorway, into a side hallway. This one was still well traveled, but with far fewer people than where he’d just come from. It was only then that he didn’t realize where this hallway led. Looking around, he found a large wall map. The nearest bar, his ideal destination, was only a few turns away.

Their vacation was already on its fourth day. At first Harlee had enjoyed it. With everything going on in the world, prices had been slashed by over 50%. The missing ships must’ve been a major drain on the business. Yet all it meant to him was an opportunity of a lifetime.

However, any goodwill he had with the company had fallen when he realized just how many other people had the same idea. It was like the company had crammed every room on this ship, whether they be bedrooms or closets, with families. Now, the entire place was so packed with people, you could only walk a few feet without running into someone. Even in this less crowded region of the ship, he was still surrounded by humanity.

Harlee was tempted to ask for a refund, yet that plan would have to wait. If he tried too early, the cruise company might ask them to disembark at the next port. So he’d have to wait to execute the plan. Or maybe it was best to do it on the last day. Sure, he knew they’d never give in, but the least he could do was try.

As Harlee walked, he debated the merits of pushing forward with the request, only for the crowd in front of him to part. Like the sun coming out from behind the clouds, it stood there. A bastion for all tired parents, the liquor cart.

Harlee rushed towards it, scanning the cart like a kid in a candy store. Which he supposed he was, only with liquid candy. The cart was small but had dozens of drinks, each sounding better than the last. Should he go with an Old Fashioned, or a Whiskey Sour. Maybe he’d even try a Manhattan. Each drink drew him in, only for the next to pull him away again.

With the patience of a child, Harlee tapped his foot as the two people in front of him placed their orders. The woman behind the bar taking care to match each of the requestor’s exacting demands.

On most days, Harlee would push them to go faster, but not today. Not when he could see the care going into each drink. If he’d get the same treatment, he could wait a minute.

The wait ended up taking a little longer than he’d wanted and a few minutes later, the last person in front of him departed, their drink held in caring hands. Harlee moved forward like a racer at the gun. His turn had come. Licking his lips, Harlee prepared to make the most important decision of the day.

“What’s that?” a woman to his left called out.

Harlee ignored the voice as he looked through the drink menu one last time. He had to make sure he wasn’t missing something. It’d be the greatest of shames if he picked the wrong drink now. Who knew when he’d be able to come back again?

When other people around him started expressing the same concern, Harlee took notice. Not because he cared what they were talking about. Far from it, actually. But because the bartender wasn’t looking at him anymore and was following everyone’s gaze. He wanted to call her out for her sudden lack of diligence, yet curiosity got the best of him and he turned as well.

Looking down the hall, Harlee spotted a strange green smoke flowing from under a door. Those closest to it backed up as the gas spread. Odd, Harlee thought. What could cause green smoke? Was it an electrical fire? He’d heard they could be weird, but didn’t know if it was green smoke weird or something else.

Not understanding the source, Harlee only hoped the disturbance would help his future request for a trip refund. It would only fit that his patience in waiting for a drink pushed him to recoup the cost of the vacation.

With a smile on his face, Harlee turned back to the bartender. Clearing his throat to get the woman’s attention, he made his decision.

“I’d like an Old Fashioned,” Harlee said.

The bartender turned towards him and blinked. Then glanced back to the green smoke, still spreading into the hallway, before looking at him again.

“I’m sorry sir. I have to let maintenance know about that,” the bartender said as she pointed to the smoke.

“After the drink,” Harlee tried. What her answer to that would be, he’d never know as it was cut off by a wave of shouting.

Looking around, Harlee couldn’t find the source of the noise. It wasn’t coming from his hallway, but those connected to it.

The people around him were getting jumpy, a nervous energy pulsing from everyone. Murmured questions swirled, all trying to understand what was happening.

As if to answer the question, a person burst forth, from one of the side hallways. Then another, a red liquid flowing from the second’s brow as he collided into the other side of the hallway. Flailing madly, the man straightened and screamed.

“Run! It’s coming this way.”

“What are you talking about?” one of the people near Harlee asked.

Their only answer was another two people racing out of the hallway. Neither of which bothered to reply. It was then that chaos truly set in. Those in his hallway joining the people who’d just rushed past.

Harlee joined the exodus as well, leaving behind the hope of a drink as the bartender dashed away. They ran along corridors he’d been sneaking through moments before.

Was this what had happened to the other ships? The thought was unwanted, yet it stood in front of him. Taunting the cheap price he’d paid for the trip.

The cruise ship company had guaranteed they’d taken precautions. Saying nothing bad could happen on this voyage. Had they failed. No, that couldn’t be it. There was an electrical fire and people were over reacting. That’s all this was. Once he was back with his family, everything would be fine.

Turning down another hallway, this one heading back to where he’d last seen them, Harlee’s group came upon a dreaded scene. Green smoke was pouring from behind every door. The people in front of them were laid out in twitching piles along its length.

In the small pockets of clean air, in the center of the hallway, people huddled together. Only for the smoke to reach them one at a time. As the green took the people, they dropped. The screams and pleading of those standing were replaced with gurgling on the ground.

He had to get to the deck. There was fresh air and wind up there. If he was to survive the green cloud, that was his best chance.

Harlee knew his family was already there. Ashley was smarter than him. She’d have come up with the plan minutes ago.

The rest of the crowd, having seen the hallway of horror, came to the same realization as Harlee. They had to get outside. As one, they rushed for freedom.

This close to the top of the ship, they found the staircase in moments. In the mad dash up, Harlee had found himself at the front. Reaching the doorway and their freedom in moments.

Putting his shoulder into it, Harlee crashed through the door. The cool sea breeze and the twirl of motors greeted him. Sinking to his knees, Harlee was thanking his lucky stars to have escaped as the rest of the crowd surged past.

It took a moment for Harlee to spot the oddity in his surroundings. There was something already out here. The large red eye of a floating metal contraption drove the point home. Its long metal arms twirled as they closed in on him.

Before Harlee could respond to the oddity, a person pushed away from the metal thing and sent Harlee falling towards it.

Harlee collided with the robot and its long cylindrical arms wrapped around him, holding him in a tight embrace. He tried to pull free, but the metal wouldn’t give. He twisted, and it twirled around him. Always keeping the hold tight.

If not for the other people, storming in from behind, crashing into the robot, he would’ve been stuck. As it was, he could work his way free and race away when a frantic man rammed into the metal arms. Harlee moved towards the side. Scrambling upright, he ran from the door and the robot. Only for another robot to appear, red blasts shooting from its clawed hands.

One blast landed in front of Harlee. Spraying destroyed deck up from the explosion. The group of humans spun as one and ran, trying another escape route. Only for a third robot to swoop in and fire its beams of red.

Every way the people ran was blocked, except one. The way they’d come from. They were being herded back inside, Harlee realized. Back to the green gas. Turning, Harlee could see the gas swirling within the stairwell.

A few brave souls decided they had better odds with the gas than the robots and ran back inside. Their body’s collapsing to the ground within seconds of submerging into the green.

Both options were unacceptable and Harlee was stuck, not knowing what was the best way to move forward.

His last thoughts, before the robot closed in, was to send a silent apology to his son for not bringing him apple juice.