Brockmann and Anna passed through the pitch-black corridors with their flashlights and guns ready. Sounds came from everywhere on the lower decks. The engines were still running—probably on standby, Anna assumed. But there were other sounds . . . things falling down, and other sounds not so easily explained.

Brockmann seemed entirely unconcerned about the possibility that someone or something might be lurking in the dark down there. She almost felt like he was just waiting for a fight. He felt at home in the darkness, she thought. She had seen soldiers like him, their eyes telling you they had seen one battle too many.

“Shouldn’t we at least have a look into crew quarters?” Anna asked.

“I can smell that we’d find more bodies,” Brockmann said. “We go after the thing they brought up.” He grunted into the darkness and kept on walking.

“Next time, we should use headsets,” Anna said. Brockmann turned in the dark half towards her and then nodded.

“We usually had mobiles. Should have thought of that,” Brockmann admitted, continuing on.

“We came here ill-prepared,” Anna agreed. “We should probably—”

“We barely had time to prepare properly. The trick is having a lot of stuff within your reach because when these things crawl out of the dark, we’ve usually got to work with what we got.”

“Like Simon?”

“What do you mean?” Brockmann stopped now and looked at her, pointing the flashlight right into her face as if he intended to interrogate her. Anna shielded her eyes.

“I like him a lot. Bright young man. But he isn’t like us. He isn’t made for this. Well, he wasn’t specially trained for it.”

Brockmann smiled into the dark. “And you were?”

“I have shown I can keep my head under fire.”

“Yeah, but this is not fire, my dear,” Brockmann said sarcastically. “These are things solely unnatural to our minds, creatures so undefinable, it’s actually hard to even remember them. Have you fed such horrors? And don’t tell me some bullshit story about caves in Afghanistan. You never set foot into one of those.”

“How do you know—”

“I know.”

Anna stared at him in the darkness. “I read the report. I thought to be accepted with you guys that it would make sense—” She sighed. “Well, to make my story a little bit more firsthand.”

“Yeah, didn’t work so well, hm?” Brockmann hissed. “Simon fought them—more than one. He faced them, he shot at them, he got attacked by them. So don’t underestimate the boy. He got the one quality we really need.”

“That is?” Anna asked.

“He doesn’t easily break,” Brockmann replied, turning around.

Then he turned back, drew his gun and raised it, the revolver pointing directly at Anna’s head.

“Brockmann.” It was all she could manage—a gasp of his name.

“Aside,” he grunted.

Anna stared at the gun and then stepped aside. She looked into the darkness, and her flashlight flickered.

“Come out there,” Brockmann yelled into the corridor. There was no reply. “Come out dead or alive. Your choice.”

Anna couldn’t see anyone until suddenly there was movement in the dark. A man with curly hair wearing a dirty grey overall stepped out from behind one of the hatch doors. He was holding a large pipe wrench.

The man stared at them with wide eyes and breathed heavily. Anna realized she had been distracted by the conversation, and it had been Brockmann who had heard the breathing.

“Put that down!” Anna yelled and raised her own gun. The man’s eyes turned to her, and he clenched his teeth as if he was fighting with himself.

Brockmann stepped forward and held the gun inches from his face. “What is it, hm? Die? Talk? I’m open for anything, pal,” Brockmann hissed. The man let the pipe wrench go, and it fell to the ground with a clonking sound.

“You got handcuffs in your backpack?” Brockmann asked.

Anna realized he was talking to her. “Cable ties.”

“Perfect. Please use them. Behind his back,” Brockmann said, keeping the gun pointed at the man’s face. “Got a name?”

“Pedro,” the man answered. Anna guessed the man was barely thirty.

“What was your plan, Pedro? Attack us from behind?” Brockmann asked.

Anna went to him, put her gun away, and grabbed his arms, quickly binding them together.

“I was still figuring out who you are and if you’re one of them,” Pedro answered.

“One of them?” Brockmann asked.

“Of those who try to kill me.”

“And who is that?”

“Everybody else.”

Brockmann nodded. “I think you’ll have a fascinating story to tell us, right? Anna, get him to the others,” Brockmann said.

“Alone?” she asked.

“I’ll go to the cargo room. We need to find out what they took on board.”

“Oh, I can tell you that,” Pedro said and chuckled lightly. “Evil. You will find pure evil there!”

