Chapter 2: The Red Zone



"Excuse me"

I squashed myself in between the cluster of passengers towards the dark corner where I rented a room under the deck.

Above costs more than a hundred pound and I cannot afford the luxury. Besides I am quite certain that the agent is there and here, there is at least a lower chance that I might get identified.

My arm throbbed in agony as I made myself small as possible, squeezing through thick sea of bodies.

"Pardon" I cleared my throat, passing by and a woman openly glared at me when I pushed her aside.

As much as I wanted to entertain niceties, I am rather feeling exhausted and irritable. I needed rest and a moment of solitude to gather my thoughts and execute my next plans.

I have no blithering idea what to do next once I'm in Moscow. In fact, I don't even fully speak Russian, just the basic bits. All I know is that it will be a new place to start over.

"Alright buckle up passengers, we've reached the Red zone!!" the Russian sailor's voice is loud against the cacophony of noises.

As if to emphasize his warning, a thunderclap shook the ship, rattling the wooden walls to the point where a few passengers gave a startled scream.

The ship did a rickety dance while sudden rain pounded the ship from above. We are far from New York but also not closer to Russia.

I hissed.

The force of the sudden thunder flung my arm sideways and I had no choice but to duck and pull my luggage with me albeit agonizingly.

I tightened the hood around my face.

I am sure that the agent the Russian is talking is on the upper class, but I'm not taking any chances.

I have no blithering idea what the Red zone means just that it is the 'In Between' but I guess that it wasn't good at all.

"Shit" I muttered a curse when my wounded arm begins to feel numb. I needed to hurry to that room before I am forced to cut it off.

After a series of crawling and pushing, I've finally made it to the farthest corner where a lone window is placed, giving a narrow view of the waters surrounding us.

I almost passed it when another bolt of lightning passed, the flash illuminating a frightening array of tentacles wrapping around the ship. I was close enough to see one plaster against the glass and I retreated in shock.

The sound of it made a defeaning noise against the glass akin to a spoon against a mirror.

What the fuck?.

Rubbing my eyes, I cautiously approached the window again to confirm what I had seen.

However, it's impossible with how dark the waters are and the lack of light coming from the low cut ceiling.

Perhaps I'm truly losing it.

It's reasonable with the stress and panic of my escape. However, the hairs on my neck prickled with utter alarm.

I might be a newbie on the sea but I know that there isn't a normal squid as big as that.

It probably might be an octopus but it's enormous and completely off.

The theory of me being insane was later proven false when someone shrilled, "Did you saw that?!"

My thoughts are interrupted when a woman suddenly pulled me away from the window.

"Lady, you need to leave the window right now!" she gripped me by the wounded arm.

My fight and flight instincts overtook my body and I immediately pushed her away, knocking her to the floor. The ship did another tilt and I lose my hold on my luggage's handle. Forget about it. If it means escape then I'm going to jump off this ship rather than being handed back to those demons.

I backed further away from the stranger who grabbed me.

Octupos or not, I won't let them touch me ever again. I won't let this people return me to my captors.

I turned around and was stunned to see that all of the passengers are staring at me with muted terror.

Did they recognize me?.

Did they?.

I gulped, stepping away and it is too late when I realize that I have my back to the window.

"It's the kraken!" the woman I've pushed suddenly cried and made a sign of the cross, sobbing.

The others too followed, crying in utter panic, fighting each other off so they could distance themselves away from me.

Huh?.

These people are staring to freak me out and this ship is rather strange.

"Pozhaluysta Bozhe, spasi nas! (Please God, save us!) " The woman folded her hands in a praying manner, chanting strange Russian words that I only got the gist of it.

She's praying.

What the actual fuck is going on?.

"We disrupted the Red zone, the Kraken's home!. It has came to doom us all!" she cried again then abruptly slapped her hand against her mouth as if her words might trigger the 'Kraken' or whatever the hell was that.

"The what?" I asked, flabbergasted.

I didn't signed up for this.

All I wanted was to reach Moscow but life isn't making it any easier.

Pinching my brows in annoyance, I secured the hood around my face tighter.

"What are you talking about?" I tried again, changing the timbre of my tone in case this is a trick to reveal my identity.

There was a moment of dreadful silence before the  woman lifted a shaky finger, pointing towards me.

"Behind you, lady"

I didn't have the chance to turn around to investigate because the glass was smashed and water began pouring in.

Then I felt the unmistakable texture of tentacles wrapping around my body.

Screams filled the ship and I am pulled into the depths of the unknown.