Cruise of Souls (Tape 4/5)

Another Friday night went by and Betsy Granger was still vibrating with excitement. She and her best friend Lycana were on their way home after the concert, the small car filled with the band they had just been watching. It was a miserable night, windy and rain-filled from the strange string of late-season storms that had invaded their small town recently. In their blissful state, neither of them noticed the crumbled-out section of road that would ultimately seal their respective fates.

Laughing as she blows the pot smoke out between her lips, Betsy lazily passes the blunt over to Lycana, who takes a hand off the steering wheel for a moment to take it. Betsy catches the headlights flash over the broken-off section of the road just too late; moments later, the car is skidding uncontrollably down a slide of mud towards the rapidly moving waters of the river. No one could hear their screams as the tiny car collided with the water and slowly sunk to the bottom.

Panicked, Betsy manages to roll her window down before wrenching her seat-belt off. Turning to Lycana, she’s horrified to discover that her friend's head had collided hard with the window. A small trickle of blood ran down her face from the wound in her blue hair. She desperately tugs at the seat-belt of her friend, but it seems to be jammed. Water begins filling the car rapidly, soaking her shoes with its icy temperatures. With a heavy heart, Betsy kisses Lycana’s hand and lets out a mumbled stream of tear-filled apologies. As the car begins to sink to the bottom, Betsy thrusts herself out of the car window and begins to swim.

All too soon, the choppy currents become too much for her to handle. Exhausted and aching, she feels consciousness leaving her quickly and reaches out desperately for anything. A shout in the distance barely registers as she feels her body being dragged into the depths of a void she knew she’d never escape...

****

In the early hours of the morning, Betsy’s washed-up body was found onshore. She was clinging to life by a thread; Lycana had been found deceased just upriver trapped in her seat.

****

“I wish you wouldn’t go.” Elena Granger says for the hundredth time to her young daughter.

“So you’ve mentioned.” Betsy snaps as she exits the car parked in front of the bus station. Once she’s got her bags piled up on a trolley, she turns back to her worried mother. Forcing a smile on her tired face, she throws her arms around her anxious mother. “Seriously, Ma, don’t worry about me like this. It’s for my own peace of mind, my sanity... I promise to call you every day and I’ll be home for the holidays.” Betsy promises, looping her pinkie around her mother’s.

Tears leak from the green eyes of the Granger matriarch, but she ceases her questions and hugs her daughter tightly. Betsy pats her on the back and allows her to get it out; after having the life nearly squeezed out of her, Elena Granger finally pulls away and turns her tear-stained face up to her youngest daughter. “Please be safe, Betsy. Call me at every stop and let me know when you’ve settled into your apartment.”

Betsy nods as an announcement for her bus is made. “I will Mama!” she promises once more, laying a kiss on each of her mother’s cheeks. “I love you!” she calls out as she grabs the trolley of luggage and dashes through the doors of the bus station.

****

After a two-day bus trip, Betsy wakes up on the third morning to the vision of bright suns and palm trees. A sign on the highway announced that Miami/Fort Lauderdale was mere miles away, causing excitement to flood through her. Soon enough, the bus pulls into the depot and announces their arrival. Standing up slowly from her seat in the back, Betsy stretches her limbs out and checks her phone. The Uber she had requested was already waiting to take her to her new home.

The city passes her by and gives way to long lengths of highway before the driver takes an exit towards a quiet little hamlet of a town just outside of Miami proper. Compared to the busy city she had just been in, the one light town came as a shock to her, but she was instantly charmed by the location. Bright green flora brightened up the streets, as did the little stucco cottages that lined the streets. She spotted the school she’d be teaching at just up ahead, smiling at the small building and wondering about her students.

The Uber finally stops in front of a small, three-story brick apartment building. A disarmingly handsome man is sitting in a dirty plastic chair, smoking a joint and watching her every move with open curiosity. Ignoring him, Betsy does a slow spin on the spot as the Uber driver removes her luggage from the trunk. A small patch of the Atlantic Ocean created a scenic strip of blue just past a lovely little park where children were playing.

“Miss Granger?” A voice calls to her, capturing her attention. An attractive, tatted-up woman with brightly colored hair and wearing a pair of kickass boots is walking towards her, carrying a set of keys and a thick stack of papers. “It’s nice to meet you dear; my name is Miss Vhodka and I run shop around here. Anything you need, you don’t hesitate to come and ask, you hear?” Betsy nods with a smile, taking an instant liking to the woman. As Miss Vhodka grabs some of the luggage, she turns towards the building and spots the handsome man. “Oi, why don’t you get off your lazy ass and help us, Raven?”