Brockmann rolled his eyes. “We’ll see.”

“I don’t like the idea of splitting up,” she said.

“Yeah. Noted,” Brockmann replied and walked away into the dark.

****

Simon sat next to Michelle again. She was still lying there with eyes open.

“You hear that?” she asked Obviously, she hadn’t slept at all.

“Nope. Unless you mean the sea or the rain, I don’t hear anything,” he said.

“No screams. I remember so many screams. They were everywhere.” Michelle sighed and sat up. “I think I have amnesia.”

“Well, what do you remember?” Simon asked.

“We found the submarine. I remember everybody was very excited about it. The divers came up again, and they told people about it. In the cantina, there was no other topic—Krug and Renny told everyone. They said it was in perfect shape with no signs of damage to the outer hull. As if it had just dived down there and turned off the engines. Like the crew had died down there on purpose, burying their ship.” Michelle smiled.

“I remember I found that a creepy thought, but Anton wanted them to go into it. He told the crew it was a unique opportunity and that there might be gold in there. I remember how he said that the Nazis tried to smuggle their riches out with those ships at the end of the war and that if there was gold, we would get a finder’s fee. Maybe we could even claim it for ourselves.

“Everyone was so excited about the thought. They discussed how much the gold might be worth and how much each would get if it were ten, twenty or thirty million gold. The captain didn’t like that one bit. He yelled at Anton in front of the crew, and when Krug and his guys went down there again, he had Anton oversee the whole thing. Deck duty, he called it. Anton stood out there in the rain for two hours, waiting for them. I brought him a hot coffee, but he was strong-willed, disciplined. He didn’t complain; he just did as his captain had told him. Rohn is such an asshole.

“I talked to him to make the time pass by. Family and stuff. I got a little girl, you know? He knows her. When she visited us, he showed her the engines and the large crane. Anton was always very nice to me. I thought he might be a good father, but his wife couldn’t have kids. I know they had problems because of it.”

“You were close, hm?” Simon smiled.

“These are long trips out here, Simon. What happens here only exists out here, you know? It has nothing to do with the real world.”

Simon wondered if the families that would eventually be informed about what happened here would agree.

“What happened then?” Simon asked.

“They came back up and said they’d been inside the German submarine. They had their logs and news about what was in the cargo bay. Cuboid objects, five of them—like giant bullions made of silver. Anton ordered them to take the salvaging gear and get one up. ‘Don’t we need to clear that with the captain?’ Krug asked. But Anton said he’d take care of that.”

Michelle looked at Simon. “I don’t think what they got up there was silver at all. At least, not the way they hoped for. I wasn’t there when they got it out of the water, but when we had dinner, everybody was missing—the captain, Anton, his first mate, and all officers, including Krug. So, I asked Renny what was going on. He’d been with the divers, right? I asked him what they had gotten up there.

“He said he didn’t know, but it was like some sort of . . . box. Made of a shiny metal. Two meters long, one high. ‘Like a coffin?’ I asked. ‘Exactly like a coffin,’ he answered. Then he walked away before I could ask any more questions.” Michelle sighed. “After that, it all becomes blurry.”

Simon smiled. “You are doing great. Really great.” Simon wondered how far he could push her but knew he needed to go at least a little farther. “Just try to remember what happened next.”

“Everyone talked about it. The captain put guards up to protect the cargo area. He didn’t want our men to see it, but they called in favors. I remember two came back, and they sat in the corner whispering to each other. When I asked what it was, they just smiled and told me I would have to find out myself. So, I did . . . I think. I convinced Renny to let me have a look. Slipped into the cargo room after flirting my way past him.”

“What did you find?” Simon asked.

“Voices.”

“There were voices in the cargo room?” Simon raised his brows. She nodded.

“I only remember voices speaking in a strange language. They whispered to me.” She whispered herself, now.

“Was there someone with you?”

Michelle shook her head. “No, only the voices and me. Those strange inhuman voices. As if someone whispered words from another . . . place.” She looked at Simon and suddenly burst into tears; her whisper turned into a yell.

“They were dead! Renny and the other guy . . . blood, so much blood . . .” Her body trembled. “Their throats had been ripped out, and all I could hear was their gurgling and these voices!” She sobbed uncontrollably. Simon put his hand on hers and smiled as genuinely as possible.

