Page 19

Leah

My first thought when I saw the gaping hole where the door used to be was that someone had broken into my boat. My second thought, when I stepped onto the boat and found Maxine surrounded by those things , was that I’d walked into a living nightmare.

Myrtle’s interior was all splintered wood and shattered glass, like a tornado had blown through.

And those… people—no, things —their skin unnervingly smooth and their faces expressionless except for those wide, artificial smiles.

They looked like mannequins come to life, waxy and warped in places, and my gut twisted at the uncanny sight.

Then the world moved like someone had pressed a fast-forward button.

One of those waxy figures jolted forward, impossibly fast, grabbing my collar and yanking me inside so abruptly that I lost my footing. I crashed to my knees – clawing at those bony fingers gripping my shirt – a scream lodged in my throat as I stared up into vacant, hollow eyes.

Maxine was at my side in a flash. She struck the wax figure so hard its entire chest cavity seemed to cave in, and it staggered backward, pulling me off-balance.

I tumbled to the floor as the creature's grip loosened, adrenaline roaring through my veins as Maxine hauled me to my feet and shoved me toward the back of the boat, to my bedroom.

“This way—go!” she barked, gripping the scruff of my collar, guiding me along and kicking out at the grasping fingers that followed us.

My pulse pounded in my ears, but I managed to stumble forward.

Maxine kept at my back, fending off another lurching attacker with a dull thud of impact.

The boat rocked so wildly that I nearly fell to my knees again, but I forced my legs to keep moving, my only goal being to put as many doors between us and them as possible.

Finally, we stumbled into my cramped bedroom, and Maxine spun around, slamming the door shut and lunging for the lock, twisting it and bracing her body against the flimsy wood.

No sooner had she done so than the pounding started – fists striking the door in a rapid, furious rhythm. I could see the wood creak and bow under the relentless assault, and every thud sent a jolt of terror through my chest.

Maxine was breathless, splattered with droplets of something that wasn’t entirely blood—it gleamed in the low lamp like half-melted plastic. Her eyes met mine and I saw the panic there.

Outside, the pounding intensified, sending tremors through the thin walls.

The door rattled as though it might give at any second.

My gaze darted around the room, looking for something, anything , any object we could use as a weapon or a barricade.

But my bedroom was small and sparse, hardly a fortress.

I swallowed hard, clenching and unclenching my fists. “What are those things?”

Maxine gave no answer. Instead, she gritted her teeth, her palms pressed to the door.

“Maxine!?”

“I’ll explain later!’ she snapped, pulling back to haul her shoulder at the door when the wood creaked and groaned. “Right now we need to get out of here. Do you have any matches?”

“What do you need matches for?!” I rushed forward to join her at the door when another thud from the other side had it rattling on its hinges.

Another blow thundered against the barricade, sending my teeth chattering, and Maxine hissed in frustration. “We need fire.”

I blinked at her. She wants fire? We’re on a fucking boat and she wants to light a fire?

“We don’t have many options here!” Maxine shouted over the banging, sensing my hesitation. “Please, Leah!”

A hollow thud shook the flimsy barrier of the door. Another splintering crack followed, and I pictured the wax creatures on the other side, pushing in with their grotesquely perfect smiles.

“I—I have flares?” I gasped, pushing off from the door where Maxine stood bracing her shoulder, scraping her heels on the floor. The tremors of another impact shuddered through the narrow cabin, nearly sending me stumbling again.

“Flares work.” Maxine spoke through gritted teeth, swearing as another jolt whipped her head back and forth on her shoulders.

I lurched to the opposite side of the bedroom and crouched beside a low cupboard. My hands fumbled with the latch, adrenaline making my fingers clumsy. Outside, the pounding escalated, accompanied by chilling half-laughs and warped murmurs.

Finally, I yanked the cupboard open. Blankets tumbled out, followed by some spare batteries. At the back, I saw the weathered box of flares and swallowed the bile in my throat, hauling it out between my knees.

The door gave another thunderous groan and Maxine released a sharp exhale. “When they break through, light them up.”

“No pressure,” I muttered, popping open the lid. The flares inside glinted a muted red, each with its own short ignition strip. I glanced at Maxine, terror tearing through my chest. “I’ve never used these like–”

Before I could finish, the door exploded inward, shards of broken wood flying across the room.

I scrambled backward, snatching up a flare as Maxine tumbled to her hands and knees.

Five wax figures piled in, limbs jerking with disjointed synchronicity.

Their waxen faces had twisted into caricature grins, some partially warped from Maxine’s previous strikes.

“Now!” Maxine shouted, springing to meet them. She swung her arm in a wide arc, slamming one minion across the jaw so hard that its head warped and dented around her fist.

I lifted the flare. The ignition strip quivered under my sweaty fingers, but I yanked hard, sparks spitting to life. A blinding burst of orange flame flared at the tip, sputtering with acrid smoke.

The nearest wax minion lunged at me, too-smooth features contorted into that uncanny grin.

With a terrified shriek, I thrust the flare forward.

The bright flame licked at its outstretched arm, which instantly began to drip and sag like candle wax under a blowtorch.

The thing recoiled with a distorted gargle , a mechanical scream of rage.

Maxine seized the opportunity, catching one creature by the back of its head and slamming it face-first into the burning flare. The stench was nauseating, acrid chemical and hot plastic, but the effect was immediate. Its waxy skin softened, melting under the intense heat.

She snatched a second flare from the box at my feet, striking it to life and brandishing it like a flaming sword in the half-dark.