A smug grin crosses his lips as smoke escapes his mouth. Slowly, he puts out the joint and gets to his feet. Betsy’s heart pounds faster in her chest as he towers over her and looks down into her face. “All you had to do was ask.”

Before she could give a biting reply, Betsy’s words stop in her throat. Just over his shoulder, a face so exquisitely beautiful, yet marked hideously with death, was staring at her intensely. Eyes the color of the Aegean Sea bore into from pale skin and deathly blue lips. Surrounding her are four ghouls, each of them showing signs of once being prime examples of superior male genetics. Only now, they shared the same ghastly death mask as the woman they flanked. Betsy lets out a gasp and stumbles backward, only to be caught with ease by Raven.

“Easy killer.” He says, turning his head to take in what she had seen.

“Who is she?” Betsy stammers, pulling herself from his grip.

“Huh?” Raven looks back again, still seeing nothing.

“The Woman! Over there!” Betsy insists, pointing past him... Only to find the spot empty of anyone. “I could have sworn...”

“Come on dear, you just had a long ride. No doubt your exhausted mind is playing tricks on you.” Miss Vhodka says gently.

“Yeah... Maybe.” Betsy says uncertainly, before allowing her mind to wander from the mysterious image to helping Raven and Miss Vhodka get her bags to her new apartment...

****

A week had passed and so far, Betsy was in love with the town, her job, and most of all, her group of students. She sat in The Snack and Sip, working on a mug of their signature coffee blend as she graded the spelling tests the class had taken that day. Owner Shawn Warstein stood behind the counter, watching her as she worked. He and his woman, Kasey Winterborn, had opened up the successful little café a few years ago, but Betsy had quickly become their most loyal patron in her short time of residence. Shawn himself had almost immediately found himself attached to the young woman on a brotherly level and found himself looking out for her as such.

This is why, on the day that whispers of a trip she was to take with Principal Black reached him and Kasey, he made it a point to sit down with her for a chat. Betsy gives him a surprised smile as he slides her usual towards her, along with a free muffin baked fresh by Kasey that morning. The strange image of the Deathly Woman hadn’t repeated itself and she brushed it aside as exhaustion. Now she looks at Shawn in polite confusion, noting that Kasey was also casting a concerned expression her way. “What’s going on?”

“We heard through the grapevine that Corey Black intends to take you to see the old, abandoned cruise ship across town.” He says bluntly, wasting no time in small talk. “Kasey and I don’t think you should go.”

Betsy’s green eyes widen as they flicker between the couple. “Is he bad news? Do you know something I don’t?” She leans forward, the coffee and muffin forgotten.

Shawn shakes his head, waving a hand in the air to silence her. “Nothing like that, though if you want my opinion, you should give Raven a shot. He’s as bad as you think.” Shawn shrugs and continues. “It’s the place he wants to take you to. It’s bad news, Bets.”

“They say it’s haunted!” Kasey bursts out suddenly, sliding into the booth next to Shawn. “That ship, they left it there to die after a freak accident on open water that killed everyone on board. They say the spirits of all those lost still haunt this town.”

“Come on now...” Betsy says, taking in their worried faces. “You can’t possibly believe in such stories? That’s the sort of bedtime horrors parents use to scare their kids into behaving.”

“Please don’t go,” Kasey begs.

“What she said,” Shawn says, allowing his worry to seep into his tone.

****

A few hours later, Betsy stared out of the windshield of Principal Black’s car at the aging cruise liner that floated listlessly by an abandoned pier. Age and neglect had clearly taken their toll on the rusted sides, barnacles climbing freely up the sides. A rickety step bridge between the dock and the boat entrance swayed in the breeze. The foul smell of low tide invaded their nostrils, causing Betsy to scrunch her nose and wave her hand in front of her face.

“Nobody knows what caused the fire or why no one on board could get control over it. But local legend has it that some of the spirits were pissed enough to stick around.” Corey turns his head to take in her reaction. A mischievous grin spreads across her lips as she opens the door and exits his car, walking swiftly up the sandy ground towards the dock. Corey scrambles out after her, his heart pounding suddenly. “What are you doing?”

Betsy stops and turns to him with a challenging grin. “Don’t tell me you're chicken?”

“Careful, not chicken. Do you know how rotted out that interior would be? You’re asking for trouble.” He warns her, his nervous gaze giving him away.

“Chicken shit,” Betsy says, turning away and hurrying into the ship.

Once inside, she’s taken aback by the rotting smell of the sea-soaked into the moldy walls. Once luxurious cabins and halls now stood skeletal and empty, devoid of the music and chatter that once filled it. She turns to explore the kitchens and stops dead in her tracks, her blood turning to ice.