“You’re safe now.”

“Anton said the same. When they brought me to the medbay, he told me I was safe. But I saw the other men. I saw them watch me, guarding me. They thought I had done it.” Michelle grew calmer as she spoke.

“Did the voices do it? Maybe they made you do something?” Simon asked, and his hand wandered to his gun.

“No, no, I heard the screams outside, and I wanted them to open the hatch, but they didn’t. They screamed. They screamed, and I was trapped inside with those voices. Hours with those voices and with this . . . there was this thing, this shiny, silver thing. I remember now.” She broke into tears again. Simon sighed.

She gasped. “Marcel. I saw it was Marcel.”

“Who was Marcel?” Simon asked.

“He peered through the bull’s eye at me and grinned. His face was smeared with blood. He grinned at me, and I screamed to let me out, but he didn’t. I told Anton. I told him it had been Marcel, and I remember he asked me if I was absolutely sure, and I told him I was. He just glanced at the others, so I told him he needed to arrest Marcel. But he said they were looking for him. He was missing.” Michelle breathed heavily and slowly leaned back on the bed.

“‘Michelle, we have looked everywhere for him.’ Anton told me that. I knew what that meant. There was only one place he could have gone—the sea.” Michelle heaved a single sob, then regained control.

“The captain. I remember he talked to me too. And the doc. They all seemed so concerned, so I didn’t mention the voices. But they asked. ‘Did you hear voices, Michelle? Did you hear those damned voices?’” Michelle looked at Simon. “I could still hear them. Not as loud, but they were still there.”

“Do you hear them now?” Simon asked. Michelle stared at him for a long moment and then shook her head.

“No,” she answered.

“Are you lying, Michelle?” Simon asked and eyed her, knowing he was pushing it. Michelle shook her head again.

“No, I don’t hear them. When the screams began, the voices went silent.” Michelle shrugged. “But I wasn’t the only one hearing them.”

“Who else did?” Simon asked.

Michelle began to cry again. “Everybody. Everybody heard the voices!”

There was a knock at the door. “Not now!” Simon yelled.

“Yes, now,” Anna said from outside. Simon turned to the door and then back to Michelle.

“I’ll be back soon. You are safe now.” He repeated this sentence too often, he realized. Simon stood up and quickly left the room.

****

“I hope this is important because I was making real progress with her,” Simon said when he got out.

“We got another survivor. A ship engineer—Pedro Alvarro. He’s got some interesting things to say about your friend in there,” Anna said.

“Where is Brockmann?”

“He wanted to go to the cargo area alone. I brought back Pedro.”

“And you let him?” Simon asked.

“He didn’t leave me a lot of choice, really.” Anna sighed. “I didn’t like it if that’s what you mean.”

“That cargo area is dangerous. Where’s this Pedro?”

“I had Paul lock him in the first mate’s quarters. There were no bodies, at least. He’s guarding him.”

“We need to get to Brockmann then. We must warn him about the cargo area.” Simon started to leave, but Anna held his arm.

“Leave her alone? Or do you want one of us to go down there alone? It’s enough if one of us is foolish, don’t you think?” she asked.

Simon looked at her. Her logic was flawless, but he didn’t like it anyway. “So, you want us to abandon Brockmann?”

“He abandoned us, and yes, I think he can handle whatever is down there better than the two of us,” Anna replied with a cold voice.

“I don’t like this. This shouldn’t have happened.” Simon shook his head and sighed.

“I know. My mistake. I shouldn’t have let him leave, but what can we do now, hm?” Anna let go of his arm. “A mistake does only get worse if you make another to make up for it.”

Simon nodded. “Okay, we should talk to Pedro then. Let’s find out what he knows about what’s down there.”

****

Paul changed to guard duty for Michelle as they arrived downstairs. Simon and Anna gave each other a long look before opening the door to the first mate’s quarters. The young man with curly black hair sat on the small bed and glared at the two as they came in. His hands were tied behind his back; Simon gave Anna a questioning look.

“He wanted to attack us with a pipe wrench,” she explained.

Simon only nodded. “Hey, Pedro, I’m Simon. Would love to meet you under better circumstances, but it is what it is. We will have to keep you tied up until we’re confident you pose no danger.”

