DANGER! NO PASSENGERS PAST THIS POINT

The rain and spray suck away the light from the lamps on the superstructure of the ship, leaving only dim halos. He tries to see what's on the other side of the safety barrier, but all he can make out is a clump of bulky metal cabinets connected by thick cables.

He scans the passageways behind him. No sign of her, but that doesn't mean she isn't close.

He leans over the warning sign and lowers the cat carrier to the deck. The ferry lurches as it's hit by a huge wave. The cat carrier slides sideways, coming to rest against one of the cabinets. He straddles the barrier and stumbles over to the other side, losing his balance and thumping against the rail at the edge of the deck. The hull below him is a vast featureless metal cliff. He backs away, fearful that the gale will blow him over the rail.

A blast from the ship's horn reverberates through his bones.

He picks up the cat carrier. Where to hide? The cabinets are lower than he'd realised. He crouches behind the nearest one and peers over the top. A flash of light a few yards away, and a smack as a bullet hits the cabinet to his left.

His plan for a new life is in tatters. It's no use. 'Time to say goodbye,' he says, his voice swallowed by the din of the storm. He blinks away tears and twists open the catch. The cat bounds out of the carrier and disappears into the night.

He crawls along the slippery deck to the cabinet on his right, and lies down behind it, making himself as small as possible, praying that help will arrive before the killer finds him.

But there she is, towering above him, holding a pistol.

She points the gun at his head. Suddenly, a black shape darts up the front of her coat. She shrieks and jerks back, trying to pull her head away from the vicious claws tearing at her eyes. The gun tumbles to the deck. She stumbles backwards and vanishes over the rail with a piercing scream.

He slumps on the deck, panting, then heaves himself upright and peers over the rail. Just the hull disappearing down into the blackness.

The ferry's bright, noisy café is crammed with passengers intent on enjoying the journey despite the storm raging outside. They stare and offer help as he pushes through them to the corridor where the cabins are located. He's filthy, soaking, and shaking with cold and shock. His relief is overshadowed by grief for the cat.

As he fumbles in his suitcase for fresh clothes, he hears scratching and thumping outside the cabin door. Oh God! Could it be his nemesis, somehow still alive? He edges the door open.

The cat shoots in, jumps on the bed and starts to clean herself.

EGF, 28/4/24