An innocent derelict, or something more sinister?...
Tradewinds 13: Derelicthttp://www.absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=10691Summary: Wherein it came from out of the fog…
Categories: Original Fiction
Characters: None
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense
Rated: R
Warnings: Violence
Series: Tradewinds
Challenges: None
Published: 09/19/11
excerpt, from Chapter 1:…Just when Shades was about to give up, having killed the engines to conserve fuel, as the Maximum coasted to a halt, they all saw it.
It was hard to tell if their ship was still moving, or if the other was drifting in the current, but the other ship at least appeared to sail in out of the fog. The bow thrusting out of the ever-shifting mists, on a direct course to cross their path. Shades sat there watching the rest of the hull materialize one foot at a time, and it wasn’t until Justin gripped his arm in alarm that it occurred to him to restart the engines and change course to avoid a collision. As he veered aside, then pulled alongside the other vessel, noting right off that she was at least twice as long as the Maximum, as they still couldn’t see the rear of the ship as they coasted side by side, thin wisps of fog streaming between them.
The three of them just sat there for a long moment, each lost in their own observations.
Now that he was awake, Max simply watched the unknown vessel, recalling his parents’ tales of haunted places. Likely the same accounts this fog reminded him of to begin with, and the most probable cause of his restless sleep earlier. Yet he could recall nothing about this particular vessel, nor anything even vaguely resembling it.
What’re the odds? Shades wondered.
To him, it looked a lot like pictures he had seen of turn-of-the-century ships from back on Earth. There was certainly nothing about its design or trappings that looked like it was made in his lifetime, he reflected, wondering if he was the first to notice that there wasn’t a single light on. Nobody’s home… Then the thought crossed his mind that perhaps this was just someone else that got stranded in this fogbank.
“Anybody home?” he enquired absently.
Max started, and Justin slowly turned his head.
“Let’s check it out,” Shades said, this time more firmly. Though he had no more clue than his friends what was up with this ship, it shared the same waters as they did, so it seemed a wise idea to investigate…
A bad moon on the rise...