“You got her tied up, too?” Pedro asked.

“Who?”

“Michelle. I heard her scream. You got her tied up too? You should. It was her—it was all her doing!”

“How so?” Simon asked. There was no chair in the small cabin, so he stood in front of Pedro.

“It all began with her ripping those two guys’ throats out,” he said, looked at Anna, then Simon.

“She said it was a man called Marcel,” he said.

“Probably killed him, too,” Pedro said coldly. “She is gonna kill all of us. Put a bullet in her head while you still can.”

“So far, she has shown no hostile behavior. Which can’t be said about you, right?”

“Which of you is talking to her? You?” the man asked. “Has she whispered to you, already? Are you one of them now? You should tie your friend here up, too.” He said the last sentence to Anna.

“So far, I think we’ve got all the right people tied up. But why don’t you start at the beginning?” Anna said. “Tell us how Michelle was behind all this?”

Pedro sneered at them and then leaned back. “You won’t believe me. She tricked you with her big, blue eyes into believing she’s the victim already. Did the same with the captain and the first mate. She fucked the first mate, you know that? That’s why he trusted her. And it was his end.” Pedro shook his head.

“The beginning,” Anna repeated.

“Who are you guys? What are you doing on our ship?”

“We’re investigating what happened here,” Simon replied. “So, will you tell us what happened, or won’t you?”

Pedro gave him a long angry look, then he sighed and leaned back. It was visibly uncomfortable with his arms tied.

“It all began when they brought this thing on board. From the sub down there.” Pedro gave a barking laugh. “Everybody thought we were gonna be rich! They were all so happy we’d found silver down there. Those idiots . . . all thinking they were gonna be rich!” Disgust oozed from his words.

“You didn’t think so?” Simon asked.

“No, I didn’t. I was sitting in the cantina when the word spread, and I felt almost embarrassed for them.” Pedro paused a moment. “My dad sold jewelry—the finest jeweler in all of Madrid. I know silver is often worth nothing when it doesn’t have the right purity. Besides, there were so many people here. What is a million split 80 ways, hm? Or through 100? No, I didn’t believe in it. But there was something wrong. I could feel it. You know that feeling when something is just . . . off?” Pedro looked at Simon.

“Better than you might imagine.” Simon sighed.

“That was my feeling. I was off my shift, so I went to bed. Could hardly sleep because the men kept whispering in the bedroom about how they were gonna spend their share of the treasure. Then I woke up as the alarm was sounded. Second Mate Andreesen came storming in and began making lists of everybody, checking if everybody was there. I asked him what happened, but he wasn’t in the talking mood. Then Michael, a guy from Hamburg working in the cantina, told me. Michelle had killed two men, and another five were missing.” Pedro looked at Anna.

“I said I couldn’t believe him. That little girl? No way. He laughed and told me she had ripped out their throats. We all knew she screwed the first mate, so she was suspected but not contained. Can you imagine how we felt when we saw she was free to wander the corridors? Or when people began to vanish again the second she was free? Do you have any idea what went through our heads?

“But the captain did nothing. He spent his time in the cargo area. Anton was the only one left. Anton, the guy who was probably in love with her. Also, she got much smarter. She didn’t do it herself. No, she whispered into peoples’ ears. Whispered in strange tongues no more human than the devil himself!” Pedro closed his eyes.

“You heard that? Or did you see it?” Simon asked.

“Everybody else heard it. And not only when she whispered into your ear. The more people she whispered to, the louder the whispers grew. But no, I didn’t hear it. I only hear a beeping noise. Ten years with the engines do that to your ears. I can barely hear you.

“She tried, though. I was about ready to get to my next shift; had closed the zipper of my overall and was adjusting my hair in the mirror . . . suddenly, I felt a breath next to my ear. I turned around and there she stood, smiling a wicked smile Then, a look of surprise came over her face. She turned and left quickly. I’m sure she tried to do it to me, too.”

“When was that?” Anna asked.

“The day? I don’t know. I don’t know what day it is now. Two days ago? Maybe?” Pedro glanced between them.

“So, when we ask you something that might confirm your story, you don’t remember? How convenient.” Simon sighed.

“Listen, if you want to believe your new girlfriend is innocent, go ahead. But she isn’t, and sooner or later, you will find out Pedro told the truth,” he said, not seeming to realize he was now speaking of himself in the third person. Simon nodded.