There she was. The Deathly Woman, surrounded by the same group of faithful ghouls. Only this time, there were so many more, closing in on her. Their hideous faces grin wickedly as they surround swarm, reaching out invitingly. With a terrified scream, she launches herself through them and makes a beeline back towards the car. Corey is already inside and at the sight of her frightened face, starts the car and drives them away without a word.

****

Reluctant to be alone, Betsy now found herself sitting beside Raven at the little pub adjacent to their building. Still shaken from her experience earlier, she had been willing to accept his offer for drinks when they’d bumped into each other in the hallway. Now he made his move, slowly letting his hand fall on her thigh. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or her fear, but it felt warm and inviting; before she knew it, they were back in her apartment, kissing hotly and removing clothing.

They fall onto the bed together, his lips moving over her jaw to nibble on her ear. She moans as his lips drop to her neck, her legs spreading to invite him between. Opening her eyes for a moment to drink him in, they fall on the ghastly sight of the Deathly Woman, who was watching in avid fascination. With a breathless scream, Betsy pushes Raven off and scrambles off the bed, staring at her.

“She’s here! How is she here... WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?” Betsy screams as a bewildered Raven looks at where she’s looking.

He sees nothing. Looking back at Betsy, he slowly starts to gather his clothing and ease carefully towards the door. “You know what Bets...I’m gonna have to take a rain-check.”

“Please don’t leave me alone with her!” Betsy sobs, reaching out for him, but he’s already through the door.

Fear grips her as silence fills the room. In her catatonic state, a strong pull begins to tug at her very soul; she lifts her head, staring in the direction it came from. Climbing to her feet, her heart pounds as she dresses and heads out the door, heading against her will towards the last place she wanted to go.


****

As much as she tries to turn back, her feet take her unbidden towards the cruise liner. She can feel them before she saw them; the Deathly Woman and her army of ghouls. The four men glide forward, reaching out a hand towards her. She screams as their icy grip tightens around her, dragging her towards the Deathly Woman, who stared down at her victoriously. It was only then that Betsy noticed the glimmering figure that had always occupied the spot by her side.

In her final moments of consciousness, the glimmer cleared up and Betsy saw...

Herself.

Darkness filled her world then, the maddening sounds of dead laughter echoing through her mind.


****

Days had gone by since anyone had seen Betsy, so they decided to go looking for her. Shawn found her footprints in the wet dirt and they followed them all the way to the cruise ship. It was there that they suddenly disappear, though Raven recognized the smell of her perfume on the air. Determined to find her, Raven and his assembled team of Shawn, Corey, Vhodka, and Kasey ventured into the ship to look around, but there was no trace of their friend.


****


Back in Bellevue, Iowa, a car was being pulled from the bottom of the town river. Both its occupants, later identified as Lycana and Betsy Granger, were both found deceased.


****

As the video ends, the Faceless Man ponders what he just witnessed. As his mind scrutinizes the events of Betsy Granger, a woman’s cries just outside his room startle him out of his thoughts.

“Please... Let me in! Please, if anyone is in there, don’t let them take me!”

The Faceless man barely turns his head as he allows his mind to go back to the films and what they could mean...

****

“At long last, the anticipated Tara Fenix Charity Cruise looms close before us and the chaos it promises to bring!

Atara Themis and her Thirst Squad hope to topple the might that my beloved James has assembled to combat her forces. Leave it to Atty to pick a team of stupidly good-looking, mostly if not all unavailable men. She has a fetish for trying to take what isn’t hers, in case you didn’t know.

Bruce McLeod, the silver fox. Wholesome ol’ Bert McAlroy. Number crunching Tony Savage. And last but not least, the guy that will never go ab to ab with my boo, Sebastian Everett-Bryce the Third. These are her fearless champions.

That’s cute. Not to downplay any of them, honestly; it’s just that they haven’t got a prayer compared to what Team Raven packs.

None of them will be able to keep up with Vhodka Black’s intensely maniacal nature. Who of them can compete with the legendary acid tongue and brutal force of Shawn Warstein? I challenge any of them to reach the levels of brutality that Corey Black brings to the table. And come on... One look at Twitter tells you the story of James Raven. Atara and/or Sebby would bend over and spread their cheeks mid-match if he told them to.

As for me... why don’t you ask your fearless captain. She’ll tell you all about how she defeated me for the Shooting Star Title. A victory I’ll never take away from her.

And the only one she’ll ever get from me. Batten down the hatches and warn your team of what’s to come, Atty. I’m not just the Impossible Traveler, baby.

I’m the Unstoppable Asskicker. And on Night Three in that main event, in the ring on that boat? I’m coming to wreck shop.”