"I'm a fucking lunatic, for thinking that this entire…." What was it? "Journey, was all going to blow over by just calling my mom." She wore away the floor boards pacing. "Which I haven't managed to do yet." Catrina had resorted to talking to herself, since the only human presence left was herself, since Katie blew herself up. She heard the whooshing of the waves outside and the creaking of metal. Going quiet had given her the heebie jeebies. She felt her eyes well up at the doom that lay ahead, and the boredom before she got to it. "Still here, not entirely sane." She said ominously, she was past physically crying, it didn't help. In what scenario did crying help?
Another creak wrung from the hall way, and she was crazy enough to think it was Katie. "Katie?" For there to be a creak there had to be some weight causing it, Katie was lighter than air, in fact she was air. She immediately lost interest when she worked out it was anything but the little dead girl. It was Jack coming in with a peace offering.
"Here. Eat it." It was hardly gesture of goodwill, food was just to keep her alive and prisoner.
Catrina blanked "Are they onboard?" Ignoring the scraps completely.
He let out a sigh of irritancy, dropped the food on the bed, and he turned and left. Was that it? She stared at the space he had once occupied. He was losing interest, and his drive she figured, it was either her fault or management was to blame. It was hard to break the damn repetition that was going on, she hadn't acted on her plans, in fact she had gone backwards- back to the protesting. And Jack was behaving like an unhappily married man in a bread cue.
For the next couple of hours she listened to the sound of life on the ship, people exploring corridors, missing her room- because it was in a perception field. There were clanks and bangs of curiosity, and the murmurs of a conversations. Catrina waited gormlessly for the sounds of merriment, they would soon find the gold.
There was sunlight coming in through her porthole, it warmed the room, and it wasn't long before she dozed off. Now what she was going to dream?!
She was wondering the ship's corridors, and she was perfectly aware this was a dream- though normally her conscious puts away such rationality. But nevertheless this was a dream. She steered herself into Katie's old room, stepped over some toys and opened the cupboard. The body was no longer there, but this didn't irk her- whether or not in truth, it was logical to think that Jack may have moved it, or did she do it?- No it must have been her? Wait of course she did move it. This was a memory that was imbedded in another part of her brain, separate from the one controlling her dreams. She turned, and as if she had been expecting it, she saw Jack sitting in the lounge chair. "Any words of wisdom?" Catrina asked with resignation.
Jack opened his mouth. "It couldn't have drifted too far, it's doomed to stay in one place, it's not even operational." Catrina felt her heart in her throat, that was her mother's voice- coming out of Jack! But it didn't mean anything, it was a god damn dream! She dropped into the chair opposite Jack, he continued to speak. "It must have a perception field."
Catrina was perched on the edge of her seat. Was she actually hearing her mother?- Were they close, had they cracked it? Though with some simple rational thinking, since she had been thinking about salvagers and perception fields earlier on, it would make sense it would crop up in her dream. But it was her mother's voice. Sure you never forget a mother's voice, but surely positive thinking wasn't the only thing a play here, maybe this was a premonition or some other plane where she could hear family. Maybe she had died during that nap?
"Something messing with the radar, evp?" Jack mouthed. She was having a hard time coping with the imagery and the clashing voice.
"Mom?"
Jack frowned at her, it was a crude frown of mockery.
Catrina persisted."Mom?" Jack was sitting fully upright with limited motion, apart from the confused gaze. Catrina came forward out of her chair and onto her knees. "Mom?" She could hear waves crashing up against the side of the ship, and seagulls- she never heard these sounds before. The ship always sucked all sounds of normality away. Jack remained frozen, and frustratingly silent…until.
"Are you hearing this?"
Catrina blinked. "Mom, can you hear me?"
"-Oh my god, Catrina… Catrina?! Is that you?" Jack's face had never displayed so much emotion, it was alien to him.
"Mom I'm on the ship, I'm here!" Catrina felt her eyes welling up as she yelled into Jack's face like he was a microphone. "You must be close mom."
The ferryman's mouth closed slowly, mechanically. There was silence, for an extended period.
"Are you still there?" She seized his knees and shook them. "Mom?" She had gotten ridiculously close to his face, her irises darting as she tried to read that face for an incoming signal. "Psst…mom, it's the ship, the Antonia Grazia from your past, I'm on it." She drew back warily after a lengthy period had passed, she became more aware it was Jack staring right back at herwith those steely blue eyes. How could you forget? "Never mind." It occurred to her if her mother was close; should she bring her here- to Jack? Who would no less slaughter her on sight, possibly using his new method. Catrina shuddered to think.
She reversed back into her chair, and lolled her head off the back. The ceiling had swirly patterns, dancing and shimmering, like waves and moonlight. It wasn't long before the disjointing patterns formed words. Arctic warrior 2.
Catrina felt her lids click open, she was lying on her bed feeling groggy and hot, the sunlight had steamed her in her sleep, she felt damp and warm underneath against the sheets. But she remained where she was, reflecting on her previous vision. The Arctic Warrior 2 was her parents ship, the one that had been holed up in some shack. It was the only thing that could get them from A to B without any troublesome paperwork. But was it all just memories seeping into a dream, or reality?