“Okay, so what happened then?” Anna asked, giving Simon a long look. She obviously wasn’t satisfied with something he’d said.

“I don’t know. I went to my shift in the machine room. Kyle didn’t show up to his shift—God, I hated him for that. Alone down there, just me and the humming machines. Nobody else showed up. But, someone always had to be with running machines, so I had little else left to do but sit down there and wait. My shift ended, and still, nobody came to relieve me, so I contacted the bridge.

“I’ll never forget the voice of the captain. He said, ‘I have locked the crew in the cantina. You need to take care of the machines until further notice.’” Pedro laughed. “He said this as if it was totally normal behavior, you know? I mean, I was happy he had come back from his cargo trip, but . . . he had locked the crew in the cantina. Are they still there?”

“The cantina is locked from within, and whoever might be in there isn’t opening it,” Simon said.

“Probably too busy eating the others.” Pedro gave a dark smirk.

“We haven’t seen signs of cannibalism so far,” Anna said.

“No? Actually, I did.” Pedro said. “I got hungry, you know? Two shifts down there is too long without food, so I decided to go up to the locker rooms on the first. I didn’t get far because when I entered the tool room, I saw Kyle. Finally found my replacement. But I also found Markus . . . who Kyle was eating. He was leaned over him in the dark and looked up, chewing on the guy’s hand as if he had a sandwich. Then he grinned and kept on chewing. He gnawed on Markus and stared at me as if I had caught him stealing a cookie.” Pedro shook his head.

“What did you do?” Simon asked.

“He attacked me, so I . . . no, I thought he would attack me. So, I—” Pedro looked at Anna and then back at Simon. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“You killed him. You were scared and killed him. I understand perfectly well. I would have done the same,” Anna said, and Pedro looked at her.

“Yes.” He sighed.

“How?” Simon asked. He folded his arms now.

“I had taken the pipe wrench. People were going missing—no way I was going to stroll through the darkness of the ship without any way to defend myself. I used it. I hammered it down on him, right between his eyes. Central nervous system. Lights went out immediately.” Pedro closed his eyes.

“First person you killed?” Anna asked.

“No, I was in the navy.”

“So, what did you do then?” Simon asked.

“I can barely feel my arms anymore. Cut me loose, and I’ll tell you,” he said. “C’mon. You both got guns, and I got nothing.”

Anna and Simon exchanged a look, and Simon shrugged. Anna pulled out her knife and walked over to the seaman, pushing him forward and cutting through the plastic of the restraints. He gasped in pain and relief as his hands came free.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling. Simon put his hand on his gun, and Pedro raised his newly-freed arms to show he posed no danger.

“Continue,” Simon said. He was angry. Something told him this guy wasn’t telling the entire truth. Yet, it was undeniable he hadn’t heard the entire truth from Michelle. Maybe both were lying.

“Sure? Because for your girlfriend, it doesn’t get better,” Pedro said.

“We’re pretty sure. Sure you want to keep your hands free? Just asking because they’ve been untied for ten seconds, and I kinda regret it already,” Anna said.

“Okay, okay. I stumbled upwards. I have no clear idea anymore of what I thought or where I went until the next shock helped me get over the first. Then the third shock helped me forget the first two and so on and so on.” Pedro smirked.

“The devil knows how long we stumbled in the dark before we met. I think I must have found six or seven bodies. Mutilated. Ripped to pieces.” Pedro cleared his throat. “I found a radio and called for help. Anyone? Anywhere? A woman’s voice answered. Not Michelle’s. It was the doctor’s assistant; her voice trembled. ‘I locked the cantina,’ she said. ‘I have locked the cantina so nobody can ever come in here and see.’

“‘See what?’ I asked. She laughed; it was a laughter entirely lacking . . . reason. ‘What it made me do, Pedro. What it made us all do.’” Pedro looked at Simon. “I wanted to ask her more, but I couldn’t. Because I heard something else. The lights flickered, and then everything went dark. Screams . . . I heard screams far away, then they died. But in the deadly silence, I heard something else.” Pedro dropped his gaze to the ground.

“A whisper,” Anna guessed.