When the ceiling light was smashed out we were plunged into a hellscape of flickering red firelight and choking smoke.

I lit another flare, sparks cascading onto the floor, and my heart seized with every flicker of flame near the curtains or bedding.

Myrtle was a mighty fine home, but she wasn’t fire-proof.

One of the creatures swung at me with a deformed fist, connecting with my shoulder hard enough to knock me down onto my backside. I bared my teeth, thrusting the flare upward, driving it into the creature’s abdomen. Its midsection convulsed, melting away in rivulets of sludge.

Through the haze of heat, I caught a glimpse of Maxine, her hair wild, droplets of wax clinging to her skin like molten candle drips. Even half-feral she moved with an obvious grace, dipping, and weaving, slashing and cleaving – occasionally glancing over her shoulder to catch my eye.

Then I caught sight of a spark dancing across the ruffled curtains, creeping upward like a living thing. The smell of scorched fabric filled my lungs, and horror set in. Flames licked the edges of the flimsy walls and smoke rose in dark plumes.

The boat rocked as new bursts of fire found fresh fuel—wood, bedding, anything it could devour.

My pulse spiked, adrenaline giving way to dizzy terror. Already the heat intensified, acrid smoke filling the tiny cabin. I could barely make out Maxine, wreathed in haze, fending off the last twisted remains of one of the wax creatures.

“We have to go!” I choked, but my words were swallowed by a crash as part of a ceiling panel caved in, sending sparks raining down. The smoke was too thick, clogging my throat, burning my eyes. My knees buckled and I sputtered, trying to draw a breath that never quite filled my lungs.

I swayed and stumbled, hacking and coughing, crawling through the smog as black spots crowded my vision.

Then two lithe arms wrapped around me, and I felt Maxine’s breath against my ear, though I could hardly hear the words above the roar of the flames.

The next thing I knew, she was half-dragging, half-carrying me through the boat’s narrow corridor.

Embers flew like fireflies, small flecks of red-hot ash in the swirling dark.

The searing heat pressed in from all sides and I choked out a sob.

My beloved boat was going up in flames. Hot smoke scraped down my throat, and it took everything I had not to collapse into a blubbering mess then and there.

Maxine pulled me along relentlessly, keeping me upright even as my vision blurred.

We finally reached the back deck and Maxine shoved me onward, one steadying hand at my back. The cool night air hit like a slap against my heated skin, frosty compared to the inferno inside.

The next instant, she swept an arm under my knees, lifting me up princess-style, and hurled me into the water, my body slicing into the harbor with a shocking splash.

The all-encompassing cold closed over my head and for a heartbeat, my lungs seized up – until instinct took over.

I kicked my legs, forcing myself to the surface with a frantic gasp.

Maxine plunged in behind me, a bright blur under the water before breaking the surface to cough and splutter at my side.

Our heads bobbed in the ripples and I treaded water, lifting my eyes to see Myrtle fully engulfed, angry flames kicking out the windows and hatches.

The screams of those wax nightmares echoed from inside the burning hull, a grotesque chorus muffled by the crackling blaze. None of them came lunging out after us.

“My boat,” I croaked, tears stinging my eyes. Smoke still clung to my throat, making every breath a raspy effort.

Maxine floated beside me, breathing heavily, watching Myrtle crackle and burn. “Come on.” She tugged at my arm under the water, paddling backward towards the jetty.

I kicked my legs out to follow her, but stiffened in a blink when something solid clamped around my ankle like a vice.

I let out a strangled scream, yanked under so fast that water rushed up my nose. The cold dark swallowed me and I writhed and struggled, fighting against whatever it was that snaked bony fingers up my leg.

In the distorted underwater world, through the bubbles of air rushing from my throat, I caught the outline of a waxy figure. Its face was half-melted, its mouth twisted in a silent snarl.

My lungs burned, and my thoughts spiraled.

I kicked frantically, but it wouldn’t let go, dragging me deeper and deeper.

My chest ached with the sudden lack of air, panic flaring in every nerve.

Overhead, a dull boom sounded as the flames finally reached the fuel tank and I caught glimpses of Myrtle burning, an orange glow on the water like a lantern in the dark.

Through the roiling shadows another figure took shape, spearing through the water toward me. Maxine.

She seized the wax figure’s half-melted head, her hair swirling like ink in the water.

In the murky gloom she reeled back, wrenching the figure's head clean off its shoulders. A wave of black sludge billowed around us. The figure’s limbs flailed, but Maxine struck out with a savage efficiency – ripping, pulling, tearing it apart.

At last, the hand around my ankle gave way and Maxine caught hold of my arm, kicking us both to the surface.

We exploded from the water in a scuffle of limbs and sputtering coughs. Air rushed into my lungs and I sucked it down, ignoring the scraping burn in my throat. The taste of salt and smoke burned my tongue.

Somewhere close by, Myrtle’s remains crackled and hissed.

Maxine slung her arm under my armpits, towing me toward the jetty. My limbs felt leaden, each kick an effort, but I forced my body to move, making for the battered wooden planks looming just ahead.

When we finally reached the jetty, Maxine hauled me up onto the slick surface and clambered up beside me, collapsing in a tangle of limbs. I choked up brackish water, heaving on my hands and knees, my lungs shrieking and my chest wracked with ragged sobs.

Neither of us could speak, sucking in wet, desperate breaths in our soggy clothing.

Sparks still rained down from Myrtle’s blazing hull, the flames devouring what was left of my home. My stomach twisted, tears mixing with the salt on my cheeks.

I turned onto my side, watching the sturdy boat’s silhouette crumble against the night sky.