“A chant.” Pedro looked up. “A woman chanted in the dark, and the song was in a language unlike any I have ever heard. There are no words for it. No human language can describe the alien sound of her chanting.” Pedro’s eyes had grown glassy.

“I wanted to run on deck, but when I turned around, I saw it in the dark—the creature. The thing, cowering in the corridor, blood dripping from its body, its neck pulled forward. It took me ten seconds to realize this thing was actually human. Just when I did, it came for me. It came charging, and it screamed. Insanity given movement and form.”

“Did you kill that one too?” Simon asked. Pedro seemed to look through him, but then he shook his head.

“No, I was way too afraid. I watched this thing on two arms and two legs charge towards me. I expected death, and it almost felt like an escape. Just when the thing was about to jump at me, the world filled with thunder, an all-consuming sound. A gunshot in a metal corridor is unbearably loud. I screamed and saw the thing had only half its face left.

“The first mate was an excellent shot. I trembled aside and collapsed against the wall, but he was pushing me. ‘Get up, get up, we need to get out of here.’” Pedro laughed. “I asked where the captain was, and he looked at me, realizing I hadn’t recognized him. ‘That is the captain,’ the first mate said and pointed to the body of the thing. The captain, smeared with blood, his mouth still showing signs of his last . . . feast.”

“Why didn’t you flee then?” Anna asked.

“He needed to get one more person. One person he needed to save.” Pedro looked at Anna, and she understood.

“Michelle,” Anna said.

“He went towards the chanting, then he screamed, and I never heard from him again. I withdrew far away into the lower decks. She looked for me. I saw her, silently chanting the songs, her eyes obsidian black.” Pedro smirked.

“She looked for me because everybody else was dead. Evil needs to spread. Like any organism, it can only grow or die. It had nowhere to grow until you came.” Pedro glanced at Simon again.

Simon swallowed hard and turned to leave. “I want to check if Brockmann is back,” he said to Anna and left.

Anna looked at Pedro for a long moment, then followed the young man.

“What happens to me?” Pedro called after them, but neither had an answer.

****

“What do you think?” Anna asked Simon. In the darkness of the corridor, Simon could hardly make out her features.

“When is the damned sun coming up?”

“Four hours. Give or take. So, what do you think?”

Simon looked at her.

“He lied about the tinnitus. He told us he heard Michelle yell, but with tinnitus, he shouldn’t have been able to hear her.” Simon shrugged. “Otherwise, I can’t see large gaps in his story. Plus, he supposedly spent most of this tragedy in the machine room.”

Anna nodded. “You’re right. He has a few convenient coincidences in there, but generally, I would say he’s telling the truth.” Anna sighed. “Or he’s just good at lying.”

Simon rubbed his forehead. “They both seem to be telling the truth, so one is lying. That girl up there didn’t seem to be a monster, but maybe she’s forgotten that part, or whatever made her do it is gone. Where is it then? And more importantly, what is it?” Simon bit his lip. “Where is Brockmann? Damn!”

“Maybe he’s upstairs.”

Simon nodded in agreement. “We need to guard him. He could be dangerous.”

“I’ll go first and send Paul down.”

“When Brockmann is back, we need to go to the cantina. If we find survivors anywhere, it’ll be there.”

Anna didn’t comment and instead made her way through the corridor to the upper level.

Simon remained in the dark silence. For a moment, he was afraid he would hear chanting or whispers of inhuman tongues, but there was nothing. When Paul finally came down, he just nodded to him and was about to leave when Paul stopped him.

“When the sun comes up, we should consider getting off this damned ship, no matter the risk. I got a feeling if we stay here, we’re just waiting to die if you know what I mean.”

“Actually, I understand that perfectly,” Simon said. “We need to find out what happened here, first. Maybe in a few hours, we’ll know.”

He went upstairs and heard Anna talking to someone. Brockmann’s characteristic grunt made him suddenly feel a lot safer. Simon went to the small room they set their base camp in and found Brockmann leaning against the wall with an agitated Anna talking to him.

“What do you mean it is empty?” Anna said.

“Not empty. Plenty of equipment down there, but nothing that looked out of the ordinary,” Brockmann replied with a cool and reserved tone.

“You sure?” Simon asked. “There is rumored to be a silver sarcophagus down there driving people insane.”

“Nothing like that,” Brockmann replied and stared straight at him. There was something about that look Simon didn’t like. It wasn’t the usual look he got from his elder partner.

“Well, maybe we should go down there ourselves now that we know what we are looking for,” Anna said, her eyes not leaving Brockmann.

“I think I would have seen something like that.”

“Yeah, one might think so,” Anna replied and folded her arms. Brockmann stared for a long moment at her.

“You saying I am lying?” Brockmann asked, tilting his head.

“I’m saying I don’t trust you any more than you trust me, right?” Anna replied. Simon sighed.

“Fighting won’t help us,” he insisted.

“Do you think I’m lying?” Brockmann asked him.

Simon didn’t want to be drawn into the fight, but he had to sigh and shake his head.

“No, I don’t think you are. It actually kinda makes sense. If they threw it overboard, that could have stopped the violence. It might be the reason why our two survivors haven’t tried to eat us.”

“Yet,” Brockmann said.

“No, it’s still here. I’m pretty sure of that,” Anna said.

“Why?” Brockmann asked.

Anna looked at him and then at Simon. Finally, she sighed in defeat. “Because I hear it,” she whispered.

“What?” Simon stepped over to her.

“Don’t worry. So far, I don’t feel any urge to eat you. But I heard the whisper. When I came up here, I could hear it as if someone stood behind me.” Anna frowned.

“In that case, I need your gun,” Brockmann said.

“No way!”

“Anna,” Simon said, and she turned to him. “You could be dangerous to us, to yourself. You heard him. You heard what these whispers did to the others.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Brockmann’s hand slowly crawl towards his gun. Anna grabbed for hers, placing her hand on it.

“Do not even think about it, old man,” she hissed.

“Anna,” Simon said again. Brockmann stared at her.

“You aren’t fast enough, believe me,” Anna said, staring at Brockmann.

“That remains to be seen,” he replied.

Simon couldn’t believe they were doing this. He finally drew his gun; both turned their heads slightly.

“So, now I’m the only one who got his out. I swear whoever shoots who goes down right afterwards. Got me? So, hands off your guns!” Simon raised his gun, and Brockmann stared at him.

“Now,” Simon yelled.

Anna let her hand slide away from her gun. Brockmann sighed and stared at her. For a moment, Simon thought he would draw and shoot, counting on Simon to not kill his partner. But the old man finally pulled his fingers away from the grip of his revolver and slowly withdrew.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Brockmann said.

“Shut up,” Simon said harshly. “Anna, you hear the voices, and the voices make you kill people. It’s not your fault. But you must realize you could be very dangerous to all of us if those voices begin to penetrate your mind or whatever it is they do. Think about it. If I tell you I hear them, would you allow me to keep my gun?” Simon asked.

“Probably not.” Anna sighed. She closed her eyes. “I’ll give them to you, not to him,” she finally said.

“Fair enough, but I assure you, you can trust Brockmann.” Simon slowly took her handgun. “He wouldn’t harm one of his own if he didn’t have to. Right?” Simon looked at Brockmann.

The old man stared at Anna and then nodded. “Right.” Simon had hoped for a bit more of a convincing tone.

“The backpack, too,” Simon said, and Anna slid it down her shoulder and handed it over.

“Would you come down there with me?” Anna asked Simon.

“When the sun comes up. We can see more then anyway. Okay?”

“Okay,” Anna said, nodding.

“What now?” Brockmann asked. “What did you find out?”

“Well, we got one survivor saying the voices drove everybody mad; the other confirms this but says Michelle was the one who spread the madness. Anyway, what both agree upon was this turned into one hell of a battle royale, everyone against everyone.” Simon sighed.

“A what?” Brockmann said.

To Simon’s surprise, Anna answered. “A battle royale. That’s a mode in computer games where everyone fights everyone else until there’s a winner. The last man standing. The captain locked everyone in the cantina, so if there’s a survivor anywhere, it’s there. Also, Pedro mentioned radios. Walkie talkies, of sorts. We could use those.”

Simon sighed. “Yeah, we could. So why don’t you two go look for a way through the kitchen into the cantina and also see if you can find those radios anywhere, hm? Can you still work together?”

They looked at each other, and then Anna shifted her gaze towards Simon. “Sure,” she said.

“Good. Because I want to figure out what’s going on here and get off this goddamned ship,” Simon said, and everyone nodded.